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Introducing Advanced Task Management: Deadlines, Estimates, and Subtasks

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Take your productivity to the next level with our latest update featuring deadline countdowns, time estimates, subtasks, and column metrics. Plan better, work smarter.

Introducing Advanced Task Management: Deadlines, Estimates, and Subtasks

We're excited to announce a major update to Itracksy's task management system! Based on your feedback, we've added powerful new features that help you plan better, track progress more effectively, and stay on top of deadlines.

iTracksy Task Management Features Update

What's New? 🎉

1. Deadline Tracking with Smart Countdowns ⏰

Never miss a deadline again! Every task card now shows not just when something is due, but exactly how much time you have left.

What you'll see:

  • "Due: Oct 10 (in 8 days)" - Upcoming tasks
  • "Due: Oct 10 (today)" - Tasks due today
  • "Due: Oct 10 (overdue by 2 days)" - Past due items

Smart color coding helps you prioritize at a glance:

  • 🔴 Red - Overdue tasks that need immediate attention
  • 🟠 Orange - Due today, no time to waste
  • 🟡 Yellow - Due within 3 days, plan accordingly
  • ⚪ Gray - Future deadlines, you're good

This visual system makes it instantly clear what needs your attention first, helping you stay ahead of your commitments.

2. Estimated Time & Intelligent Focus Sessions ⏱️

Ever started a focus session wondering "how long should I work on this?" Now you don't have to guess.

Set estimated time for any task - for example, "2h 30m" - and when you click Start, your focus timer automatically counts down from that estimate. No more manual timer adjustments!

Why this matters:

  • Better planning: Know how much work you can realistically fit in a day
  • Improved estimates: Track actual vs estimated time to get better at planning
  • Automatic setup: One click starts a perfectly timed focus session
  • Reality check: See if tasks are taking longer than expected

Imagine opening your task board Monday morning and seeing "8 hours estimated" across your "To Do" column. You instantly know if you're planning a realistic day or need to adjust priorities.

3. Subtasks for Breaking Down Complex Work ✅

Big tasks can be overwhelming. Now you can break them down into manageable pieces.

Create unlimited subtasks for any card:

  • Click on a task to open details
  • Add as many subtasks as you need
  • Check them off as you complete them
  • See real-time progress: "40% - 2/5 completed"

Perfect for:

  • Multi-step projects with clear phases
  • Tasks with multiple deliverables
  • Checklists and process workflows
  • Onboarding procedures
  • Research tasks with multiple sources

Example: A task like "Launch Marketing Campaign" becomes:

  • ✅ Research target audience (done)
  • ✅ Create content calendar (done)
  • ☐ Design graphics
  • ☐ Schedule posts
  • ☐ Launch campaign

Your card shows "40% - 2/5 completed" so you know exactly where you stand.

4. Column Metrics for Better Planning 📊

Ever wondered how much work is really in your "To Do" column? Now you know at a glance.

Each column displays:

  • Total number of cards
  • Sum of estimated hours

Example: "6 cards | Est: 10.5h"

This is game-changing for sprint planning and capacity management. You can see:

  • Is this column overloaded?
  • Do I have realistic estimates?
  • How does my "In Progress" compare to "To Do"?
  • What did we accomplish this week? (Check the "Done" column!)

Real-world scenario:

To Do: 8 cards | Est: 16h
In Progress: 3 cards | Est: 6h
Done: 12 cards | Est: 24h

At a glance, you know you have 22 hours of work ahead and completed 24 hours this week. Perfect for stand-ups and status updates!

How to Use These Features

Setting a Deadline

  1. Click any task card to open details
  2. Find the "Due Date" field
  3. Select your deadline date
  4. Click "Save"
  5. Watch the countdown appear on your card!

The countdown updates automatically every day, so you always know exactly where you stand.

Adding Estimated Time

  1. Open a task card
  2. In "Estimated Time", enter hours and/or minutes
  3. Click "Save"
  4. Next time you click "Start" on that card, boom - timer is pre-set!

Pro tip: Start with rough estimates. As you track actual time, you'll get better at estimating future work.

Creating Subtasks

  1. Open a task card
  2. Scroll to "Subtasks" section
  3. Type a subtask name and press Enter
  4. Keep adding until you've broken down the work
  5. Check boxes as you complete items
  6. Click "Save"

Your card automatically shows progress: "60% - 3/5 completed"

Using Column Metrics

Nothing to do here! Metrics automatically appear at the top of each column. As you:

  • Add tasks → metrics update
  • Set estimates → totals recalculate
  • Move cards between columns → both columns update

It just works. ✨

Real-World Use Cases

For Freelancers

Scenario: You're juggling multiple client projects with different deadlines.

Before: Mental tracking of due dates, hoping you didn't forget anything.

Now:

  • Set client deadlines on each task
  • See "Due: Dec 10 (in 6 days)" in red - client deliverable coming up!
  • Estimate 3 hours for the task
  • Create subtasks: Draft, Review, Finalize
  • Start focus session with pre-set 3-hour timer
  • Check off subtasks as you go

You're in control, clients are happy, and you never miss a deadline.

For Development Teams

Scenario: Sprint planning for a 2-week cycle.

Before: Rough guessing at capacity, constant re-planning.

Now:

  • Move tasks to "Sprint Backlog" column
  • Column shows "12 tasks | Est: 78h"
  • Your team has 80h capacity (4 devs × 20h each)
  • Perfect fit! Sprint planned in seconds
  • Track progress with subtasks: Design, Code, Test, Review
  • Watch the "Done" column metrics grow throughout the sprint

For Content Creators

Scenario: Planning your content calendar.

Before: Scattered deadlines, last-minute rushes.

Now:

  • Each video/article is a card with publish deadline
  • See "Due: Dec 15 (in 11 days)" with yellow warning
  • Estimate: 6 hours total
  • Subtasks: Research (1h), Script (2h), Film (2h), Edit (1h)
  • Start focus sessions with accurate time estimates
  • Track completion: "75% - 3/4 completed"

Publish on time, every time. No stress.

The Philosophy Behind These Features

We built Itracksy to help you understand and improve how you work. These new features extend that philosophy:

Deadlines with countdowns → Awareness of time pressure without anxiety Estimated time → Better self-knowledge and planning skills Subtasks → Breaking overwhelming into manageable Column metrics → Data-driven capacity planning

Together, they create a complete picture: What needs to be done? By when? How long will it take? What's our progress?

Getting Started Today

These features are available now in the latest version of Itracksy!

If you're a current user:

  1. Restart Itracksy to apply the update
  2. The database migration runs automatically
  3. All your existing tasks remain unchanged
  4. Start using the new features immediately!

New to Itracksy? Download now and get instant access to these productivity-boosting features, plus:

  • Automatic time tracking
  • Focus session management
  • Activity insights and reports
  • Smart categorization
  • And much more!

What's Next?

This is just the beginning. We're working on even more features to help you master your time:

  • Recurring deadlines for repeating tasks
  • Time comparisons - actual vs estimated reports
  • Gantt chart view for project timelines
  • Deadline notifications to keep you on track
  • Advanced reporting on completion rates

Have ideas for features you'd like to see? Join our community and let us know!

Try It Yourself

The best way to understand these features is to use them. Here's a quick challenge:

  1. Create a task: "Write blog post"
  2. Set deadline: This Friday
  3. Estimate: 2 hours
  4. Add subtasks: Research, Outline, Write, Edit
  5. Start a focus session
  6. Watch how the countdown, timer, and progress tracking work together

You'll immediately see how these features work in harmony to keep you productive and on track.

Final Thoughts

We designed these features to make your work life easier, not more complex. They're all optional - use what helps you, ignore what doesn't.

Your existing workflow works the same way it always has. These are power-ups available when you need them.

Whether you're managing deadlines, planning capacity, or breaking down complex projects, Itracksy now has you covered.

Happy productive working! 🚀

Have questions about the new features? Check out our documentation or reach out to support.

Using Itracksy in an interesting way? We'd love to hear your story! Share it on Twitter or LinkedIn.