Tags & signifiers
Every tag and symbol Focus First reads or writes, in one place. All of Focus First's own tags are configurable in Settings - the values below are the defaults.
Focus First tags
| Tag | Default | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | #focus | Adds a task to the focus / today-plan list above the matrix. | Tags |
| Hide | #hide | Hides / snoozes a task; combine with a start date to "hide until". | Tags |
| Size - small | #s | Marks a task as small - low effort / a quick win. | Tags |
| Size - medium | #m | Marks a task as medium. | Tags |
| Size - large | #l | Marks a task as large - high effort. | Tags |
| Quadrant - do | #do | Pins a task to Do, overriding automatic classification. | Quadrants |
| Quadrant - schedule | #schedule | Pins a task to Schedule. | Quadrants |
| Quadrant - delegate | #delegate | Pins a task to Delegate. | Quadrants |
| Quadrant - eliminate | #eliminate | Pins a task to Eliminate. | Quadrants |
| High value | #highvalue | Forces high value in the Value/Effort matrix, overriding the value source. | Value / Effort |
| Low value | #lowvalue | Forces low value in the Value/Effort matrix. | Value / Effort |
TIP
Quadrant tags apply in the Eisenhower preset; #highvalue / #lowvalue apply in the Value/Effort preset. Sizes drive both the quick-wins filter and the effort axis.
Tasks-plugin signifiers
Focus First reads the same Tasks plugin syntax, so these come for free (the Tasks plugin itself is not required to use them):
| Symbol | Meaning | Used for |
|---|---|---|
📅 2026-07-02 | Due date | Urgency / the Eisenhower horizontal axis |
🛫 2026-07-02 | Start date | "Not actionable until" - future tasks & "hide until" |
⏳ 2026-07-02 | Scheduled date | Same as start, for scheduling |
🔺 | Highest priority | Importance / value |
⏫ | High priority | Importance / value |
🔼 | Medium priority | Importance / value |
🔽 | Low priority | Importance / value |
⏬ | Lowest priority | Importance / value |
✅ 2026-07-02 | Done date | Written when you complete a task (with the Tasks plugin) |
🔁 every week | Recurrence | Handled by the Tasks plugin on completion |
By default only 🔺 and ⏫ count as important - you can change which priorities count in Settings → Classification.
Checkbox states
| Markdown | State |
|---|---|
- [ ] | Open - appears in the matrix |
- [x] / - [X] | Completed - excluded from the matrix |
- [-] | Cancelled - treated as completed |
Example
A single task can combine several of these:
markdown
- [ ] Draft the launch plan 🔺 📅 2026-07-02 #m #focusThat's an open task, highest priority (important), due July 2 (urgent), medium size, pinned to the focus list.