Keybinding Note: This extension uses Emacs-style keybindings where Ctrl is used on all platforms (not Cmd on Mac), except where explicitly noted. Mac alternatives are shown as Cmd where applicable.

✅ Timestamps

Timestamps in Scimax VS Code allow you to associate dates and times with your content. They are essential for scheduling tasks, tracking deadlines, recording events, and managing time.

✅ Timestamp Types

Org-mode supports two types of timestamps that serve different purposes.

✅ Active Timestamps

Active timestamps appear in the agenda and are used for scheduling and events:

<2026-01-15 Wed>
<2026-01-15 Wed 14:30>

Active timestamps use angle brackets <...> and will:

Appear in agenda views
Show up in deadline warnings
Be included in time-based searches
Trigger reminders

✅ Inactive Timestamps

Inactive timestamps are for recording when something happened without agenda visibility:

[2026-01-15 Wed]
[2026-01-15 Wed 14:30]

Inactive timestamps use square brackets [...] and will:

NOT appear in the agenda
Be used for logging (CLOSED, state changes)
Record historical information
Document when notes were taken

✅ When to Use Each Type

Use Case	Type	Example
Schedule a task	Active	SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed>
Set a deadline	Active	DEADLINE: <2026-01-20 Mon>
Record appointment	Active	<2026-01-18 Thu 14:00>
Log completion time	Inactive	CLOSED: [2026-01-14 Tue 10:30]
Document when note was added	Inactive	[2026-01-14 Tue] Added notes...
Track state change	Inactive	State "DONE" from "TODO" [...]

✅ Date and Time Formats

✅ Basic Date Format

The standard date format is YYYY-MM-DD Day:

<2026-01-15 Wed>
[2026-12-31 Thu]

The day of week is automatically calculated and included.

✅ Date with Time

Add time in 24-hour HH:MM format:

<2026-01-15 Wed 09:00>
<2026-01-15 Wed 14:30>
<2026-01-15 Wed 23:59>

✅ Time Only

You can specify just a time (assumes today):

<14:30>

✅ Supported Date Components

Component	Format	Example	Description
Year	YYYY	2026	Four-digit year
Month	MM	01	Two-digit month (01-12)
Day	DD	15	Two-digit day (01-31)
Day of week	Day	Wed	Three-letter abbreviation
Hour	HH	14	Two-digit hour (00-23)
Minute	MM	30	Two-digit minute (00-59)

✅ Date and Time Ranges

✅ Date Ranges

Specify a range of dates with --:

<2026-01-15 Wed>--<2026-01-17 Fri>

This represents an event spanning multiple days, like a conference.

✅ Time Ranges

Specify a time range within a single day:

<2026-01-15 Wed 09:00-17:00>

This is useful for meetings or work sessions with defined start and end times.

✅ Time Range Examples

* Meeting with client
<2026-01-15 Wed 14:00-15:30>

* Conference attendance
<2026-03-10 Mon>--<2026-03-12 Wed>

* Office hours
<2026-01-15 Wed 10:00-12:00>

✅ Creating Timestamps

✅ Insert Timestamp Command

Key/Command	Action
C-c .	Insert active timestamp
C-c ,	Insert inactive timestamp
Speed key .	Insert timestamp (at heading)

Press C-c . and a date picker dialog appears. You can:

Type a date directly (2026-01-15)
Use relative expressions (+2d, next week)
Navigate with arrow keys
Press Enter to confirm

✅ Date Entry Shortcuts

When entering a date, use these expressions:

Expression	Result
+2d	Two days from now
-1w	One week ago
+3m	Three months from now
today	Today's date
tomorrow	Tomorrow's date
monday	Next Monday
jan 15	January 15 of current/next year
2026-01-15	Specific date

✅ Adding Time to Timestamps

When prompted for a date, add time after the date:

2026-01-15 14:30

Or use 12-hour format with am/pm:

2026-01-15 2:30pm

✅ Quick Timestamp Insertion

For common cases:

* TODO Task
  <2026-01-15 Wed>         ; Press C-c .

* Meeting notes
  [2026-01-14 Tue 10:00]   ; Press C-c ,

✅ Modifying Timestamps

Adjusting Dates with Keyboard

Place cursor on a timestamp component and use:

Key	Action
S-	Increase value (day, month, year)
S-	Decrease value
S-	Move to next day
S-	Move to previous day

Component-Based Editing

The cursor position determines what changes. A cursor directly after a field also counts as on it, so with the cursor between 10 and - in <2026-10-19 Mon>, S- changes the month, as in Emacs.

<2026-01-15 Wed 14:30>
 ↑    ↑  ↑   ↑   ↑  ↑
 Year │  Day │   Hour │
      Month  │   Minute
            Day of week (read-only)

On year: S-/Down changes year
On month: S-/Down changes month
On day: S-/Down or S-/Right changes day
On hour: S-/Down changes hour
On minute: S-/Down changes minute

On a task's DEADLINE date, once you stop pressing, scimax offers to move the tasks that depend on it by the same number of days. See Moving a deadline.

✅ Quick Date Adjustment Examples

; Move meeting to tomorrow
<2026-01-15 Wed 14:30>
; Place cursor anywhere in date, press S-<right>
<2026-01-16 Thu 14:30>

; Postpone by one month
<2026-01-15 Wed>
; Place cursor on month (01), press S-<up>
<2026-02-15 Sat>

✅ Editing Timestamp Dialog

Press C-c . on an existing timestamp to open the editor and:

Modify the date
Add or remove time
Change between active/inactive
Add repeaters or warnings

✅ Repeating Timestamps

Repeaters make timestamps recur automatically, perfect for recurring tasks and events.

✅ Basic Repeater Syntax

Add a repeater after the date: +Nx where:

+ is the repeater marker
N is a number
x is the unit (d, w, m, y)

<2026-01-15 Wed +1w>     ; Repeats weekly
<2026-01-15 Wed +2d>     ; Repeats every 2 days
<2026-01-01 Thu +1m>     ; Repeats monthly
<2026-01-15 Wed +1y>     ; Repeats yearly

✅ Repeater Units

Unit	Meaning	Example	Next Occurrence
d	Day(s)	+1d	Tomorrow
w	Week(s)	+1w	Same day next week
m	Month(s)	+1m	Same date next month
y	Year(s)	+1y	Same date next year
h	Hour(s)	+2h	Two hours later

✅ Repeater Behavior

When you mark a repeating task as DONE:

* TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed +1w>

; After marking DONE:

* TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-22 Wed +1w>

The task automatically returns to TODO state with the next occurrence date.

✅ Repeater Type Modifiers

Three types of repeaters handle different scenarios:

✅ Standard Repeater (+)

Shifts from the original base date:

* TODO Staff meeting
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed +1w>

If you complete it late (on Jan 20), it still schedules to Jan 22 (one week from original date).

✅ Catch-up Repeater (++)

Shifts from the completion date:

* TODO Exercise
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed ++1d>

If you complete it late (on Jan 17), it schedules to Jan 18 (one day from when you completed it).

✅ Restart Repeater (.+)

For tasks that must happen a fixed interval after completion:

* TODO Water plants
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed .+3d>

If you complete it on Jan 18, it schedules to Jan 21 (exactly 3 days later).

✅ Repeater Comparison

Type	Symbol	Schedules from	Use Case
Standard	+	Original date	Fixed appointments, meetings
Catch-up	++	Completion date	Habits, daily tasks
Restart	.+	Completion date	Maintenance, periodic tasks

✅ Repeater Examples

* TODO Daily standup meeting
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed 09:00 +1d>
; Every workday at 9am

* TODO Monthly report
DEADLINE: <2026-01-31 Fri +1m>
; Due last day of each month

* TODO Backup server
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed ++1w>
; Weekly, but adjust if done late

* TODO Change air filter
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed .+90d>
; Every 90 days after actually changing it

* TODO Practice guitar
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed ++1d>
; Daily practice, catch up if missed

✅ SCHEDULED and DEADLINE

Two special keywords attach timestamps to TODO items for planning.

✅ SCHEDULED Keyword

Indicates when you plan to START working on a task:

* TODO Write documentation
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed>

✅ DEADLINE Keyword

Indicates when a task must be COMPLETED by:

* TODO Submit proposal
DEADLINE: <2026-01-20 Mon>

✅ Using Both Together

Tasks can have both:

* TODO Complete quarterly report
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed>
DEADLINE: <2026-01-25 Sat>

Start working on Jan 15, must finish by Jan 25.

✅ Adding SCHEDULED and DEADLINE

Key/Command	Action
C-c C-s	Add/edit SCHEDULED
C-c C-d	Add/edit DEADLINE
Speed key s	Add/edit SCHEDULED
Speed key d	Add/edit DEADLINE
scimax.org.schedule	Schedule task
scimax.org.deadline	Set deadline

When you press one of these keys, you're prompted to enter a date using natural language. Simply type expressions like:

Expression	Result
today	Today's date
tomorrow	Tomorrow's date
monday	Next Monday
+2d	Two days from now
+1w	One week from now
jan 15	January 15 of current/next year
2026-01-15	Specific ISO date

Position cursor on a TODO headline and press the keybinding or use speed commands at the beginning of a headline.

Moving the Date with the Keyboard in the Calendar Picker

The calendar picker that opens for SCHEDULED and DEADLINE highlights a day, starting at the heading's current date when it already has one (its DEADLINE for C-c C-d, its SCHEDULED for C-c C-s) and at today otherwise. The arrow keys move the highlight, and Enter picks the highlighted day. The view follows the highlight into the next or previous month.

Changing the date keeps the rest of the old timestamp: its time, repeater and warning period. Moving DEADLINE: <2026-11-05 Thu 10:00 +1w -2d> one day later gives DEADLINE: <2026-11-06 Fri 10:00 +1w -2d>.

Key	Moves the highlight to
Left / Right	Previous / next day
Up / Down	Previous / next week
Shift+Left / Shift+Up	Previous month
Shift+Right / Shift+Down	Next month
Enter	Picks the highlighted day

Month moves keep the day of the month and clamp it to the last day when needed, so January 31 moves to February 28 (or 29). The month arrows and the year and month buttons move the highlight the same way. The arrow keys move the highlight only while the text box is empty; once you type an expression they move the text cursor, and Enter parses the expression as before.

✅ SCHEDULED vs DEADLINE

Aspect	SCHEDULED	DEADLINE
Meaning	When to START	When to FINISH
Agenda	Shows starting this day	Shows with warnings
Past dates	Appears every day until done	Shows days overdue
Use for	Planning, time-blocking	Hard deadlines, due dates

✅ Examples with Context

* TODO Review contract
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed> DEADLINE: <2026-01-17 Fri>
Need to finish before weekend.

* TODO Weekly team meeting
SCHEDULED: <2026-02-13 Fri 10:00 +1w>
Recurring Thursday meeting.

* TODO File taxes
DEADLINE: <2026-04-15 Tue -7d>
Due April 15, start warning 7 days early.

✅ Warning Periods

An agenda view covers the window you pick (day, week, fortnight, month), and a deadline shows in it when its date falls inside the window; an overdue deadline always shows on today. A warning period extends this: a deadline with -2w also shows in any window that includes one of the two weeks before it is due. It is listed on today's line (or, for a window that does not include today, on its first warned day) as In N d.:, and on its own date if that is in the window too.

✅ Warning Period Syntax

Add -N and a unit to a deadline: d days, w weeks, m months, y years (or h hours):

DEADLINE: <2026-01-25 Sat -7d>

A week view that includes any day from January 18 on shows this deadline.

✅ No Default Warning Period

There is no default warning period (Emacs uses org-deadline-warning-days, 14 days). The window you choose already sets how far ahead you look, so a deadline without a warning appears only when its date is inside the window, or once it is overdue.

✅ Setting Custom Warnings

Warning	Meaning
-3d	Warn 3 days before
-1w	Warn 1 week before
-2w	Warn 2 weeks before
-1m	Warn 1 month before
-0d	Same as no warning

✅ Warning Period Examples

* TODO Renew driver's license
DEADLINE: <2026-06-30 Tue -30d>
; Start warning 30 days early

* TODO Submit conference paper
DEADLINE: <2026-02-15 Sun -14d>
; Two week warning

* TODO Pay rent
DEADLINE: <2026-02-01 Sun -0d>
; Only in a window that contains the day it's due

Warnings apply to deadlines. On a SCHEDULED timestamp, org-mode reads -7d as a delay (keep the item out of the agenda until 7 days after the scheduled date), not a warning. Scimax does not apply delays: a scheduled item shows on its scheduled date.

✅ Combining Repeaters and Warnings

You can use both repeaters and warnings:

* TODO Monthly expense report
DEADLINE: <2026-01-31 Fri +1m -3d>
; Due monthly, warn 3 days before

✅ Time Clocking

Track how much time you spend on tasks with clock entries.

✅ Clocking In and Out

Start and stop the clock for a task:

Command	Key Binding	Action
scimax.org.clockIn	I	Clock in via speed command
scimax.org.clockOut	O	Clock out via command

Click to clock in: Clock In Click to clock in: Clock Out

✅ Clock Entry Format

Clock entries are stored in the LOGBOOK drawer:

* TODO Write documentation
:LOGBOOK:
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 09:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 10:30] =>  1:30
CLOCK: [2026-01-13 Mon 14:00]--[2026-01-13 Mon 16:00] =>  2:00
:END:

Format: CLOCK: [start]--[end] => duration

✅ Active Clock

When clocked in, the current clock has no end time:

* TODO Working on feature implementation
:LOGBOOK:
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 14:00]
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 09:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 12:00] =>  3:00
:END:

The CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 14:00] entry is the currently running clock.

✅ Clock Workflow Example

Start working: #+BEGIN_SRC org ,* TODO Implement login feature :LOGBOOK: CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 09:00] :END: #+END_SRC
Take a break (clock out): #+BEGIN_SRC org ,* TODO Implement login feature :LOGBOOK: CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 09:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 11:00] => 2:00 :END: #+END_SRC
Resume work (clock in again): #+BEGIN_SRC org ,* TODO Implement login feature :LOGBOOK: CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 13:00] CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 09:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 11:00] => 2:00 :END: #+END_SRC
Finish (clock out): #+BEGIN_SRC org ,* TODO Implement login feature :LOGBOOK: CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 13:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 15:30] => 2:30 CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 09:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 11:00] => 2:00 :END: #+END_SRC

Total time: 4:30 (2:00 + 2:30)

✅ Clock Reports

View time summaries:

Command	Description
scimax.org.clockReport	Generate clock report
scimax.agenda.clockReport	Clock report in agenda

cmd:scimax.org.clockReport

cmd:scimax.agenda.clockReport

✅ Clock Table

SCHEDULED: <2026-01-17 Sat> DEADLINE: <2026-01-18 Sun>

Insert a dynamic table showing time spent:

Headline	Time
** ✅ Clock Reports	0:05
** ✅ Clock Table	0:02
Total	0:07

This creates a table like:

| Headline                  | Time   |
|---------------------------+--------|
| * TODO Project work       |  10:30 |
| ** Implement feature A    |   4:30 |
| ** Bug fixes              |   6:00 |

✅ The LOGBOOK Drawer

The LOGBOOK drawer stores time-tracking and state-change information.

✅ LOGBOOK Contents

The LOGBOOK can contain:

Clock entries (CLOCK: lines)
State change notes
Other time-related metadata

✅ LOGBOOK Example

* DONE Review pull request
CLOSED: [2026-01-14 Tue 15:00]
:LOGBOOK:
- State "DONE"       from "TODO"       [2026-01-14 Tue 15:00]
  Approved all changes, ready to merge.
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 14:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 15:00] =>  1:00
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 09:30]--[2026-01-14 Tue 10:00] =>  0:30
- State "TODO"       from "WAITING"    [2026-01-14 Tue 09:00]
  Developer finished addressing comments.
:END:

This shows:

Task completed at 15:00
State changed from TODO to DONE
Two work sessions: 1:00 and 0:30
Previous state change from WAITING to TODO

✅ LOGBOOK Benefits

Complete history - See all work on a task
Time accountability - Track actual time spent
State audit trail - Understand task progression
Billing records - For client work time tracking

✅ Creating LOGBOOK

The LOGBOOK drawer is created automatically when:

You clock in for the first time
State change logging is enabled
You manually add it

Manual LOGBOOK:

* TODO Task
:LOGBOOK:
:END:

✅ CLOSED Timestamps

When a task is marked DONE, a CLOSED timestamp is automatically added:

* DONE Complete documentation
CLOSED: [2026-01-14 Tue 16:30]

✅ CLOSED Properties

Always an inactive timestamp [...]
Records the exact completion time
Appears before the task content
Can be used to calculate completion statistics

✅ Diary Sexp Timestamps

Diary sexps (symbolic expressions) are a powerful feature for specifying complex date patterns that can't be expressed with simple repeaters.

✅ Diary Sexp Syntax

Diary sexps use the %%( ) syntax, optionally within angle brackets:

%%(diary-anniversary 1 20 1990) John's Birthday

%%(diary-anniversary 1 15 1990)
<%%((diary-float t 1 2))>

✅ Common Diary Functions

Function	Description	Example
diary-anniversary	Annual date (month day year)	%%(diary-anniversary 3 15 1990)
diary-float	Floating day (month week day)	%%(diary-float 11 4 4)
diary-cyclic	Every N days from a date	%%(diary-cyclic 14 1 1 2026)
diary-block	Date range (m1 d1 y1 m2 d2 y2)	%%(diary-block 6 1 2026 8 31 2026)
org-class	Recurring class schedule	%%(org-class 2026 1 15 2026 5 15 1)

✅ Diary Sexp Examples

✅ Annual Events (Birthdays, Anniversaries)

%%(diary-anniversary 3 15 1990) John's birthday (age %d)

%%(diary-anniversary 6 22 2010) Wedding anniversary (%d years)

The %d is replaced with the calculated age/years.

✅ Floating Holidays

Holidays that occur on "the Nth weekday of month":

%%(diary-float 11 4 4) Thanksgiving (4th Thursday of November)

%%(diary-float 5 0 2) Mother's Day (2nd Sunday of May)

%%(diary-float 1 1 3) MLK Day (3rd Monday of January)

Parameters: (month weekday occurrence)

weekday: 0Sunday, 1Monday, ... 6=Saturday
occurrence: 1first, 2second, -1=last, etc.

✅ Class Schedules

%%(org-class 2026 1 15 2026 5 15 1) Monday lecture (10:00-11:30)

%%(org-class 2026 1 15 2026 5 15 3) Wednesday lab (14:00-16:00)

Parameters: (start-year start-month start-day end-year end-month end-day weekday)

✅ Cyclic Events

Events that repeat every N days:

%%(diary-cyclic 14 1 1 2026) Bi-weekly team meeting

Parameters: (interval month day year) - repeats every 14 days from Jan 1, 2026.

✅ Block Dates (Date Ranges)

%%(diary-block 6 1 2026 8 31 2026) Summer break

Shows for all dates within the range (June 1 to August 31, 2026).

✅ When to Use Diary Sexps

Use diary sexps when simple repeaters (+1d, +1w, etc.) can't express your needs:

Scenario	Solution
"Every other Tuesday"	%%(diary-cyclic 14 ...)
"Second Monday of each month"	%%(diary-float t 1 2)
"Last Friday of each month"	%%(diary-float t 5 -1)
"January 15 every year"	%%(diary-anniversary 1 15 2000)
"Every weekday except holidays"	Complex sexp with conditionals

✅ CLOSED with Other Timestamps

* DONE Write monthly report
CLOSED: [2026-01-14 Tue 16:30]
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-10 Fri>
DEADLINE: <2026-01-15 Wed>
:LOGBOOK:
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 14:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 16:30] =>  2:30
:END:

Completed on time with 2.5 hours of work.

This shows:

Task was scheduled for Jan 10
Deadline was Jan 15
Actually completed Jan 14 at 16:30
Took 2.5 hours of actual work time

✅ Speed Commands for Timestamps

Speed commands provide quick access when cursor is at the beginning of a headline.

✅ Timestamp Speed Commands

Key	Command
.	Insert timestamp
s	Add/edit SCHEDULED
d	Add/edit DEADLINE
I	Clock in
O	Clock out

✅ Using Speed Commands

Place cursor at the very start of a headline (before the *)
Press the key
Command executes immediately

* TODO Task                      ; <- cursor here
^
cursor position - press 's' to schedule

✅ Speed Command Example Workflow

* TODO Write documentation

Cursor at start of headline
Press s - schedule for tomorrow
Press I - clock in
Work on task...
Press O - clock out

Result:

* TODO Write documentation
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed>
:LOGBOOK:
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 10:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 11:30] =>  1:30
:END:

✅ Timestamp Formats Summary

✅ Format Reference Table

Format	Type	Example
	Active	<2026-01-15 Wed>
[YYYY-MM-DD Day]	Inactive	[2026-01-15 Wed]
	With time	<2026-01-15 Wed 14:30>
	Time range	<2026-01-15 Wed 09:00-17:00>
--	Date range	<2026-01-15 Wed>--<2026-01-17 Fri>
	Repeater	<2026-01-15 Wed +1w>
	Catch-up	<2026-01-15 Wed ++1d>
	Restart	<2026-01-15 Wed .+30d>
	Warning	<2026-01-25 Sat -7d>
	Both	<2026-01-31 Fri +1m -3d>

✅ Repeater Units

Unit	Full Name	Example	Increments by
h	Hour	+2h	Hours
d	Day	+1d	Days
w	Week	+1w	Weeks (7 days)
m	Month	+1m	Months (same date)
y	Year	+1y	Years (same date)

✅ Practical Examples

✅ Meeting Schedule

* TODO Weekly team sync
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-23 Fri 10:00 +1w>

Recurring every Thursday at 10am.

✅ Project with Multiple Timestamps

* TODO Q1 Planning Document
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed> DEADLINE: <2026-01-31 Fri -7d>
:PROPERTIES:
:EFFORT: 8:00
:END:
:LOGBOOK:
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 14:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 16:30] =>  2:30
CLOCK: [2026-01-13 Mon 09:00]--[2026-01-13 Mon 11:00] =>  2:00
:END:

Start Jan 15, due Jan 31 (warn 7 days early).
Estimated 8 hours, 4.5 hours logged so far.

✅ Recurring Maintenance Task

* TODO Update dependencies
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed .+14d>

Update npm packages every 2 weeks after completion.

✅ Event with Time Range

* Conference keynote speech
<2026-03-15 Sun 09:00-10:30>

Opening keynote at tech conference.

✅ Multi-day Event

* Annual company retreat
<2026-06-10 Wed>--<2026-06-12 Fri>

Three-day offsite in Lake Tahoe.

✅ Task with Complete History

* DONE Implement user authentication
CLOSED: [2026-01-14 Tue 17:00]
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-10 Fri>
DEADLINE: <2026-01-15 Wed>
:PROPERTIES:
:EFFORT: 6:00
:END:
:LOGBOOK:
- State "DONE"       from "TODO"       [2026-01-14 Tue 17:00]
  All tests passing, ready for review.
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 14:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 17:00] =>  3:00
CLOCK: [2026-01-13 Mon 10:00]--[2026-01-13 Mon 12:30] =>  2:30
CLOCK: [2026-01-11 Sat 15:00]--[2026-01-11 Sat 16:00] =>  1:00
- State "TODO"       from "WAITING"    [2026-01-11 Sat 14:30]
  Design approved, starting implementation.
:END:

Completed on time. Estimated 6:00, actual 6:30.

✅ Timestamp Best Practices

✅ When to Use Active vs Inactive

Use active timestamps when:

Scheduling tasks to work on
Setting deadlines
Planning appointments or events
You want it to appear in the agenda

Use inactive timestamps when:

Recording when something happened
Documenting note-taking time
Logging state changes
You DON'T want it in the agenda

✅ Choosing Repeater Types

Scenario	Repeater Type	Example
Fixed appointment	+	Team meeting every Monday
Daily habit	++	Morning exercise
Maintenance after completion	.+	Change oil 90 days after
Regular review	+	Monthly report last Friday
Medication	++	Take daily after waking

✅ Time Tracking Tips

Clock in when starting - Build the habit immediately
Clock out when stopping - Even for short breaks
Review clock reports - Weekly time analysis
Compare estimate vs actual - Improve future estimates
Use LOGBOOK for notes - Document blockers or issues

✅ Scheduling Strategies

; Don't over-schedule
* TODO Ambiguous big task
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed>
; Too vague, will cause procrastination

; Instead: Break down with specific times
* TODO Project: Website Redesign
** TODO Design mockups [1:30]
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed 09:00>
** TODO Review with stakeholders [0:45]
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed 14:00>
** TODO Implement changes [3:00]
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-16 Thu 09:00>

✅ Warning Period Guidelines

Task Type	Suggested Warning	Reason
Daily task	-0d	Show only on day
Weekly deadline	-2d	2 day heads up
Monthly deadline	-1w	One week notice
Quarterly deadline	-2w	Two week preparation
Annual deadline	-1m	One month advance notice
Critical deadline	-30d	Very early warning

✅ Common Patterns

✅ Weekly Review

* TODO Weekly review
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-26 Mon 18:00 +1w>

Review accomplishments, plan next week.

✅ Birthday Reminders

* John's birthday
<2026-03-15 Sun +1y -7d>

Annual reminder, warn 7 days early.

✅ Bill Payments

* TODO Pay electricity bill
DEADLINE: <2026-01-31 Fri +1m -3d>

Due monthly on last day, 3 day warning.

✅ Exercise Habit

* TODO Morning workout
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-18 Sun 07:00 ++1d>

Daily exercise, catch up if missed day.

✅ Car Maintenance

* TODO Oil change
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-20 Mon .+90d>

Every 90 days after previous change.

✅ Project Phases

* TODO Project: Mobile App Launch
** DONE Research phase
CLOSED: [2026-01-05 Sun 14:00] SCHEDULED: <2026-01-01 Wed> DEADLINE: <2026-01-05 Sun>

** TODO Design phase
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-06 Mon> DEADLINE: <2026-01-19 Sun>

** TODO Development phase
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-20 Mon> DEADLINE: <2026-03-15 Sun>

** TODO Testing phase
SCHEDULED: <2026-03-16 Mon> DEADLINE: <2026-03-31 Mon>

✅ Integration with TODO Items

Timestamps work seamlessly with TODO items. See TODO Items for more on task management.

✅ Scheduled TODOs

* TODO [#A] Finish proposal
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-15 Wed>
:PROPERTIES:
:EFFORT: 3:00
:END:

High priority task scheduled for tomorrow.

✅ Deadline Warnings in Agenda

Tasks with approaching deadlines appear in the agenda with warning indicators. See Agenda for details on agenda views.

✅ Combining All Features

* TODO [#A] Quarterly report                              :work:report:
SCHEDULED: <2026-01-20 Mon> DEADLINE: <2026-01-31 Fri -7d>
:PROPERTIES:
:EFFORT: 12:00
:CATEGORY: Reports
:END:
:LOGBOOK:
CLOCK: [2026-01-14 Tue 14:00]--[2026-01-14 Tue 16:30] =>  2:30
:END:

Due end of month with 7-day warning.
Priority A, work context, 12 hour estimate.
Already logged 2:30 hours.

✅ Quick Reference

✅ Keybindings

Key	Action
C-c .	Insert active timestamp
C-c ,	Insert inactive timestamp
S-	Increase timestamp component
S-	Decrease timestamp component
S-	Next day
S-	Previous day

✅ Speed Commands (at heading start)

Key	Action
.	Insert timestamp
s	Schedule task
d	Set deadline
I	Clock in
O	Clock out

✅ Commands

Command	Description
scimax.org.insertTimestamp	Insert timestamp
scimax.org.schedule	Add SCHEDULED timestamp
scimax.org.deadline	Add DEADLINE timestamp
scimax.org.clockIn	Start time tracking
scimax.org.clockOut	Stop time tracking
scimax.org.clockReport	Generate time report

✅ Timestamp Format Quick Reference

<2026-01-15 Wed>                    Active date
[2026-01-15 Wed]                    Inactive date
<2026-01-15 Wed 14:30>              With time
<2026-01-15 Wed 09:00-17:00>        Time range
<2026-01-15 Wed>--<2026-01-17 Fri>  Date range

<2026-01-15 Wed +1w>                Weekly repeater
<2026-01-15 Wed ++1d>               Daily catch-up
<2026-01-15 Wed .+30d>              30-day restart
<2026-01-25 Sat -7d>                7-day warning