How I Use TickTick's Calendar to Stay Organized

Why a Calendar Changed Everything

Not long ago, my days felt like constant chaos. I'd remember that something happened—but not exactly when. It felt like I was moving through time with no markers—just a blur of days I couldn't make sense of. Then I started using a calendar to actually plan my days.

Now, I can see what I did yesterday, what I need to do today, and what's coming tomorrow. I'm no longer afraid of forgetting things, or anxious about the unknown. Instead of relying on memory, I can rely on what I see—and that gives me a real sense of control.

In this article, I'll show you exactly how I use my calendar, and share 10 practical tips that help me stay organized. By the end, you'll understand why I've fallen in love with TickTick's calendar.

Choosing the Right Calendar View

Month, Week, and Day Views

Lately, I've been using the Month view most often. It gives me a bird's-eye view of what I've done and what's coming up, and that brings me a sense of calm.

When I need to plan things in more detail, I switch to Day or Week views. These two views come with a time grid, so I can break my day into clear time blocks—each hour has its place.

On desktop, switching views in TickTick is super simple: Press D for day, W for week, or M for month. Or just press 1, 2, or 3—same result.

Multi-Week View for Better Overview

If you have a lot of tasks each day and the month view doesn't show everything clearly, you can switch to the multi-week view in the top right corner. You can choose how many weeks to display — I usually go with a 4-week view because it shows all my daily tasks while still covering a time range similar to the month view.

Note: The multi-week view is currently available on desktop only.

My Daily Planning Workflow

Step 1: Review Yesterday's Tasks

Each morning before I start work, I open my calendar for a quick planning session. For example, if I see that I didn't finish Edit YouTube video yesterday, I'll just continue it today. To do that, I simply drag the edge of the task block to extend it across multiple days. If there's a task I didn't get to at all, I just drag and drop it into today's box.

Drag and drop is a must-know trick for adjusting task dates and times. It works on mobile too—just long-press and drag.

Some tasks were completed yesterday but I forgot to check them off. If I hold the Option key, the checkboxes will appear in front of each task. Click, and done. Easy and fast.

The whole review takes just 10–20 seconds, but it makes a huge difference: I instantly know what I've done, what's still left, and what I need to focus on today. It cuts down decision-making time and reduces anxiety.

Step 2: Plan Today's Tasks

1. Smarter Task Scheduling

Besides rolling over unfinished ones, I often schedule new tasks as well. Some of them were already captured in my task list. This is when the Show with Task feature becomes useful.

Right-click the calendar module and select Show with Task. Now, the task list appears on the right side of the calendar.

I switch to my Work list, check how much time I have today, then drag the most urgent tasks—marked in red—into the calendar.

Alright, now that you've rolled over unfinished tasks, let's talk about how to add new ones—fast.

2. Add New Tasks on the Fly

Sometimes tasks pop up on the spot and haven't been written down yet. In that case, just add them straight into the calendar. To add an all-day task, click on the date. To add a duration task, click and drag to select a time range.

For example, say I just got a meeting notification—it's today's monthly meeting. I click on today's box to create a task. Then, I type the task name and enter ~ to quickly assign it to a list—no need to use the mouse. You can also use ! to set a priority, or # to add tags.

3. Color-Code Your Tasks by List or Tag

Click the three-dot icon at the top-right of the calendar, go to View Options → Color. You can choose to color tasks by list, tag, or priority.

I personally prefer list or tag, since they reflect how I organize my work. In the task module, you can right-click a list or tag to set a custom color. For example, I set two of my Work lists to orange and yellow.

Then, I tell the calendar to color tasks based on list color. This way, I can instantly spot work tasks and see how much of my life they're taking up.

4. Duplicate Tasks for Recurring Routines

Sometimes I need to do something I've done before—like grocery shopping. It's not a recurring task, just something I do when needed. If I planned to buy groceries today, how can I quickly reuse the old task?

Just hold Option/Command and drag the last buy groceries task to today's box. Done — duplicated in seconds.

The task details, like my shopping list, are copied too. All I have to do is update the task details — no need to rewrite everything from scratch.

Hidden Features That Make Planning Faster

So far, we've covered how I plan each day using the calendar. But there are also a few lesser-known features that make planning faster and more flexible—especially when life gets unpredictable.

Use Bulk Edit to Reschedule or Reorganize

If plans change during the day, no problem. Hold Ctrl or Command to select multiple tasks, then reschedule in bulk. Bulk editing also lets you change dates, tags, lists, priorities, or even duplicate and complete tasks.

If your list system has changed or evolved, this makes reorganizing easy and quick. Just open your calendar and tidy up your tasks accordingly.

Filter Lists for a Cleaner View

Now, if you've got a complex list system, your calendar might start to look cluttered. That's normal—and there's a fix. Click the Expand button in the top-left of the calendar. Here, you can filter which lists to show or hide.

Use Countdown to Track Key Dates

Sometimes, I also check future plans in my calendar—like how many days until my birthday or another important event. That brings me to another favorite: Countdowns in the calendar.

Go to the three-dot menu → View Options, and enable Show Countdown. Now, important dates I've added to the Countdown module show up right in the calendar.

It's super helpful for advance planning. Whenever I glance at the calendar, I know exactly how close I am to a big day—no surprises, no last-minute scrambling.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, I've tried using plain task lists in the past—but it never stuck. Now, by planning everything on a calendar, not only have I stayed consistent, but I've started recording more and more. What really hooked me is that sense of clarity — like I can see my life, one day at a time. That feeling of control, of structure—it's powerful. To me, a calendar isn't just a reminder of what to do. It's a way to realize that time can be seen, scheduled, and owned. And in that moment — ding — it's not just a task being completed. It's me, taking charge of my day.

If this article helped you feel more in control of your time, consider trying TickTick's calendar yourself—and share your experience with us!