# Plan and track widgets

> Tasks, Calendar, Attention and Timer keep a desk's to-dos, dates, commitments and countdowns in view. What each one is for and how to add it.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/widgets-plan-and-track
Section: Widgets > Plan and track
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-10

Four widgets help you keep the work on a desk in view: what needs doing, when it is due, what is waiting on you and how long you have left. Each one sits on the desk next to the rest of your work, so you can plan without switching screens.



## The four widgets

| Widget | Use it for | Good to know |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Tasks** | This desk's to-do list, with start and due dates, who is doing each task, what it waits for, notes, attachments and subtasks. | Shows **This desk** to begin with. One click switches it to **Everywhere**. |
| **Calendar** | A month view marked with this desk's due dates, the time you have booked, and events from calendars you subscribe to. | In beta. Shows this desk to begin with. You can widen it to everywhere in its filter. |
| **Attention** | The things that need you, such as tasks, reviews, replies and dates, for this desk or everywhere. | Needs the Attention layer turned on first, in Settings on the **AI** tab. |
| **Timer** | One countdown, with sounds as time runs out. | Starts at 10 minutes. Its quick-add key is `I` unless you change it. |

## Add one to a desk

1. Open the desk.
2. Click **Add widget** in the middle of the header.
3. Click **Tasks**, **Calendar**, **Attention** or **Timer**. The widget appears on the desk.

In the **Add widget** menu, these four sit together in the **Plan & track** column. You can also type in **Search widgets…** and press `Enter` to add the first match. Typing "plan" brings up the whole **Plan & track** column.

There are two more ways to add them:

- Press `⌘` `K` (`Ctrl` `K` on Windows) and choose **Add Tasks**, **Add Calendar**, **Add Attention** or **Add Timer**. See [Search and commands](https://plexiidesk.com/help/command-palette).
- With a desk open and nothing selected, press `I` and a Timer appears. Tasks, Calendar and Attention have no quick-add key. See [Add widgets with a single key](https://plexiidesk.com/help/quick-add-keys).

## Which one should you use?

- **For a list of things to do for this piece of work:** use Tasks. Type a task in the box at the bottom and press `Enter`. See [Tasks widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-tasks).
- **To plan who does what, and when:** use Tasks and switch it to **Table**, so you can see every task's status, dates and dependencies at once. See [Plan a task in the Tasks widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-tasks-planning).
- **To see the month at a glance:** use Calendar. Click a day to see what falls on it. See [Calendar widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-calendar).
- **To keep an eye on everything that needs you,** including reviews, replies and things filed from other parts of PlexiDesk: use Attention. See [Attention widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-attention).
- **To give yourself a set amount of time:** use Timer. For a focus session that covers the whole desk, see [Start a focus session](https://plexiidesk.com/help) instead.

## How they work together

- A due date you set on a task shows as a green dot on the Calendar widget on the same desk.
- Tasks filed on a desk also count as Attention items. An Attention widget on the same desk lists them alongside anything else filed there.
- Time you book for one of the desk's tasks shows on the desk's Calendar widget, in the colour of the calendar it was booked on.

> **Tip:**
> A simple planning desk: a Tasks widget on the left, a Calendar widget beside it, and a Timer you start whenever you pick up the next task.

## Plans

Tasks, Calendar, Attention and Timer are included on every plan. The Calendar widget is in beta.

## AI on these widgets

Every widget has an AI button on its title bar. On Tasks, Calendar and Timer, the button opens the Plexii panel with that widget attached, so you can ask Plexii about it. See [Use a widget's AI button](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-ai).

## Articles in this section

- [Tasks widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-tasks): add tasks, tick them off, and choose what the list shows.
- [Plan a task in the Tasks widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-tasks-planning): queue, snooze, status, dates, dependencies, notes, attachments, subtasks and the table view.
- [Calendar widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-calendar): the month grid, its filter and the day window.
- [Attention widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-attention): the Attention queue on a desk.
- [Timer widget](https://plexiidesk.com/help/widget-timer): a countdown with sounds.

## Related tasks

- [Add a widget to a desk](https://plexiidesk.com/help/add-a-widget)
- [Add widgets with a single key](https://plexiidesk.com/help/quick-add-keys)
- [Tasks, desks and subtasks](https://plexiidesk.com/help)
- [Attention: everything that needs you](https://plexiidesk.com/help)
- [Calendar in Plexii](https://plexiidesk.com/help)