Organize and view your work

Now that you can create and collaborate on work items, let's learn how to organize and view them effectively. Plane provides powerful tools to help you see exactly the work that matters to you, when you need to see it.

In this tutorial, you'll:

• Switch between different layout views to match your workflow
• Navigate workspace and project level views
• Use filters and display options to focus on relevant work
• Create and save custom views for recurring organizational needs

Explore different layouts

Layouts change how your work items are visually organized. Each layout shows the same work items but optimized for different tasks.

1. Access your project work items

   • Navigate to any project in your sidebar.
   • Look for layout icons in the top-right corner of the Work Items page.

2. Experiment with each layout:

   List - Text-based view for task organization

   • Best for: Quick scanning of all project activities, grouping work items by properties, viewing parent-child relationships
   • Use when: Reviewing status updates, bulk property changes, organizing tasks by priority/assignee

   Board - Visual workflow cards

   • Best for: Drag-and-drop state management, team discussions
   • Use when: Sprint planning, workflow visualization

   Calendar - Timeline view

   • Best for: Deadline management and scheduling
   • Use when: Planning due dates, avoiding conflicts

   Table - Excel-like grid

   • Best for: Bulk editing and data manipulation
   • Use when: Mass updates, data analysis

   Timeline - Project timeline view

   • Best for: Dependencies and milestone tracking
   • Use when: Project planning, dependency management

Try switching between layouts to see which feels more natural for your current work.

Apply filters to work items

Filters help you see only the work items relevant to your current task.

1. Access the filters interface

   • Click the Filters button between the toolbar and your work items.
   • Filters are applied as visual chips that you can see and modify easily.

2. Smart filter combinations

   • Each filter appears as a chip showing the property and selected values:
     • Priority: "Priority is any of High, Urgent"
     • Assignee: "Assignees is any of alex, amara"
     • State: "State is not Completed"

   Multiple filters work together automatically, no need to manually combine them.

3. Click the x on any filter chip to remove it.

4. Use Clear all to reset all filters at once.

The work items list updates in real-time as you add or remove filters, giving you exactly the view you need for your current context.

Customize display options

Display options control what information you see for each work item. The display options change based on your layout.

1. Control visible information

   • Click the Display dropdown on the top right of the screen.
   • Toggle properties on/off to reduce visual clutter.

2. Organize your work items

   • Group by: Cluster work items logically (by State, Assignee, Priority, or Labels).
   • Order by: Sort items within groups (by Priority for planning, Due date for deadlines, or Updated date for recent activity).
   • Sub-work items: Show or hide nested tasks depending on detail needs.

Save and manage custom views

Views save your perfect combination of layout, filters, and display settings so you can reuse them instantly.

1. Create a view from your current configuration

   • Set up your ideal combination: Board layout + your assignee + active states
   • Click Save View in the top-right corner
   • Give it a clear, descriptive name: "My Active Sprint Work"
   • Your view saves with all current settings

2. Create views from scratch

   • Click Views in your project sidebar.
   • Click Add view button.
   • Configure layout, filters, and display options step by step.
   • Name your view clearly and click Create View.

Both methods create views that appear in your project sidebar under Views.

Use Your work dashboard

Your work dashboard gives you a unified view of all your work across every project in your workspace.

1. Access Your work dashboard

   • Click Your work in the workspace section of your sidebar.
   • This shows all your work from every project unified in one location.

2. Understand each tab's purpose:

   Summary - Work overview with visual insights

   • Visual charts showing task distribution and priority breakdown
   • Recent activity across all your work
   • Use for: Understanding your overall workload balance

   Assigned - Your current responsibilities

   • All work items currently assigned to you, organized by project
   • Priorities and due dates clearly visible
   • Use for: Daily task execution and priority management

   Created - Your originated work

   • Work items you've created, regardless of current assignee
   • Useful for tracking your ideas and requests
   • Use for: Following up on work you've initiated

   Subscribed - Work you're following

   • Items you're monitoring without being assigned
   • Keeps you informed on important work
   • Use for: Staying updated on work progress

   Activity - Complete timeline

   • All activity on work you're involved with across projects
   • Use for: Catching up on updates and team progress

Build a daily routine

Use Your work as your starting point each morning.

Check the Summary tab for workload balance and priority distribution, then switch to Assigned to see today's specific tasks. The Activity tab catches you up on overnight updates and team progress.

This cross-project view helps you prioritize when you're working on multiple projects and ensures nothing falls through the cracks. Your work dashboard becomes your personal mission control for staying organized across your entire workspace.

What's next?

Your work organization skills are solid! You're ready to:

• Plan work with cycles to group work into time-based iterations.