The full shortcut list has everything. This page has the 13 that will make the biggest difference to how fast you move through Aftertone each day. Learn these first and the rest can come later.

1. Double Command: Universal Capture

Works from anywhere on your Mac without Aftertone open. Opens in under a second, captures the task, and gets you back to what you were doing. Press Cmd+I inside Universal Capture to activate Auto Capture — paste any text or screenshot and Aftertone extracts structured tasks instantly.

2. Tab: Switch to Focus Mode

From the Calendar view, press Tab to switch to Focus Mode. Press Tab again to return. You go straight to the task scheduled for right now.

💡 Tip — Press P on any task to open a planning menu (today, tomorrow, in 2 days, or custom date). Press 5 to open the full Planning view.

3. E: Complete task

In Focus Mode, press E when you finish a task. Aftertone marks it done and surfaces the next one immediately.

4. N: New task

On the calendar or inbox, press N to create a new task. Faster than finding the button, especially when you have something to capture quickly while in the middle of planning.

5. S: Schedule task

Select any task in the inbox or Today panel and press S to open a time picker and place it directly onto your calendar as a time block. The fastest way to go from unscheduled to blocked without touching the mouse.

6. +: Extend session

In Focus Mode, press + to add time to your current session. Press it again for more. Your calendar updates automatically.

7. Cmd+S: Add subtask

In Focus Mode, press Cmd+S to add a subtask to the current task without leaving the screen. Type the subtask title and press Enter. Press Escape when you are done adding.

8. B: Take a break

In Focus Mode, press B to start a break. Set the duration and Aftertone adds a break block to your calendar. When it ends, Focus Mode opens again automatically.

9. Cmd+Up / Cmd+Down: Reorder inbox tasks

In the inbox or Today panel, press Cmd+Up to move a task higher in priority or Cmd+Down to move it lower. The order here is the order Focus Mode works through your day.

10. /: Actions menu

Press / on any task — in the inbox, on the calendar, or in Focus Mode — to open the contextual menu. You can also right-click anywhere to get the same menu. It shows the relevant actions for whatever is selected. Use it while you are learning.

11. Cmd+E: Complete Now

In Focus Mode, press Cmd+E to complete the task and trim the time block to the exact moment you finished. Keeps your calendar accurate without any manual adjustment.

12. Cmd+P: Auto Plan

In the inbox, press Cmd+P to open Auto Plan. Aftertone distributes all your inbox tasks across upcoming days automatically, factoring in your priority order and any constraints you add. Most useful at the start of a week with a full inbox.

13. Cmd+Shift+P: Auto Schedule

Press Cmd+Shift+P to open Auto Schedule. Aftertone takes tasks planned for today and places them into actual time slots on your calendar, accounting for durations, existing events, and your working hours.

Three more to add as you get comfortable

5 — opens the full Planning view across days and projects. Use this during weekly planning to see and schedule tasks for the whole week at once.

1, 2, 3, 4 — jump to Inbox, Today, Upcoming, and Completed from the Calendar view. These four are used dozens of times a day once you know them.

Cmd+K — opens the command palette, which lets you search for any action in the app by name. Use it when you cannot remember a shortcut.

Cmd+Z — undo. Works across task edits, deletions, and scheduling actions, so you can make quick changes without worrying about getting things wrong.

J / K — move down and up through tasks in the inbox and Today panel, an alternative to the arrow keys.

👉 Try it now — Press Tab to enter Focus Mode, complete a task with E, and extend the session with +. Those three shortcuts cover most of what you do in a working day.