Priority Matrix for Mac has a built-in tool for filtering tasks by assigning them a tag. Adding a tag is done by simply typing the descriptor in the space next to the sales tag icon on the task detail view. If there’s a matching tag, it will auto-populate and if there isn’t, just finish the word and add a comma. This will make the word turn blue, indicating that the tag was created and saved. If you make a mistake or want to erase it later, just delete it and start again.

In order to use the tags as a sorting tool, first click on the view you want. This could be a number of different ways:

  • Inbox. Clicking on the Inbox will let you sort tags from the tasks in your inbox.
  • Project title. Clicking on the name of the project will let you sort tags from the tasks in that project alone. When you input a search term, the number of tasks on the Project List screen will only show how many of the tasks fit the criteria, so don’t be alarmed if it looks like all the tasks have disappeared.
  • Master View. Clicking on Master View will let you see and sort all the tasks across all the projects and all the quadrants. To change the view, go to the top of the section where it says “Quadrant 1” and click on the selector. From there, you can choose which quadrants or due dates you want to see. To include the most tasks, select “All Quadrants.” You can also enable the “Group by project” feature by touching the words to see the names of the projects with their respective tasks.

Once you have chosen the view, go to the search bar on the top right corner and click inside. A box will appear with different options for how to sort the tasks. In the beginning, most of those options will not be as useful, but they could come in handy when looking for an incredibly specific task, like one not delegated to you but created by you, due sometime tomorrow to next Friday, and tagged “Jones.”

The most important parts of this box are at the bottom. All the item tags are displayed, so you can select the one you want and only those tasks will stay in view. If you want to change the scope of the search, hold down the command key (⌘) and choose other tags. This will let you see anything with any of the tags you chose. If you only want to see things that have all the tags you picked, go to the selector bar above the tags, marked “Items With Any Tag Below,” and select “Items With All Tags Below.”

When you are finished sorting it, don’t forget to open the search bar and clear all filters to reset it.

Remember: this is only for the items themselves. If you are looking for more information on tagging a whole project, we also have a document on using tags on projects to categorize your data at a higher level.