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You want to see unfinished tasks that are urgent or waiting on someone. Instead, completed tasks keep appearing. The individual conditions may be right; the way you group them can still produce the wrong list.
This guide explains the logic with fictional practice records. No formula is needed. Notion supports advanced filter groups that combine AND and OR; see its official guide to database views and filters.
Use AND when every condition must match
Imagine a door with two checks: the task is unfinished, and its priority is High. With AND, both checks must pass. An unfinished Low-priority task stays outside. A completed High-priority task stays outside too.
Write the rule in plain words before opening the filter menu: “Show only unfinished, high-priority tasks.” If you replace AND with OR, you ask for a broader list: anything unfinished, plus anything High priority, including completed work.
Use OR when either condition is enough
Now suppose you need to review work because it is High priority or because you are waiting on someone. OR fits that choice. A Low-priority waiting task qualifies. A High-priority task that is not waiting qualifies too.
But that OR group alone says nothing about completion. Put the unfinished condition outside the group so it applies to both alternatives.
Build the grouped filter
In a private practice database, use Name (Title), Done (Checkbox), Priority (Select with High and Low) and Waiting (Checkbox). Keep an All tasks view so you can find records excluded from your practice view.
- Create a table view called Needs attention.
- Open the view settings, choose Filter and add an advanced filter.
- Use AND for the outer group.
- Add Done is unchecked as one outer condition.
- Add a nested group using OR: Priority is High or Waiting is checked.
- Check the group structure before comparing the results below. If the view should be shared, use Save for everyone when appropriate.
The parentheses in the written recipe describe that nested group. They are not a formula to paste into Notion. Menu wording can vary; the key is one outer AND group containing the completion condition and one inner OR group.
Try it with six tasks
These records are fictional. Enter High and Low as Select options, and use checkboxes for Done and Waiting.
| Task | Done | Priority | Waiting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send proposal | Unchecked | High | Unchecked |
| Chase feedback | Unchecked | Low | Checked |
| Archive files | Unchecked | Low | Unchecked |
| Deliver draft | Checked | High | Unchecked |
| Confirm booking | Checked | Low | Checked |
| Resolve approval | Unchecked | High | Checked |
Which three tasks should appear?
Send proposal, Chase feedback and Resolve approval. Each is unfinished and meets at least one condition in the OR group. Archive files meets neither attention condition. Deliver draft and Confirm booking are completed, so both fail the outer completion condition.
✓ Done is unchecked
Priority is High
OR
Waiting is checked
Illustrative diagram, not a Notion screenshot. A completed task fails the outer AND rule even when Waiting is checked.
If completed waiting tasks still appear
Check whether you accidentally built (Done unchecked AND Priority High) OR Waiting checked. In that structure, Waiting bypasses the unfinished check. Confirm booking would appear even though it is done.
Move both attention alternatives inside the same nested OR group, then keep Done unchecked outside it with AND. Change one property at a time in the practice records: tick Done on Chase feedback and it should leave; untick it and it should return. Restore your test values afterwards.
Keep the rule small enough to explain
Start with this one group before adding deadlines, people or project relations. A sort only changes the order of matching tasks; it cannot fix an incorrectly grouped filter. A filtered view also does not restrict access to the underlying database.
Test a filter with records that should fail
A matching task proves that a filter can include something. It does not prove that the filter excludes the right things. Keep at least one completed record and one low-priority, non-waiting record in your practice database.
For the grouped recipe in this guide, a completed waiting task should stay out. An unfinished high-priority task should appear. An unfinished waiting task should also appear. An unfinished task that is neither high priority nor waiting should stay out.
Common mistake: changing several rules at once. If an unexpected task appears, inspect that task’s actual property values, then change one group at a time. Check the same practice records after each change so you can identify the rule that caused the difference.
Keep All tasks unfiltered as your reference view. Do not delete a practice record to make the filtered result look correct: the point of the exercise is to test the logic against both matching and non-matching data.
Compare three filters against the same six records
| Rule | Tasks included |
|---|---|
| High AND unfinished | Send proposal; Resolve approval |
| High OR unfinished | Send proposal; Chase feedback; Archive files; Deliver draft; Resolve approval |
| Unfinished AND (High OR Waiting) | Send proposal; Chase feedback; Resolve approval |
Confirm booking stays out of all three correct comparisons here: it is completed and Low priority. In the incorrect rule (unfinished AND High) OR Waiting, it enters because Waiting bypasses completion. Keep it in the practice data to test that exclusion.
Check Waiting on Archive files: it should enter the correctly grouped view. Then check Done: it should leave again. Restore both checkboxes afterward. This tests inclusion and exclusion on the same record.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between AND and OR?
AND requires every condition in the group to match. OR requires at least one condition in the group to match.
Why do completed waiting tasks still appear?
Waiting may sit outside the group controlled by Done. Use Done unchecked AND (High priority OR Waiting checked) for the queue in this guide.
Do I need a formula for nested filters?
No. Build the groups in the database view’s filter controls. The parentheses in this guide explain the grouping rather than a formula to paste.
Does filtering delete records or make them private?
No. Filtering changes the records displayed by a view. Keep an unfiltered reference view and manage access through permissions.