diff --git a/cmd/cli/format/format.go b/cmd/cli/format/format.go
index 9cb8a08..e2d790d 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/format/format.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/format/format.go
@@ -30,48 +30,6 @@ func FormatError(err error) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("could not perform command.\n\nerror: %s\n", err.Error())
 }
 
-func FormatTaskTable(tasks []*task.LocalTask, cols []Column) string {
-	if len(tasks) == 0 {
-		return "no tasks to display\n"
-	}
-
-	var data [][]string
-	for _, t := range tasks {
-		var line []string
-		for _, col := range cols {
-			switch col {
-			case COL_ID:
-				line = append(line, fmt.Sprintf("%d", t.LocalId))
-			case COL_STATUS:
-				var updated []string
-				if t.IsRecurrer() {
-					updated = append(updated, "r")
-				}
-				if t.LocalStatus == task.STATUS_UPDATED {
-					updated = append(updated, "u")
-				}
-				if !t.Due.IsZero() && task.Today().After(t.Due) {
-					updated = append(updated, "o")
-				}
-				line = append(line, strings.Join(updated, " "))
-			case COL_DUE:
-				if t.Due.IsZero() {
-					line = append(line, "")
-					continue
-				}
-				line = append(line, t.Due.Human())
-			case COL_ACTION:
-				line = append(line, t.Action)
-			case COL_PROJECT:
-				line = append(line, t.Project)
-			}
-		}
-		data = append(data, line)
-	}
-
-	return fmt.Sprintf("\n%s\n", FormatTable(data))
-}
-
 func FormatTask(t *task.LocalTask) string {
 	output := fmt.Sprintf(`folder: %s
 action:  %s
@@ -122,40 +80,3 @@ func ParseTaskFieldArgs(args []string) (*task.LocalUpdate, error) {
 
 	return lu, nil
 }
-
-func FormatTable(data [][]string) string {
-	if len(data) == 0 {
-		return ""
-	}
-	max := make([]int, len(data[0]))
-	for _, line := range data {
-		for i, col := range line {
-			if len(col) > max[i] {
-				max[i] = len(col)
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	var output string
-	for r, line := range data {
-		if r%3 == 0 {
-			output += fmt.Sprintf("%s", "\x1b[48;5;237m")
-		}
-		for c, col := range line {
-			output += col
-			for s := 0; s < max[c]-len(col); s++ {
-				output += " "
-			}
-			if c != len(line)-1 {
-				output += " "
-			}
-		}
-		if r%3 == 0 {
-			output += fmt.Sprintf("%s", "\x1b[49m")
-		}
-		output += "\n"
-
-	}
-
-	return output
-}
diff --git a/cmd/cli/format/table.go b/cmd/cli/format/table.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..16a3d56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/cli/format/table.go
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+package format
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+
+	"ewintr.nl/gte/internal/task"
+)
+
+func FormatTaskTable(tasks []*task.LocalTask, cols []Column) string {
+	if len(tasks) == 0 {
+		return "no tasks to display\n"
+	}
+
+	var data [][]string
+	for _, t := range tasks {
+		var line []string
+		for _, col := range cols {
+			switch col {
+			case COL_ID:
+				line = append(line, fmt.Sprintf("%d", t.LocalId))
+			case COL_STATUS:
+				var updated []string
+				if t.IsRecurrer() {
+					updated = append(updated, "r")
+				}
+				if t.LocalStatus == task.STATUS_UPDATED {
+					updated = append(updated, "u")
+				}
+				if !t.Due.IsZero() && task.Today().After(t.Due) {
+					updated = append(updated, "o")
+				}
+				line = append(line, strings.Join(updated, " "))
+			case COL_DUE:
+				if t.Due.IsZero() {
+					line = append(line, "")
+					continue
+				}
+				line = append(line, t.Due.Human())
+			case COL_ACTION:
+				line = append(line, t.Action)
+			case COL_PROJECT:
+				line = append(line, t.Project)
+			}
+		}
+		data = append(data, line)
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("\n%s\n", FormatTable(data))
+}
+
+func FormatTable(data [][]string) string {
+	if len(data) == 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+
+	// make all cells in a column the same width
+	max := make([]int, len(data[0]))
+	for _, row := range data {
+		for c, cell := range row {
+			if len(cell) > max[c] {
+				max[c] = len(cell)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	for r, row := range data {
+		for c, cell := range row {
+			for s := len(cell); s < max[c]; s++ {
+				data[r][c] += " "
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// make it smaller if the result is too wide
+	// only by making the widest column smaller for now
+	maxWidth := findTermWidth()
+	if maxWidth != 0 {
+		width := len(max) - 1
+		for _, m := range max {
+			width += m
+		}
+		shortenWith := width - maxWidth
+		widestColNo, widestColLen := 0, 0
+		for i, m := range max {
+			if m > widestColLen {
+				widestColNo, widestColLen = i, m
+			}
+		}
+		newTaskColWidth := max[widestColNo] - shortenWith
+		if newTaskColWidth < 0 {
+			return "table is too wide to display\n"
+		}
+		if newTaskColWidth < max[widestColNo] {
+			for r, row := range data {
+				data[r][widestColNo] = row[widestColNo][:newTaskColWidth]
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// print the rows
+	var output string
+	for r, row := range data {
+		if r%3 == 0 {
+			output += fmt.Sprintf("%s", "\x1b[48;5;237m")
+		}
+		for c, col := range row {
+			output += col
+			if c != len(row)-1 {
+				output += " "
+			}
+		}
+		if r%3 == 0 {
+			output += fmt.Sprintf("%s", "\x1b[49m")
+		}
+		output += "\n"
+	}
+
+	return output
+}
+
+func findTermWidth() int {
+	cmd := exec.Command("stty", "size")
+	cmd.Stdin = os.Stdin
+	out, err := cmd.Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	s := string(out)
+	s = strings.TrimSpace(s)
+	sArr := strings.Split(s, " ")
+
+	width, err := strconv.Atoi(sArr[1])
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return width
+}