Time blocking
A to-do list tells you what to do. A calendar tells you when. Time blocking puts the two together: give tasks an estimate, drop them on the Day or Week calendar, and you can see at a glance whether your day is realistic.
On this page
Estimate how long a task takes#
Select a task and press e, then type 20, 45m, 1h or 1h30 and press Enter. In the task panel, Estimate also has buttons for 15 minutes up to 2 hours. In quick add, write +30m or +1h30.
The estimate shows on the task row, like 45m or 1h 30m.
Open the calendar#
Choose Day or Week in the sidebar, or press g d or g w.
- Tasks with a date and a time appear as blocks at that time. The block is as tall as the estimate.
- A timed task without an estimate gets a 30-minute block with a dashed outline.
- Tasks with a date but no time wait in the Unscheduled lane at the top of their day.
- A red line marks the current time.
Use ‹ and › (or [ and ]) to go back and forward, and Today (or t) to come back.
Place a task on the calendar#
Drag a task from the Unscheduled lane onto a time slot. Its due date and time become that slot. The grid works in 15-minute steps.
To plan from your lists, open the side list with Plan from a list and drag tasks from there onto the calendar.
To change how long something takes, drag the bottom edge of its block. Dropping a block back on the Unscheduled lane keeps the date and removes the time.
With the keyboard#
Every move works without a mouse.
- In Today, a project or any list, select a task and press s. The Day view opens with the task ready to place.
- Move it with the arrow keys: ↑ / ↓ by 15 minutes, ← / → by a day.
- Press Enter to place it, or Esc to cancel.
On the calendar itself, j / k select tasks, the arrows move the selected one, Shift+↑ / Shift+↓ shorten or lengthen it, and u takes it off the grid while keeping its date.
See whether the day fits#
Each day's header adds up the estimates of its open tasks and compares them with your day length, for example 4h 15m / 8h. When you've planned more than the day holds, the header is marked as over capacity. That's your cue to move something.
Tasks that overlap in time are shown side by side, with a marker, so nothing hides behind something else.
Completing a task removes its block and lowers the day's total.
Adjust the grid#
In Settings → Calendar you can set when the grid starts and ends (6:00 to 22:00 by default; you can still scroll beyond) and how long your working day is (8 hours by default). These settings belong to each device, so your phone and laptop can differ.
Tips#
- Estimate generously at first. After a week you'll know how long "quick" things really take.
- Leave gaps. A day planned to the minute falls apart at the first phone call.
- The Quick wins button above your lists shows tasks of 15 minutes or less, good for filling a short gap.
- Dates and times you set on the calendar are ordinary due dates, so they show up in Today and Upcoming as well, and in calendar apps connected over CalDAV.