Projects & Stages

Hierarchical Organization

Set uses a three-level hierarchy to help you organize complex work:

Projects → Stages → Tasks

Projects

Projects are high-level containers for related work. They represent your big goals or ongoing initiatives.

Examples

• “Write Novel” (creative work)
• “Launch Website” (business goal)
• “Learn Spanish” (personal development)
• “Home Renovation” (life project)

Stages

Stages are phases within projects. They help you break down large projects into manageable milestones.

Example: “Write Novel”

• Stage 1: “Outline & Planning”
• Stage 2: “Chapter 1-5”
• Stage 3: “Chapter 6-10”
• Stage 4: “Editing & Revisions”

Stage Targeting

Tap a stage’s header to select it as the add target: the + button takes on the stage’s color and every new task lands in that stage. Tap the header again, or leave the project, to go back to normal.

You can also drag the + button straight into a stage’s task list to drop a new task at an exact position. A dotted line with a plus shows exactly where it will land.

Project Statistics

Each project shows:

• Total Tasks: How many tasks are in this project
• Completed Tasks: Your progress through the project
• Total Time: Estimated time to complete all remaining tasks
• Time Spent: Actual time you’ve invested in the project

Toolbar Actions

Access project management options from the ⋯ (ellipsis) button in the toolbar.

➕ Add Task

Create a new task within the current project or stage.

📂 Add Stage

Add a new stage to organize tasks within a project. Each stage can have its own name and color.

📸 Scan Tasks (Pro)

Photograph or import a list and Set turns it into tasks, parsing durations, dates, and times before you review and add them to this project. See the Scan Tasks documentation.

🗂️ Sort Tasks

Run Sort Mode over the project’s tasks: set stage, priority, duration, and date one decision at a time with big tap targets and nothing else on screen.

✏️ Edit Mode

Toggle edit mode to modify or delete projects, stages, and tasks. When active, pencil icons appear next to each item. Tap a pencil icon to:

• Projects: Edit name, icon, color, or delete
• Stages: Edit name, color, or delete
• Tasks: Edit task details or delete

↕️ Reorder Stages

Enter stage reorder mode to rearrange stages within a project. When activated:

• All stages automatically collapse
• Tap the up and down buttons to the right of the task card to reorder them
• Tap the reorder stages icon (top right) to exit when finished, or the X button (bottom Right)

🎮 Select Mode

Select multiple tasks to perform bulk actions. See the Select Mode documentation for details.

⬇️ Collapse All / Expand All

Toggle all stages between collapsed and expanded:

• Collapse All: Hide all tasks to see only stage names
• Expand All: Show all tasks in every stage

📦 Log Completed Tasks

Archive completed tasks while preserving them for statistics. Choose from:

• Project Only: Log completed tasks from the current project
• All Completed: Log all completed tasks across all projects

You can also log a single task without clearing the whole batch: swipe a finished task on iPhone and iPad, or right-click it and choose Log Task on Mac.

📤 Export

Export the project as a PDF, Markdown, or Rich Text file, or send it with one-tap Email to Self. See Exporting a Project below.

👁️ Show/Hide Completed

Toggle visibility of completed tasks within the project.

Adding Projects and Stages

• Long-press the + button on the Projects tab to create a new project.
• Inside a project, long-press it to add a new stage.

Moving Tasks Between Stages

Rearrange work by dragging tasks between stages within a project. You can also drag a task from the Inbox straight into a project or a specific stage.

Quick-Add Bar (Mac)

On Mac, a persistent Add a task bar sits at the bottom of every project (and Today and the Inbox). Type a task and press Return to add it to the project, and keep going to add several in a row. It parses durations, dates, and times (“45m”, “tomorrow”, “10.15”), and the buttons on the right set the priority and default duration for new tasks.

Exporting a Project

Export a project as a PDF, Markdown, or Rich Text file from the project toolbar.

• Stages export as sections with their stage colours and a progress summary.
• Export Options (under Settings → General → Export Options) add black and white for printing, include notes, include subtasks, and a Pro option to hide Set branding.
• A one-tap Email to Self sends the project as text with the PDF attached to an address you set.

See the Export documentation for details.