Tasks

Creating Tasks

Required

• Task Name: What you need to do
• Duration: How long you estimate it will take

Optional

• Project/Stage: Where this task belongs
• Priority: Urgent, High, Medium, or Low
• Schedule Date: When you plan to work on it
• Notes: Additional context with rich Markdown formatting (Pro)
• Subtasks: Break tasks into smaller steps (Pro)

If priority is not manually selected, the task priority will be set to Medium, and the task location will be set to ‘Inbox’ by default if added in Today view.

Drag the + Button (iPhone & iPad)

The + button drags. Pull it into your list to create a task exactly where you drop it: between tasks in Today or the Inbox, into a specific stage of a project, or onto a project card to add it straight to that project. A dotted line with a plus shows where the task will land while you drag. Tap, double-tap, and long-press all work as before.

Quick-Add Bar (Mac)

On Mac, a persistent Add a task bar sits at the bottom of Today, every project, and the Inbox. Its label adapts to where the task will go, so you always know the destination.

• Type a task and press Return to capture it, then keep going to add several in a row without reaching for the toolbar.
• It parses durations, dates, and times from what you type (“45m”, “tomorrow”, “10.15”) just like the inline editor.
• The buttons on the right set the priority (click to cycle, right-click to choose) and the default duration for new tasks.

Scan Tasks from Image (Pro)

Photograph or import any list (handwritten notes, whiteboards, printed lists, screenshots) and Set turns it into tasks. Durations, dates, and times (“45m”, “tomorrow”, “10.15 - Jogging”) are picked up automatically, so a rough list becomes properly timed tasks.

Set uses on-device Apple Intelligence on supported devices, with smart parsing everywhere else. Nothing is created until you review the results: edit titles, durations, and priorities, untick any lines you don’t want, and choose a project or add them straight to Today.

Scan Tasks lives in the Today and project toolbars. See the Scan Tasks documentation for full details.

Smart Title Parsing

Set can automatically detect durations, dates, and start times typed at the end of a task title, saving you from manually adjusting pickers.

Duration Parsing

Add a duration at the end of your task name:

• Write report 45m → duration set to 45 minutes, title becomes “Write report”
• Team meeting 1h → duration set to 60 minutes
• Deep work session 1h30m → duration set to 90 minutes
• Quick review 1.5h → duration set to 90 minutes

Format	Example	Result
Minutes	45m, 45 min, 45 minutes	45 min
Hours	2h, 2 hr, 2 hours	120 min
Hours + Minutes	1h30m, 1h 30m	90 min
Decimal Hours	1.5h, 1.5 hours	90 min

Date Parsing

Add a date or day at the end of your task name:

• Review PR tomorrow → scheduled to tomorrow
• Call dentist Feb 14 → scheduled to Feb 14
• Meeting monday → scheduled to next Monday

Format	Example	Result
Relative	today, tomorrow	Today / tomorrow
Day name	monday, fri	Next occurrence
Month + day	Feb 14, February 14	That date
With year	Feb 14 2026	Exact date
Numeric	2/14	That date

Start Time Parsing

Add a start time at the end of your task name:

• Stand-up at 9am → start time set to 9:00 AM
• Lunch at 12.30pm → start time set to 12:30 PM
• Call at 2pm → start time set to 2:00 PM
• Jogging 10.15 → start time set to 10:15 (a bare time works without “at”)

Combining

You can combine duration and date together:

• Write blog post tomorrow 1h → scheduled to tomorrow, duration 60 min

Ordinal suffixes like 1st, 2nd, 3rd are supported in all month-name formats. Also works with subtask titles for duration parsing.

Redesigned Task Cards

Tap any task card to expand it and see all details inline, no separate sheet required. On Mac, double-click to expand. Tap again, press Done, or long-press anywhere on the card to collapse it.

Properties Row

Quick-access pills at the top of the expanded card:

• 🎯 Priority, Tap to cycle through Urgent, High, Medium, Low
• ⏱️ Duration, Tap to change task duration
• 📅 Schedule, Tap to pick a date and time for this task
• 🔁 Repeat, Tap to set recurrence (Daily, Weekly, etc.)

Action Bar

Quick actions at the bottom of the expanded card:

• 🗑️ Delete, Remove the task
• 📁 Move, Move to a different project/stage
• 📄 Template, Save as or load from a template
• ▶️ Play, Start the timer for this task
• ⭐ Star, Add/remove from Today view
• Done, Collapse the card

Schedule Date

Use the schedule pill on any task card to pick when a task should happen. Scheduling a task stars it and places it in the Today view for that date.

Quick options in the picker:

• Today, schedule for today
• Tomorrow, schedule for tomorrow
• Clear, remove the schedule and unstar the task

You can also drag a task onto a date pill in the week strip to quickly reschedule it to that day.

Locked Start Times

Lock a task’s start time to keep it fixed during recalculations. Useful for meetings or calls at a set time.

To lock: expand a task card and tap the lock icon next to the start time. Locked tasks stay in place when you tap the recalculate button.

Rich Notes with Markdown (Pro)

Task notes support full Markdown formatting, letting you create structured, detailed notes for each task.

Accessing Notes

1. Tap any task to expand the task card
2. Scroll to the Notes section
3. Double-tap the notes area to enter edit mode
4. Double-tap again to exit and see the formatted preview

Double-tapping opens a full-screen notes editor with the markdown toolbar, live syntax highlighting, and more room to write.

Markdown Syntax Guide

Text Formatting:

• Bold: **bold text** or __bold text__
• Italic: *italic text* or _italic text_
• Strikethrough: ~~strikethrough text~~
• Inline code: `code text`

Headings:

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3

Lists:

Bullet lists (use -, *, or +):

- First item
- Second item
  - Nested item (indent with spaces)

Numbered lists:

1. First item
2. Second item
   1. Nested item

Checklists (interactive - tap to toggle):

- [ ] Unchecked item
- [x] Checked item

Other Elements:

• Horizontal rule: --- or ***
• Paragraph breaks: Leave a blank line between paragraphs

Formatting Tools

Use the formatting toolbar above the keyboard to quickly insert:

• Bold, italic, strikethrough, or code formatting
• Bullet points, numbered lists, or checklists
• Headings

The toolbar buttons highlight when your cursor is on formatted text.

AI Rewrite (Pro)

Tap the sparkles button in any notes editor to reshape your notes without retyping them:

• Improve Formatting: restructures messy notes into clean, structured markdown.
• Rewrite as Clear Steps: turns your notes into an actionable checklist.

It runs on-device with Apple Intelligence, so nothing leaves your device, and one tap reverts to your original notes. See the AI Notes documentation for more.

Customization

Style your notes from Settings → Interface → Markdown Settings: heading colours, bold colour, highlight style, bullet and numbering styles, and indentation. These options are also reachable from the settings icon in the notes toolbar.

Exporting Notes

Export task notes in multiple formats for sharing or printing:

1. Tap the menu icon (⋯) in the task notes section
2. Select “Export Notes”
3. Choose your format:
   • PDF - For sharing/printing
   • HTML - Web-ready format
   • Rich Text - For other apps
   • Markdown - Raw text format
4. Share via Messages, Mail, Files, or other apps

Subtasks (Pro)

Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps. Subtasks reduce overwhelm by giving you clear, actionable next steps.

Adding Subtasks

1. Tap a task to expand the task card
2. Scroll to the Subtasks section
3. Tap “Add Subtask” button
4. Enter the subtask name and set its duration
5. Repeat to add more subtasks

Working with Subtasks

• Check off subtasks, Tap the checkbox as you complete each step
• Track progress, See completion percentage (e.g., “2/5 completed”)
• Swipe to delete, Swipe left on a subtask to remove it
• Tap anywhere on the row, Tap to edit the subtask
• Drag to reorder, Live drag-and-drop reordering with smooth animations

Pin Subtasks 📌

Want to see subtasks without expanding the card? Tap the 📌 pin icon next to “Subtasks” to show them on the collapsed card, perfect for keeping your next steps visible at a glance.

Duration Calculation

Click the Recalculate button to update the main task duration based on all subtask durations.

Auto Mode: Long-press the Recalculate button to enable automatic mode. When enabled, the main task duration automatically updates whenever you add, remove, or change subtask durations.

Benefits

• Reduces overwhelm for complex tasks
• Provides clear next steps
• Helps track progress visually
• Pin to see subtasks without expanding
• Supports focus and follow-through by reducing cognitive load

Task Templates (Pro)

Save frequently used tasks as reusable templates. Templates preserve all task details including name, duration, subtasks, notes, and priority.

Using Templates

1. When creating a new task, leave the task name field empty
2. Tap the document icon to the right of the task name field
3. Browse templates by category
4. Tap a template to load it instantly
5. Edit any details as needed

Included: Set comes with 20+ preset templates across categories like Daily Routines, Cleaning & Chores, Health & Wellness, and ADHD Support.

Saving Templates

1. Set up a task with all the details you want (name, duration, subtasks, notes, etc.)
2. Tap the 📄 template icon in the action bar of the expanded task card
3. Choose Save as Template
4. Give your template a name
5. Choose a category (optional)

Managing Template Categories

Organize templates with custom categories:

1. In the template picker, tap “Edit Categories”
2. Create new categories with:
   • Custom name
   • SF Symbols icon
   • Color choice
3. Drag to reorder categories
4. Assign templates to categories when saving

Repeating Tasks (Pro)

Set tasks to repeat on a schedule and track your consistency over time.

Setting Up Repeating Tasks

1. Tap a task to expand the task card
2. In the Properties row, tap the Repeat pill
3. Choose your recurrence pattern:
   • Daily, Every day or every X days. Quick options: Every day, Weekdays, Weekends
   • Weekly, Select specific days of the week (e.g., Mon, Wed, Fri)
   • Monthly, On a specific day of the month (with a day-of-month picker that handles shorter months automatically)
   • Yearly, On a specific date each year
4. Set when the recurrence ends (optional):
   • Never
   • On a specific date
   • After X occurrences

Auto-Starring Due Recurring Tasks

Recurring tasks automatically appear in your Today view when they’re due, so you never forget your regular routines.

Tracking Streaks and Stats

The Task Detail card shows stats for repeating tasks:

• Completed, Total number of times you’ve completed this task
• Last Completed, When you last finished it
• Completion Rate, Percentage with visual progress bar
• Current Streak, How many times in a row you’ve completed it
• Best Streak, Your personal record
• Next Due, When the task will occur next

These stats help you stay motivated and build lasting habits.

Resetting Stats

If you want to start fresh, tap “Reset Stats” in the stats section. This clears completion count and streak data but keeps the task and its recurrence settings.

Exporting Lists

Beyond exporting a single task’s notes, you can export a whole list. Export Today, any project, or your Inbox as a PDF, Markdown, or Rich Text file from the Today and project toolbars. A one-tap Email to Self sends the list as text with the PDF attached to an address you set. Configure formatting under Settings → General → Export Options. See the Export documentation for details.

Task Priority

🔴 Urgent

Critical and time-sensitive. Drop everything else.

🟠 High

Important and should be done soon.

🔵 Medium

Standard priority. Schedule time for these.

🟣 Low

Nice to have. Do these when you have extra time.

Task Actions & Gestures

• Tap: Expand the task card to view and edit all task properties inline
• Swipe Right: Edit duration (default, customizable in Settings)
• Swipe Left: Unstar (default, customizable in Settings)
• Swipe a blank task: A just-created task with no title yet deletes when you swipe it, instead of running your usual swipe action (iPhone & iPad)
• Log a completed task: Swipe a finished task in Today to log it (iPhone & iPad), or right-click it and choose Log Task on Mac. It moves to your stats and clears from the list, so you no longer have to log the whole day at once.
• Drag: Reorder in Today view, Inbox, and projects. Drag into projects from inbox, or into stages from project view.
• Long-press: Start dragging a task to move it (including onto date pills)

Swipe Actions (Pro)

Pro users can customize swipe left and swipe right actions in Settings → Interface → Swipe Actions. Available options:

• ⏱️ Duration: Edit task duration
• ⭐ Unstar: Remove task from Today view
• 🚩 Priority: Change task priority
• 📅 Schedule: Open the full date and time picker to schedule the task
• 🗑️ Delete: Delete the task
• 📁 Move: Move task to a different project or stage
• 🎮 Select Mode: Enter select mode for bulk actions
• ▶️ Start Timer: Start the timer for this task
• 🌅 Skip to Tomorrow: Move the task to tomorrow. Assign it as a swipe action, or turn on the evening option in Settings → Interface so it only appears alongside your usual swipe after a time you choose (default 5 PM). The task auto-stars back into Today when tomorrow arrives, with an Undo toast if you tap it by mistake.

You can also customize the swipe colors in Settings → Interface → Customization.

Context Menus

• Long-press a project to edit or delete it quickly
• Right-click tasks on macOS for quick access to star, duplicate, move a task to a project, set a repeat, and more
• Convert Subtask to Task (Mac): Right-click a subtask on Mac and pick Convert to Task to promote it to a top-level task in the same project or stage

Undo & Redo

Made a change you didn’t mean to (added a task, deleted the wrong one, moved something)? Press ⌘Z to undo and ⌘⇧Z to redo, right across the app.

Quick Delete & Title Length

Two options under Settings → Interface tune how tasks behave:

• Quick Delete: Turn it on to delete tasks instantly, with no confirmation popup.
• Adjustable title length: Choose how many lines task and subtask titles show before they truncate, from one to five, with separate controls for tasks and subtasks.