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Creating Tasks

Learn how to create and manage tasks in Samvise

Creating Tasks

Samvise offers multiple ways to create tasks, from quick natural language commands to detailed forms. Choose the method that fits your workflow.

Creation Methods

Using the Task List

The traditional way to create tasks with full control over all fields:

  1. Click the "+ New Task" button (or press N anywhere in the app)
  2. Fill in the task details form
  3. Create the task

This method is best when you want to specify all details upfront, including priority, time window, and scheduling preferences.

Using the Chat Assistant

The fastest way to create tasks using natural language:

Simply tell the chat assistant what you need to do. Examples:

  • "Add a task to review PRs tomorrow"
  • "Create a task called finish proposal due Friday with high priority"
  • "I need to call the dentist this week"
  • "Add 'draft marketing plan' as a high-priority task due next Monday"

The chat assistant will extract:

  • Task title
  • Due date (relative or specific)
  • Priority level
  • Time estimate
  • Time window assignment

You can review and confirm before the task is created — and undo it right after if you change your mind.

Task Fields

Title (Required)

A clear, actionable description of what needs to be done.

Best Practices:

  • Start with an action verb (Review, Draft, Call, Email, Fix)
  • Be specific enough that you'll know what to do
  • Keep it concise (aim for under 60 characters)

Good Examples:

  • "Review Q1 budget spreadsheet"
  • "Draft proposal for Smith project"
  • "Call Sarah about project timeline"
  • "Fix login bug in production"

Poor Examples:

  • "Budget" - Too vague
  • "Thing" - Not actionable
  • "Maybe look at the report if I have time" - Too uncertain
  • "Review the Q1 budget spreadsheet and compare it to Q4 actuals and identify areas where we're over or under budget" - Too long (use description instead)

Description (Optional)

Additional details, context, notes, or sub-items. Supports markdown formatting.

What to Include:

  • Background context
  • Specific requirements
  • Links to related documents
  • Notes for your future self
  • Checklist items

Example:

Review Q1 budget to identify areas where we're over/under spending.

Focus on:
- Marketing expenses vs. planned
- Engineering costs (especially contractor spend)
- Compare to Q4 actuals

Report findings in budget-review.md

When the task needs to be completed. Can be a specific date or relative.

Relative Dates:

  • Today
  • Tomorrow
  • Next week
  • Next Monday
  • End of month
  • In 3 days

Specific Dates:

  • Pick from calendar widget

Tips:

  • Set realistic deadlines
  • If unsure, give yourself buffer time
  • Tasks without due dates are scheduled after dated tasks of the same priority
  • You can always adjust later

Priority (Optional)

How important this task is. Affects scheduling order.

Priority Levels:

  • High - Important work that should get your time first. Scheduled before everything else.
  • Medium - Default priority. Regular tasks without special urgency.
  • Low - Can wait. Fills whatever time remains after higher-priority work.

Guidelines:

  • Most tasks should be Medium
  • Reserve High for work that genuinely needs to jump the queue
  • If everything is high priority, nothing is
  • You can change priority anytime

See Task Priorities for details.

Time Estimate (Optional)

How long you expect the task to take.

Common Estimates:

  • 15 minutes - Quick tasks (this is also the minimum block size)
  • 30 minutes - Short tasks
  • 1 hour - Standard task block
  • 2 hours - Medium tasks

Tips:

  • Be realistic — it's better to overestimate slightly
  • Longer tasks are automatically split into multiple work sessions of up to 2 hours each (adjustable in Settings), unless you mark the task "do not split"
  • You can adjust the estimate after scheduling

Time Window (Required)

Which time window this task belongs to. Controls when it can be scheduled.

Examples:

  • Work - Monday-Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM
  • Personal - Evenings and weekends
  • Deep Focus - Uninterrupted morning blocks
  • Side Project - Weekend mornings

Tasks are only scheduled during their designated time window slots.

Advanced Options

Do Not Split

By default, a long task can be broken into multiple work sessions. Mark a task "do not split" if it needs one continuous block — the scheduler will then only place it when a single slot is long enough to hold the whole task.

Auto-Scheduling Toggle

Turn off auto-scheduling for a task to keep the scheduler's hands off it. The task stays on your list until you schedule it manually.

Recurring Tasks

See Recurring Tasks for setting up tasks that repeat.

Bulk Actions

Work with multiple tasks at once:

Select Multiple Tasks

  • Click checkboxes on task rows
  • Use Shift+Click to select ranges

Bulk Operations:

  • Change priority for all selected tasks
  • Delete multiple tasks

You can also do this in chat: "make all tasks due this week high priority."

Best Practices

Be Consistent - Use similar naming conventions for related tasks

Keep It Simple - Don't overcomplicate task titles and descriptions

Review Regularly - Go through your task list weekly to update priorities and deadlines

Break Down Large Tasks - Very large pieces of work are easier to schedule (and finish) as a few smaller tasks

Estimate Realistically - Adjust your estimates over time as you learn how long things actually take

Next Steps

Learn about: