Creating Your First Task

Let's walk through creating your first task in Samvise and seeing the scheduler in action.

Step 1: Open the Task Creator#

There are several ways to create a task:

Via Task List

1. Click the "+ New Task" button at the top of the task list
2. A modal will appear with the task creation form

Via Chat Assistant

1. Press ] to open the AI chat panel
2. Type something like "Create a task to review Q1 budget by Friday"
3. The chat assistant will create the task for you

For this tutorial, we'll use the task list method to understand all the options.

Step 2: Enter Task Details#

Title (Required)

Enter a clear, actionable title. Good examples:

• "Review Q1 budget spreadsheet"
• "Draft proposal for Smith project"
• "Call dentist to schedule appointment"

Poor examples:

• "Budget" (too vague)
• "Do the thing" (not actionable)
• "Need to eventually look at the report maybe" (too uncertain)

Description (Optional)

Add any additional context, notes, or details. This field supports markdown formatting.

Example:

Review Q1 budget to identify areas where we're over/under spending.
Focus on:
- Marketing expenses
- Engineering costs
- Compare to Q4

Step 3: Set Priority#

Choose a priority level:

• High - Important tasks that should get your time first
• Medium - Normal priority (default)
• Low - Can be scheduled around other tasks

For your first task, Medium is a good starting point.

Step 4: Set Due Date#

Click the due date field and select when the task needs to be completed.

Tips:

• Choose a realistic deadline—not too far in the future, not impossibly soon
• If you're not sure, err on the side of giving yourself more time
• You can always adjust it later

For this example, set the due date to 3-4 days from now.

Step 5: Estimate Duration#

How long will this task take? Enter a realistic time estimate:

• Common estimates: 15m, 30m, 1h, 2h, 3h
• Be realistic—it's better to overestimate slightly
• Longer tasks are automatically split into multiple work sessions

For your first task, try 1 hour.

Step 6: Choose Time Window#

Select which time window this task belongs to. If you only have one time window (like "Work"), it will be selected automatically.

Time windows control when this task can be scheduled. For example:

• "Work" tasks are scheduled during work hours (Mon-Fri, 9-5)
• "Personal" tasks are scheduled during evenings/weekends
• "Deep Focus" tasks require uninterrupted blocks

Step 7: Create the Task#

Click the "Create Task" button. Your task is now in the system!

You'll see it appear in the task list with:

• A priority badge
• The due date
• Time estimate

Step 8: Watch It Get Scheduled#

There's nothing to trigger — Samvise schedules your task automatically within a few seconds of creating it, placing it in an open slot inside its time window before the due date.

Step 9: View on Calendar#

After scheduling, switch to the Calendar view to see your task:

1. Click "Calendar" in the sidebar
2. Navigate to the date when your task was scheduled
3. You'll see a colored block representing your task
4. Click the block to see full details

The task appears in your Google Calendar too (if connected) in the "App Schedule" calendar.

Understanding the Scheduled Block#

Your scheduled task block shows:

• Task title
• Scheduled time and duration
• Priority indicator
• Lock icon (if you've locked it to prevent rescheduling)

Manual Adjustments#

You can manually adjust the scheduled time:

Drag and Drop

• Click and drag the block to a different time
• The task will update immediately

Resize

• Drag the bottom edge to make the block longer or shorter
• This updates the task's time estimate

Lock

• Click the lock icon to prevent the AI from rescheduling this task
• Useful for tasks that must happen at a specific time

Next Steps#

Congratulations! You've created and scheduled your first task. Here's what to try next:

1. Create a few more tasks with different priorities and due dates
2. Try the chat assistant to create tasks using natural language
3. Explore recurring tasks for routine work
4. Set up additional time windows to separate work and personal tasks
5. Connect Google Calendar if you haven't already

Continue to the Tasks section to learn more about task management features.