# Why Archive Tasks

**Archiving tasks offers several advantages:**

* **Enhanced Focus:** Archiving inactive tasks reduces visual clutter, allowing users to concentrate on current task and project deadlines.
* **Efficient Space Management:** Archived tasks are stored safely out of sight, and can be accessed or restored at your discretion, if needed.
* **Improved Processing**: A reduced volume of active, auto-scheduled tasks leads to faster processing speeds and enhanced algorithm performance.

### Auto-Archiving of Tasks

#### Why Auto-Archiving Exists:

Prolonged periods of inactivity on a particular task essentially tell Motion’s algorithm “This task isn’t that important to me, which is why I haven’t made the time to complete it.” This is where auto-archiving of tasks comes into play.

Motion’s auto-archiving feature helps maintain a streamlined workspace by automatically removing tasks, that have not been actioned for an extended period of time, from your calendar’s auto-scheduling considerations.

#### How It Works:

1. **Inactivity Trigger:** Tasks that remain inactive for **6 months** are automatically moved to the *Archive Bin*.
2. To be deemed 'inactive' a task has not had any change in priority, due date or time. Additionally it means, there has been no interaction with the task, such as updating, editing, or completing the task —leaving it untouched and without any changes made.
3. **Notification:** An email is sent to the task creator and assignee (if different) notifying them that the task has been archived.
4. **Read-Only Mode:** Archived tasks are put into a ‘read-only’ state and can be restored at any time at your discretion.

The visual aid below diagrams how the auto-archive feature operates in Motion.

### Manual Archiving of Tasks

#### Manual archiving use-cases:

* **Tasks in Completed Projects:** Once a project has been completed, archiving the associated project tasks can help keep your workspace clean and clutter-free, without deleting the full project history.
* **Canceled Project Tasks:** Cancelled tasks from a project can be manually archived to avoid confusion and clutter in your active and ongoing projects.


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