Best Practices

Auto-Scheduling works best when you give Motion clear, accurate information. These practices help ensure your schedule is both realistic and reliable:

Best Practice	Why It Matters	Example
Set task duration realistically	AI needs an accurate estimate to block the right amount of time.	Instead of leaving a task at the default 30 min, set “Draft blog post” to 2 hrs.
Add deadlines and priorities	Ensures critical work is scheduled first and delivered on time.	Mark “Submit tax filing” as High Priority with a deadline, so it’s placed before optional tasks.
Break down large tasks into smaller ones	Smaller tasks fit more flexibly into your schedule, avoiding last-minute crunch.	Split “Prepare QBR deck” into “Collect metrics,” “Draft slides,” “Review with team.”
Group related tasks	Keeps context switching low and makes your day more efficient.	Tag tasks as “Client A” so you can review how much work is allocated to that account across projects.
Review daily	A quick review ensures the schedule reflects any new priorities or events.	At the start of the day, scan Motion’s plan and confirm it matches your focus.
Use manual scheduling sparingly	Locking too many tasks manually reduces AI’s flexibility.	Pin your daily stand-up prep but let Motion auto-schedule everything else.

Use Cases: Balancing Roles and Priorities

Auto-Scheduling adapts to different roles and workflows. Here are concrete examples:

Role	Challenge	Benefit	Examples
Individual Contributor	Long list of tasks with competing deadlines.	Motion sequences tasks in the right order, factoring deadlines and dependencies.	You add 12 tasks for a product launch. Motion places the draft spec first, then review with team, ensuring everything leads up to the launch date (when blockers are enabled).
Manager	Meetings fragment the day, leaving little focus time.	Motion protects deep work by intelligently slotting tasks around fixed meetings.	Your calendar has 6 hours of calls. Motion schedules a 2-hour budget review block in the only open window, instead of scattering it.
Freelancer / Side-Hustler	Balancing client work with personal commitments.	Motion builds one cohesive calendar across work and life.	You block evenings for a fitness class. Motion fits 4 client tasks into the daytime, leaving your personal block untouched (use custom/different schedules).
Cross-Functional Team Member	Multiple projects across stakeholders.	Motion respects dependencies and balances across initiatives.	You have tasks from Marketing Campaign and Product Launch. Motion schedules write campaign copy after finalize product details, keeping both projects aligned.

Key idea: Instead of you juggling priorities, Motion continuously rebalances your calendar so the most important work happens at the right time.

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Manual vs Auto-Scheduling

Auto-Scheduling is the default for most tasks — but there are times when manual scheduling makes sense. The key is knowing when to let AI optimize versus when to set a fixed time yourself.

When to use Auto-Scheduling	When to use Manual Scheduling
You have many tasks and want Motion to place them optimally.	A task must happen at an exact time (e.g., “submit proposal by 3pm”).
Deadlines and priorities are shifting.	You need to align with someone else’s availability outside of Motion.
You want Motion to balance workload over days/weeks.	The task is part of a ritual or routine (e.g., daily stand-up prep at 8:30am).
You prefer to spend less time planning and more time doing.	You want to protect a time block as non-negotiable.

Examples

• Auto-Scheduling: You add 15 research tasks with different deadlines. Motion sequences them intelligently across the week.

• Manual Scheduling: You need to finalize a contract exactly before a client call at 2pm. You pin it to that time slot manually.

Guiding principle: 👉 Use Auto-Scheduling for flexibility and efficiency. Use manual scheduling when precision or control matters.

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Common Pitfalls & How Motion Helps

Even with Auto-Scheduling, there are common situations where users may run into friction. Here’s how Motion is designed to help:

Pitfall	How Motion Helps
Overloaded calendar → Too many tasks get added without realistic effort estimates.	Motion flags when deadlines or durations make the plan impossible, prompting you to adjust.
Shifting deadlines → A task deadline changes and throws off the week.	Motion automatically reshuffles tasks around the new deadline, while still respecting other priorities.
Back-to-back scheduling fatigue → Packed days without breaks.	Motion respects working hours and adds breathing room, ensuring tasks are spread realistically. Do so by adding "Break between tasks" in Auto-scheduling settings
Conflicting priorities → It’s unclear which task should be scheduled first.	Priorities set in Motion guide Auto-Scheduling, so high-priority work always lands before optional items.
Too much manual override → Pinning or fixing tasks reduces flexibility.	Motion still schedules around locked tasks, but prompts you to free up flexibility if the plan becomes too rigid.

Key idea: Auto-Scheduling is designed to absorb the unexpected — shifting events, new tasks, changing deadlines — so you don’t have to rebuild your calendar every time plans change.

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Connections to Other Features

Auto-Scheduling doesn’t work in isolation — it draws strength from the rest of Motion’s platform.

• Tasks → Auto-Scheduling places tasks on your calendar using their deadlines, priorities, and duration estimates. The better the task metadata, the smarter the schedule.

• Projects → Task dependencies and project timelines flow directly into Auto-Scheduling, ensuring project milestones are met on time.

• Docs → Tasks created from Motion Docs (like meeting notes or briefs) are immediately scheduled, so insights and decisions turn into action.

• AI Employees → Employees generate or update tasks, which Auto-Scheduling then arranges, keeping human and AI work aligned.

• Calendar sync → Auto-Scheduling respects external calendar Busy events, avoiding overlaps and preserving focus time.

Key idea: Auto-Scheduling is the glue that translates tasks, projects, and AI outputs into a living calendar — turning inputs from anywhere in Motion into an executable plan.