# Scheduling models (Uni & Bi-directional sync)

## Calendar Sync in Motion

Motion keeps your schedule consistent by syncing with external calendars like Google, Outlook, and iCloud. All of your events and tasks appear in one place, so you can plan confidently without juggling multiple tools.

There are two types of syncing in Motion:

* **Events use bi-directional sync** → changes flow both ways between Motion and your external calendar.
* **Tasks use uni-directional sync** → tasks created in Motion appear in your external main Google or Outlook calendar (iCloud calendar is not supported), but external calendar tasks or changes do not flow back into Motion.

This article explains how each type of sync works, why Motion handles them differently, and the benefits of this approach.

***

## Bi-Directional Event Sync

**Definition**\
Bi-directional syncing applies to **calendar events** (meetings, appointments, reminders). When enabled:

* Events created in Motion appear in your connected external Main calendar (Google, Outlook, iCloud).
* Events created in your external calendar appear in Motion.
* Updates to either are mirrored in both systems automatically (please allow 1-2 minutes for the system to update).

This ensures your schedule always matches across Motion and your external calendar.

**Step-by-Step Example**

1. You create a meeting in Motion for **Tuesday at 10:00 AM**.
2. The meeting appears instantly in your Google Calendar.
3. Later, your colleague updates the same meeting in Google Calendar to **11:00 AM**.
4. Motion automatically adjusts the meeting time to 11:00 AM.
5. If you cancel the event in Motion, it also disappears from your Google Calendar (and vice versa).

**Benefits**

* **One Source of Truth** → Whether you’re in Motion or your external calendar, you always see the same schedule.
* **Time Saved** → No need to manually recreate or adjust events in multiple tools.
* **Streamlined Focus** → Lets you focus on task management and scheduling in Motion, while still relying on your external calendar for visibility with colleagues.
* **Real-Time Confidence** → Changes propagate instantly, reducing the risk of double-booking or missed meetings.

**Why Motion uses Bi-Directional Sync for Events**\
Events contain all the key details Motion needs (start time, end time, participants, location). This makes them reliable to sync both ways without introducing data conflicts. By contrast, tasks often lack this standardized data — which is why Motion treats them differently (uni-directional sync).

{% @mermaid/diagram content="sequenceDiagram
participant Motion
participant Sync
participant External Calendar
participant User

```
Note over Motion,External Calendar: Bi-Directional Event Flow

User->>Motion: Create Meeting Event
Motion->>Sync: Initiate Sync
Sync->>External Calendar: Update Calendar
External Calendar-->>Motion: Confirm Sync

Note over Motion,External Calendar: Reverse Flow Example

User->>External Calendar: Create Meeting Event
External Calendar->>Sync: Initiate Sync
Sync->>Motion: Update Motion
Motion-->>External Calendar: Confirm Sync

Note over Motion,External Calendar: Real-Time Updates Complete" %}
```

***

## Uni-Directional Task Syncing?

**Definition**\
Uni-directional syncing applies to **tasks**. Tasks created and scheduled in Motion appear in your external main calendar (Google, Outlook) as time blocks. However:

* Tasks created in external calendars do **not** flow back into Motion.
* Changes you make to a Motion-synced task directly in your external calendar do **not** update the task inside Motion.

This ensures Motion remains the single source of truth for tasks.

**Step-by-Step Example**

1. You create a task in Motion: *“Write proposal,” 2 hours, due Friday*.
2. **Motion schedules** the task into a block on Tuesday afternoon.
3. The task block appears in your Outlook Calendar.
4. You drag the task block **in Outlook** to Wednesday morning.
5. Motion does **not** change — the task stays scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.\
   \&#xNAN;*(Motion only updates based on actions inside Motion, not your external calendar).*

**Benefits**

* **Task Integrity** → Motion preserves deadlines, priorities, and effort settings that external calendars don’t support.
* **Avoids Conflicts** → Prevents incomplete or conflicting task data from breaking the scheduling algorithm.
* **Simplified Workflow** → Motion pushes tasks outward for visibility, but keeps all task logic centralized in one system.

**Why Motion uses Uni-Directional Sync for Tasks**\
External calendar platforms treat tasks differently and often don’t capture the metadata Motion requires (e.g., deadline, duration, priority, effort). If Motion accepted incoming task data, it could disrupt scheduling integrity. Limiting task sync to one-way ensures Motion’s AI always works from complete and accurate inputs.

{% @mermaid/diagram content="sequenceDiagram
participant Motion
participant Algorithm
participant Sync
participant External Calendar

```
Note over Motion,External Calendar: Uni-Directional Task Flow

Motion->>Algorithm: Create Task with Parameters
Algorithm->>Motion: Process Task Data
Motion->>Sync: Initiate One-Way Sync
Sync->>External Calendar: Add Task

Note over External Calendar,Motion: External Tasks Blocked
External Calendar->>Sync: Create External Task
Sync--xMotion: Sync Blocked

Note over Motion,External Calendar: Maintains Task Integrity" %}
```

***

## **Events vs Tasks: How Syncing Works**

<table><thead><tr><th width="159.515625">Feature</th><th width="272.34765625">Events (Bi-directional)</th><th>Tasks (Uni-directional)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Creation in Motion</strong></td><td>Appears in external calendar instantly</td><td>Appears in the external main calendar as an event. It could be either free, or busy in case it's at risk of missing its deadline and the user has enabled this setting from the Auto-scheduling options</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Creation in External Calendar</strong></td><td>Flows back into Motion</td><td>Does <em>not</em> appear in Motion</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Updates in Motion</strong></td><td>Reflected in external calendar</td><td>Reflected in external main calendar</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Updates in External Calendar</strong></td><td>Reflected back in Motion</td><td>Does <em>not</em> appear in Motion</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Deletions</strong></td><td>Deleting in one removes it from both</td><td>Deleting in external calendar removes only the block there Motion task stays scheduled</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Data Reliability</strong></td><td>Safe to sync both ways (standard fields: time, date, attendees)</td><td>One-way only (Motion requires priority, duration, effort, deadlines to function)</td></tr></tbody></table>

**Key Takeaway**

* **Events = Bi-directional (two-way sync).**
* **Tasks = Uni-directional (outward only, from Motion).**


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