Creating Tasks

To create a new task:

1. Click on a category tab; then click a date range tab.

Definition: A date range is the time-frame during which you hope to do a particular task (as opposed to duration). For example, “call Sam” may have a range of “this week” because I’d like to call sometime this week.

Hint: You can also select a custom range by highlighting a range in the Range Selector. Click the arrows to switch months:

2. Click on the text-field, enter a task name, and press ENTER or click .

3. A small window automatically pops-up. Select Hours and Minutes with your mouse or type the duration directly into the duration field. For a full day event, check Full –day event. Then click OK.

Definition: Duration is the actual time required to perform the task.

Scheduling Tasks and Appointments

Drag and Drop. To schedule a task which is already on your task list, use your mouse to drag the task overto the schedule.

Hint: The appropriate category time-block is outlined for convenience. For example, if you are dragging a task from the “study” category, then the “study” time-block will be outlined on your schedule. If you are dragging a task from the Summary tab, then the appropriate time-block will only appear outlined after you have selected a task to drag.

Hint: By default tasks which are scheduled by dragging from the task list are non-fixed (see below).

Hint: You can schedule overlapping tasks by dragging a task onto a previously scheduled task. The tasks will appear side-by-side.

Creating appointments on your calendar. To create an appointment directly on your calendar, click on the appropriate start-time on your calendar (in one or seven-day view), and drag down to increase duration (click and drag in one motion). Type the name of the appointment and press ENTER.

Hint: By default, appointments created directly on your calendar are Fixed (see below). Unscheduling. To unscheduled any task or appointment, right-click on the task (appearing on your schedule) and select Unschedule task. The task will appear on your task list its originally defined date range.

Hint: If the task had been created directly on the calendar (and so never had a defined range), then it will appear on your task list for the day that it had originally been scheduled. The category is then assumed to be the same as the time-block during which the task had been scheduled.

Fixed vs. Non-fixed. There are two types of scheduled items. Fixed appointments refer to engagements which must occur at a very specific time (doctor’s appointment, an exam...). “Non-fixed” refers to more tentatively scheduled tasks (History homework at 6pm). How can I tell? Fixed tasks have a bold-yellow checkbox and a tiny thumb-tack on the Gantt chart. In this example, only the first two items are fixed:

What’s the difference? Fixed appointments will never be rescheduled automatically by Auto Plan. Non-fixed tasks CAN be reshuffled when you run the Auto Plan.

Default Setting. Any task created directly on the schedule OR dragged onto the schedule from your task list is fixed, by default. Any task scheduled by Auto Plan is non-fixed, by default.

Changing the setting. You can change from fixed to non-fixed (and back) by right-clicking on the task (on the calendar):

Auto Plan

What does it do?

Auto plan tries to schedule all tasks in their proper time-blocks and date ranges. How it works. The Auto Plan first unschedules all non-fixed tasks. It then looks at the properties of each task (date range, duration, and time category) to determine the time-frame and relative (estimated) urgency of each task. As a task nears its deadline, its urgency rating increases daily. Skoach creates a prioritized list of your tasks for each category, for each day. Lastly, the Auto Plan uses these prioritized daily lists to schedule these tasks in their respective categories (in prioritized sequence).

Hint: You can adjust the gap between auto-scheduled tasks under preferences > general.

Hint: Tasks which are scheduled by Auto Plan are non-fixed, by default. If you want to keep such a task from being reshuffled later by Auto Plan, you may change it to Fixed (right-click on task > Make Fixed).

Hint: If you have too many tasks in a particular date-range (and not enough time in your time-blocks), then Auto plan will warn you that it cannot schedule some tasks. This usually means you have overbooked yourself! As you create tasks, keep an eye on the Commitment Bar to avoid over-committing.

Undo Auto Plan. Click on the Undo Auto Plan button. This will unschedule ALL non-fixed tasks. These tasks will continue to display in your task list under their previously-defined date ranges.

Warning: Other non-fixed tasks include appointments which you have manually reset to “Non-fixed”. These will also become unscheduled when “undo Auto Plan”.

Range Selector

The Range Selector can be used to select a more precise custom range. Highlight your desired date range in the Range Selector. The selected range immediately appears under a “custom” range tab. Use the range selector to view active tasks associated with a custom range or to quickly enter a task in a custom range.

Note: Custom tab will not appear until after you have selected a custom range.

Hint: Once a custom range has been defined, the custom tab retains the defined date range until you choose a use the Range Selector to define a different custom range.

Task View

“Tabs”.

Your task list is always displayed within a category and within a date-range. Click on side and over-head tabs to shift category and/or date range.

“Due” and “Other Active Tasks”

Due refers to all tasks whose end-date date falls within the displayed date range. Other Active Tasks refers to those tasks whose date range begins within the displayed date range but ends later. In this example, the displayed range is This Week.

Hint: All displayed tasks are sorted by end-date.