Elevate your planning game with task durations in Todoist. Estimate how much time a task will take to complete, set it as the task’s duration, and get an overview of your commitments for the day. It’s an easy way to manage your time effectively.
Set a task duration with natural language
When adding a task or editing a task, you can set its duration using natural language in the task name field.
Type out the due date and time, followed by the word for and the duration. Use h for hours and m for minutes. For example:
| Type this | To get this |
|---|---|
|
Today 21:00 for 2h |
Task is scheduled for today at 21:00 with a duration of two hours. |
|
Tomorrow 13:00 for 10m |
Task is scheduled for tomorrow at 13:00 with a duration of 10 minutes. |
|
Every Monday at 16:00 for 1h15m |
Task is scheduled for every Monday at 16:00 with a duration of one hour and 15 minutes. |
Set a task duration via the scheduler
When adding a task, you can set its duration using the scheduler:
- When adding a task click on the Due date chip to open the scheduler.
- At the bottom, click Time.
- Select or type the Time.
- Select or type the Duration.
- Click Save.
- When adding a task, tap on the No date chip.
- At the bottom, tap Time.
- Select a Time.
- Tap the Add Duration toggle.
- Select the Duration.
- Tap Save.
- When adding a task, tap on the Due date chip.
- At the bottom, tap Add time.
- Select a time.
- Tap the Duration toggle.
- Select the duration.
- Tap OK.
- Tap OK again.
- Tap Save.
Note that because Todoist only support durations up to 24 hours, Google Calendar events longer than 24 hours will sync to Todoist without a duration.
Remove a task duration
There are several ways to remove a task's duration. You can type no due date in the task name field and updating the task, or remove its duration via the task view:
- Click on a task to open the task view.
- To the right of the due time, click on the X.
- Tap on a task to open the task view.
- Tap on the existing due date and duration to open the scheduler.
- At the bottom, tap Time.
- Tap Remove Time.
- Tap Save.
- Tap on a task to open the task view.
- Tap on the existing due date and duration to open the scheduler.
- At the bottom, tap the X next to the due time.
- Tap Save.
FAQ
Why does Todoist only support durations up to 24 hours?
The design decision of supporting a maximum of 24 hours is rooted in our philosophy of promoting productivity by breaking tasks into smaller, manageable chunks. We believe that dividing a large, potentially overwhelming project into bite-sized pieces can help maintain motivation and focus, ultimately increasing efficiency.
Is there a way to hide tasks in projects until their start date is due?
Todoist doesn’t support start dates that hide your tasks until their start date is due. This would prevent you from easily accessing important task information like comments. By keeping your tasks visible in your projects, you are able to access and manage all their details at any given time.