How to set up your Master List

Get all your tasks organized and into Marvin

Christina avatar
Written by Christina
Updated over a week ago

Quick Summary

  • Add a main category for each area of responsibility in your life

  • Add subcategories for very large categories (ones with lots of to-dos)

  • Add any large to-do as a project to the relevant category

  • Add single action steps as tasks to the relevant category

Creating Main Categories

The main categories represent the different areas of your life

Everything gets sorted into one of the main category so make sure there is no overlap.

Click the folder icon button to add a new category.

Examples of Main Categories

  • Household (e.g. taxes, bills, cleaning, errands)

  • Work (if you use Marvin for both personal and work tasks)

  • Marketing, Admin (areas of non-overlapping work responsibilities  or use subcategories)

  • Client A (for freelancers with a few big clients)

  • Health & Self Care (e.g. exercise, doctors appointments, meditation, reading books)

  • Side Project (e.g. building a business, creative projects)

  • School (general or create a main category for each subject)

  • Hobbies (general or create separate main categories for specific hobbies)

  • Social (e.g. remembering to call or write people, doing things for others)

  • Learning (e.g. learning languages or a new skill, educational reading, online courses)

  • Volunteering

Assign a color to each main category

Click the folder icon to add a color to each category.

Use subcategories

If you have a very large and complex main category it can be helpful to use subcategories. 

Dumping your brain into Marvin

For each category think about all the things on your plate at the moment and add them as tasks.

Convert any big item (something that takes you multiple steps over multiple days to accomplish) to a project with the edit icon.

Examples of Projects

  • Redesign Website (Pick color scheme, Collect inspiration, Design header, etc.)

  • Final Essay for "Intro to Literature" (Brainstorm topic ideas, Outline paper, Write Introduction, etc.)

  • Plan Paul's Birthday Party (Order cake, Make invite list, Book clown, etc.)

  • Lose 10lbs (Research exercise programs, Buy/download exercise program, Make weekly workout plan, Book appointment with nutritionist, etc.)

  • Guest Blogging Experiment (Make list of 50 blogs, Brainstorm topic ideas, Write draft for post XYZ, etc.)

  • Get House Organized (Buy boxes for donation items, Sort out clothes to donate, Organize kitchen drawer, etc.)

Importing tasks into Marvin

If you already have a task list in another app, check the import page to see if you can import your tasks.

Keep in mind that Marvin has its own organization scheme (categories, projects and tasks) so make sure you understand the three item types in Marvin and convert your imported items as needed.

Tweak as you go

As you use Marvin you will likely tweak your task organization as you settle into a good system. It takes some time to figure out what works best for you.

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