Marvin Help

Getting Started Checklist

New to Marvin? Work through these steps in order. Each one takes a few minutes, and you don't have to do them all in one sitting.

Your first day

  1. Get to know Marvin. Watch the overview video or read The Basics.

  2. Install Marvin on your devices. Get the desktop and mobile apps so your tasks are with you everywhere. See Get Marvin on your devices.

  3. Set up your life areas. Create a few categories for the main areas of your life. See Set up your life areas.

  4. Get your tasks into Marvin. Import them from another app, or do a braindump to get everything out of your head.

  5. Sort your tasks. Move your tasks into the right categories, and turn anything that takes more than one sitting into a project.

  6. Plan today. Schedule a few tasks for today and work from your Today list. See How to schedule tasks into your days.

Your first week

  1. Choose a workflow. Decide how you want to pick what to work on each day. See Find a workflow that fits you.

  2. Turn on one or two features. Open ☰ > Features (or press S) and turn on a feature that helps with a problem you have. See How to turn features on and off.

  3. Set up your recurring tasks. Add the things you do regularly, like weekly chores or bills. See How to create recurring tasks.

  4. Try a work mode. When a list feels too long, try Super Focus Mode or the Task Jar.

  5. Do your first weekly review. At the end of the week, look over your lists, clear out what's done or no longer needed, and plan the week ahead. See Weekly review.

Key ideas to understand

  • Categories, projects and tasks. Categories are life areas, projects are bigger pieces of work, and tasks are single steps. See Categories, projects and tasks.

  • Scheduled dates and deadlines. Scheduling a task says when you plan to do it. A deadline says when it must be done. See The difference between do and due dates.

  • Features and their settings. Marvin starts simple. You turn on features as you need them, and each one has its own settings. See The Basics.

  • Workflows. A workflow is the routine you use to decide what to work on. See What is a workflow?.

When you're settled in, have a look at the Best Practices Checklist.