Questions and Answers

Common questions on how to do things in Marvin

115 articles
Branko avatarMark avatarChristina avatar
Written by Branko, Mark and Christina

Shared lists - for nonusers of Marvin

Working on tasks that a Marvin user shared with you
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

Exporting projects using the Copy action

How to copy your tasks and projects as plain text
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

What is "pre"?

How to use future versions of Marvin early and help us beta test new features.
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

What is the "new" tag/label that shows up on my projects/tasks?

The new tag gets added when a project is automatically created or moved out of the backburner
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Bulk editing calendar items

How to quickly bulk edit multiple events and time blocks
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

Importing tasks and flagged emails from Outlook

Some hints about how to import your Outlook tasks and flagged emails into Marvin
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

What are phases and how to use them

Break up large goals into smaller chunks
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to disable the "show all" functionality

Want to have long lists completely displayed by default?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to have all projects expanded by default

Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to find snoozed tasks

Want to un-snooze a task but don't know where to find it?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How can I enable spell check in notes?

Use this secret command to check your spelling in the day note and other notes.
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How to bulk snooze tasks

Want to snooze multiple tasks at once?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to visually indicate tasks with tracked time

Using isTracked filter to mark tasks that have been time tracked
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How can I hide certain items from my today list?

Using persistent day filter to hide specific items
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

Scheduling tasks for today from anywhere within Marvin

Easily add new tasks to your Today list even if you're in the Settings!
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

Setting a default sort of recurring tasks

Changing the order in which your recurring tasks show up
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to make Effort/Value matrix

Need a visual overview of the effort that takes to complete tasks and their value?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to add items to the Sidebar

Adding smart lists, projects, labels, timers, and other things to the sidebar
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to delete all the current content

Want do delete all tasks and projects and start over fresh?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to reset your Marvin to default setup

Done experimenting and want to start completely fresh?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to bulk change due dates to do dates

Accidentally added due dates instead of do dates?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to see Marvin above the main input bar

Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

Can I restart the tutorial?

How to repeat Marvin's onboarding (where Marvin pops up in the corner after you create an account).
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How can I restart the onboarding/introduction/explanation in the beginning?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Can you configure the desktop shortcut to add tasks?

Don't like cmd-ctrl-a? No problem!
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Importing your data using Generic CSV option

Having trouble importing the Generic CSV file or not sure how to fill the template?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

Reordering tasks in a saved project

Want to change the order of your tasks in your saved project?
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

How to set a task to be done during weekdays (e.g. Mo-Fr)

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to change the input bar at the top of your list.

How to change "What do you want to get done today?" input
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

What is the best way to provide feedback and new ideas to Marvin?

We love your input on how to make Marvin better, here is how to contribute
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I bulk add planned week/month?

Learn how to bulk assign fields not found in the buttons using your keyboard
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

What happens if you shut down?

I am worried to invest in a small self-funded team...
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to add tasks with amazon alexa

Here is how to add alexa support
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

What is the difference between scheduling and planning a task?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

What is archive mode?

What is archive mode? How can I enable archive mode? How can I configure which tasks are archived?
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

Are there any premium features?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Why can't I turn a project into a task?

Why "how can I turn a project into a task" doesn't have an easy answer.
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How to add one-click timers in the custom sidebar

Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How to add tasks with Siri

Here is how to set up Siri support
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

What are the internal custom sidebar links?

How to add links to areas within Marvin, as well as one-click timers, to your custom sidebar
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How to add hyperlinks to task and project titles/notes

Have task/project titles or notes link to any external website or file
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to set up a Kanban board

Here is how you can set up lists as a Kanban board
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I make a Smart List for a specific day of this week?

How to get a list for this Wednesday for example
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Advanced filter for items with no duration estimate

Here is how to select for all items without a time estimate
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I un-hide completed tasks in my day?

Use the right hover menu to hide and unhide items in your day
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

When does the new version come to desktop?

Whenever we release a new version, it comes first to the web app. Here is why.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to quickly remove dates with shortcuts

Remove a date by using date shortcut followed by "none"
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I quickly save a website to Marvin?

The Amazing Marvin Bookmarklet let's you save a website quickly as a task
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to delete your account

How to wipe your account
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to blur your items

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I schedule a task for a specific time?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Advanced smart list examples

Here are some advanced smart lists users have requested.
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How can I make a Smart List with every item that does not have a time estimate?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to log out/log off Marvin

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to set up a recurring task for every week day

Want a recurring task only to show Mo-Fr? Here is how to do that
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Sand timer

One of the two timers in Marvin
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Tomato Timer

One of two timers in Marvin
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to only see work hours in agenda view?

Filter out sleep/inactive time in the agenda view
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I only see recurring tasks for today and tomorrow in my week scheduler.

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to search for completed tasks and projects

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to create a Smart List based on sections.

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Is there a way to clone/duplicate a project?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to filter out future tasks in a Smart List

Don't want to include anything scheduled for the future?
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to just see one instance of a recurring task in a Smart List.

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to only put a portion/subset of tasks into the jar

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to remove a label from a task or project.

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I edit time track data?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I view my backup data

Learn how to decompress and view MarvinBackup-YYYYMMDD.json.lzma files
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How can I see a list of all my tasks?

Need a flat list of all tasks, here is how to get it
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I see to what project or category a task belongs?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to enter a new task at the top of the list?

Add a task to the top of the list
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I see a list of all Marvin shortcuts?

You can see the full list of Marvin shortcuts right inside your app.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I see what is new with each version?

Check new features and improvements for each update
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I adjust the font size and thickness?

Having a hard time reading the text in Marvin?
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I check the version of my app?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I know when there is a new version and update to the latest?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to sort your Smart Lists

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I create a Smart List with exactly matching labels?

Learn how to filter tasks/projects that have certain labels and no others
Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

Where can I see my completed tasks and projects?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to format text in notes

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I see a list of all my projects?

There are three ways you can see all your projects in one place.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

I cleared my browser cache/data, is my data gone?

What happens to your Marvin data if you clear your browser data?
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to create tabs for Smart Lists

Want to group your Smart Lists in the sidebar? This is how you do it.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to add a permanent note to a recurring task

Want a recurring task to always have a specific note? Make sure to add it to the parent.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

What are conflicts (Sync Health Check)?

No worries, conflicts happen. Here is what they mean
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Is my data safe when sync is disabled?

Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How can I save the parent category/project of a saved task or project?

Want to have a task always load in a specific category?
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I add contexts in Marvin? (GTD)

Use Marvin's labels to add context to your tasks and projects
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I set recurring tasks to show up in a specific section?

Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to view all priority-starred Tasks

Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How to change the time/duration estimate on an existing task?

Here is how you can change the duration estimate of a task.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I turn a reward task back into a regular task?

Need to remove the "reward" property from a task? Do this.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How to assign a recurring tasks to a section

Want to have a recurring tasks always show up in a specific section? Follow these steps.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I update my desktop app?

Marvin has frequent updates that include new features. Here is how to update your desktop app.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I add/change the color of a category/project?

Assign colors to your categories by clicking on the folder icon
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I work directly from a Smart List?

If you want to work directly from a Smart List, use a "lists" strategy
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I add emojis to my tasks and projects?

Depending on which computer you are on there are different ways to add emojis in Marvin
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I hide/collapse the subtasks of a task?

Collapse and expand the subtasks of a task by clicking the little arrow to the left of the task title
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I see how old a task/project is?

How to check how many days ago a task was created
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

How can I filter with multiple labels or categories in a smart list?

Mark avatar
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago

How do I get to the strategy settings?

Many strategies can be customized in the settings. Learn how to access the strategy settings.
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

I have a task I need to recur at least x days and at most x days, how do I set this up?

How to set up a recurring task that has to be done in a specific time window
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago

Keyboard shortcuts in Marvin

List of all keyboard shortcuts in Marvin
Branko avatar
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago

Is there a way to clone/duplicate a task?

I want to do a task multiple times, what are my options for copying a task easily?
Christina avatar
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago