Questions and Answers
Common questions on how to do things in Marvin
115 articles

Written by Branko, Mark and Christina



Shared lists - for nonusers of Marvin
Working on tasks that a Marvin user shared with you
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago
Exporting projects using the Copy action
How to copy your tasks and projects as plain text
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.
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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
Bulk editing calendar items
How to quickly bulk edit multiple events and time blocks
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
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago
What are phases and how to use them
Break up large goals into smaller chunks
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago
How to disable the "show all" functionality
Want to have long lists completely displayed by default?
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago
How to have all projects expanded by default

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?
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.
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago
How to bulk snooze tasks
Want to snooze multiple tasks at once?
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
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
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!
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
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?
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
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?
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago
How to reset your Marvin to default setup
Done experimenting and want to start completely fresh?
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?
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago
How to see Marvin above the main input bar

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).
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago
How can I restart the onboarding/introduction/explanation in the beginning?

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!
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?
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?
Written by Branko. Updated over a week ago
How to set a task to be done during weekdays (e.g. Mo-Fr)

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
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
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
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...
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to add tasks with amazon alexa
Here is how to add alexa support
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
What is the difference between scheduling and planning a task?

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?
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago
Are there any premium features?

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.
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago
How to add one-click timers in the custom sidebar

Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago
How to add tasks with Siri
Here is how to set up Siri support
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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"
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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to delete your account
How to wipe your account
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to blur your items

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I schedule a task for a specific time?

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
Advanced smart list examples
Here are some advanced smart lists users have requested.
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?

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to log out/log off Marvin

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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
Sand timer
One of the two timers in Marvin
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
Tomato Timer
One of two timers in Marvin
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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I only see recurring tasks for today and tomorrow in my week scheduler.

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to search for completed tasks and projects

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to create a Smart List based on sections.

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
Is there a way to clone/duplicate a project?

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?
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to just see one instance of a recurring task in a Smart List.

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to only put a portion/subset of tasks into the jar

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to remove a label from a task or project.

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I edit time track data?

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
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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I see to what project or category a task belongs?

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
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.
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
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?
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I check the version of my app?

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I know when there is a new version and update to the latest?

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to sort your Smart Lists

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
Written by Mark. Updated over a week ago
Where can I see my completed tasks and projects?

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to format text in notes

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.
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?
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.
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.
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
What are conflicts (Sync Health Check)?
No worries, conflicts happen. Here is what they mean
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
Is my data safe when sync is disabled?

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?
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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I set recurring tasks to show up in a specific section?

Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How to view all priority-starred Tasks

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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
How can I filter with multiple labels or categories in a smart list?

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.
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
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago
Keyboard shortcuts in Marvin
List of all keyboard shortcuts in Marvin
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?
Written by Christina. Updated over a week ago