When you create a new repeating to-do or project, you can select one of two repeating patterns: “after completion”, or a “regular” schedule. This page explains the differences, and offers examples to help you pick the right pattern.

The following explanations cover both repeating to-dos and repeating projects.

In this article:
  1. After completion
  2. Regular schedule: daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly

After completion

As the name says, a to-do is only repeated after you’ve checked off its current copy. For example, let’s say you need to water your plants once a week.

  1. You set up the repeating to-do on a Wednesday, and set it to repeat 1 week after completion.
  2. You water your plants on Wednesday, and mark the to-do as complete.
  3. In the Upcoming list, the next copy of this to-do will be scheduled for Wednesday next week.

If you forget to water your plants on Wednesday, and only get around to it on Saturday and then check off the to-do, the next copy will be created on the following Saturday. The repeating pattern adapts to the changed circumstances to ensure the duration between repeats stays the same.

Start the repeat schedule later

What if you set up the to-do on a Wednesday but your plants don't actually need watering until Friday? When you create the “after completion” to-do, its first copy will appear in Today right away.

All you need to do is schedule this copy for Friday.

On Friday, the current copy will return to Today, and once you complete it, the next copy will appear exactly one week later.

Regular schedule: daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly

With this pattern, it doesn’t matter if or when you complete the current copy of the repeating to-do. A new one will be created regardless, on the schedule you set up.

Let’s take a monthly bill payment as an example:

  1. You set up a to-do that repeats on the 20th of every month.
  2. The 20th comes around, but you are busy and only get around to paying the bill on the 27th.
  3. The next copy will appear on the 20th of the next month regardless.

Tip: Be careful with daily fixed-schedule to-dos. If you miss a day, you'll end up with multiple copies stacking up in Today.

Additional options

With the “regular” repeating pattern, you have a couple of options that aren’t available with “after completion” rules:

  • For weekly, monthly, and yearly patterns, you can select the exact days on which the to-do should repeat. For example, you could have a work to-do repeat only Mon–Fri. Learn more here.
  • You can set an end date. Imagine you have a 6-week dance course every Thursday right after work. You set up a weekly to-do that reminds you to bring your formal shoes, and set the end date to match the last session. Once the course is over, the to-do stops appearing automatically — nothing to clean up.
Related Articles