[Correction] Google Calendar simplifies managing tasks you never got around to

Correction: We stated that Google Tasks would move with you to a new day if not marked off as complete, but this feature only works with Reminders. The original article has been left intact, but we’re noting the correction here for accuracy. Thanks, Edward Darrah!

I use Google Tasks a ton in Calendar, but that doesn’t mean I always finish them or check them off. In fact, more go unchecked (not sorry) than get marked in a day because, frankly, they’re more often guidelines and gentle nudges for me to build habits than they are pressing matters to attend to.

One thing I do like about Tasks is that they appear as a group at the top of the day and carry over every time you fail to finish them, which means you have an ever-present crowd of to-dos haunting your every waking moment. Okay, that sounds convenient, if not a bit horrifying, but with three Google Accounts, I can tell you that it’s more the latter than the former and when you take a look at the following image, you’ll see why.

I constantly have three bundles of tasks and clicking any one of them causes them to explode into a brilliant yellow or red fiesta of individual cards which is more often than not too much to handle. Luckily, Calendar is fixing this with a new update.

As you can see below, a new “Pending tasks” card will show up at the top of the day and reveal to you all of the entries that you have yet to complete up until that point. Clicking on it will bring up a list – all on one card, I might add – so you can review them, the date they were originally from, and the time frame as well and then make a plan to check them off.

What’s significantly different here aside from everything being on one card is that in the past, Tasks would only appear at the top of the day, and no time frame would be associated with them aside from the slot they were placed on the Calendar. Being that these uncompleted tasks were moved over daily, the time slot they read is today…and right now.

This gives you zero context about how far and how often you’ve pushed any given task and how lazy you’ve been aside from the fact that you now have a hundred built up. I’m a big fan of this update, and I hope that it causes me to start checking things off more often and that it helps me to be more intentional with my time!

This update will be available on both the web and mobile, and it will be rolling out to all Workspace customers, including those with legacy G Suite Basic and Business licenses. Below, you can find the pacing of the rollout:

Rapid Release domains:

Web – 2 weeks from February 7, 2022
Android – 2 weeks from February 17, 2022
iOS – 2 weeks from March 1, 2022

Scheduled Release domains:
Web – 2 weeks from March 3, 2022
Android – 2 weeks from February 17, 2022
iOS – 2 weeks from March 1, 2022