Troubleshooting: Why Tasks Aren’t Scheduling as Expected

Motion’s auto-scheduler follows strict parameters. If a task isn’t appearing where you expect, it’s usually due to one of the following reasons:

Issue	Likely Cause	How to fix
Task doesn’t appear on calendar	Missing duration, start date set in the future, or conflicting deadline/priority rules.	Add a duration, check start date, or adjust deadline/priority.
Task stays unscheduled	No available time in your defined schedule, or all slots blocked by events.	Expand your schedule, free up time, or shorten task duration.
Task keeps moving	Higher-priority tasks or new events override placement.	Lower competing tasks’ priority, adjust deadlines, or lock the task manually.
Task not respecting personal events	Event isn’t marked as busy or doesn’t belong to your personal calendar (e.g., a “Frequently Met With” shared calendar).	Confirm event ownership and mark it as busy so Motion treats it as unavailable time.
Recurring task doesn’t schedule	Recurrence created without valid parameters (no duration, no deadline).	Ensure each recurrence has a valid duration and scheduling parameters.
Task appears outside working hours	Task marked as Free, or schedule boundaries not set correctly.	Check if the task is free/busy and update your schedule settings.
Deadline missed	Duration or effort too large to fit before the due date.	Break task into smaller chunks, adjust deadline, or rescope work.

Key Takeaway

Most scheduling issues are caused by missing parameters or conflicts with deadlines, priorities, or schedules. Adjusting task metadata usually resolves the issue.