# Daily planning > Plan a realistic day in Tasks. Pick top priorities, estimate time, schedule around meetings, use Orbit for help, and finish the day cleanly. Canonical: https://help.spacebrain.ai/tasks/daily-planning/ Last modified: 2026-09-25T00:00:00.000Z Daily plan helps you decide what you'll actually get done today, and when. It's for anyone who wants a short, realistic list instead of an endless to-do pile. ## How Daily plan works [#how-daily-plan-works] Your daily plan is a list of tasks you choose for one date. For each task you set a time estimate, and you can give it a time slot. Spacebrain compares that with your working hours and meetings, so you can see straight away if the day is too full. A daily plan never changes a task's deadline. Removing a task from the day doesn't delete it; it stays in **My Tasks**. ## Before you begin [#before-you-begin] * Open **Tasks → Daily plan**. You can also choose **Plan my day** at the top of any Calendar page. * Check the date and time zone at the top of the page, for example **Daily plan · Europe/London**. * Connect your calendar in **Calendar → Settings → Connections** so your meetings are counted. Without it, the plan shows **No calendar connected. Availability does not include external meetings.** ## Set your working hours (one time) [#set-your-working-hours-one-time] 1. Choose **Working hours**. 2. Set **Start** and **End**, for example 09:00 and 17:30. 3. Set **Buffer (minutes)**, the time you want to keep free each day for interruptions. For example, 60. 4. Check **Timezone**. 5. Choose **Save working hours**. **What you should see:** the **Capacity** panel shows your working window, how many meetings you have, your buffer, and the time left for tasks. For example: "09:00–17:30 · 3 meetings · 1h buffer · 4h 30m available for tasks". ## Plan your day [#plan-your-day] 1. **Add tasks.** Under **Choose from My Tasks**, search or tick existing tasks, then choose **Add selected**. To add something new, type it in **Add a task**, pick an estimate (for example **30m**), and choose **Add task**. New tasks are also saved in **My Tasks**. 2. **Pick your top priorities.** Select the star on up to three tasks. The header shows your count, for example "2/3 top priorities". 3. **Check estimates.** Select a task's estimate, for example **30m**, to change it. Compare the **Capacity** total with the time available. If you're over, the panel says so. Move a task to another day or reduce an estimate. 4. **Give tasks a time.** Choose **Schedule** on a task. Choose **Find a time** to see up to three free slots, pick one, and choose **Save time**. You can also type a start time and **Duration (minutes)**. 5. **Start the day.** When the plan looks right, choose **Start day**. The message **Day planned** confirms it. You can keep changing the plan after you start the day. ### Example [#example] You have 4 hours 30 minutes free. You add "Prepare Acme proposal" (90m, starred), "Reply to support backlog" (60m), and "Review Q4 ad results" (45m). Total: 3 hours 15 minutes. **Find a time** suggests 10:00 for the proposal, between two meetings. You save it, schedule the other two in the afternoon, and choose **Start day**. ## When times clash [#when-times-clash] If the time you pick overlaps a meeting or falls outside your working hours, the scheduler warns you, for example **Overlaps 1 existing commitment.** or **Outside your working hours.** To keep that time anyway, tick **Schedule here anyway**, then choose **Save time**. Otherwise, pick another slot. ## During the day [#during-the-day] * Tick a task's checkbox when it's done. It completes the task in Tasks too. * Select a task's title to open its details without leaving the plan. * Use **More actions** on a task to **Remove from day** or **Move to another day**. Moving keeps the deadline the same. * If you remove something by mistake, choose **Undo removal** in the bar that appears. * The **Schedule** panel lists your meetings and task blocks in time order, with open gaps between them. On a phone, switch between the **Tasks** and **Schedule** panels with the toggle at the top. ## Finish the day [#finish-the-day] 1. Choose **Review & finish day**. 2. For each unfinished task, choose where it goes: **Next day** (the default), **Backlog**, or **Choose date…**. 3. Check the forecast for the next day. It tells you if moving the work there will put you over capacity. 4. Choose **Finish day**. **What you should see:** **Day finished. Your tasks and plan are saved.** Choose **View next day** to check tomorrow, or **Reopen day** if you need to make a correction. ## Use Orbit with your tasks [#use-orbit-with-your-tasks] Orbit is Spacebrain's AI assistant. Open it from the Orbit button in the app. Orbit can help with tasks, but it doesn't build your daily plan for you. Here's what it can do: * **Suggest what to focus on.** On Home, a **Plan my day** suggestion may appear. It asks Orbit to review your workspace and recommend next steps. It explains its reasoning and doesn't change anything. * **Create or complete a task.** Ask in plain words, for example "Create a task for me to call Dana at Acme on Thursday", or use the **Create a follow-up task** suggestion in a new chat. Orbit shows a card with the change. Nothing happens until you confirm it. * **Remind you about deadlines.** The **Needs you** tab in Orbit lists tasks that are **Overdue** or **Due soon**. Choose **Open task**, **Snooze 1h**, or **Dismiss**. After Orbit creates a task, add it to your day with **Choose from My Tasks**. See [Orbit assistant](/platform/orbit-assistant/) for more about Orbit. ## If something goes wrong [#if-something-goes-wrong] * **"Your plan could not load."** Choose **Retry**. If it keeps happening, check your connection. * **A save fails, or a teammate changed the plan.** Choose **Reload plan** to get the latest version before editing again. * **"Capacity could not refresh."** Choose **Retry capacity**. Until then, meeting times may be out of date. * **Find a time isn't shown, or you see "Calendar coverage is incomplete."** Check your calendar connection in **Calendar → Settings → Connections**. * **"No matching free time is available."** Try a shorter duration or another day. * **"The destination day is closed."** Choose another date, or open that day and choose **Reopen day**. * **Start day is greyed out.** Add at least one task to the plan. * **Finish day is greyed out.** Every task set to **Choose date…** needs a date after today. ## FAQ [#faq] ### Can I have more than three top priorities? [#can-i-have-more-than-three-top-priorities] No. Three is the limit. It keeps the day focused. ### Does scheduling a task mark it as done? [#does-scheduling-a-task-mark-it-as-done] No. A time block is a plan. Tick the task when the work is actually finished. ### Can I add tasks from other views? [#can-i-add-tasks-from-other-views] Yes. In **My tasks**, select tasks and choose **Add to Today** in the bar that appears. Their deadlines don't change. ### Is this the same as my booking calendar? [#is-this-the-same-as-my-booking-calendar] No. Daily plan organises your work. [Calendar](/calendar/) manages meetings and bookings. Daily plan shows your meetings so you can plan around them. ## Next step [#next-step] Organise shared work in [projects, views, and planning](/tasks/projects-views-and-planning/).