How to Archive & Restore Tasks
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Note: This article assumes you've read "". If you haven't, we recommend starting there for foundational concepts.
Archiving tasks in Motion helps keep your workspace(s) clean and organized by removing inactive tasks from your active views. This feature enhances productivity by minimizing clutter and ensuring your focus remains on your active priorities.
In this article, we will highlight why archiving tasks are beneficial and how to manage your archived tasks efficiently and effectively.
Enhanced Focus: Archiving inactive tasks reduces visual clutter, allowing users to concentrate on current task and project deadlines.
Efficient Space Management: Archived tasks are stored safely out of sight, and can be accessed or restored at your discretion, if needed.
Improved Processing: A reduced volume of active, auto-scheduled tasks leads to faster processing speeds and enhanced algorithm performance.
Prolonged periods of inactivity on a particular task essentially tell Motionās algorithm āThis task isnāt that important to me, which is why I havenāt made the time to complete it.ā This is where auto-archiving of tasks comes into play.
Motionās auto-archiving feature helps maintain a streamlined workspace by automatically removing tasks, that have not been actioned for an extended period of time, from your calendarās auto-scheduling considerations.
Inactivity Trigger: Tasks that remain inactive for 6 months are automatically moved to the Archive Bin.
To be deemed 'inactive' a task has not had any change in priority, due date or time. Additionally it means, there has been no interaction with the task, such as updating, editing, or completing the task āleaving it untouched and without any changes made.
Notification: An email is sent to the task creator and assignee (if different) notifying them that the task has been archived.
Read-Only Mode: Archived tasks are put into a āread-onlyā state and can be restored at any time at your discretion.
The visual aid below diagrams how the auto-archive feature operates in Motion.
Tasks in Completed Projects: Once a project has been completed, archiving the associated project tasks can help keep your workspace clean and clutter-free, without deleting the full project history.
Canceled Project Tasks: Cancelled tasks from a project can be manually archived to avoid confusion and clutter in your active and ongoing projects.
Navigate to the specific workspace where the task is located.
Hover over the task you wish to archive. Note: Only non-auto-scheduled tasks can be archived (e.g., Completed, Canceled).
Click the three-dot icon next to the task.
Select āArchive' from the dropdown menu.
The task will now be moved to the Archive Bin.
š” Alternatively, you can click the checkbox to enable bulk operations and select multiple tasks if you would like to archive them at once. See walkthrough below.
The ability to view and restore archived tasks ensures that important but inactive tasks remain accessible when needed. Viewing and restoring archived tasks allows users to retrieve project details, revisit old work, and continue work on previously inactive tasks without the need to recreate them from scratch.
In Calendar view, hover over the relevant workspace.
Click the three-dot icon that appears.
Select Archived Tasks from the dropdown menu.
The Archive Bin will display archived tasks in chronological order.
Open the Archive Bin following the steps above.
Locate the task you wish to restore.
Click on the task to open its details.
Select Restore Task at the top of the modal.
The task will return to its original workspace and project (if applicable).
š”You can also hover over the task, click the checkbox, adjust the task details, and auto-schedule it directly from the archive bin.
Example: The Task "Remodel Home Office" was archived after months of inactivity due to a delay in the project. When you are finally ready to begin the remodel, you can restore the task and its details to continue working on it.
By utilizing Motionās archiving feature, you can maintain a cleaner, more efficient workspace while ensuring that inactive tasks are securely stored and easily retrievable.
No, auto-scheduled tasks are actively planned and cannot be archived. Only non-auto-scheduled or inactive tasks are eligible for archiving.
Tasks in the Archive Bin can be deleted manually by selecting the task and choosing the delete option.
No, only tasks can be archived in Motion.
For individual plans, only the task owner is notified. For team plans, both the task creator and assignee receive notifications. Click to learn more about notifications.