Scheduling Insights Widget
Three categories of scheduling intelligence on the Dashboard - Active Window (in-flight tasks), Starting Soon (1–7 days), and Missing Start Date (with a documented suggestion algorithm based on days-to-due) - with quick reschedule buttons (Today, ±1 day, +1 week).
The Scheduling Insights widget answers three questions about your task scheduling:
**What's currently in flight?** (Active Window
tasks already started, due in the future)
**What's about to start?** (Starting Soon
tasks beginning in the next 1–7 days)
**What needs scheduling?** (Missing Start Date
undated tasks with a due date in the next 7 days)
For tasks in the third category, the widget calculates a suggested start date based on how many days remain until the due date. Quick reschedule buttons - Today, −1 day, +1 day, +1 week - let you fix scheduling gaps from the dashboard without opening the task.
Scheduling Insights is start-date focused
It helps you catch tasks that are already active, starting soon, or missing a start date.
This widget is part of the customisable Dashboard layout. To show, hide, or move it, see Dashboard Layout.
What you can do
See three category cards
Active Window, Starting Soon, Missing Start Date - with live counts
Click any category card
to open the Dashboard Tasks modal filtered to that category
Expand the widget
See the suggested start date
for each Missing Start Date task
Reschedule with quick buttons
Today, −1d, +1d, +1w - applied relative to the task's current schedule
Edit status and priority inline
with dropdowns
Open any task
to its detail page
The three categories - exact filters
Active Window
Tasks currently in flight. The exact filter:
- Task has a start date that is today or earlier
- AND the task either has no due date, or its due date is today or in the future
In other words: you committed to start it (start date is past or today), and it isn't yet overdue. Sorted by due date ascending (closest first).
Starting Soon
Tasks starting within 1–7 days from today (exclusive of today). The exact filter:
- Task has a start date
- AND the start date is between 1 and 7 days in the future
The 7-day window is fixed - not configurable. Sorted by start date ascending (earliest first).
Missing Start Date
Tasks that don't have a start date but have a due date in the next 0–7 days. The exact filter:
- Task has no start date
- AND the task has a due date
- AND that due date is between today and 7 days in the future (inclusive of today)
Sorted by due date ascending (closest first).
Start with Missing Start Date
Those tasks have due dates but no planned start, so they are easiest to overlook.
The suggested start date algorithm
For each task in Missing Start Date, the widget calculates a suggested start date based on how soon the due date is. The exact algorithm:
| Days from today to due date | Suggested start date |
|---|---|
| 0–1 days (today or tomorrow) | Today |
| 2–3 days | Due date − 1 day |
| 4 or more days | Due date − 2 days |
The algorithm only uses the due date and a fixed lead window - it does not use the task's duration, priority, or any historical data. The suggestion is a sensible starting point, not a personalised recommendation.
Suggestions are simple planning hints
They do not replace your judgement, task duration, or priority.
Apply the suggestion by clicking the relevant quick-reschedule button next to the task (typically Today if the suggestion is today, or use the date offsets).
Quick reschedule buttons
Each task in the expanded view has four reschedule buttons:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Today | Sets the start date to today |
| −1d | Subtracts 1 day from the current start (or due) date |
| +1d | Adds 1 day |
| +1w | Adds 7 days |
The relative buttons (−1d / +1d / +1w) operate on the task's existing start date if set, otherwise on the due date, otherwise on today. There's no custom date picker on this widget - for a specific date, open the task.
Reschedule buttons change task dates
Use them only when you want to update the task's actual schedule.
Inline editing
Each task row also supports:
- Status dropdown - change inline; uses your Space's status configuration
- Priority dropdown - change inline; uses your Space's priority configuration
Status changes that move a task into the Complete category also set its completionPercentage to 100. Priority changes default to your Space's default priority if you clear the field.
Click-through
| Click | What happens |
|---|---|
| Category card body | Opens the Dashboard Tasks modal filtered to that category |
| View All button | Opens the modal with the broader Start Date Insights filter |
| Task name (in expanded view) | Navigates to the task's detail page |
| Reschedule button | Applies the date change immediately (uses event propagation guards so the card click doesn't fire) |
The filter IDs sent to the modal are:
active_window- Active Window cardstarting_soon- Starting Soon cardmissing_start_date- Missing Start Date cardstart_date_insights- View All button (broader scope)
Configurable cap
The default cap is 4 tasks per category (so up to 12 tasks total when all three sections have content). The cap is set by the widget's maxItems prop and isn't user-configurable from the dashboard.
Empty states
Each category has its own empty message:
- Active Window: "No tasks active today."
- Starting Soon: "No tasks starting soon."
- Missing Start Date: "No suggestions right now."
When all three categories are empty, all three messages display.
Things worth knowing
These three categories complement other widgets
- Today's Focus shows tasks starting today (or earlier) that aren't done - see Today's Focus Widget
- Upcoming Tasks shows tasks due in the next 7 days - see Upcoming Tasks Widget
- Scheduling Insights (this widget) shows scheduling state - what's in flight, what's coming, what needs scheduling
A task can appear in multiple widgets if it satisfies multiple conditions.
Active Window includes "started but not yet done"
Active Window doesn't filter by status - only by date conditions (started + not overdue). A task in Active Window could be in Not Started status (you set the start date but haven't moved status yet) or Active status. Use the inline status dropdown to advance it.
Missing Start Date is the rescue category
Tasks with a due date but no start date often slip through. This category surfaces them so you can plan when to start, with a sensible default suggestion. Apply the suggestion (or any offset) and the task moves to Starting Soon (or Active Window if the new start date is today/past).
The suggestion algorithm is intentionally simple
The −2 / −1 / today algorithm is fixed and predictable. It doesn't use task duration, priority, or historical patterns - those would make the suggestions harder to anticipate. The simple algorithm gives you a "good enough" starting point that you can override per task.
The widget reads from your task store
Tasks come from your task store directly - the widget is reactive to store changes. Edit a task elsewhere and the widget updates on next render.
Recurring tasks count their current instance
A recurring task's current instance appears in the matching category. Setting a start date applies to that instance only - see Recurring Tasks.
Common questions
"What's the difference between Starting Soon and Upcoming Tasks?"
Starting Soon is about when work begins - start date in the next 1–7 days. Upcoming Tasks is about when work is due - due date in the next 7 days. A task can be in both if its start and due dates both fall in that window.
"What if I don't see the suggested start date?"
The suggested start date appears only on Missing Start Date tasks. For Active Window and Starting Soon tasks, the start date is already set - there's nothing to suggest.
"Can I customise the suggestion algorithm?"
No - the −2 / −1 / today rule is fixed in the app. To use a different lead time, set the start date manually via the date picker on the task.
"Why isn't a custom date picker available here?"
This widget is optimised for fast scheduling decisions - Today, ±1 day, +1 week. For a specific custom date, open the task to its detail page.
"Are tasks scoped to the active Space?"
Status and priority dropdowns use the active Space's configurations, but the task list itself isn't strictly filtered by Space in this widget - it pulls from the global task store. Switching Spaces will update configurations but you may continue to see tasks from other Spaces. To strictly scope to the current Space, use the Tasks page with project filters.
"Can I drag a task to schedule it?"
Not from this widget. Use the Day Planner for drag-to-schedule - see Day Planner View.
"How do I hide this widget?"
Open the Layout Editor from the Dashboard Header and toggle Scheduling Insights off. See Dashboard Layout.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| See today's start-date tasks and launch focus | Today's Focus Widget |
| See tasks due in the next 7 days | Upcoming Tasks Widget |
| Drag tasks onto a daily schedule | Day Planner View |
| See your overall task stats | Stat Cards Widget |
| Use the full Tasks page | Tasks Overview |
| Create a task with start and due dates | Creating Tasks |
| Manage recurring tasks | Recurring Tasks |
| Customise the dashboard | Dashboard Layout |
| Return to the Dashboard hub | Dashboard Overview |