Task Management

Maxw AI features a powerful task management system inspired by Things 3, designed specifically for students. Keep track of assignments, personal tasks, and deadlines with flexible scheduling options.

Overview

The todo system helps you:

Organize tasks with flexible date types
Link tasks to Canvas assignments
Break down work with subtasks
View tasks by context (today, upcoming, anytime, someday)
Track completion in the logbook

Task Structure

Each todo item contains:

Title: What needs to be done
Description: Optional details and notes
Date type: How the task is scheduled
Scheduled date: When to work on it
Due date: Hard deadline
Subtasks: Checklist of smaller steps
Canvas link: Optional connection to course assignments
Completion status: Checked or unchecked

Date Types

Tasks use four scheduling approaches:

Calendar

Tasks scheduled for a specific day. Work on them during normal hours.Best for: Assignments, scheduled work sessions, time-sensitive tasks

Calendar Evening

Tasks scheduled for evening time. Separates daytime and evening work.Best for: Homework after school, late-night study sessions

Anytime

Flexible tasks without a specific date. Do them when you have time.Best for: Ongoing projects, reading, low-priority tasks

Someday

Future tasks or ideas. Lower priority, for later planning.Best for: Long-term goals, project ideas, maybe tasks

This scheduling system is inspired by Things 3, offering flexibility between rigid calendar dates and open-ended task lists.

Task Views

The todo page organizes tasks into contextual views:

Today

Shows tasks to focus on today:

Calendar tasks scheduled for today
Calendar evening tasks for tonight
Overdue calendar tasks from past dates
Tasks with due dates today or overdue
Tasks completed today (in logbook section)

View count: Number of incomplete tasks

Upcoming

Displays future-scheduled work:

Calendar tasks with scheduled dates in the future
Calendar evening tasks for future evenings
Helps you plan ahead and see what’s coming

View count: Number of upcoming tasks

Anytime

Lists flexible tasks:

Tasks with dateType: "anytime"
No specific schedule, do when convenient
Useful for ongoing work and side projects

View count: Number of anytime tasks

Someday

Archive of future ideas:

Tasks with dateType: "someday"
Lower priority, long-term thinking
Review periodically to move items forward

View count: Number of someday tasks

Logbook

Completed tasks:

All tasks marked as checked
Excludes tasks completed today (shown in Today view)
Historical record of what you’ve accomplished

View description: “Tasks you’ve completed”

Creating Tasks

Manual Creation

Navigate to the todo page
Select the appropriate view (today, upcoming, anytime, someday)
Click “New task”
Enter task details
Set date type and dates
Add subtasks if needed
Link to Canvas assignment (optional)

Through AI Chat

Ask the AI assistant to create tasks:

"Add a task to finish my essay by Friday"
"Create a todo for studying biology tonight"
"Add all my Canvas assignments to my todo list"

The AI can:

Create tasks with proper dates and scheduling
Automatically link to Canvas assignments
Set appropriate date types based on context
Add multiple tasks at once

From Canvas Assignments

Tasks can be linked to Canvas content:

canvasClassId: The course the assignment belongs to
canvasContentId: The assignment, quiz, or page ID
canvasContentType: Type of content (assignment, page, quiz, discussion)

Linked tasks show Canvas details and provide quick access to original content.

Managing Tasks

Updating Tasks

Modify existing tasks by:

Clicking to expand task details
Editing title, description, or dates
Changing date type or scheduled date
Adding or removing subtasks
Marking as complete or incomplete

Subtasks

Break down complex tasks:

subTasks: [
  { id: "uuid-1", title: "Research sources", checked: false },
  { id: "uuid-2", title: "Write outline", checked: true },
  { id: "uuid-3", title: "Draft introduction", checked: false }
]

Each subtask has:

Unique ID
Title describing the step
Checked status (independent of parent task)

Moving Between Views

Change task scheduling by updating:

dateType: Switches the view (calendar → anytime → someday)
scheduledDate: Moves between today, upcoming, and specific dates

The task automatically appears in the correct view.

Completing Tasks

When you mark a task complete:

checked is set to true
completedAt timestamp is recorded
Task moves to logbook (or Today if completed today)
Subtasks remain as completed

Deleting Tasks

Permanently remove tasks:

Through the UI by expanding and selecting delete
Via AI chat: “Delete my biology task”
Deleted tasks cannot be recovered

Canvas Integration

Tasks deeply integrate with Canvas LMS:

Assignment Linking

Link tasks to Canvas content types:

assignment: Course assignments with due dates
page: Course pages and readings
quiz: Quizzes and exams
discussion: Discussion board posts

Linked tasks include:

Assignment name and details
Due date from Canvas
Points possible
Direct link to Canvas

Automatic Task Creation

Use the AI to batch-create tasks:

"Add all my Canvas assignments due this week to my todo list"

The AI will:

Fetch assignments from all courses
Filter by your criteria (due date, course, etc.)
Create linked todos with proper dates
Set appropriate scheduling (calendar vs. anytime)

Canvas Data in Tasks

When a task is linked to Canvas:

View assignment details without leaving the todo app
Quick link to open in Canvas
Automatic due date syncing
Course information displayed

Database Schema

Tasks are stored with the following structure:

todo {
  id: string (UUID)
  userId: string (references user.id)
  
  // Core fields
  title: string
  description: string | null
  checked: boolean (default: false)
  
  // Scheduling
  dateType: "calendar" | "calendarEvening" | "anytime" | "someday"
  scheduledDate: timestamp | null
  dueDate: timestamp | null
  
  // Subtasks
  subTasks: TodoSubTask[] | null
  
  // Canvas linking
  canvasContentType: "assignment" | "page" | "quiz" | "discussion" | null
  canvasContentId: number | null
  canvasClassId: number | null
  
  // Metadata
  completedAt: timestamp | null
  createdAt: timestamp
  updatedAt: timestamp
}

TodoSubTask Type

type TodoSubTask = {
  id: string;
  title: string;
  checked: boolean;
};

AI Task Management

The AI assistant provides programmatic task management:

getTodos Tool

Retrieve tasks with filtering:

todos = await getTodos({
  "view": "today"  # or "upcoming", "anytime", "someday", "active", "logbook"
})

Views:

today: Tasks for today
upcoming: Future scheduled tasks
anytime: Flexible tasks
someday: Future ideas
active: All incomplete tasks
logbook: All completed tasks

createTodo Tool

Create new tasks programmatically:

await createTodo({
  "title": "Complete history essay",
  "dateType": "calendar",
  "scheduledDate": "2026-03-10T00:00:00Z",
  "dueDate": "2026-03-12T23:59:59Z",
  "canvasContentType": "assignment",
  "canvasContentId": 12345,
  "canvasClassId": 67890
})

updateTodo Tool

Modify existing tasks:

await updateTodo({
  "id": "todo-uuid",
  "checked": true,
  "scheduledDate": "2026-03-11T00:00:00Z"
})

deleteTodo Tool

Remove tasks permanently:

await deleteTodo({
  "id": "todo-uuid"
})

UI Components

Todo List Item

Each task displays:

Checkbox for completion status
Title (editable inline)
Expand/collapse button for details
Canvas assignment icon (if linked)
Due date indicator

Expanded view shows:

Full description
Subtask checklist
Date controls
Canvas link button
Delete option

Quick access to all views:

Today (star icon)
Upcoming (calendar icon)
Anytime (stack icon)
Someday (archive icon)
Logbook (checklist icon)

Active view highlighted, shows task counts. Displays:

Current view name
Task count (“5 tasks” or “1 task”)
Logbook description when applicable

Best Practices

Use calendar dates for deadlines: Assignments and time-sensitive work
Anytime for flexible work: Reading, ongoing projects, no specific date
Someday for ideas: Future goals, things to consider later
Break down large tasks: Use subtasks for multi-step assignments
Link Canvas assignments: Automatic due dates and course context
Review regularly: Check upcoming to plan your week
Archive completed work: Logbook provides accomplishment history

Keyboard Shortcuts

Efficient task management:

Click checkbox to toggle completion
Click task title to expand/collapse
Tab through views in sidebar

Integration with Dashboard

The dashboard shows a todo summary:

First 3 pending tasks from all views
Quick visual of what needs attention
“Go to list” link to full todo page
Empty state when all tasks complete

Task Classification Logic

Tasks automatically appear in the correct view based on:

Completion status: Checked tasks go to logbook (or today if completed today)
Date type: Anytime and someday tasks go to their named views
Scheduled date: Calendar tasks sorted by date (today, upcoming, or overdue)
Due date: Overdue or due-today tasks appear in today view
Default fallback: Unclassified tasks go to anytime

This ensures tasks always appear where you expect them.

Get Started

Core Features

AI Agents

Integrations

Platform

​Overview

​Task Structure

​Date Types

Calendar

Calendar Evening

Anytime

Someday

​Task Views

​Today

​Upcoming

​Anytime

​Someday

​Logbook

​Creating Tasks

​Manual Creation

​Through AI Chat

​From Canvas Assignments

​Managing Tasks

​Updating Tasks

​Subtasks

​Moving Between Views

​Completing Tasks

​Deleting Tasks

​Canvas Integration

​Assignment Linking

​Automatic Task Creation

​Canvas Data in Tasks

​Database Schema

​TodoSubTask Type

​AI Task Management

​getTodos Tool

​createTodo Tool

​updateTodo Tool

​deleteTodo Tool

​UI Components

​Todo List Item

​Sidebar Navigation

​Page Header

​Best Practices

​Keyboard Shortcuts

​Integration with Dashboard

​Task Classification Logic

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Task Structure

Date Types

Task Views

Today

Upcoming

Anytime

Someday

Logbook

Creating Tasks

Manual Creation

Through AI Chat

From Canvas Assignments

Managing Tasks

Updating Tasks

Subtasks

Moving Between Views

Completing Tasks

Deleting Tasks

Canvas Integration

Assignment Linking

Automatic Task Creation

Canvas Data in Tasks

Database Schema

TodoSubTask Type

AI Task Management

getTodos Tool

createTodo Tool

updateTodo Tool

deleteTodo Tool

UI Components

Todo List Item

Sidebar Navigation

Page Header

Best Practices

Keyboard Shortcuts

Integration with Dashboard

Task Classification Logic