Marvin Help

My Master List has gotten too big

When your Master List feels like a wall of everything, shrink your view. Park anything not relevant right now in the Backburner, then let Orbit bring up a handful of your most important projects and tasks. Work from that small slice with Spotlight, and plan a realistic short list for just this week or month so the rest can wait.

What can help

Backburner

Start by clearing the noise. Move anything that isn't relevant right now to the Backburner so your Master List drops to what actually matters.

Read more about Backburner

Orbit

Orbit keeps a short list of your most relevant projects and tasks front and center, the opposite of the Backburner. Instead of facing the whole Master List, you work from a handful of what matters most right now.

Read more about Orbit

Spotlight

Pick a few tasks for your next session and Spotlight shows only those, so the giant Master List stays out of view while you make progress.

Read more about Spotlight

Planning Ahead

Don't try to do it all now. Assign a realistic short list of tasks or projects to just this week or month and let the rest wait.

Read more about Planning Ahead

Ideas to try

A weekly clear-out. Once a week, go through your Master List and move projects you're not working on to the Backburner. They're still there when you want them, just out of sight.

Your short list. Put the handful of projects and tasks that matter right now in Orbit. Type *orbit in a title, or use the Toggle orbit action. Orbit can also add things automatically, for example when they're due soon.

Plan the week, not everything. Press P to open Planning Ahead and assign a few tasks or projects to this week. Leave the rest for later.

Work from the slice. When it's time to work, press Y for Spotlight and pick a session from what's in front of you, not from the whole Master List.

How to turn on a feature

  1. Open the main menu and click Features, or press S.

  2. Search for the feature by name and turn it on.

  3. Choose where you want to reach it in the Access dialog that opens.

You don't have to try everything at once. Pick the one that sounds most like you, use it for a few days, and see how it feels.