Forum Discussion
New recurring task type: x days after finishing the previous instance
As a user who is managing his private tasks with To-Do, I have a number of recurring tasks in which the date of the next instance depends on when I finished the previous one, even if I finished that one later than originally intended. Examples:
- I have a recurring task to get a haircut every 4 weeks. But sometimes, I go to the barber shop a few days or even a week later. So, next time the due date is to be set for the day when I got the haircut + 4 weeks. I constantly need to adjust the series or create single tasks instead, which both is a PITA.
- In my second home, I buy WiFi vouchers every 30 days. But sometimes, I am travelling and returning to the apartment a few days or weeks later, so I buy the new WiFi voucher when I need it. But then, the next one is due 30 days after I started using the current one.
- When abroad in a certain country, I need to report my whereabouts to immigration every 90 days latest. But depending on when they process my application, the due date for the next report might deviate and be a few days earlier, i.e. issuing date + 90 days.
In all these cases, I want To-Do to ask me when ticking off the current instance, on what exact date I finished the task, the suggested default being the current date (today's date). Then, after I confirmed or changed the date, the next instance of my recurring event should be that date + x days/weeks/months, depending on how the series is defined. BTW, I also need the same feature for Outlook events when working in an enterprise context.
- clockworktomatoCopper ContributorThis would make To Do so much more useful for me. I feel like "x days after completion" is such a standard, common need for this type of task management, so it really surprises me that it's not supported (and I think it's been requested multiple times before, yet no feature support.)
- ChristianS93Copper ContributorI am getting nervous about Microsofts plans about Outlooks future 2024+. Right now I use multiple task applications to achieve exactly that with some trade offs. Such that it also works on Android and with multiple people.
- jacobybrownCopper Contributor
kriegaex FYI: this used to exist at least at Jan 2023; you went into the recurrence pattern and select "Regenerate new task XXXX day(s)/week(s)... after each task is completed". It worked so well, I loved it. It's been removed from Office 365 tools, but Office 2013 can still set it, if you can get it to login.