How to use the calendar and timebox tasks in Dayplan
Drag a task onto the calendar to give it a time; the block takes the task's length. On the Calendar page, switch between Day, Week, and Month, click an empty slot to add a 30-minute event, and drag or resize blocks to change them. Drag a block back onto your list to remove its time.
Timeboxing gives a task a specific place on the calendar. It's how you check that your plan fits around your meetings, protect time for the work that matters to you, and spot conflicts before the day starts. For the why behind it, read Timeboxing 101.
Before you start
You can timebox tasks on Dayplan's own calendar without connecting anything, on any plan. To see your meetings on the same grid, connect a calendar (see the next section).
Connect your calendars
- Connect Google Calendar to keep your Google events up to date in Dayplan. Part of Dayplan Pro.
- Connect Apple Calendar to show your iCloud events. Part of Dayplan Pro.
- Import a calendar file to copy events from an .ics file once. Available on every plan.
Connected calendars are read only in Dayplan: you plan around their events, and changes stay in the original calendar.
Timebox a task during daily planning
- Open Plan today and continue to Shape the day.
- Give the task a realistic length.
- Drag the task onto an open slot in the calendar. The block takes the task's length.
- Check that the block doesn't overlap a meeting or a break.
Tip: A task without a length is placed as a 30-minute block. Set the real length before you timebox important work.
Work on the Calendar page
Open Calendar in the sidebar.
- Switch between Day, Week, and Month at the top right.
- Use the previous and next arrows to move by the visible day, week, or month. Select Today to jump back to the current day.
- In Month, select a day to open it in Day view.
- Click an empty time to create a 30-minute event, then name it.
- Drag across a time range to create an event of that length.
- Drag a block to move it. Drag its top or bottom edge to change its length.
- Select a task's block to open the task. Right-click it for the task menu.
- Select one of your own events to rename it or add notes. Links in the notes show underneath, ready to open.
Events from connected calendars open in a read-only preview. From there you can open the event in its own calendar, hide it from Dayplan, or choose Remove from tasks to keep it on the calendar but off your task lists.
Show or hide calendars
The Calendars list on the left of the Calendar page has a checkbox for each calendar. You'll notice that a calendar you cleared is back the next time you open the page. That's because the checkbox hides it only for now. To hide a calendar everywhere, turn off Show in Dayplan for it in Settings → Calendars.
At the bottom of the list, Add calendar opens Settings → Calendars, and Import a calendar file opens the import card.
Show meetings next to your tasks
With a connected calendar, meetings also appear in Today and Horizon (Dayplan's home view) as read-only cards next to your tasks. To keep them on the calendar only, turn off Show events as tasks in Settings → Calendars.
Change how the calendar behaves
Open Settings → Calendar to change:
- Visible hours: the part of the day the grid opens on. You can still scroll past it.
- Snap to: whether dragging and resizing round to 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes.
Your Work start, Work end, Wake up, and Bedtime live in Settings → My day. Work hours show on the calendar as wavy lines.
Remove a task from the calendar
Drag the task's block back onto the task list. This removes its time, and the task stays planned for the day.
Deleting the task is different: it removes the task itself, not only its place on the calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a connected calendar to timebox?
No. Every plan can timebox tasks on Dayplan's own calendar. Connecting Google or Apple Calendar (part of Dayplan Pro) adds your meetings to the grid.
Can I edit my Google or Apple events from Dayplan?
No. Connected calendars are read only in Dayplan. Edit those events in Google Calendar or Apple Calendar and the changes sync across.
Why is my connected calendar missing from the grid?
Check its checkbox in the calendar list, then check Show in Dayplan and Pull in Settings → Calendars. See Troubleshoot calendar sync for more fixes.
What happens to my calendar if I'm on the Free plan?
Dayplan's own calendar and imported events work on every plan. Google and Apple Calendar sync is part of Dayplan Pro; on the Free plan it pauses and those events are hidden. See Plans.
How do I change the length of a timeboxed task?
Drag the block's top or bottom edge on the calendar. The task's planned length updates to match.
Verified October 19, 2026 · Reviewed by the Dayplan team
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