Motion App Review 2024 (Usemotion): 137% More Productive?

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Welcome to my Motion app review for 2024.

In this review, I'll show you how this AI calendar app has made a big difference in my life and let you decide if it's right for you.

I'll be completely honest here—if you don't have the right tool in place for time management, staying on top of your tasks and projects can be tricky.

But fear not, because Motion has arrived to save the day!

In this Motion calendar review, I'll cover:

• What is Motion (And Why Do You Need it?)
• Best Features: Calendar dashboard, booking system, Project management, etc
• Pricing
• Alternatives: Motion might not be the best tool for you. I’ll cover a few alternatives that might appeal to you.

Ready? This is going to be in-depth, easy to understand, and… a whole lot of fun!

Background - What is Motion App? Why You Need It,...

What is Motion?

Motion is an ultimate time management software that makes scheduling your days effortless. It puts your tasks right on your calendar so you always know what to do next.

It's kind of like the all-in-one solution that takes the stress out of planning and helps you stay organized with ease.

Still don't have a clue about Motion?

Just imagine if Google Calendar had the power to automatically plan your day, leaving you with more time for the things you love.

That's Motion!

This works great for individuals and small teams up to 100 people. Motion is simple and easy to use - no lengthy setup or training required. The prompts guide you through setting it up quickly.

One of the best features is that Motion will reshuffle unfinished tasks automatically. If you don't complete something, Motion moves it to the next day. This saves you time on constant replanning.

Motion also prioritizes and rearranges your tasks based on what's most important using AI. You don't have to figure this out yourself.

It combines your work calendar and personal calendar into JUST one. This gives you a complete view of your day in one place, making time management seamless.

Why You Need Motion?

Motion Pros and Cons

Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of Motion:

Now, let's be honest. Motion is still in development, and there are a few features missing that you might expect from other productivity apps.

I'm talking about little things like color coding tasks created within the app and the ability to import tasks directly from apps like ClickUp without going through Google Calendar.

But let's cut Motion some slack. They're working hard to make it even better!

Motion App Review: Key Features

Overview of Motion Features

Motion has 3 core features: calendar, projects & tasks management, and meeting scheduler.

Let’s cover these features and see how they help you:

A Calendar View Providing an Overview of Scheduled Tasks and Events.

As a person who loves keeping my tasks and events in perfect harmony, Motion swoops in with its impressive calendar view. This is my first impression after starting to use the app. It transforms scheduling from tedious to enjoyable and efficient.

Motion offers a daily dashboard that gives an overview of scheduled tasks and events.

As you create tasks, you'll see your calendar filling up. But no worries! 

Motion keeps things organized with color-coded blocks. 

Grey blocks represent tasks created within the app. These grey blocks fall into two distinct types:

• Blocks withdotted borders: indicate tasks that have flexible completion times.
• Blocks with solid borders: mean the task is locked in at a specific time to keep you on track.

Motion also integrates with your existing calendars. It imports tasks from different sources.

Tasks imported from your integrated calendars (Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar) are highlighted in pleasant colored blocks. And you can easily adjust them by dragging and dropping them on the calendar.

This way, you can quickly identify which tasks originated from your external calendars and differentiate them from those created within the Motion app.

NEW UPDATE: Redesigned Navigation Sidebar

Motion just made navigation a whole lot easier with the new sidebar setup.

Now, you’ll find the main navigation items—Calendar and Projects—right in the sidebar, so everything you need is in one place. 

Starting at the top, Account Controls are easy to reach, and you’ve got Help, Settings, and Search right next to each other for quick access. 

Just below, the redesigned Up Next Control gives you a clear view of what’s on your agenda. 

Meetings, events, and tasks show up with their own colors, so it’s easy to see what’s coming up at a glance.

Further down, you’ll see the Search tool, which you can pull up with the shortcut “S.” This makes finding specific workspaces and projects fast and straightforward. 

Below that are the sections for All Tasks, All Projects, and Team Schedule, each with shortcuts for even faster access.

If you’re new or want a refresher, the new Tutorial section is there to guide you through using Motion. 

The sidebar also includes the past due control, so you know exactly what’s waiting for you.

Finally, you’ll find your workspaces section, where you can see and jump into all your workspaces and projects instantly. 

With the sidebar as your main navigation hub, you can reach anything you need without extra clicks. 

The new keyboard shortcuts make moving through Motion even smoother, saving you time every day.

Automated Task Scheduling

Picture this: you've got a mountain of tasks to tackle, and you wish there was a magical tool that could help you plan them for you.

That's what the task scheduling feature of the Motion app does for you!

Once you create a new task in Motion, it considers factors like priority, deadlines, and your availability and your task will be planned in your calendar without needing to hire a personal assistant and give them a hefty paycheck.

This is the schedule that Motion helped me automatically with AI capabilities after adding all the tasks I have for the week:

Motion understands that life is full of surprises, so it plans your tasks around various factors.

You can choose whether your task is:

• a high-priority task that needs to be done ASAP
• a hard deadline you can't miss
• or a soft deadline that allows some flexibility 

...when adding a new task in the Motion app.

Motion also updated the "new tasks" interface, making it less confusing and more streamlined so you can add tasks faster.

Make Changes Faster with Bulk Actions

Motion now lets you update multiple tasks at once with the new Bulk Actions feature.

This means you can select several tasks together and change their settings in one go—no more editing each one individually. 

For example, if you want to set a few tasks to “high priority” and give them a 30-minute duration, just select those tasks, make your changes, and click Save.

 They’ll all update at once, saving you a ton of time. You can even select all tasks within a group by clicking on the group header, which makes it quick to adjust large groups of tasks at once.

You can unselect them just as easily if you change your mind.

Stay Updated with the New Activity Feed

The new Activity Feed for Tasks and Projects in Motion makes it easy to keep track of every change.

Now, all updates—big or small—are logged in one place, so you can see exactly what’s happening with your projects.

One helpful feature is the ability to collapse updates.

When many changes happen at once, Motion groups them into a single line, so your feed stays organized and easy to read.

Plus, each update now has a clear icon, making it quick to spot what’s been added or changed.

And the best part? Motion supports all kinds of activity items, so you’ll have a complete history of every edit.

Whether you’re checking for recent updates or auditing changes on a project, the Activity Feed has you covered.

Create recurring tasks

You can set the frequency based on specific days and times. This is great for establishing habits or regular activities.

Just like adding new one-time task, you have the options to choose:

• Frequency
• When to start
• Duration
• Priority
• Timeframe to schedule tasks (work hours or custom time)
• Auto-schedule on or off
• Task label

Project management

Motion started as a calendar tool to help schedule your time. It then expanded to task management and now offers full project management capabilities.

As a full-time blogger and a freelancer, juggling multiple projects used to give me serious headaches.

Keeping track of tasks across different clients and campaigns felt impossible. I'd spend more time manually scheduling and re-planning than doing actual work.

So personally, this feature has been a total game changer for me and my team. 

To take a closer look, the project management dashboard will look like this (updated version):

Motion also takes care of the project planning and scheduling work for you. Just simply assign tasks to projects and Motion schedules them on your calendar accordingly.

So you can get a complete picture of your day, including work projects, personal tasks, and meetings.

You can also break larger projects into smaller tasks and subtasks. The AI scheduling handles the dependencies and sequencing automatically.

Let's take a look! I've just added my newest project for my client and Motion automatically update my calendar. 

Plus Motion uses AI to prioritize and rearrange your tasks within projects. If you don't complete a task by the deadline, Motion automatically reschedules it for you. This saves you time spent on constant replanning.

Plus if you're a fan of Kanban board in Trello, you'll love Motion's version too! 

When priorities change and deadlines shift, you can quickly rearrange your schedule and tasks to accommodate by draging it to the new column. Drag and drop can give you the flexibility you need without slowing you down.

New feature in Project Management Dashboard: Default View 

The Default View in Motion's projects and tasks tab is a great way to customize what you see to match your workflow.

Instead of applying filters every time you visit the tab, the Default View allows you to set up the view exactly how you want it and have it display that way by default.

As someone who likes to be organized, I find this feature invaluable. It lets me focus on my tasks rather than fiddling with filters and settings each time.

When you first visit the projects and tasks tab, you'll see the default Motion view. It shows all tasks across all workspaces in a list. While it contains plenty of helpful information, it may not be the optimal view for your needs.

That's where the Default View comes in. Click on "Default View" in the top right and you'll be able to fully customize what you see.

You can add or remove columns like labels, assignees, due dates, etc. Simply click the plus or minus icons. Arrange the columns in any order by dragging and dropping.

What I like to do is remove any unnecessary columns so I can better focus. I also move my most important columns like due date and assignee to the left side for quick glancing.

Once you have the columns how you want, you can even rearrange the actual tasks within the list by dragging and dropping.

Plus, if there are certain columns you never use like "labels" or "status", you can remove them completely from your view. That way your view remains clean and focused only on the task details you care about.

The key is that once you set up your view, it will stick.

Whenever you visit the tab in the future, you'll see your customized view without having to change any settings. It becomes your new default!

This view is so helpful for my workflow. I'm able to see all my upcoming tasks organized just how I like at a quick glance.

It really makes managing projects and completing tasks more efficient. So if you haven't customized your default view yet, I highly recommend setting it up to suit your workflow. This will help you focus on what's important without any distractions.

New feature in Project Management: Project Workflow Templates Version 2 

Motion just made managing projects a whole lot easier with Project Workflow Templates Version 2.

Now, instead of only focusing on what’s happening right now, Motion plans out every stage of your project up to 6 MONTHS ahead.

This means you get a clear view of when every task is set to happen, so if something’s going to miss a deadline, you’ll know in advance and can fix it early.

When you create a project, Motion lays out all future tasks as dashed lines on your calendar, so you can see exactly where they’ll fall—even if it’s months away. 

Plus, Motion takes each person’s availability into account for the whole team, so your schedules stay realistic. 

This update gives you a reliable roadmap for every project, helping you stay on top of deadlines and keep things moving smoothl

Meeting scheduler

Motion's booking feature is definitely something you should check out if your work involves scheduling loads of meetings.

The back-and-forth emails trying to align schedules always resulted in a time nobody was thrilled about.

Motion's booking links will completely change your meeting scheduling experience for the better.

Now when you need have a virtual meeting with someone, whether it's a client or teammate, you just simply generate a booking link through Motion and share it with them.

This link displays your calendar availability and lets the other person easily select an open timeslot that works for both of us.

It's just like Calendly, but with fewer bells and whistles.

Instead of haggling and compromising, the other person gets visibility into your schedule and can pick a meeting time that fits. 

Even better, the booking links are highly customizable. You can set buffer time between meetings, limit bookings per day, and require pre-meeting questionnaires if needed. 

After someone books a slot, it's automatically added to your calendar, so there's no more double booking!

For important meetings, you can manually select specific time slots on your calendar . This gives you control over my availability.

After that, share your availability with a magical key combination (alt/option + command) and you'll have a pre-filled message with available time options and a handy booking page link.

No more back-and-forth emails trying to coordinate schedules. Time saved is productivity gained!

Add tasks by sending email

Here's how to create tasks from emails with Motion, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Motion account 

2. Go to the "Settings" tab, indicated by a gear icon.

3. Click on "Integrations" within the Settings tab.

4. Select the "Email" option.

5. Forward emails to tasks@usemotion.com to turn them into tasks. Make sure to send the email from your Motion account email.

More features To explore

• Webhooks for automation and integration.
• Drag to Create feature for tasks and events on mobile devices.
• Task Time Tracking to boost productivity.
• Seamless Task Creation through Siri on mobile and text on web-app & desktop app.

Desktop App

Motion has replaced its Chrome Extension with a brand new Desktop app, starting from February 14, 2023. So now you can access Motion in three ways: through the web app, desktop app, and mobile app.

So what's in it for you?

Well, let me tell you about the benefits of this change:

• Faster performance
• Offline access
• Seamless integration
• Enhanced security

Forget about the limitations of a Chrome Extension in the past!

The new Desktop app brings you a lot of things to take your task management to the next level!

Mobile App

I'll be honest, in the past I wasn't the biggest fan of Motion's mobile app.

As someone constantly on the go, I need to be able to manage my tasks and projects efficiently from my phone.

But the app used to feel clunky and limited in functionality compared to the desktop.

However, with the latest updates, the Motion mobile experience has stepped up big time!

My favorite upgrade is that now I can access all project management features.

I can view and update tasks, add comments, track project progress, and collaborate with my team right from my phone, even when I'm on the go.

Plus, Motion now also sends notifications through mobile apps.

Motion Integrations

Motion is all about connecting the tools you already use into one efficient workspace.

Right now, Motion has some pretty slick native integrations with:

• Google Calendar
• Zoom
• Zapier
• Gmail
• Microsoft Teams
• Google Meet
• Apple iCloud Calendars (you can either sign up with Apple or add an Apple calendar to your Motion account.)
• Microsoft Outlook 365

With Google Calendar, you can manage meetings, events, and tasks directly in Motion by syncing as many calendars as you want.

Zoom integration means you can schedule and join video calls right from Motion.

Zapier opens up connections with thousands of popular apps.

Gmail integration allows you to send customized meeting reminders and rescheduling requests with a single click.

Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are also integrated so you can schedule and join calls directly in Motion.

And Outlook 365 sync brings your Outlook calendar events and tasks into Motion for centralized management.

More integrations are on the way to make Motion the one-stop hub for managing your workday efficiently. 

But even now, Motion connects the tools you rely on daily into one smooth productivity workflow.

Motion Pricing - How Much Does Motion Cost? Is It Worth It?

Wow, there is a lot to say here!

The pricing of Motion can really make your jaw drop, especially if you opt for the monthly payment option.

Brace yourself, because it's an eye-watering $34 per month (individual plan) for a scheduling app.

NO.WAY. I mean, seriously!

But don't worry, there's more to the story.

There's the option of paying $19 per month if you prefer the annual plan.

You can even try Motion for free for a whole week to see if it's worth the investment.

Now, let's talk about what you get with these plans.

The Individual plan

The Individual plan includes features like:

• Task management
• Project management
• Automated scheduling
• Planning with A.I.
• Calendar syncing
• Meeting booking pages
• Meeting booking templates
• 1-click email assistant

That's quite a package! But wait, there's MORE!

The Team plan

For teams, Motion offers the Team plan at $12 per user per month if billed annually or $20 per user if billed monthly.

In addition to all the features in the Individual plan, the Team plan allows you to:

• Collaborate on projects and tasks with your entire team
• Enjoy automated planning and prioritization of tasks for each team member
• Benefit from central billing.

Plus, there's a tempting 40% discount per member. Not too shabby!

While Motion is still evolving, it's a game-changing task management app. The pricing may seem a tad steep, but think about it: 

If Motion saves you ONLY 30 minutes a day, that's time well spent.

So, my suggestion is to give it a shot for a free 7-day trial and see how it transforms your productivity.

My Personal Experience With Motion Calendar

I want to share my firsthand experience while using the Motion app—it has completely transformed the way I manage my time in my day to day life, making me more organized and productive than ever before.

First off, Motion feels like having a personal assistant by my side. As someone running a blogging business, I have a lot to do in one day, the automations it offers are a godsend.

The automatic scheduling and rescheduling feature is incredibly helpful, saving me a ton of time. Plus, seeing everything instantly on my calendar boosts my productivity to new heights

The desktop and mobile apps have made managing my schedule a breeze, whether I'm at my desk or on the go.

What's even more impressive is that Motion has all the tools I need to schedule meetings with my clients and effectively manage my team.

I no longer have to rely on external apps like Calendly or Asana. Everything I need is right within the Motion app, making my workflow smoother and more efficient.

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room: the shortcomings. When my schedules aren't set up properly, the AI might schedule meetings back-to-back without adding breaks in between. task manager

This can feel overwhelming at times.

Although there's a feature called "breaks" to add scheduled breaks, it doesn't always work seamlessly. However, considering the overall value it provides, this minor inconvenience is well worth it.

Now, let's address the price. I won't lie; it's a bit STEEP. Motion is more suitable for individuals with a higher disposable income or businesses that can afford it.

All in all, Motion gets a solid score of 4.4 out of 5 from me. It's a personalized time management assistant that saves me time, reduces scheduling headaches, and boosts my productivity.

That wraps up my Motion review, friends. 

Motion App Alternative

Motion is one of the best AI scheduling assistant tools available, in my opinion, especially if you’re serious about simplifying your scheduling and maximizing your productivity. 

However, it’s not the only AI calendar app out there, and some might actually be better for you (even if they are probably not better overall).

Here are a few Motion alternatives you might want to check out if it’s too pricey or complex for you:

• Reclaim (Read my review and my comparison of Motion vs Reclaim here)
• Skedpal (Read my review and comparison of Skedpal vs Motion)
• Clockwise
• Sidekick AI
• Kronologic
• CalendarHero

Final Verdict

Motion app is a good option for those who want to streamline their schedule and boost productivity. It offers a well-organized calendar, effective time blocking, and task management tools that keep users on track. Overall, Motion App is worth a try if you are serious about increasing their productivity and team collaboration.

After reading my motion app review, if you know any of your friends who could benefit from this app, don't hesitate to recommend it to them. They'll thank you for it later.