Deadlines
How alfred_ figures out when a task is due, and how to override or refine the inferred deadline.
When alfred_ creates a task, it tries to set a deadline based on the surrounding context. This page covers what alfred_ infers, what to do when it gets it wrong, and how to ask alfred_ to update deadlines later.
What alfred_ tries to figure out
For an email like “Can you send me the contract by Friday?”, alfred_ derives:
- Explicit date → “Friday” (resolved to the next Friday in your timezone)
- EOD / EOW → end of day / end of week, in your local timezone
- Relative dates → “tomorrow”, “next Monday”, “in two weeks”
- Ambiguous → no deadline set; alfred_ asks for clarification or leaves the task undated
How alfred_ resolves “Friday”
If today is Wednesday, “Friday” = this Friday. If today is Friday, “Friday” = next Friday (alfred_ assumes you wouldn’t say “by Friday” on a Friday). For multi-week deadlines, alfred_ defaults to the closer interpretation unless context suggests otherwise.
When alfred_ gets it wrong
- Quick edit in the task list — open the task, change the date inline
- Ask alfred_ — “push the contract task to next Friday”, “move my Acme follow-up to end of next week”
- Bulk shift — “push all of [client]‘s tasks back a week”
No deadline given
When the source email had no date language, alfred_ creates the task without a due date. You’ll see it in the “No deadline” group of your task list. Add one any time — alfred_ asks once if it might matter (“any deadline on this?”) and otherwise leaves it.
Reminder timing
Tasks with deadlines get reminders by default. Configure when reminders fire in Settings → Reminders:
- Same day — morning of the due date
- Day before — heads-up the night before
- Custom — pick your own offset