What are calendar prep tasks?
Calendar prep tasks are to-do items tied to a specific calendar event that surface in the preparation window before the event fires, then disappear when the event is complete. In Composed, prep tasks are stored on a shared follow-up record so the same task list can be reached from the event in the calendar or from the todo drawer.
How do calendar prep tasks work?
Each calendar event can carry a list of prep tasks — “bring insurance card,” “pick up wine,” “charge laptop.” The tasks surface in the user’s day or todo view during the lead-up window (a day or two before, depending on the event type), with the event as their parent. Completing a task marks it done but leaves the event intact. When the event date passes, the task list is archived with the event rather than left hanging in the todo backlog. In Composed, prep tasks ride on the same Follow-Up Anchor architecture as event notes, so the data is shared between the calendar entry and the todo drawer.
What’s the difference between calendar prep tasks and a regular to-do list?
A regular to-do list is a flat backlog of items the user manages by hand: write the item, set a date if you remember, archive it if you finish, otherwise it lingers. Calendar prep tasks are event-scoped — they exist because the event exists, they surface because the event is approaching, and they retire because the event is done. The user is not the bookkeeper. Generic to-do apps treat events and tasks as separate worlds; calendar prep tasks fuse them.
Why do calendar prep tasks matter?
Most preparation failures happen in the gap between a task system that doesn’t know about the calendar and a calendar that doesn’t know about tasks. The user remembers the dentist appointment but forgets to bring the insurance card; the to-do for “renew passport” never surfaces in time for the flight. Calendar prep tasks close that gap by binding the preparation to the event that needs it, so the task surfaces in the window where it can still be acted on.
Get Composed
Composed binds prep tasks to events automatically, with AI-generated defaults you can edit. Download Composed on the App Store and try it free.
Related: AI prep checklist · three-layer reminders · voice-to-calendar · leave-by alert