If you’re tired of endless Slack threads, missed deadlines, and that creeping suspicion your team is working off five different to-do lists—this is for you. I’ll walk you through how to actually use Usemotion to keep your team on the same page, assign tasks that don’t get lost in the void, and avoid the usual chaos. No fluff. Just clear steps, tips, and a few honest warnings about what doesn’t work.
Step 1: Set Up Your Team the Right Way
First, you’ll need to get your team into Usemotion. This isn’t rocket science, but do it right so you don’t spend the next month cleaning up permissions.
To invite your team: - Click your profile icon (top right). - Go to “Team Settings” or “Manage Team.” - Hit “Invite Members.” Add emails, set roles (Admin, Member, etc.), and send invites.
Pro Tips: - Don’t add everyone just because you can. Start small if you’re test-driving features—invite only the folks who need to collaborate right now. - Sort out roles up front. Only give admin access to people who’ll actually manage settings; it’s a pain to fix later.
What doesn’t work:
Adding your whole company on day one, then hoping people figure it out. It just creates noise.
Step 2: Create Shared Projects and Spaces
Usemotion organizes work into projects (sometimes called spaces, depending on your plan). This is where you’ll actually collaborate. Projects keep tasks grouped so you aren’t tripping over each other’s work.
How to set up a project: 1. Click “New Project” or “+ Add Project.” 2. Name it clearly—“Client Launch Q3” beats “Stuff.” 3. Add team members to the project. Only the people who need it. 4. Set permissions so only the right eyes see sensitive work.
When to use shared vs. private projects: - Use shared projects for anything that needs input from more than one person. - Use private projects for personal priorities or sensitive work (like your own performance review prep).
Don’t bother:
Over-complicating your project structure. Too many layers, folders, or “spaces” just slow everyone down. Start with a few clear projects and grow as you need.
Step 3: Assign and Track Tasks (Without Micromanaging)
Here’s the core of team collaboration in Usemotion: assigning tasks that actually get done.
To assign a task: 1. Inside a project, hit “Add Task.” 2. Write a clear, specific task (“Draft homepage copy,” not “Work on website”). 3. Assign it to a teammate using the “Assignee” dropdown. 4. Set a due date—Usemotion will schedule it around their existing workload. 5. Add context in the notes or attach files if needed.
Good habits: - Break big tasks into smaller, actionable ones. “Write pitch deck” is a project, not a task. - Use labels or tags sparingly—just enough to filter, not enough to confuse. - Don’t overload folks. Usemotion auto-schedules, but if someone has 20 tasks due Friday, something’s off.
Pitfalls to avoid: - Assigning tasks to “the team” or leaving them unassigned. Tasks without owners just rot. - Using comments for critical instructions—put the details in the task itself.
Step 4: Use Motion’s Auto-Scheduling—But Don’t Blindly Trust It
One of Usemotion’s big selling points is its auto-scheduling. It takes everyone’s calendar events and tasks, then tries to find smart times for each task.
How to let auto-scheduling work for you: - Make sure everyone has their calendars synced (Google, Outlook, etc.). - Block out true “busy” times—Motion can’t read minds. - Regularly review the auto-scheduled plan and drag things around if something’s not realistic.
Where it helps: - Great for teams juggling lots of meetings or unpredictable workloads. - Reduces time spent arguing about who’s doing what, when.
Where it falls short: - It can’t spot dependencies (“Task B can’t start until Task A is done”) unless you set them up manually. - If you’re a team with lots of last-minute changes, you’ll still need to check in regularly. - The AI isn’t perfect. Sometimes it will wedge in tasks at odd hours.
Ignore the hype:
Auto-scheduling is helpful, not magic. Use it to save time, but always double-check what it spits out.
Step 5: Keep Communication Clear (and in the Right Place)
Usemotion has basic commenting and notifications, but it’s not a replacement for full-blown chat tools. Use it to clarify, not to run your whole conversation.
How to keep things tidy: - Use comments for clarifying a task or sharing quick feedback. - For big discussions, stick with your team’s main chat app (Slack, Teams, etc.). - Don’t rely on in-app notifications for critical updates—people miss them.
Pro Tips: - Pin or highlight important comments if you can (feature availability varies). - Periodically clean up old tasks and comments so your project doesn’t become a graveyard.
Honest take:
If you need deep discussion threads or file sharing, Usemotion isn’t built for that. Don’t force it—use the right tool for the job.
Step 6: Review, Adjust, and Don’t Get Precious
No system is perfect out of the box, and Usemotion is no exception. The best teams check in, tweak things, and don’t get hung up on “best practices.”
Routine reviews: - Do a quick weekly review: Are tasks getting done? Is anyone overloaded? - Adjust project memberships. If someone’s not involved, remove them. - Archive or close out finished projects so your workspace stays uncluttered.
What to skip:
Obsessing over every deadline or using Motion to track every five-minute task. It’s a tool, not your boss.
What’s Worth Using? What Isn’t?
Features that actually help:
- Auto-scheduling (when paired with real calendars)
- Clear task assignments and due dates
- Shared projects for real collaboration (not just visibility)
- Quick reviews to catch bottlenecks
Features to ignore (unless you’re bored):
- Overly detailed labels and tags
- Task dependencies, unless your workflow actually needs them
- In-app chat for big conversations
Keep It Simple—and Adjust as You Go
Team collaboration isn’t about fancy tools—it’s about making sure the right work gets done, by the right people, at the right time. Usemotion gives you enough structure to avoid chaos, but not so much that you’re buried in settings. Start with what you need, skip what you don’t, and tweak your setup as your team figures out what actually works.
It’s okay to keep it simple. Invite your core team, set up a few clean projects, assign tasks clearly, and let the rest evolve. That’s how real teams get real work done.