AI Planner as the Productivity Rescue: Why We Built It and What We Learned

AI is creeping into every corner of our lives, from how we search for information to how we create art. When we set out to build the AI Planner, we had one key question: How can AI help people be more productive while maintaining control over how their time is spent?

This is a behind-the-scenes look at why we developed the AI Planner, our thought process, and the challenges we encountered along the way.

The Role of AI in Personal Productivity

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AI in productivity apps has been a mixed bag. Like a robot assistant that’s great at fetching coffee but occasionally pours it on your keyboard instead.

We caught it red handed in a few instances across productivity, the creative department, or even the sales outreach:

• AI would move events or work tasks to 10pm
• Writing assistants generated content that lacked nuance or failed to reflect personal writing styles
• Many AI tools imposed rigid automation which had to be manually corrected as it removed the user from decision-making

From the start, we knew we wanted a different approach. AI should support users, not take over their calendars. Our goal was to provide suggestions that felt helpful, not intrusive.

So, what should AI do for us, and what should remain in human hands?

We kept coming back to a simple idea: AI should take care of the mundane, but not interfere with creativity, strategy, or decision-making. The same way we wouldn’t want AI to create art for us without our input, we also don’t want it to blindly rearrange our calendars, to-do lists, or task priorities without our eagle-eye.

We designed the AI Planner with this mindset, we focused on augmentation rather than automation. AI should make productivity easier, but keep the user at the steering wheel.

Why We Didn’t Just Build a Chatbot

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Generally, the easiest starting point for implementing AI into a product is a chatbot-style interface, allowing users to type commands and let AI handle the rest. We explored this approach, but it quickly became clear that language-based AI wasn’t the best fit for time management.

The problem? Scheduling is inherently visual.

People don’t just list their tasks. They move things around, prioritize based on available focus time, and navigate multiple constraints at once. A chatbot could never provide the same level of clarity and interaction that a visual tool could.

Instead, we shifted our approach and created Frames—a structured, visual way for users to guide AI in planning their time.

Challenges in Building the AI Planner

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Building a tool that balances automation and user control wasn’t easy. Some of the biggest challenges for us were:

1. Trust & Transparency

Problem:

Users needed to understand why certain tasks were scheduled at specific time

Solution:

We introduced Morgen Priority Factor to set expectations about the AI Planner so users could see why tasks were suggested (or not suggested)

2. Avoiding Over-Automation

Problem:

AI should assist, not dictate. We ensured the final say always remained with the user

Solution:

Tasks don’t get scheduled or rescheduled without the  explicit approval of users

3. Handling Complex Schedules

Problem:

Some users have over 35 tasks per day, each with different priorities

Solution:

The AI needed to manage overlapping priorities while ensuring tasks were scheduled in a way that made sense based on user data

With our early user feedback, we fine-tuned the AI Planner into what it is today. A smart, customizable executive assistant that enhances productivity without pulling the rug out from under you.

Morgen Frames: A Smarter Way to Automate Your Planning

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Frames became the foundation of our AI planning experience.

They let you decide when you want to tackle different types of tasks, instead of creating an inflexible plan without considering your energy levels.

And the system remembers that for later. So, when it suggests changes or reschedules things, it follows the rhythm you’ve set, instead of just moving things around whenever an empty slot in your calendar appears.

Frames in a nutshell:

• Define your themes, e.g. energy levels, projects, task sizes, etc.
• Customize your routine to find the ultimate weekly plan template
• Maintain complete control over your calendar by customizing the AI plan to fit your specific needs

For users who juggle tasks from multiple sources (Obsidian, Notion, Google Tasks, just to name a few), Frames provide structure. Instead of manually deciding what to work on each morning, the AI Planner suggests a well-balanced schedule based on predefined preferences.

For users, like our CTO Marco, who prefer a more flexible workflow, a single broad work frame from 9 AM to 6 PM was enough. The AI Planner would intelligently prioritize tasks while allowing room for adjustments.

Ultimately, it’s about how you choose to approach Frames and the extent to which you customize them.

What’s Next?

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The AI Planner is just the beginning. Here’s what we’re focusing on next:

• Improved Task Management: Make it easier to categorize and filter tasks, including enhanced tagging and organization options
• Advanced Filtering & Views: Let users create and save custom sidebar views to tailor how they interact with their tasks
• More Intelligent AI Suggestions: Refine prioritization models to better understand user intent and scheduling preferences
• Exploring Natural Language Interfaces (carefully!): While we moved away from chatbots, we’re still exploring the best ways to integrate AI to do the heavy lifting where it matters

Final Thoughts: AI Should Work With You, Not For You

AI has the potential to revolutionize productivity, but only if it respects how people actually work. The AI Planner is the first step to our answer to the question: How can AI make planning easier and better without removing user control?

We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built, but we’re just getting started. The future of AI-driven productivity is about guidance, not control—and we’re committed to continuing to evolve the experience to better support users and keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

The AI Planner is only one step toward our goal and your feedback will shape the future of Morgen and AI-powered productivity. We're moving forward based on your input, so share your ideas and join the conversation in our Discord community.

Join the Conversation

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the AI Planner and how it’s working for you. Join us on Discord or follow us on Twitter to stay updated on the latest features and improvements.

Watch our conversation recording:

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