Trello repeating tasks: How to remove them

A few week's ago, Trello announced a new card repeater power-up. The power-up allows you to set repeating tasks up so that they automatically appear in Trello when you need them. The Card Repeater function turns out to be pretty difficult to turn off. I've found a small trick that makes it much easier - read on to find out more.

Trello's Card Repeater is a life changer

We got very excited when the Card Repeater power-up was released - and we even wrote about it on this very blog!

I've since found that when left unchecked, you end up with a mass of repeating cards in your Trello list, something a bit like this:

I did honestly write all those blog posts - I just didn't keep the Trello board updated.

A quick aside: The two reasons why I didn't need Trello to remind me to write those blog posts were: I used timeboxing to make sure I had time allocated to this particular task - and I used a version of the Tiny Habits system to make it automatic.

Anyway, back to Trello. Left with a mess of repeating cards, I found it incredibly difficult to find the original, parent card that was set to repeat! How did I turn this thing off?

Trello comments to the rescue

Eventually, I found a simple trick to get hold of the Card Repeater's parent card and turn the whole thing off. I was saved by the fact that I had a comment on the parent card. When the card is repeated, the comment is copied across as well. This action leaves an activity entry on the new card:

Trello Card Repeater Activity Log — Clicking this link goes to the parent card

Clicking the link took me straight through to the parent repeater card, and I could use the Card Repeater power-up button to remove the repeat:

Remove card repeater in trello — Access Card Repeater Settings On The Parent Card

So the moral of the story is:

When you create a repeating card in Trello, add a comment to it, so that you can easily link back to the original card and change settings or remove the repeat altogether!

Of course, the next question is what to write in those comments! So I leave you with a list of inspirational, lovely quotes to give you an endless supply. Not only will you become more productive but you will brighten up your day each time you work on a repeating task in Trello!

Here's a quote I particularly enjoy:

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. Confucius

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