How to Use Motion AI: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Productivity Guide

If you want to know how to use motion ai to automate scheduling, task management, and even social listening, this guide walks you through everything I do step by step. I’ll show you how I create AI employees, set triggers, build skills, run tests, and manage credits so you can start automating meaningful parts of your workflow today.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: Sign up and open the dashboard
• Step 2: Add your first AI employee
• Step 3: Choose triggers and schedule when skills run
• Step 4: Build a multi-step AI skill
• Step 5: Test the skill and inspect the output
• Step 6: Add specialized employees (email, marketing, research)
• Step 7: Use social listening skills for content ideas
• Step 8: Understand credits and pricing
• Step 9: Tips for efficient automation
• FAQ
• Conclusion

Step 1: Sign up and open the dashboard

I start by signing up and connecting my calendar (Google or Microsoft Outlook). Once signed in you land on the main dashboard where you can access AI employees and skills. The interface is straightforward: choose AI employees to begin creating the virtual teammates that will automate tasks for you.

Step 2: Add your first AI employee

I click Add AI Employee and pick a template or create a custom employee. For example, I created Millie as a project manager. Templates give you a quick starting point like project cleaner, decision maker, or meeting analyzer, but you can customize each employee’s behavior.

Step 3: Choose triggers and schedule when skills run

Next I set a trigger. Most of my automations run on a schedule, so I choose Run on a schedule and pick when the skill should fire. You can run daily, weekly, or at a specific time. This is where you define the cadence of automation for recurring reminders, weekly reports, or end-of-meeting actions.

Step 4: Build a multi-step AI skill

The power of motion ai comes from chaining steps. I typically start with creating a calendar event, then add a notification step, and finish with an instruction or follow-up step.

• Create calendar event: I tell the skill to create a gym reminder or a meeting slot. You can specify title, time, and details.
• Select AI model: Motion AI supports model choices such as Anthropic or OpenAI. Pick the model that matches the tone and complexity you need.
• Send notifications: After creating an event I add a notification step to my Motion inbox so I get a timely nudge.
• Wrap up: End with an AI instruction or a follow-up step that prompts next actions.

Keep each step focused. Avoid overloading one step with too many responsibilities. Smaller steps are easier to test and refine.

Step 5: Test the skill and inspect the output

Before putting a skill into production I run a test. Testing shows the actual output, like the gym reminder text, checklist items, and suggestions. Note that each test consumes credits, so expect your credit balance to decrease when you run automated actions.

The test output will often include multiple suggestions (warm up, main workout, cool down) and you can choose the content you want to apply or refine the prompt to get different results.

Step 6: Add specialized employees (email, marketing, research)

I add different employees for different tasks. For example, Alfred labels my emails, while Suki acts as an AI marketing associate. Each employee can be configured with roles like sales rep, recruiter, or HR assistantso you can build a small virtual team.

Step 7: Use social listening skills for content ideas

I set up a social media listener skill for Suki to monitor keywords like artificial intelligence. The skill searches forums, Reddit, and social media, then reports findings to a workspace where I can review trends and post ideas.

This is great for marketers who want automated weekly briefs on trending topics and content opportunities.

Step 8: Understand credits and pricing

Every action and test uses credits. If you plan to run many automations or use heavier models, monitor your credits closely. I subscribe to a plan that gives me plenty of credits because I run multiple employees.

Motion AI offers monthly and annual pricing tiers. Typical monthly tiers include seat counts and bundled credits:

• Light plan: a few seats and tens of thousands of credits
• Standard: more seats and 100,000 credits
• Plus and custom plans: larger seat counts and 250,000+ credits or enterprise arrangements

Step 9: Tips for efficient automation

• Start small: build one useful skill and test it before scaling.
• Monitor credits: run tests intentionally to avoid unexpected consumption.
• Use the right model: choose a lighter model for simple tasks and a stronger model for nuanced writing or analysis.
• Automate reporting: set employees to summarize social mentions or weekly project statuses so you always have a quick overview.

FAQ

How does motion AI differ from other scheduling tools like Reclaim AI

Motion AI provides configurable AI employees that perform tasks beyond scheduling. While both automate calendar events, motion AI adds virtual teammates that can analyze meetings, clean projects, monitor social media, and even label emails.

How are credits used in motion AI

Credits are consumed when you run skills, tests, and model-powered actions. Heavier models and more frequent automation will use more credits. Monitor your usage in the dashboard and choose a plan that fits your automation volume.

Can I connect my Google or Outlook calendar

Yes. You connect either Google or Microsoft Outlook during signup so AI employees can create and manage calendar events directly on your calendar.

Can I create unlimited AI employees

You can add multiple employees, but the number and features available depend on your plan. Higher tiers include more seats and capabilities.

Is it expensive to start using motion AI

Cost depends on how many credits you need and the seat plan. If you plan to heavily automate tasks and use advanced models, budget for higher-tier plans. For light usage you can start with smaller plans and scale up.

Conclusion

I use this process to show how to use motion ai to offload repetitive work and get actionable insights without wasting time. Start by creating one employee, design a simple skill, test it, and scale up. Automations save time when they are focused and well tested.

Start small, monitor credits, and let your AI employees do the repetitive work so you can focus on high-impact decisions.