How to set Slack reminders and follow up on team tasks

Slack reminders are useful for the small things you want to return to: a client question, a document to review, or the report you need before tomorrow's meeting. Put the reminder on the original message when possible, so the context is there when you come back.

There are three common choices: a reminder on a message, a personal reminder you write yourself, or a recurring prompt for a channel. Start with the one that matches the job.

Set a reminder on a message or file

On desktop, open the message or file's three-dot menu → Remind me about this and choose a time. On mobile, press and hold it, then choose Remind me.

For example, a client asks a question while you are waiting for a colleague's answer. Set the reminder for this afternoon. When it arrives, return to the same thread and reply with the full conversation in front of you.

Choose a time when you can act. A reminder five minutes before a meeting is useful for joining the call; preparation needs to happen earlier. Slack's reminder guide covers the message and file controls.

Create a personal reminder

Slack is gradually replacing Later with To-dos, starting in October 2026. The name you see will depend on whether the update has reached your workspace.

In the new interface, open To-dos → Add To-do, write the action, and choose Add reminder. Set a date and time, then add it. On mobile, start from Home → To-dos → plus.

If your workspace still shows Later, use its plus button to create a reminder. Saved messages and reminders appear in In progress. Slack's Later instructions cover that interface.

“Prepare for the client call tomorrow” is a useful start. “Read the client brief at 3 p.m. today” is easier to act on. Include a link or document name when you can.

Set a recurring channel reminder

Use /remind for a message the whole channel should see. Include the channel, the action, and the schedule:

/remind #client-launch review the launch checklist every Monday at 9am

This posts a weekly prompt to review the checklist. It works well before a regular planning session, when the team is already about to discuss the work.

Other examples:

• Ask the support team to post Friday's handover notes.
• Prompt account managers to review upcoming renewals each Monday.
• Remind a project channel to add agenda items before its weekly meeting.

Channel reminders can repeat by day, such as every Monday, but not hourly. Include an explicit time and check the schedule Slack confirms. Guests cannot create channel reminders.

On a paid Slack plan, Workflow Builder can schedule recurring channel messages. This is useful for a prompt with several questions: what was finished, what comes next, and where help is needed. Your administrator may restrict who creates workflows.

Find, change, or delete a reminder

In To-dos, use Edit reminder to change its date or Clear due date to remove the reminder. In Later, use the item's reminder control to change its time. Mark finished items complete so the list remains useful.

For channel reminders, send /remind list in the channel where the reminder appears. You can delete a reminder there; to change its wording or schedule, delete it and create a new one.

If a reminder appears at an unexpected time, check the date, time, and timezone before creating another. If the underlying request changes, update the reminder too. “Review the first draft” is no longer helpful once the team is waiting for final approval.

A short review at the start or end of the day helps: complete what is done, move anything that needs a different time, and remove items that no longer need action. For a shared list of work, see our guide to Slack Lists and checklists.

Follow up on work you assign to someone else

A personal reminder helps you remember an action. For team work, it also helps to record who has accepted the request and whether it is complete.

Chaser keeps that information in the Slack conversation. Once you have added Chaser to Slack, create a task from an existing message or use /chaser, name the owner, and set the due date. The person can acknowledge the task, ask questions in its thread, and mark it complete. Chaser sends the follow-ups automatically.

Imagine a client asking for a revised proposal by Thursday. Assign the revision to its owner and include the proposal link. The client feedback, questions, reminders, and completion update can stay with the same task.

If the client or supplier works with you in a Slack Connect channel, you can assign the task there too. Chaser supports people receiving, acknowledging, and completing tasks in shared channels.

For a stream of support requests or internal problems, our Slack issue-tracking guide explains how to organize the requests, owners, and status updates. The broader Slack task management guide walks through creating and managing the tasks themselves.

Keep recurring work and progress easy to review

A recurring responsibility needs a fresh completion record each time. For a weekly client update, create a recurring Chaser task. Each occurrence has its own deadline, reminders, and completion status.

For work with several steps, such as client onboarding, use a reusable checklist. Give the welcome email, account setup, kickoff preparation, and first review their own owners and dates. Review the assignments when you start the checklist for a new client.

Chaser's channel reports bring open work together for a check-in. Open the tasks that need attention, answer outstanding questions, and agree any changes to the deadline.

When the work is billable, you can also log time against the task. Our guide to time tracking in Slack explains how those records support billing and project review.

Keep the routine small enough to use: write a specific action, agree who will do it and when, and review the result. For a project with several people and workstreams, see how to manage projects in Slack.