4 min read

Who can use this feature

Available on all plans

Automations in monday.com cannot trigger directly from the Creation Log or Activity Log. If you want to schedule an action — such as sending a notification or moving an item — a set number of days after something happens, you can do this using a helper Date column and two automations working together.

Use this guide to set up the helper Date column and both automations on your board.

How it works

The setup relies on two automations running in sequence:

Automation 1 captures the moment an event occurs — such as an item being created or a status changing — by writing today's date into a helper Date column.
Automation 2 watches that helper Date column and fires your desired action a set number of days after the date is written in.

The helper Date column acts as the bridge between the two automations. It does not need to be filled in manually — Automation 1 handles that automatically.

Step 1: Set up the helper Date column

Add a Date column to your board to act as a timestamp. You only need to create this once per board.

1 Open the board where you want to set up the automation.

2 Click the + icon at the right end of the column headers to add a new column.

3 Select Date from the column type list.

4 Name the column something descriptive, like Created Date or Status Changed Date, so it is clear what it is tracking.

Step 2: Create Automation 1 — write today's date into the helper column

This automation captures the moment the event happens by writing today's date into the helper Date column automatically.

1 Click the Automate button at the top right of the board.

2 Click Create custom automation.

3 Set the trigger to one of the following, depending on the event you want to track:

When an item is created — to count days from when the item was added to the board.
When status changes to [value] — to count days from when a specific status column was updated.

4 Set the action to Set date to today and point it at the helper Date column you created in Step 1.

5 Click Save.

Step 3: Create Automation 2 — trigger your action after X days

This automation watches the helper Date column and fires your desired action a set number of days after the date is written in.

1 Click the Automate button again and click Create custom automation.

2 Set the trigger to When date arrives and select your helper Date column.

3 Click the trigger settings to configure the timing: set it to X days after the date (for example, 3 days after), and optionally set a specific hour for the automation to fire.

4 Set the action to whatever you want to happen — notify someone, move the item to a group, change a status, and so on.

5 Click Save.

Note: Once Automation 1 writes a date into the helper column, that date does not update automatically if the triggering event occurs again. If you need to reset the timer, the date in the helper column will need to be updated by the automation firing again on a new item or status change.

Best practices

Name the helper Date column clearly (for example, "Status Changed Date") so your team understands its purpose and does not edit it manually.
If you are tracking multiple different events on the same board, create a separate helper Date column for each one to avoid conflicts between automations.
After saving both automations, trigger a test by creating an item or changing a status, then verify the helper column is populated and the second automation is queued correctly using the Automation activity log.
Keep the helper Date column visible on your board during setup, then hide it once you have confirmed everything is working correctly.

FAQs

Why can't I trigger an automation directly from the Creation Log or Activity Log?

monday.com automations cannot read from the Creation Log or Activity Log as a trigger source. Using a helper Date column stamped by a first automation is the supported way to schedule actions a set number of days after an event.

Can I use an existing Date column instead of creating a new one?

It is recommended to create a dedicated helper Date column for this setup. Using an existing Date column that is already part of your workflow may cause conflicts if that column is updated manually or by other automations.

Why didn't the second automation fire on time?

Check that Automation 1 ran correctly and wrote a date into the helper column. If the helper column is empty, Automation 2 has nothing to read. Also confirm the trigger in Automation 2 is pointing at the correct Date column and that the day offset and time are configured as intended.

Can I set up multiple delayed actions from the same event?

Yes. You can create additional automations using the same helper Date column, each with a different day offset and action — for example, one that fires 3 days after and another that fires 10 days after the same event.

Where can I see if my automations ran correctly?

Open the Automate menu and go to the Automation activity log to review each run, confirm actions fired as expected, and identify any errors.