The short version
- Keep four to six statuses per workflow and save them as a template at Space level.
- If a value doesn't describe a stage of work, it's a custom field, not a status.
- Create custom fields at the highest level that needs them, with names everyone agrees on.
- Add automations after the workflow is stable, and start with the five below.
- Every plan has a monthly automation limit. Know yours before you build.
Once your Spaces, Folders and Lists are in place, the next questions are always the same. How many statuses? Should "Client" be a status or a field? Why did my automation stop working? This guide answers all three, in the order you should set them up.
The ideaHow statuses, fields and automations fit together
It helps to give each one a single job and never let them overlap:
| Tool | Its one job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Where the work is in its journey | In progress, In review, Done |
| Custom field | What the work is, or who it's for | Client, Content type, Budget, Channel |
| Automation | What happens when something changes | When status is In review, assign the editor |
Most messy workspaces we audit have blurred these lines: statuses that are really client names, fields that duplicate statuses, automations patching over a workflow nobody agreed on.
Step 1Set up statuses that describe the journey
Every task in ClickUp has exactly one status. Statuses belong to status groups that tell ClickUp how to treat a task: whether it's waiting to start, being worked on, finished, or closed. Tasks in a Done status, for example, aren't flagged as overdue, and a task in the Closed status is treated as complete across views and reports.
A clean workflow for most teams looks like this:
How many statuses should you have?
Four to six. Fewer and you lose useful signal ("is this stuck or just not started?"). More and people stop updating them, because choosing the right one takes thought. A good test: could a new hire pick the right status in under two seconds?
Where to create them
Statuses can be set on a Space, a Folder or a List, and they cascade down. Set them once on the Space and let every List inherit them. Only override at List level when a List genuinely runs a different process, like a hiring pipeline inside an Operations Space.
Save your workflow as a status template. Status templates are available on every plan. When you create a new Space or List, pick the template instead of rebuilding statuses by hand, and every team's "In review" will mean the same thing.
Step 2Status or custom field? A quick test
This is the single most common question we get about ClickUp setup. Ask: does this value change as the work moves forward?
- If yes, and every task passes through it in order, it's a status.
- If no, because it describes the task rather than its progress, it's a custom field.
Usually wrong as a status
- Client names ("Acme", "Northwind")
- Priority ("Urgent", "Low")
- Content type ("Blog", "Video")
- Department ("Design", "Dev")
Use a custom field instead
- Client: Dropdown or Relationship
- ClickUp's built-in Priority
- Content type: Dropdown or Label
- Team: Dropdown or Assignee
Keeping these as fields means you can filter, group and report on them in any view, without breaking your workflow every time a new client signs.
Step 3Add custom fields you'll actually use
Custom fields are where ClickUp workspaces quietly fall apart. Each one seems harmless, but twenty fields on a task form means nobody fills any of them in. Before adding a field, ask: will we filter, sort, group or report on this? If not, put it in the task description.
The field types that earn their place
| Field type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Dropdown | One value from a fixed list: client, content type, channel, region |
| Labels | Several values at once: platforms a post goes out on |
| Relationship | Linking tasks across Lists: a deliverable to its client record |
| Money / Number | Budgets, deal values, hours estimated |
| Date | Dates other than the due date: publish date, contract end |
| URL / Files | Links to the brief, the Figma file, the signed contract |
| Formula | Calculated values: margin, days until deadline |
Where to create them
Like statuses, custom fields cascade. Create each field at the highest level that needs it: a "Client" field used in every List of the Delivery Space belongs on that Space, not recreated on each List. Duplicated fields with the same name can't be reported on together, and they're the hardest thing to clean up later.
Name fields once, and write the names down. "Client", "Client name" and "Customer" are three separate fields to ClickUp. Agree a naming list before you build, and keep it in a shared Doc.
On the Free Forever plan, custom field use is capped, so plan your fields carefully before you hit the limit.
Step 4Automations: triggers, conditions and actions
Every ClickUp automation follows the same pattern: a trigger (something happens), an optional condition (something must be true), and an action (what ClickUp does next). You'll find them under the Automations button on any Space, Folder or List, along with a library of ready-made templates.
Know your plan's limits
Automations are limited by the number of actions they run each month, not just how many you create. An automation that assigns someone and changes a status uses two actions each time it fires.
| Plan | Automation actions per month |
|---|---|
| Free Forever | 100 |
| Unlimited | 1,000 |
| Business | 5,000, plus webhooks and automation integrations |
| Enterprise | Higher limits, agreed with ClickUp |
Limits from ClickUp's help center as of October 2026. They reset on the first of each month, and owners and admins get an email at 90% and 100% usage. Check ClickUp's pricing page for the latest figures.
Start hereFive automations every team should switch on first
These five cover most of the "someone forgot to…" problems we see. Each is a one-minute setup.
Test every automation on a dummy task first. Create a task called "TEST", walk it through each status and check that what you expected actually happened. Then delete it.
Don't skip thisTame notifications before you launch
Automations create activity, and activity creates notifications. Notification overload is one of the most common reasons teams give up on ClickUp. Before inviting everyone in:
- Agree which events actually need a notification: being assigned, being mentioned, a due date changing.
- Ask everyone to unwatch tasks they don't own instead of muting ClickUp altogether.
- Prefer automations that assign people over ones that add comments. An assignment is a clear signal; a comment is noise.
FixesWhen an automation doesn't run
Nine times out of ten, it's one of these:
- The condition doesn't matchCheck the exact values. "In Review" and "In review" are different if a status was renamed.
- It lives in the wrong placeAn automation on one List won't fire for tasks in a sibling List. Move it up to the Folder or Space.
- A status or field was deletedAutomations referencing it silently stop. Open the automation and reselect the value.
- You've hit the monthly limitCheck usage in the Automations manager. Every automation in the Workspace stops until the limit resets.
- Two automations fight each otherOne moves a task to Done, another moves it back. Review the activity log on the task.
FAQStatuses, fields and automations questions
How many statuses should a List have?
Four to six for most teams. If you need more, check whether some are really custom field values, like a client name or a content type.
Can different Lists in one Space have different statuses?
Yes. Statuses set at List or Folder level override the Space's. Use this sparingly: views that combine several Lists get harder to read when every List has its own workflow.
Where should I create custom fields?
At the highest level that needs them. A field used in every List of a Space belongs on the Space; a field for one client's work belongs on that client's Folder.
How many automations do I get on each plan?
ClickUp limits automation actions per month: 100 on Free Forever, 1,000 on Unlimited and 5,000 on Business, with higher limits on Enterprise. Limits reset on the first of each month.
Should I use ClickUp automations or Zapier and Make?
Use ClickUp's own automations for anything that happens inside ClickUp. Reach for Zapier, Make or webhooks when work needs to move between ClickUp and another tool, like a CRM or invoicing system.