App Store https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6448869727
Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.timeto.app
F-Droid https://f-droid.org/en/packages/me.timeto.app
Any questions ivan@timeto.me
I built this app to manage my productivity.
Here, I will SHARE my productivity system and how I use the app.
My system IS NOT about time tracking, IS NOT about getting nice activity charts, IS NOT about reducing wasted time.
My system IS ALL ABOUT achieving my REAL-LIFE goals.
For example:
- I DO NOT care how much time I waste,
- but I CARE if I read a book every day,
- I CARE if I exercise every day,
- I CARE if I don't forget anything,
- I CARE if I constantly follow my long-term goals.
Now I will show MY PERSONAL app setup with REAL-LIFE scenarios.
IMPORTANT! Life is hard, life is tricky. No way to have a perfect app or system. Some solutions seem strange, but they work, they help me achieve my REAL-LIFE goals.
The first thing you have to do is SET UP ACTIVITIES.
This is how MY ACTIVITIES look in the morning, right after I wake up:
During the day, I have to turn it into this:
I ONLY create activities to follow my REAL-LIFE goals. I DO NOT create activities just to track, like commute, eating, etc.
Every activity has PRACTICAL value. Now I'll show how I use each activity.
Right after waking up, I tap the Morning activity. This is what I see:
Two important things: TIMER and CHECKLIST.
TIMER helps me limit my morning routine time. I set 2 hours, it's enough to do everything smoothly, but I don't have to spend more time.
CHECKLIST helps me make sure I don't forget anything. I'm just doing step by step.
Once I finish the checklist, Morning will be marked as complete:
To make Morning works this way, you have to set up two options:
Workout works absolutely DIFFERENT. Just after tapping Workout, I see this:
Two differences:
- Workout marked AS COMPLETED even if a checklist IS NOT completed;
- Instead of timer (COUNT DOWN) we see a stopwatch (COUNT UP FROM 00:00).
Why it works this way? As I said, I focus on PRACTICAL value. I exercise to stay healthy. I have to find a way to exercise EVERY DAY.
We know, the most difficult thing is getting started. I just tap Workout (feels like I've done the first step), then commute to the place, do my workout, come back, take a shower, and have dinner.
Usually, it takes up to 4 hours. I DO NOT care about tracking every single step, but I CARE I do workout every day.
I DO NOT FORCE MYSELF completing checklists, setting timer, etc. Only this way works best for me for Workout.
Let's see the Workout's settings:
We all have plenty of non-urgent tasks that we constantly postpone. It could be personal matters, housework, etc. Every day, I FORCE MYSELF to spend 30 minutes for that.
I just tap Small Tasks and do these tasks. After 30 minutes, the activity will be marked as complete.
Settings:
As a timeto.me developer, I dedicate all the time I can to the project. Here's how I manage that.
Tapping the timeto.me, I see this:
We see TIMER, CHECKLIST, and TASKS.
I will talk about TASKS later. Let's see the CHECKLIST and TIMER for now.
CHECKLIST. Every day, I start by answering user questions. Then mark the checklist AS COMPLETED. And only then start working.
It may seem ILLOGICAL that I mark timeto.me as completed and only then start working on it. But it works in REAL-LIFE.
It works because, I don't know how much work I'll be able to get done today, and it's really frustrating that one of the activities will always remain uncompleted.
I don't forget the essential tasks thanks the checklist, then I work whatever hours I can.
This way, I can constantly follow my long-term plans as a timeto.me developer, WITHOUT overwhelming by "Task Management" rituals.
TIMER. I use a POMODORO-LIKE technique. I set the timer for 45 minutes, then take a break, and set the timer again.
After the timer ends, it turns red and display the overdue time:
It DOES NOT mean I'm taking a break immediately. Sometimes I want to continue working. KEEP IN MIND: the most important is PRACTICAL VALUE.
You can tap the timer to start a BREAK timer:
But HONESTLY, I don't use this feature. After the break, I just tap timeto.me again to start a new 45 min timer.
Settings:
option1.io is also my personal project. Here, I'm building a pragmatic window manager for macOS.
Settings are the same as for timeto.me.
Work is a special case. Working as a developer, I have to track my working hours, there are a set of features for that.
Let's see the settings:
Total Stopwatch makes the timer display TOTAL TIME spent on work FOR TODAY.
In other words, it's a regular stopwatch (COUNT UP), but it DOES NOT start from 00:00, it continues for the activity.
This way, I can always see how much time I've spent on work today.
Another feature is adding notes to the current task:
Tap the edit icon to make a note about the task you're working on.
Then, in the history, you can see how much time you spent on each task:
If you're a NIGHT OWL and work after 12:00 AM, you can set a DAY START TIME setting, to track the working time right. I suggest set it for 2 hours before you wake up to refresh activities while you sleep.
I don't know how it works, but I see that constant reading MAKES PEOPLE BETTER.
Some people set a goal to read for a hour a day. It DOES NOT work for me.
I like to read a fixed number of chapters per day. In the book I'm reading now, I read FIVE chapters a day.
Technically, it works like a counter. In practice, I tap Reading and start reading. Then I count how many chapters I've read.
Settings:
Timer DOES NOT matter.
Music is my hobby. I try to play the piano twice a day.
Settings are very similar to Reading:
Timer DOES NOT matter.
I use Free Time for activities I don't need to track, like eating, walking, meeting, etc.
I would like to highlight THREE key points:
- ALWAYS COMPLETED. No sense in setting goals.
- STOPWATCH (COUNT UP FROM 00:00). Helps me control the time I spend on different tasks. Sometimes it's useful to notice that I spend too much time on something.
- NESTED CHECKLISTS. The Free Time checklist contains all sorts of things. For example, the Shopping item contains a nested checklist with a list of goods I have to buy.
Settings:
Sleep is another special case:
- ALWAYS COMPLETED. Since during the day I try to mark all activities as completed, it’s really frustrating that one of them will always remain uncompleted. That is why, despite the checklist, it's better when Sleep is always completed.
- STOPWATCH (COUNT UP FROM 00:00). Some people prefer to set a timer for sleep, for example, for 7 hours. That doesn't work for me. I sleep as much as I feel I need to today. I prefer to use a stopwatch to check in the morning how long I slept.
Settings:
That is all the activities I use. By default, the app comes with almost the same activities and settings. You can use this setup.
I want to give you THREE TIPS dealing with activities that are extremely important to me: PROCRASTINATION, PRIORITIES, and FLEXIBILITY.
All of us have been there - when it's crystal clear what we should do, but we just don't do it.
I solve it simply: I open the app, see uncompleted activity, and tap on it without thinking.
DO NOT THINK! JUST TAP THE ACTIVITY IMMEDIATELY!
ONCE AGAIN: OPEN THE APP AND TAP ON UNCOMPLETED ACTIVITY WITHOUT THINKING!
The most difficult is to get started. Tapping the activity feels like you've made the first step. If you start thinking, you will continue procrastinating.
It always works for me. For example, I open the app, see an uncompleted Piano, tap it immediately, make some tea, and start practicing.
I hope you get the idea. Just tap WITHOUT THINKING.
IMPORTANT: You should trust your activities. Only important things should be here. Otherwise, you will be overwhelmed and fail.
We usually start the day with the most urgent tasks and SACRIFICE long-term goals, because long-term goals are not usually urgent.
NO MATTER what happens, I try to start my day focusing only on what really MATTERS TO ME.
My perfect day: after the morning routine, I read, then practice the piano, then work on my personal projects, and only then I get to work.
It's very difficult, but you have to remember what is really IMPORTANT TO YOU.
Unexpected things happen every day. We have to accept this fact. It's ABSOLUTELY OKAY if we can't do some activity today.
For example, I have a meeting today, so I don't have time to Workout. It's absolutely okay. I JUST MARK WORKOUT AS COMPLETED and move to other activities.
It may seem strange that I mark Workout as completed even if I HAVEN'T done it, but I just don't want to get distracted by uncompleted activity.
NOTE: I have the same activities for every day, even if I DON'T need Work activity on weekends. There is an option to hide activities on selected days, but HONESTLY, I don't use it. On weekends, every morning, while planning my day, I just mark Work as complete and focus on the remaining activities.
KEEP IN MIND: the most important is REAL-LIFE and PRACTICAL VALUE.
I believe we do more when we don't rush.
In the Procrastination section, I suggest to start an activity without thinking, it's right, but it doesn't mean you have to immediately jump into action.
For example, I open the app, see an uncompleted Reading, and tap it immediately. Then I go to the park with a book and start reading there.
Stay calm and start slowly.
That's all for Activities. Let's move to other features.
You may notice that every screenshot has a timer.
Timer is running ALL THE TIME. There is NO STOP OPTION! To stop the current activity, you have to start the next one.
This way I always remember what I have to do. Also, it provides 24/7 data on how long everything takes:
TASKS is a big part of the app. Let's create a task:
You can select an activity for this task. But HONESTLY, I always keep the default Free Time:
Nice! Now you will not forget to buy fruits:
You can tap it to start a stopwatch:
But HONESTLY, I newer tap on tasks. I prefer to complete the task first, then just delete it by swiping left:
TODAY: Tasks you need to do today.
TOMORROW: Tasks that will be moved to TODAY folder tomorrow.
Let's schedule a call with Ann for tomorrow. Just tap the folder and add the task:
If you want to move it to another folder, like TODAY, swipe right and tap the folder you need:
CUSTOM FOLDERS: I use a few folders:
- tasks and ideas for timeto.me;
- other tasks and ideas.
Sometimes I create temporary folders. For example, while I was writing this guide, I created a folder to store the ideas.
I want to give you TWO TIPS dealing with TASKS that are extremely important to me:
NEVER KEEP ANYTHING IN MIND! As soon as a task or idea comes to mind, leave it to the list. We get really tired when we try to keep everything in mind. TRY TO EXPERIENCE the feeling when you don't need to remember anything. EVERYTHING in the task list.
ADD NEW TASKS ONLY TO THE TOMORROW FOLDER. If I add this to TODAY, it breaks my plans and overwhelms me.
I use notes to keep interesting quotes from books I've read.
You can create as many note folders as you like.
There are many repeating tasks or events that we have to remember. Like birthdays, recurring payments, special dates, etc.
I have about 30, and have no idea how to keep them all in mind. EVERYTHING IN THE APP.
You can create any kind of repeating task:
- Every Day;
- Every N Days;
- Days of the Week;
- Days of the Month;
- Days of the Year.
Let's create a birthday reminder:
Now, on MARCH 30, this task will appear in TODAY folder, so you can't miss it.
One more example: paying for internet service at the END OF THE MONTH.
Also, these tasks will appear on the CALENDAR.
A regular calendar where you can schedule tasks. As I mentioned, repeating tasks are also here.
I hope my app will lead you to what matters the most in your life.
Please feel free to ask me any questions ivan@timeto.me.
Wish you all the best,
Ivan