# Flowing with Your Keyboard
Your keyboard is your fastest path back to focus. MakeTimeFlow's navigation shortcuts are designed around a simple idea: **you should always be one keystroke away from what matters most.**
The most important shortcut to learn is <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> (or <kbd>Ctrl</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> on Windows/Linux). It takes you home — wherever "home" is right now.
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## Your Flow Home
When you're in a flow session, your Flow Home is your active timer — the task you're working on right now, with your notes, related tasks, and upcoming events.
When you're not in a flow session, your Flow Home is the Focus page — where you choose what to work on next and start a new session.
<kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> always takes you to the right place. You don't have to think about it.
> [!tip] Think of it as your "home" key
> No matter where you've wandered in the app — checking goals, reviewing tasks, looking at your calendar — <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> brings you right back.
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## The Rhythm of a Flow Session
A typical flow session has a natural rhythm. Here's how the keyboard supports each phase:
### 1. Choose What to Work On
Press <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>1</kbd> to open Focus. Browse your @today tasks with <kbd>j</kbd> and <kbd>k</kbd>, then press <kbd>Enter</kbd> or <kbd>Space</kbd> to start a timer.
You're now in Flow Mode.
### 2. Work Deeply
Flow Mode gives you a distraction-free environment. Your timer is running, your task is front and center. Toggle panels as needed:
| Key | Panel |
|-----|-------|
| <kbd>n</kbd> | Notes — capture thoughts without leaving flow |
| <kbd>t</kbd> | Tasks — see related and subtasks |
| <kbd>u</kbd> | Upcoming — what's coming next on your calendar |
| <kbd>p</kbd> | Pin the open panel to keep it visible |
### 3. Complete and Move On
When you finish:
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| <kbd>d</kbd> | Done — task is truly complete |
| <kbd>></kbd> | Done + followup — complete and create a followup task |
| <kbd>w</kbd> | Waiting for — the ball is in someone else's court |
| <kbd>s</kbd> | Stop — end the session and choose what's next |
After completing or stopping, you'll land back on the Focus page, ready for your next session.
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## Breaking Away (and Coming Back)
Deep work doesn't mean you never look away. Sometimes you need to check something — a goal, a task detail, a setting. The key is making the detour quick and effortless.
**Navigate away:**
| Shortcut | Destination |
|----------|-------------|
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>2</kbd> | Tasks — check or edit your task list |
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>3</kbd> | Goals — review your success stories or smart bets |
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>4</kbd> | Voice — talk to your AI coach |
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>K</kbd> | Command Palette — search for anything |
**Come back:**
| Shortcut | Action |
|----------|--------|
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> | **Flow Home** — back to your active session |
Your timer keeps running while you're away. Nothing is lost. <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> picks up right where you left off.
> [!note] The goal is fewer detours, not zero detours
> If you find yourself navigating away frequently, that's useful information. It might mean your task needs to be broken down further, or your @today list needs a quick review. Use the Focus page between sessions to set yourself up for longer stretches of unbroken work.
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## The Five Shortcuts That Change Everything
You don't need to memorize every shortcut. Start with these five and the rest will come naturally:
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
|----------|-------------|----------------|
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> | Flow Home | Always one key away from your work |
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>1</kbd> | Focus page | Choose what to work on |
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>K</kbd> | Command Palette | Find anything instantly |
| <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>Shift</kbd><kbd>A</kbd> | Quick Add | Capture a thought without breaking flow |
| <kbd>s</kbd> | Start/Stop timer | Begin or end a flow session |
That's it. Five shortcuts. Within a few days, they become muscle memory and you stop thinking about the tool entirely.
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## A Day in Flow
Here's what a keyboard-driven day looks like:
**Morning:** <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>1</kbd> to open Focus. Scan your @today tasks. Press <kbd>Enter</kbd> on your daily highlight to start a 45-minute session.
**Mid-morning:** Task done — press <kbd>></kbd> to complete with a followup. You're back on Focus. Pick your next task, press <kbd>Enter</kbd>.
**Quick check:** Need to verify a goal? <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>3</kbd> to glance at Goals, then <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> to snap back to flow. Five seconds.
**Thought capture:** An unrelated idea pops up. <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>Shift</kbd><kbd>A</kbd> to quick-add it, then you're right back in your session. The idea is captured, your flow is intact.
**Afternoon:** Between sessions, you realize a task isn't for today. <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>2</kbd> to Tasks, move it to @next, then <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>0</kbd> back to flow.
**End of day:** Your last timer finishes. Press <kbd>s</kbd> to stop. The Focus page shows your completed tasks. You're done.
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## Related
- **[[Focus Mode]]** — Full guide to the Focus workspace and Flow Mode
- **[[Flow Mode Shortcuts]]** — Complete Flow Mode keyboard reference
- **[[Keyboard Shortcuts]]** — All shortcuts across the app
- **[[The Zen Workflow]]** — The philosophy behind how MakeTimeFlow works