> [!tip] Your Trusted System, In Your Pocket > The MakeTimeFlow mobile app brings your Task Trust System wherever you go — designed for calm execution, not overwhelming planning. ## Philosophy: Execution, Not Planning The mobile app is built on a core insight from the [[Aligned Action Framework]]: **planning and doing are different cognitive modes**. - **Planning** (heavy cognitive work) → happens in **Rituals** on desktop - **Doing** (execution) → happens in **Flow** — including mobile By the time you open your Today list on mobile, the hard decisions should already be made. You've done your [[Rituals|BeginWell ritual]]. You know what matters. The mobile app helps you **execute with confidence**. > [!success] Trust the Plan > Opening your Today view should feel like opening a letter from your past self saying: _"Here's what we decided matters. Trust me. Just do this."_ --- ## What You Can Do on Mobile ### Today & Next Views Your two primary mobile views: **Today Tab** — Your daily commitments - Tasks you've decided to complete today - Total estimated time visible at a glance - Visual indication when your day is achievable vs. overcommitted - Celebration when you complete everything **Next Tab** — Coming up this week - Tasks for later this week - Same clean interface as Today - Easy to pull tasks into Today when ready ### The 4 Ds: Quick Task Actions Plans change. The mobile app makes it effortless to adapt with the **4 Ds**: |Action|What it does|How to access| |---|---|---| |**Delete**|Remove tasks that no longer matter|Swipe or action menu| |**Delegate**|Assign to someone else|Action menu| |**Defer**|Move to Next, Later, or reschedule|Swipe right or action menu| |**Decompose**|Break into smaller tasks|Action menu| These actions are designed to be **delightful, not just functional** — with satisfying gestures and haptic feedback that make quick decisions feel good. ### Start Intentional Timers The timer is the bridge between planning and doing. When you tap **Start Timer**, you're saying: _"I am choosing to give my attention to this now."_ - Tap any task to expand it - Hit the prominent Start Timer button - Enter focused work mode - Your active timer appears in the timer bar (just like desktop) ### Progressive Disclosure The mobile interface reveals information in layers, so you're never overwhelmed: **Layer 1 — Glanceable (List view)** - Task title and checkbox - Project color accent - Subtle indicators: notes exist, has duration, time spent **Layer 2 — Actionable (Tap to expand)** - Start timer button - Duration estimate with X-factor - Time already spent - Deadline if present - The 4 Ds actions **Layer 3 — Full Context (Task detail)** - Complete notes - Project connection to goals - Timer history - All available actions > [!info] Context-Aware Calm > When you're viewing the Today tab, you won't see redundant "Today" badges. The interface adapts to show only what's relevant in each context. --- ## Gestures & Interactions ### Swipe Actions **Swipe Right** (positive/postpone actions) - Reveals defer options - Move task from Today → Next → Later **Swipe Left** (completion/removal) - Reveals Complete, Cancel, Delete - Full swipe completes the task ### Tap Interactions - **Tap checkbox** — Toggle complete (with haptic feedback) - **Tap task row** — Expand to Layer 2 - **Tap expanded card** — Open Layer 3 (full detail) ### Haptic Feedback The app uses subtle haptic feedback to make interactions feel responsive: - Light tap on checkbox toggle - Medium impact when committing swipe actions - Success notification on task completion --- ## Connection to Your Goals While the mobile app focuses on execution, it keeps you connected to your bigger picture: **In Task Details (Layer 3):** - See which project the task belongs to - Link to your Weekly Success Story - Understand _why_ this task matters **Ambient Meaning:** - Project colors provide instant visual grouping - You don't need to see your 5-year vision while checking off tasks - But you can always tap through to understand the connection > [!quote] The Thread of Alignment > Each task connects to your Weekly Success Story, which supports your Quarterly Success Story, which moves toward your 5-Year Vision. The mobile app lets you see this thread whenever you need it. --- ## What Mobile Doesn't Do (By Design) The mobile app is intentionally focused. Heavy cognitive work stays on desktop: **Use Desktop For:** - [[Rituals|BeginWell ritual]] — Planning your day - [[Rituals|Shutdown ritual]] — Reflecting and planning tomorrow - [[Weekly Planning Ritual|WRAP ritual]] — Weekly reflection and planning - [[Focus Mode|Alignment Workspace]] — Strategic context and flow guidance - Time blocking and calendar management - Creating and editing [[Goals|Success Stories]] **Use Mobile For:** - Executing today's plan - Quick task adjustments (the 4 Ds) - Starting focused work sessions - Checking what's next - Capturing quick tasks This separation isn't a limitation — it's a feature. Your mobile device becomes a calm execution tool, not another source of cognitive overwhelm. --- ## Why We Don't Show Task Counts You'll notice something different about MakeTimeFlow: we only show a count badge on **Inbox**. Today, Next, and Later don't display numbers. This is intentional. ### The Hidden Cost of Counting Most task apps prominently display counts: "Today (12)" or "Next (47)". This feels informative, but it subtly undermines what you're trying to accomplish. **When you see a number, your brain makes it the goal.** Seeing "Today (8)" unconsciously reframes success as "get to zero." But completing 8 tasks isn't the point of your day. *Doing what matters most* is the point. You might complete 3 deeply important tasks and have a transformative day, while someone else checks off 15 shallow tasks and feels hollow. Research consistently shows this effect: - **The quantity trap**: When given numerical targets, people reliably optimize for count rather than impact. Easy tasks get prioritized over important ones because they move the number faster. - **Manufactured urgency**: Visible counts create a false sense of pressure. "47 tasks in Next" feels like a crisis, even though those items aren't urgent — they're simply *captured*. - **Anxiety spirals**: Studies on email and task management find that visible backlogs correlate with increased stress and reduced sense of control — regardless of actual workload. ### Where a Count Makes Sense: Inbox The **Inbox** is different. It represents uncaptured chaos — items that arrived but haven't been processed or decided upon. A count here serves a healthy purpose: - It signals: *"You have unprocessed items that need decisions"* - It motivates a specific action: **triage** - Once items move to Today, Next, or Later, the count has served its purpose The Inbox count answers: "Do I have stuff to process?" That's useful. But "How many tasks am I committed to?" leads you astray. ### Where Counts Cause Harm **Today** is your commitment to what matters. Showing a count: - Implies "more completed = better day" (false) - Creates anxiety when the number feels high - Encourages padding with easy tasks to feel productive - Punishes ambitious work (important work often means fewer tasks) **Next** is your curated runway for the week. A count here: - Creates pressure around non-urgent items - Discourages capturing future work ("my Next list is already too long") - Suggests you should be "working down" a list that doesn't need working down **Later** is your parking lot for someday/maybe. The number is meaningless: - 200 items in Later isn't a problem — it's a healthy idea bank - 5 items isn't "better" than 500 - There's nothing to do with this number except feel bad about it > [!quote] A Different Definition of Success > *"The purpose of your day is not to complete tasks. It's to make meaningful progress on what matters most."* ### What We Show Instead Rather than counts, we emphasize: - **Total estimated time** — Is your Today achievable given your available time? - **Your Highlight** — The ONE thing that would make today feel successful - **Progress indicators** — Time spent on individual tasks - **Visual completion** — The satisfying feeling of checking things off These metrics align with what actually matters: doing important work well, not maximizing task throughput. ### The Calm Confidence Effect By hiding counts from Today and Next, we: 1. **Shift focus from quantity to quality** — "What's most important?" not "How many left?" 2. **Reduce cognitive overhead** — No mental math about whether you're "winning" 3. **Support deep work** — One 4-hour creative session is better than eight 30-minute shallow tasks 4. **Honor the planning/doing separation** — Counts are useful during triage (Inbox); execution is about presence Open your Today view. Notice how it feels. There's no number judging you, no countdown pressuring you. Just a clear list of what you decided matters, waiting for your focused attention. That's calm confidence. --- ## Design Principles The mobile app embodies these core principles: ### 1. "Trust the Plan" Your Today view communicates: _"This is handled. You made the hard decisions. Here's what's next."_ ### 2. "Meaning is Ambient" Connection to goals is felt through project colors and available context, not announced with verbose labels. ### 3. "Progressive Disclosure as Story" Each layer reveals meaning, not just data. Glanceable → Actionable → Full Context. ### 4. "The Timer is Sacred" Starting work is a moment of commitment, with satisfying feedback that honors that transition. ### 5. "Context-Aware Calm" The interface shows less when less is needed, respecting your cognitive mode. --- ## Getting Started ### First Time Setup 1. Download the app (iOS or Android) 2. Sign in with your MakeTimeFlow account 3. Your tasks sync automatically ### Daily Workflow **Morning (on desktop):** 1. Complete your BeginWell ritual 2. Choose your [[Daily Highlight Task|Daily Highlight]] 3. Time block your most important work **Throughout the day (deep work mode):** 1. Do not disturb on 2. Intentional deep work timer started 3. Flowing **If you are travelling/out and about - use mobile to stay confident and calm** 1. Open Today to see your commitments 2. Start timers when ready to focus 3. Use the 4 Ds to adapt as needed 4. Check off completed tasks **Evening (on desktop):** 1. Complete your Shutdown ritual 2. Reflect on progress 3. Plan tomorrow --- ## Tips for Mobile Success > [!success] Best Practices **Keep Today achievable** - If your total estimated time exceeds your available time, defer something - An achievable list builds trust; an overwhelming list creates anxiety **Use swipe gestures** - They're faster than opening menus - Swipe right to defer, swipe left to complete - Practice until they become muscle memory **Start timers intentionally** - Don't just check boxes — start a timer to commit your attention - The timer creates accountability and tracks your progress **Trust the system** - If it's not in Today, you don't need to think about it today - That's what Next and Later are for --- ## Offline Support (Coming Soon) We're working on offline capability so you can: - View your Today and Next lists without connectivity - Complete tasks and start timers offline - Sync automatically when you reconnect For now, the app requires an internet connection. --- ## Related Resources - [[Task Trust System]] — How the bucket system works - [[Aligned Action Framework]] — Connecting daily actions to long-term vision - [[Rituals]] — Daily and weekly rituals (best on desktop) - [[Focus Mode]] — Your desktop command central - [[Daily Highlight Task]] — Choosing your ONE thing --- _The mobile app is designed to help you execute with calm confidence — trusting that your past self made good decisions, and focusing on doing the work that matters._