Medvedev91
commented
1 month ago Your points are what I've been thinking about for the past few months. The main challenge is there are so many life scenarios that the app should fit.
Timer and Pomodoro
We tend to think of pomodoro as a strict timer, such as 45/5. For me personally, it doesn't work at all. It even makes it worse, notifications distract from the deep work.
The way that fits me best is a timer WITHOUT notifications. For me, timer is a great thing to indicate if I lost control of my time. For example, I see that the timer is 10 min overdue - that's okay (sometimes the task takes a bit longer), but 30 minutes means I have to stop and figure out what's going on.
I call it “flexible” pomodoro, I alternate between work and breaks, but the way I feel, the timer serves as an indicator.
Solution:
Pomodoro is already optional. Making notifications optional cover two ways: strict and flexible pomodoro.
Pause -> Continue -> Pause ->…
We decided to use pomodoro (strict or flexible). Now we have to decide HOW to do that.
Solution:
- Make the pause button customisable: setting the timer and activity on pressed.
- If the timer is overdue, pressing pause will save the paused task with the initial timer. So, after a break, the timer can be restarted with a single touch.
For example, “Work 45 min” is overdue, tapping pause starts the “Rest” activity for 10 min and save paused task “Work 45 min” on the home screen.
This way we:
- Don’t have to choose timer/activity every time;
- Keep the task name between breaks;
- Do everything from the home screen with a single touch.
Starting the Timer
We decided how to pause -> continue.., but how to start the timer?
I often start a timer like work for 45 min. Pressing the timer icon and selecting the right activity each time is annoying.
Another case: I open tasks, realise there are no tasks to do, pressing the timer icon to start task form tasks list… annoying.
Solution:
Adding custom buttons with the activity/timer set to the home and tasks screens.
What do you think of the solutions I proposed? Will they work for you?
ConEstArthur
Hi Dev I had some questions on fundamentals to using the app. How do you approach this scenario - Say you need longer period of time to complete a certain task (under work category) than it was assigned to. Now the timer is overdue. How would you use the pomodoro now ? Would you start it for say 10 mins under the same "Work" Category ? But then Pomodoro would have its own pomodoro :) Provided you already have set up 10 mins pomodoro timer for your work related tasks. Or Would you start it under "Other" category ? But here we found we have parted ways with how app calculates pomodoro. It by its default behavior records the break timer under the main category itself.
Circling back to the our main intent for using the app - We want to get things done. I wanted to draw your attention to what I think is the main concern here.
Task vs Time
I categorize my tasks into two approach - Time based (for tasks you already know should not take longer than its assigned time) and Task based (when you prefer quality more I think ?) Now what this app traditionally does better than other productivity apps is how it does not let you waste time. It requires me to set a timer again so that I do not deviate from getting essential things done.
I think we can make pomodoro approach better for things where we prioritize quality. We can do more to retain that immersion. I had few crude suggestions but I think what you would eventually implement later would be a much finer solution.
This post is a deviation from my other posts here. It's not cultivated by any means. I'm trying to figure out things as I progress. Let me know your insights to my approach to getting things done. It would help me a lot.
Thanks again for your hard work. Cherishing the new Calendar Template feature. :)