nowfocus
Open-source task timer for Linux

Avoid multifailing. Master your to-do lists. Track your time.

nowfocus is a clean, keyboard-driven time management dashboard that flexibly connects multiple to-do lists with multiple time trackers and displays your current task and time spent in the status bar.

Features

• Unlimited, flexible combinations of to-do lists and time tracking apps
• Inactivity detection that automatically pauses time tracking
• Task prioritization
• Infinitely nestable lists
• Pomodoro timer
• Time targets: set a minimum or maximum time for any task or list of tasks and get reminded to follow though
• Randomness interrupt bell (optional) to keep you on track with tracking your time
• Keyboard-driven interface
• Offline to-do list cache
• CLI interface
• Run a command (or launch an application) when a task is started
• Not built with Electron ♥
• Follows system dark-mode
• Lightening fast task search

Currently Supported To-do List Backends

• Trello
• TaskWarrior
• todo.txt format
• Vikunja
• Photosynthesis Timetracker
• Simple text file with indentation based sub-lists
• Any to-do list that supports CalDav todos

Currently Supported Time Tracker Backends

• CSV file
• ActivityWatch
• Photosynthesis Timetracker
• TimeWarrior

Installation

1. Run the following in terminal to install and setup:

   # Install dependencies
   sudo apt install pipx gir1.2-ayatanaappindicator3-0.1 libgirepository1.0-dev gcc libcairo2-dev pkg-config python3-dev
   
   # only needed X display (rather than wayland)
   sudo apt install xprintidle 
   
   # Set up pipx   
   pipx ensurepath
   source ~.bashrc 
   
   # Install nowfocus
   pipx install nowfocus
   
   # Enter application directory
   cd ~/.local/share/pipx/venvs/nowfocus/lib/python3.12/site-packages/nowfocus/desktop-extras
   
   # Copy desktop file and icon to /usr/share 
   sudo cp nowfocus.desktop /usr/share/applications/nowfocus.desktop
   sudo cp nowfocus.svg /usr/share/icons/hicolor/scalable/apps/nowfocus.svg
   
   # and now Focus!
   nowfocus
   

2. Set up a keybinding (on Ubuntu or Linux Mint), open Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Custom Shortcuts, set the keystroke to Ctrl + Space (or the combination of your choice) set the command to:

   bash -c "echo 'open_task_window' > /tmp/nowfocus-pipe"

3. Add the following command to your startup applications:

   nowfocus --force

Usage

Set up to-do lists and time trackers

Open nowfocus Settings from the indicator menu or tasks window and connect your to-do lists and time tracker(s)

Task Window Keybindings

• F11 Toggle fullscreen
• Esc Close task window
• Enter Start top/selected task (or make a new task with current search phrase if no results)
• Shift Enter or Shift Click Transfer current session time to selected task (or top task if none selected)
• Control Enter or Control Click show opetions menu for selected (or top) task
• Alt Enter or Alt Click Open todolist for selected (or top) task
• Conrol + S Pause and save current session
• Conrol + D Pause current session and mark task Done
• Conrol + Q Quit and discard current session
• Ctrl + N New task
• Ctrl + R Refresh todolists
• Ctrl + L or Ctrl + F Focus the task search

Commandline Interface

• To raise the task window use simply: nowfocus
• If nowfocus has crashed or failed to shut down nicely use nowfocus --force
• To start timing a task: add the task name as the first positional argument. nowfocus "checking email"
• To stop timing use nowfocus stop
• Start with verbose logging use: nowfocus -l 3
• Start with targeted verbose logging use: nowfocus -s trello

Development

Install from Source

• Install dependencies from above.
• Clone this repo somewhere (referred to as YOUR_INSTALL_PATH)
• Change to YOUR_INSTALL_PATH directory with cd YOUR_INSTALL_PATH/nowfocus
• build python module with python3 -m build (this should be done in a venv and will require some dependecies...)
• pipx install -e --force YOUR_INSTALL_PATH/monotask/