Nowfocus
Open-source task timer for Linux

Avoid multifailing. Master your todo lists. Track your time.

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

Features

• Unlimited, flexible combinations of todo 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-through
• Randomness interrupt bell (optional) to keep you on track with tracking your time
• Keyboard-driven interface
• Offline todo 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 Todo List Backends

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

Currently Supported Time Tracker Backends

• CSV file
• ActivityWatch
• Photosynthesis Timetracker
• TimeWarrior

Installation

1. Run the following in terminal:

   # Install dependencies
   sudo apt install pipx gir1.2-ayatanaappindicator3-0.1 libgirepository1.0-dev gcc libcairo2-dev pkg-config python3-dev xprintidle 
   
   # Set up pipx (not necessary if you already use pipx)
   pipx ensurepath
   source ~/.bashrc 
   
   # Install
   pipx install nowfocus
   
   # and now Focus!
   nowfocus
   

2. Check for errors, if all looks good you can leave terminal running or quit Nowfocus with Ctrl + C on the terminal and launch Nowfocus from your app launcher menu.

3. Set up a keybinding (on Ubuntu or Linux Mint), open System 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"

Updating

1. Quit Nowfocus from the system tray menu
2. Run the following command in terminal: pipx upgrade nowfocus
3. Start Nowfocus from app launcher

Usage

Set up todo lists and time trackers:

Open Nowfocus > Settings > Todo lists and Time Trackers pick the type of backend you'd like to add from Connect a new todo lists menu click go and fill in the necessary fields.

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 options menu for selected (or top) task
• Alt Enter or Alt Click Open external todo list 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

Time Targets

• From the task window use a tasks right click menu (Ctrl + Enter) click Set Time Target

• Choose between targeting a maximum and minimum amount of time for the task.

  • Max: Task will be displayed as done and a reminder bell will ring one a minute once that amount of time has been spent on th task
  • Min: Task will be displayed as priority 1 until the chosen amount of time has been spent on th task

• To set a target for a list of tasks open Nowfocus > Settings > Time Targets and Add List Time Target. List targets are timed recursively

Task Commands

Task Commands can be used to run your chosen shell command when a task is started. Nowfocus will wait until the process completes (if it is a long running process) and stops timing the task and open when the command finishes.

Warning: Task Commands are run with subprocess.run using shell option, so use at your own risk and please don't enter something stupid! (Also — it's not recommended for sensetive tasks like backups because if Nowfocus crashes the subprocess will be effected.)

To set up a command use Nowfocus > Settings > Task Commands or the task window right click menu for a task.

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

Reporting Issues

Open an issue on Codeberg (Please include as much detail as you can.)

Development

Fork nowfocus source code on Codeberg (GPL)

Install From Source

git clone https://codeberg.org/AltruistEnterprises/nowfocus.git
cd nowfocus
python3 -m venv .venv/nowfocus-build
source .venv/nowfocus-build/bin/activate
pip install -r build-requirements.txt
python3 -m build
pipx install -e --force YOUR_INSTALL_PATH