Rhythms
Reviews keep the system trustworthy. Open Loops has three, each short enough to actually do, and an optional step to end the day.
On this page
Daily check#
Five minutes, usually in the morning: open it from the Review screen's menu, the Loop home or g Shift+R.
- Process the Inbox if anything is in it.
- Look at what is overdue: complete it, or give it a new date.
- Pick today's focus: press f on up to three of today's tasks. They are shown on the Loop home on every device, with how many of them are done. To work through them one at a time with a timer, press g Shift+F for Focus.
Done for today records the check. In Open Loops first, the app offers it once a day. If you closed yesterday with a line for tomorrow, it is shown at the top.
A day here ends at your day start: with 04:00, a check done or a focus picked at 00:30 still belongs to the evening before, and the focus stays until 04:00.
Close the day#
A few minutes in the evening: open it from the end of the Today list, the Review move on the Loop home, the command palette or g Shift+D. It has three steps; [ and ] move between them.
- How the day went: how many tasks were planned (what Today lists plus what you finished today), how many you completed (the same count as Statistics) and how much of today's focus is done.
- Carry over: every unfinished task of Today, each going to Tomorrow unless you choose otherwise: Pick a day, Someday or Keep in Today. On the selected task, press t, p, y or h. Nothing changes until you select Apply; then every task moves at once and Undo (or Ctrl+Z) puts them all back in one step.
- A line for tomorrow: an optional note, shown at the top of tomorrow's Daily check.
Close the day records the close and returns to Today, which then ends with Day closed and the time; so does the Review entry in the sidebar. You can close again later the same day. Close the day is never due: nothing reminds you of it.
Weekly review#
Thirty minutes, on a day that suits you (g r). Seven steps in three phases: Get clear (Inbox, Mind sweep), Get current (Look back, Waiting, Projects, Look ahead) and Get creative (Someday). See Weekly review.
Monthly look#
Twenty minutes, once a month, from the Review screen's menu or the Loop home:
- Areas: each top-level project that holds sub-projects, with how many of them need attention.
- Old someday: Someday tasks older than three months. Promote, complete or trash them.
- Trend: what you completed, created and let slip over the last four weeks.
When a rhythm is due#
| Rhythm | Due when | Marker shown in |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly review | last finished more than 7 days ago | every mode |
| Monthly look | last finished more than 30 days ago | Companion and Open Loops first |
| Daily check | not done today | Open Loops first |
| Close the day | never | none; the Review entry says Day closed |
Each finish syncs to all your devices: a Daily check on the phone clears the marker on the laptop.