Start Every Day with Focus
The hardest part of a productive day is often the first five minutes — deciding where to start. The Home screen removes that friction. It surfaces what's due today, shows you your productivity at a glance, and gives you a clear starting point before you've had your second coffee.
What the Home Screen Shows
On mobile, the Home screen is your default landing view. It has three elements:
- A time-based greeting using your preferred name ("Good Morning," / "Good Afternoon," / "Good Evening," / "Good Night,")
- A stats row with three tiles: 7 Days, Velocity, and 30 Days
- A Today's Focus task list showing tasks due today or earlier
On web, the equivalent starting point is the Dashboard, reached via Dashboard in the sidebar. It shows your Task Velocity score, a This Week activity chart, month-to-date and year-to-date completion charts, and breakdown tables by Context, Folder, and Priority/Status.
Today's Tasks
On mobile, the Today's Focus list shows all tasks with a due date of today or earlier — tasks that are due now and tasks that are already overdue. Tap any task to open it and view its details, edit it, or complete it. Tap the completion indicator to mark a task done without opening it.
Productivity Stats
The stats row on mobile shows three tiles. Tap any tile to open a filtered task list for that time range.
- 7 Days — count of tasks due within the next 7 days
- Velocity — your current Task Velocity score (e.g.,
1.2x). All users see their current score. The historical velocity chart on the Dashboard is premium-only. - 30 Days — count of tasks due within the next 30 days
On web, the equivalent stats are the header cards visible on every page: Today, 7 Days, 30 Days, and Velocity. Click any card to navigate to a filtered task view.
Making the Most of Your Home Screen
The Home screen earns its value as a daily starting ritual, not a passive display. A few ways to use it well:
Check it before anything else. Before opening email or any other app, open Principal Task and read Today's Focus. It takes thirty seconds and sets the agenda for the day. When the list is short and specific, you start with clarity instead of catching up.
Use the stats tiles to orient quickly. Tapping 7 Days or 30 Days gives you an instant view of what's coming. If the count is unexpectedly high, it's a signal to reschedule or delegate before the day starts — not after.
Keep Today's Focus short. The Home screen works best when it shows a small number of high-signal tasks. If it's crowded with overdue items, that's the system asking for a review. See Building a System That Actually Works for the weekly review habit that keeps the list honest.