I'm lucky enough to have a Studio Display available, which is a lot of screen real estate. So when I set out to build Focuser, I knew the system had to make the best use of every pixel. And I knew I didn't want a bunch of screens that I had to click through to get to one thing, then navigate back, losing context along the way. (The web app is currently optimized for large desktop displays — responsive support for smaller screens is actively in progress.)
I settled on nine primary checklists as a pretty great breakdown of everything from this hour through a whole year, organized into three groups: Immediate (Daily, Today, Hourly), Imminent (Tomorrow, Overmorrow, Weekly), and Periodic (Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly). And I knew from the start that I wanted to force myself to see the whole thing at once. I didn't want scrolling to push important pieces off-screen. Out of sight, out of mind. Not for me.
But of course, even with a Studio Display, fitting nine checklists plus reminders, notes, and stories onto a single screen presented a massive issue. Something had to give. Either the screen scrolls... or each internal part scrolls when it needs to.
So that's how it is.
The Sidebar: Reminders, Notes & Stories
The left sidebar holds three sections that are always visible, always contributing.
Reminders sits at the top in a static height and width — percentage-based off the viewport itself. The controls stay precisely where they are unless you hide the Tags panel, which pushes to the bottom and lets the lists window grow. But the section itself doesn't grow. The list of reminders scrolls internally when it needs to, and the Reminders section stays put.
Notes lives below Reminders, and stays exactly as large as it is. Never shrinks, never grows. The list of notes scrolls vertically if needed. The content itself scrolls if needed. But the section is always in view.
Stories sits below Notes, and again — the section never shrinks or grows. Stories just populate in reverse chronological order as you write throughout the day. A micro-journal that builds itself from real moments, not end-of-night memory dumps.
All three sections had to be omnipresent. All three contribute all the time.
The Main Stage: Nine Checklists
That left the majority of the screen for the nine primary checklists.
Immediate (Daily, Today, Hourly) and Imminent (Tomorrow, Overmorrow, Weekly) share the same full-screen height and width. Each checklist within a group is the same width, so the two groups are the same size as each other. Six checklists, two rows, maximum space.
Periodic (Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly) became its own sidebar on the right side. These generally have fewer items, so they stack vertically in a single column, with recurring and non-recurring lists side by side within each.
Every individual list — time slots for Daily, Today, Tomorrow, and Overmorrow; the lists within Hourly, Weekly, and the Periodic checklists — all scroll internally without affecting the layout anywhere else. The checklists grow with content. The dashboard doesn't.
Why It Had To Be This Way
It was vitally important to be able to see everything everywhere all at once. That's why every item is color-coded to its associated Focus — so you can scan the entire dashboard and see where your effort lives at a glance. It's why I needed to create Effort Items, so that work from your secondary checklists (projects, processes, knowledge bases) appears right there on the dashboard alongside your regular tasks. And it's why all object creation is handled through modals accessible from the dashboard — you never have to leave to build out your system.
It's all there. Everything you need to organize your life and stay focused on what matters. One screen. No scrolling. Nothing out of sight.