Key Concepts Quick Reference
Instant Help Available
Look for “Explain this” buttons throughout MakeTimeFlow for detailed explanations of these concepts.
Core Concepts at a Glance
🎯 Goals (Success Stories)
What: Vivid, narrative goals written from your future successful self
Why: Stories are more motivating and memorable than bullet-point objectives
Timeframes: 5-year vision, Quarterly goals, Weekly focus
Key Insight: Write as if you’ve already succeeded and are looking back
Full explanation →
🎯 Smart Bets
What: 4-week bounded experiments for strategic goals
Why: Test approaches without permanent commitment
Example: “Testing if 2 hours of morning deep work increases project completion by 30%”
Full explanation →
🧪 Personal Experiments
What: 1-2 week sprints for habit discovery
Why: Rapidly test what daily practices work for you
Example: “Testing if 10-minute morning journaling improves clarity”
Full explanation →
🔄 Rituals
What: Structured routines that bookend your days and weeks
Why: Create consistency, reduce decision fatigue, and ensure important practices happen
Types:
- Daily: Begin Well (morning), Shutdown (evening), Going Well (mid-day reset)
- Weekly: WRAP (Weekly Reflection And Planning)
Full explanation →
🎯 Focus Mode (Daily Command Central)
What: Your daily workspace for deep work and task management
Why: Single location to see your daily highlight, manage tasks, and track focus time
Features: Daily Highlight (yellow post-it), timer tracking, task organization
Full explanation →
🌱 Know Yourself
What: Your self-knowledge foundation — values, strengths, and relationships
Why: The system can’t align your time with what matters most if it doesn’t know what matters most to you
Three Lenses: Values (what drives you), Strengths (what you’re great at), Relationships (who matters)
Full explanation →
🌱 Flourishing Map
What: Visual dashboard of 6 life dimensions
Why: Holistic view of wellbeing and growth areas
Dimensions: Achievement, Engagement, Relationships, Physical Health, Meaning, Positive Emotions
Full explanation →
⏰ Task Trust System
What: Reliable task management with buckets and time-awareness
Why: Build a system you can actually trust
Key Features: Today/Next/Later buckets, time estimates, dependencies
Full explanation →
🎯 Daily Highlight
What: The ONE task that makes today successful
Why: Clear focus prevents overwhelm
How: Choose each morning, protect time for it
Full explanation →
🔄 Review Rhythm
What: Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly review practices
Why: Stay aligned with goals and learn from experience
Key Reviews: Weekly planning, monthly reflection, quarterly reset
Full explanation →
Philosophy Behind the Terms
From Corporate to Human
We’ve deliberately chosen terms that feel more human and experimental:
| Traditional | MakeTimeFlow | Why the Change |
|---|---|---|
| KPIs | Smart Bets | Emphasizes experimentation over tracking |
| Habits | Personal Experiments | Removes pressure of permanent change |
| Goals | Success Stories | Makes goals narrative and vivid |
| To-Do List | Task Trust System | Builds confidence in your system |
The Experimental Mindset
Everything in MakeTimeFlow is about learning through experimentation:
- Try approaches for bounded time periods
- Measure what actually happens (not what you hope)
- Keep what works, modify or drop what doesn’t
- Every “failure” is valuable data
Using “Explain This”
Throughout MakeTimeFlow, you’ll see small “Explain this” buttons. These provide:
- Instant, contextual help
- Examples and best practices
- Philosophy behind the feature
- Tips for getting started
No need to leave your workflow - help appears right where you need it.
Learn More
- Explain This - How the contextual help system works
- Getting Started with Goals - Complete goal-setting guide
- Welcome - Overview of all MakeTimeFlow features
Remember: MakeTimeFlow is about discovering what works for you through deliberate experimentation, not forcing you into rigid systems.