Idea 01Pause & Resume
Keep interruptions in today's record
For people who get a lot of calls and questions, and feel like nothing moved when they look only at the planned work.
How it goes
- Morning: line up today's work and add time estimates.
- When someone needs you: Pause what you're on. Add a separate "Handle a question" and start it.
- When you're done: complete that one and Resume the original work.
- Evening or next morning: look back at the actual time for both the work and the interruptions. On heavy days, use it as a sign not to over-pack tomorrow.
Making it stick
Start by logging only calls and questions. Short names like "Call" are plenty. How to pause, resume, and check or edit the session log is on the Support page.
New in v1.12 — the daily reflection lists your work and interruptions In execution order, so you can see where you were pulled away and where you came back, with times.
Reference: how TaskChute (a time-management method of logging the day's actions by time) handles interruptions — TaskChute.Net, "Feature: interruption handling" (published December 19, 2013; updated November 12, 2014; the original page is no longer online and is preserved in the Internet Archive). This is a suggestion that adapts the idea of logging interruptions separately and returning to the original work to Flash Log's controls.
Idea 02Recurring placeholders
Pick routines to fit today
Daily routines, shaped to today. Pick only what you'll do, and let the actual time be tomorrow's hint.
For people who cram every habit in, even on days full of meetings.
How it goes
- Morning: from the dimmed recurring placeholders, tap only the ones you'll do today. Order things like "Check email" and "Daily report" inside a group, in the order you'll do them.
- During the day: start and finish them one by one, and keep the actual time.
- Evening: compare estimates with actuals. The next morning, adjust just one thing — how many you pick, the order, or the estimates.
Making it stick
Start with a few routines. In Flash Log, recurring items you didn't pick don't pile up as leftovers.
New in v1.12 — open a record from the daily reflection and use Review next estimate to update the recurring estimate on the spot.
Reference: the "plan, log, routine" cycle described in the TaskChute Association's blog post "The three basic features of TaskChute in three minutes" (April 15, 2022). This is our simplified take inspired by it; routines are not created automatically from your logs.
Idea 03Full screen & notes
Start a put-off task with one minute
Today, start with the first minute. Begin the one thing in front of you, and keep what you got done.
For people who keep putting off a proposal or study until "a big enough block of time" shows up.
How it goes (an example)
- Add "Open the proposal and write one heading" to today.
- Start it, planning to work for just one minute, and run it in full screen.
- Once the heading is written, complete that small step. The actual time is kept — leave a note like "Next: write one line about the audience."
- Tomorrow, make that note your next step.
Making it stick
One a day to begin with. One minute is a guide — don't turn counting seconds into a new burden. What you complete is the small step, not the whole proposal.
New in v1.12 — open the record from the daily reflection and use Create a next thing from this note to turn the note straight into your next thing.
Reference: a note post by TaskChute practitioner sugamari on the "one-minute start" (November 22, 2023). It's a practitioner's experience, not research that guarantees results; this suggestion applies it to Flash Log and carries it through to the next step.
From reviews 04v1.12
Look back in the order it happened
"Reviewing would be easier if the things I did — and the ones I added — were listed in time order."Summarized from an App Store review. This request is where v1.12's daily reflection came from.
How it goes
- In the evening, tap Wrap up today at the end of the day list. For past days, open Reflection in the "…" menu — "This day" at the top is the day you're viewing.
- Read times and actuals In execution order. Add anything unplanned with Record something you did.
- Send Remaining things to another day, the Inbox, or a smaller next step — or let them go this time. You can undo until you close the reflection.
- Write A note for this day, then tap Finish wrap-up.
Making it stick
Every step is optional. Some days, just reading is enough. For weeks and months, "Reflection" in the menu lets you read each day's actual time and notes together.
From reviews 05Past midnight
Late nights still count as today
"Even when I worked past midnight, what I did that day was handled as that day's to-do — and the actual timeline still showed the right times. That made me happy."Summarized from an App Store review.
When you work late, a to-do doesn't slide into tomorrow just because the date changed. It's completed as a to-do of the day you planned it for, and the actual time is recorded at the real clock times. You can check exactly when you worked in the actual-time lane of the calendar view.
For example
You start "Finish the slides," planned for October 14, at 11:30 PM and complete it at 12:40 AM. It's completed as an October 14 to-do, with 1 hr 10 min actual. In v1.12's daily reflection, October 14 shows 30 minutes (11:30 PM–midnight) and October 15 shows 40 minutes (midnight–12:40 AM).
From reviews 06Templates & groups
Drop in a whole checklist from a template
"I keep things I suddenly need as a group with repeat turned off, so on the day I can add the whole group at once."A way of using Flash Log shared in an App Store review (summarized).
How it goes
- In "…" → Recurrence settings, create a group and add the steps, such as "Book tickets," "Pick a hotel," and "Check what to pack."
- Set the group's frequency to None. It becomes a template and isn't shown automatically.
- On the day you need it, choose Add to plans from the group header's menu in Recurrence settings. The whole group becomes that day's to-dos.
Making it stick
You can edit the to-dos freely after adding them. The template stays as it was, ready for your next trip.
From reviews 07Repeat intervals
Every 3 weeks, every 2 months
"I'd like custom recurring timeframes, like every 3 weeks or every 2 months."From an App Store review (summarized). This request is why you can now set any interval.
How it goes
- In "…" → Recurrence settings, choose a to-do's Frequency. For every 3 weeks, pick Weeks and set the interval to 3; for every 2 months, pick Months and set 2.
- The list shows it as "Every 3 weeks." Good for changing a filter or a regular review.
- On those days, it shows up as a dimmed placeholder in the day list. Only the ones you tap become to-dos.
Method names mentioned here belong to their creators and organizations. Flash Log is not an official TaskChute app and does not claim to follow it. Reviews are summarized without changing their meaning.
I'd love to hear how you use Flash Log — including what didn't work. It's just me here, so email to support@nambu.dev comes straight to me.