Getting started with KeyPlan

Prefer video? Watch the getting started walkthrough.

KeyPlan is intentionally small: two lanes, a strict active-work limit, and time tracking tied to what you are actually doing. You can be productive in the first five minutes without reading a manual. This guide walks through the first session—from blank board to a running timer.

Step 1 — Create a planner

From the home page, give your planner a name and click Create my planner — free. No account is required. KeyPlan generates a private link with an unguessable ID in the URL. That link is your access key—bookmark it or install the app on this device.

Optional but recommended: add a recovery email when you create the planner, or later in Settings. If you lose the link, you can request a one-time recovery message. You can also save the planner to an account once you sign up, which makes it appear on your dashboard and unlocks collaboration features.

Step 2 — Understand the two lanes

Every planner is split down the middle:

• Projects (left). Long-term outcomes, ideas, and subtasks that are available but not necessarily in progress. Think of this as your honest backlog—not a graveyard, not a sprint board.
• Active work (right). What you have deliberately chosen to move now. By default you may have at most three active items. That limit is the point.

If the right lane is full, finish something, return it to Projects, or mark it done before you activate another item. The constraint is a feature, not a bug.

Step 3 — Capture your first project

Click + Add project in the header. Give it a title and optional notes. The project appears in the left lane.

Open the project card and click + Subtask to break work into smaller pieces. Subtasks stay under the project until you activate them. You can activate either a whole project or a single subtask—whatever matches the chunk of focus you want today.

Step 4 — Choose active work

When you are ready to work on something, click Make active → on a project or Activate on a subtask. The item moves to the right lane. You can also drag cards between lanes if you prefer.

Treat the move as a commitment: “This is what I am doing now, not everything I might someday do.” Keep the right lane small and visible.

Step 5 — Track time honestly

On an active item, click Start timer. KeyPlan records the session against that task. Only one timer runs at a time. Click Stop timer when you pause or finish.

Tracked time accumulates on each card. Later, open Time history from the board header to review entries. If you need to fix a mistake, corrections are stored as audit records—the original interval is never silently overwritten.

Step 6 — Finish and return

When work is complete, use Done on an active card to archive it. To pause without finishing, click Return to send the item back to Projects. Stop the timer first if one is running—you cannot move timed work out of Active while the clock is on.

Working offline and on multiple devices

KeyPlan works as an installable app (PWA) in supported browsers. Edits made offline queue on your device and sync when you reconnect. Open the same planner link on another device to collaborate; registered owners can invite teammates with different roles from Settings.

A simple first-week rhythm

1. Monday: capture projects and subtasks in the left lane—do not activate everything.
2. Each day: move one to three items to Active work and start timers while you execute.
3. End of day: stop timers, return or complete active items, leave Projects as your shelf of possibilities.
4. Friday: skim Time history to see where focus actually went.

That is the whole system. No columns to configure, no workflow engine—just a visible choice about what deserves your attention right now.

Ready? Create your planner and move one thing to Active work today.