# The method behind Dabadoro > Dabadoro is built on five ideas. A task needs a time before it becomes a plan. A short, timed set is easier to start than a whole task. Coins for finished work pay for rewards you choose. A streak counts only the days you planned. Your data lives on your computer first, then syncs. - Page: https://dabadoro.com/docs/method/ - Applies to: Dabadoro 1.2 - Last updated: 2026-10-20 ## Why a list is not a plan A list says what to do. A plan also says when. **A list** - Organic chemistry: chapter 7 problem set - Reply to the lab group - Read chapter 8 **A plan** *The same three tasks, first as a list, then placed in the hours of one day. Example data.* A to-do list keeps every item waiting for a moment that nobody chooses. The longer the list, the easier it is to start with the smallest item. A plan gives each task a place in the day, and a task with a place gets started. For that reason Dabadoro puts an hourly schedule beside the task list. You drag a task into an hour of today. The red line shows where the day is now, and the green line beside the hours shows the time you tracked. Plan and record sit side by side. A plan also shows when a day is full. Three hours of reading do not fit into one free hour, and the schedule makes that plain before the day begins. Moving a task to another hour is one drag. The [schedule guide](https://dabadoro.com/docs/dashboard-and-schedule/) shows how, and the [daily planner page](https://dabadoro.com/daily-planner/) shows what it is for. ## Why a timer makes starting easier A whole task has no clear first step. A timed set does. *Figure: One cycle at the defaults: 4 focus sets of 25 minutes with 5 minute breaks, then a 15 minute long break. 2 h 10 min in all.* Focus, 25 min Short break, 5 min Long break, 15 min: **1 h 40 min of focus in 2 h 10 min** *One Pomodoro cycle at Dabadoro's defaults, drawn to scale.* A chapter, a problem set or an essay is hard to begin. A timed set asks for less: work on one thing until the clock runs out. The Pomodoro Technique, created by Francesco Cirillo, is built on that idea. Dabadoro starts at the technique's usual lengths: 25 minutes of focus, a 5 minute break, and a 15 minute break after every 4 sets. You can change each one. A break comes only after a fully focused set, so a set always means the same thing. The timer saves its minutes to the task you picked. At the end of a week, you can see how many hours each task took. Focus usually happens in another window, such as a PDF or an editor. The [floating timer](https://dabadoro.com/docs/floating-timer/) keeps the countdown on top of it. The [focus timer page](https://dabadoro.com/focus-timer/) covers the rest. ## Why a reward you choose works Finishing something pays coins at once, and you decide what the coins buy. **You finish a task** Read chapter 8 **It pays its coins** **1240** +20 into the balance **You redeem a reward you priced** *Finished work pays coins; the coins pay for a reward you priced yourself. Example data.* A ticked box is a small return for an hour of work. In Dabadoro, every finished task and habit pays the coins set on it, the moment it is done. The rewards are yours too. You write them into the vault and set their prices: an episode, a coffee, an evening off. Because you set the price, the trade is one you agreed to in advance. Coins come from finishing things, not from time. A long session that ends with nothing done pays no coins, which keeps the attention on completing work. Time still counts: it earns XP, which raises your level. Nothing checks your prices or your ticks. Coins are yours alone and have no value outside the app. More in [rewards, coins and XP](https://dabadoro.com/docs/rewards-coins-xp/) and on the [rewards page](https://dabadoro.com/gamified-productivity-app/). ## Why a streak should forgive a rest day A streak counts the days you planned, not every day on the calendar. 1. Mon 2. Tue 3. Wed 4. Thu 5. Fri 6. Sat 7. Sun 8. Mon 9. Tue 10. Wed 11. Thu 12. Fri 13. Sat 14. Sun Done on a planned day Ticked a day later Rest day, not planned: **Streak: 8 days** *Two weeks of a habit planned on four weekdays. Rest days and a late tick keep the streak. Example data.* Many trackers count every calendar day, so one day off sends a long streak back to zero. A habit planned for four days a week then looks like a failure on the other three. In Dabadoro a habit runs on the days you choose: every day, chosen weekdays or every few days. Its streak counts only those days. A day you did not plan is a rest day, and it never breaks the streak. Sometimes the habit is done and only the tick is missing. [Complete past days](https://dabadoro.com/docs/complete-past-days/), in beta, logs it for a recent day, and the streak stays. A streak that forgives is easier to keep honest. You plan the days you can manage, and the streak measures those. See [how streaks are counted](https://dabadoro.com/docs/habits-and-streaks/) and the [habit tracker](https://dabadoro.com/habit-tracker/). ## Why your data stays on your computer first Every change is saved on your computer before it goes anywhere else. ### Your computer Dabadoro saves every change here first. - Works offline after the first sign-in. - The sign-in key stays in your keychain for a year. ### Your free account Keeps a synced copy of your tasks, habits, coins and history. ### Your other computers Sign in with the same account and the same data appears. *Saved on your computer first, then synced over TLS to your free account. It is not end-to-end encrypted.* Dabadoro opens from the copy on your computer, so it starts at once and keeps working without a connection. Only the first sign-in on a computer needs one. Your free account keeps a synced copy. Sign in on another computer and the same tasks, habits and coins appear. The status bar says when changes are on their way, and a change the server refuses stays in view until you act on it. The [privacy policy](https://dabadoro.com/privacy/) lists what is stored and where, and [sync and accounts](https://dabadoro.com/docs/sync-and-accounts/) explains the status bar. ## See also - [Your first five minutes](https://dabadoro.com/docs/first-five-minutes/): The loop, step by step, in the app. - [Features](https://dabadoro.com/features/): Every part of the app. - [About Dabadoro](https://dabadoro.com/about/): Who makes it and why.