How to use TimeNinja
TimeNinja is built around a single 4-step loop: Capture → Plan → Execute → Learn. You don't have to learn the app — just follow these flows when you need them.
This page covers the mechanics. Once you've got the basics, read how to use TimeNinja effectively for the daily habits that make the app genuinely accurate for your brain.
1. Your first 60 seconds
- Open the app → tap Get Started.
- Pick Self Mode (or Family Mode if setting up routines for a child).
- Type your name → continue → start your 7-day free trial.
- You land on Today. That's home base.
No account. No password. Your data stays on your device.
2. Edit, mark done, or delete from Today
Today is meant to stay clean — there are no visible edit or delete buttons. Use a long-press instead.
- Long-press any task → Edit, Break it Down, or Delete.
- Long-press any routine → Mark done today, Mark not done, or Edit Routine.
- To permanently delete a routine, go to Me → Manage Routines and swipe left on the row.
Why hidden? Visible destructive buttons add cognitive load every time you look at Today. Long-press keeps the screen calm but the actions one gesture away. A one-time tip card appears in the app the first time you open Today.
3. Add a quick task
Use this when you have one thing to do, ASAP.
- On Today, tap + Quick Task.
- Type the task ("Email Mark", "Take meds").
- Pick a duration chip — start with 5 or 15 min.
- Pick a block (Morning / Afternoon / Evening). Defaults to current.
- Tap Add Task.
The task appears under its block. Tap the play button to start a timer.
4. Plan backwards from a deadline
Use this when you have something with a hard end time — leaving for an event, a meeting, school pickup, a flight.
- Tap the center + tab → opens the Plan Backwards wizard.
- Type the task ("Leave for airport") and pick the deadline.
- Add steps in the order you'll do them: first thing on top, last thing right before the deadline. The app does the math.
- Tap See My Schedule → see exactly when to start each step.
- Tap Save to Plan → steps appear on Today. Tap Start First Step.
Why backwards? See our guide: Why backward planning works for ADHD brains.
5. Run a focus timer
The shrinking ring is the most important UI in the app — it makes time tangible.
- Lock the screen any time — the timer keeps running. A Live Activity stays on your Lock Screen so you can glance at it.
- Pause / Resume for genuine breaks.
- Off Track? Tap the orange button → pick a reason → "Jump Back In" or abandon. No shame loop.
- At zero you get a choice: I need more time (the ring flips orange and counts the overtime) or Done. Either way the real time is logged — nothing is ever marked "on time" for you automatically.
6. Build a routine
For repeating sequences — morning, after-school, bedtime.
- Me tab → tap the routines row at top.
- Tap + → name it ("Morning Routine"), pick its block.
- Add steps with durations: "Shower 10 min", "Get dressed 5 min"...
- Save. It appears on Today every day in that block.
- Tap play → the app guides you step-by-step, one timer at a time.
When a step's time runs out, the routine waits a few seconds before moving on — long enough to tap Not done yet if you need more time on that step (it switches to an overtime count), but it auto-advances on its own to keep the rhythm if you do nothing. Every step records how long it actually took, so a shower that always runs long shows up in your data instead of silently throwing off the rest of the routine.
Why routines work: the externalisation principle means the app — not your brain — decides what's next.
7. Break a big task into small steps (AI)
Stuck on something vague like "Kitchen cleanup" or "Write report"?
- Today → Break It Down.
- Type the task → tap the scissors button.
- 3–6 concrete steps appear. Edit them if you want.
- Tap Save to Today's plan.
The AI runs entirely on your device (Apple Intelligence on iOS 26+). Nothing leaves your phone.
8. Read your Real Time Library
After a few sessions, your Library tab fills with personal timing data.
- Every task you time logs automatically.
- After ~5 sessions per activity, you'll see a 25–75% variability range — your true performance band.
- Trust this number over your gut estimate. Read why →
What to do in your first week
- Day 1–2: Set up morning + bedtime routines. Run each at least once.
- Day 3: Try one backward plan for something with a real deadline.
- Day 4–5: Use Quick Task 2–3 times a day.
- Day 7: Open the Library — your variability bands are starting to form.
By week two, the app's suggestions become noticeably more accurate because they're based on your data, not averages.