Using Sprout Work

Getting started

Sign in with a Google account or an email/password, and you land on your dashboard. There's nothing to set up first — type what you're about to do, pick how long you expect it to take, and start.

The task tree

Most task lists assume your day is a straight line: one task, then the next. Sprout Work assumes the opposite — you'll get pulled into something else before you finish, and that's normal. So instead of losing the original task, switching to something new creates a branch underneath whatever you were doing.

The result, visible in Today's task tree, is a real record of how your day actually went: what you meant to do, what interrupted it, and what came of each.

The focus timer

Pick a preset (5/15/25 minutes, or type your own) and start. When time runs out, the timer doesn't stop — it counts up into overtime in red, and a reminder repeats every 5 minutes until you finish or switch. Running over isn't an error state; it's information.

Need more time mid-task? Use the +5 / +10 / +15 buttons to extend the plan on the fly.

Switching, finishing & cancelling

A running task has three exits:

• Finish — marks it done.
• Switch — pauses it (the time you spent away is tracked separately from focus time) and lets you resume an earlier paused task or start something new as a branch.
• Cancel — for tasks that turned out not to matter. A cancelled task stays in the tree with a strikethrough for the record, but never carries over to tomorrow's plan.

Any of these can be undone immediately from the popup that follows, in case you tapped the wrong one.

Reorganizing the tree

Drag any node in the tree:

• Drop near the top or bottom of another task to reorder it as a sibling.
• Drop in the middle of a task to nest it underneath as a child.
• Drop on empty space to promote it to the top level.

Todo list

For things you know you'll need to do but aren't ready to time yet. Click any item to assign it a duration and turn it into a tracked task — it'll branch off whatever you're currently doing, just like an interruption would.

Today, yesterday & calendar

Done today and Done yesterday list everything chronologically with timestamps. Tomorrow's plan automatically gathers anything left unfinished (and not cancelled) from today and yesterday, so nothing quietly falls off your radar. The calendar widget lets you click any past date to see that day's record.

Clocking out

The Clock out button flips the dashboard into a locked, dimmed state — a clear visual signal that work is done for the day, and a way to stop idle-detection reminders from nagging you after hours. Clock in reverses it instantly.

Widgets

Use + Add widget to drop extra tools onto your dashboard: a digital clock (any timezone, up to 3), an analog clock, a sticky note, a D-Day countdown, a daily quote, or a mini focus-time stat card.

Drag, resize & rearrange

Every block on the dashboard — built-in cards and widgets alike — can be dragged to a new position and resized from its corner. Your layout is remembered automatically.

Signing in & sync

Sign in with Google or an email/password. Everything you do is saved to your account, so logging in on another device or browser brings your whole tree, todos, widgets, and settings with it.

Settings

Open Settings to adjust:

• Display mode — light, dark, or follow your system
• Color preset — five complete palettes
• Language — English, 한국어, Tiếng Việt
• Font size — small, medium, large
• Notification sound — on/off and volume
• Work hours — the window used to calculate paused time
• Idle detection — how long without activity before Sprout Work asks what you were doing
• Default timer presets — replace 5/15/25 with your own numbers

Your data & privacy

Your data belongs to you. Export everything as a JSON file anytime from Settings, or reset it completely if you want a clean start. We don't sell your data.