Stop for 5 seconds and it rings again: how “no stop until done” works
When you start typing, the alarm sound stops. But if your hands stop for 5 seconds, it rings again.
The 5-second rule
The typing screen shows a bar for the time left. Each character you type resets the bar. After 5 seconds with no typing, the sound rings. Continue typing and it stops right away.
Why it is needed
If the sound stopped for good the moment you started, you could open the screen and then do nothing. To make it one continuous effort until the end, the app rings when you stop.
The sound is off only while your hands are moving. The alarm really ends when you finish typing the last task.
What happens while you type
| What you do | What the alarm does |
|---|---|
| Tap “Type tasks” and start typing | The sound stops |
| Type a character | The bar resets |
| Type nothing for 5 seconds | The sound rings |
| Continue typing | The sound stops right away |
| Finish the last task | The alarm ends |
After a ring, you carry on from where you were. Stay calm and type the next character. The sound rings only while your hands are stopped.
Tips to finish without a ring
- When a task appears, type the first character right away
- Shorten long tasks the night before
- Use words that are easy to spell
- Start with S (3) tasks each morning
Try the first tip first. If you read the whole sample before typing, 5 seconds go by. One character resets the bar, and you can read the rest as you type.
Tasks that make you stop, and how to fix them
On days when the 5-second ring comes often, look at how your tasks are written.
| Wording that makes you stop | Fixed |
|---|---|
| Take the burnable trash to the collection point by 8 | Take out the trash |
| Shopping (milk, eggs, bread) | Buy milk |
| Laundry and cleaning | Split into “Start the laundry” and “Clean the room” |
| SUBMIT!!! | Submit the report |
| A word you often mistype | A word that is easy to spell |
Emoji are not typed in the morning. Write tasks so the words alone carry the meaning. More tips are in How to write tasks that are easy to type.
What to do the night before
- Open the Tasks tab and look at tomorrow's tasks.
- Shorten the long ones.
- If the number feels like too many, set it to S (3) in settings.
- Tap “Practice” on the Alarms screen and type once.
“Practice” lets you type today's tasks without waiting for an alarm. You find the words that trip you up the night before. Shorten them then and there.
What the analysis shows
The deep analysis in the Insights tab has a section called “The 5-second wall”. It shows the share of sessions you finished without stopping, and how many times the sound rang again.
The number of 5-second rings also counts toward that morning's score. A morning with no stops scores higher for it. See How the 1000-point score works.
Premium opens the deep analysis anytime. On the free version, it opens for 1 hour after you watch an ad to the end.
No ring when skipping
The screen where you type a phrase to skip the rest of today's alarms has no 5-second ring. You can type slowly.
FAQ
If it rings after 5 seconds, do I start over?
No. Continue typing and the sound stops right away.
Is this the same as the “5 seconds” in snooze?
No. Snooze is limited to 2 times, and from the 3rd time the alarm rings again 5 seconds after you stop it. The 5 seconds here is about your hands stopping while you type tasks. Snooze is explained in Snooze is limited to 2 times.
I make many typos and my hands stop
In settings, “Typo tolerance” can be set to Strict, Normal or Easy. Shorten your tasks as well.
Summary
- The sound stops when you start typing. It rings again if your hands stop for 5 seconds.
- Continue typing and it stops right away.
- Typing the first character early makes a ring less likely.
- Shorten long tasks the night before.
- The deep analysis shows your rings under “The 5-second wall”.