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Activity Tracking

Master the core feature of Cadence: tracking how you spend your time.

What is Activity Tracking?​

Activity tracking in Cadence is a simple but powerful way to understand your daily rhythms. Instead of complex time tracking or productivity apps, Cadence provides an intuitive visual timeline where you can log activities in 30-minute blocks.

Core Concepts​

The Timeline​

The timeline is your daily view where you log activities:

  • 24-hour grid: Each day is divided into 48 time slots (30 minutes each)
  • Visual blocks: Activities appear as colored blocks
  • Scrollable: Scroll vertically through your day, horizontally between days
  • Quick logging: Tap any slot to log an activity

Activities​

Activities are the building blocks of your day:

  • Name: What you're doing (e.g., "Work", "Exercise", "Reading")
  • Color: Visual identifier for quick recognition
  • Category: Group activities by type (Work, Health, Personal, Social, Creative, Learning, Other)
  • Status: Active or temporarily disabled

Getting Started​

Creating Your First Activities​

During onboarding, you'll select from common activities or create your own. Here's how to create activities anytime:

  1. Tap "Edit Activities" on the home screen
  2. Tap "+ Add New Activity"
  3. Enter a name (be specific but concise)
  4. Choose a category
  5. Pick a distinctive color
  6. Tap "Save"

Pro tip: Start with 8-12 core activities. You can always add more later!

Logging Activities​

To log an activity on your timeline:

  1. Navigate to the date you want to log
  2. Tap on a time slot
  3. Select the activity from your list
  4. (Optional) Add a note with context or thoughts
  5. The activity is saved automatically

Batch logging: You can quickly log multiple time slots by dragging across them (coming soon!).

Editing Activities​

Made a mistake? No problem:

  1. Tap the activity block you want to change
  2. Select a different activity or delete
  3. Changes save automatically

Advanced Features​

Activity Categories​

Categories help organize and analyze your time:

  • Work: Professional tasks, meetings, focused work
  • Health: Exercise, meditation, self-care
  • Personal: Chores, cooking, errands, admin
  • Social: Time with friends, family, community
  • Creative: Hobbies, art, music, crafts
  • Learning: Reading, courses, skill development
  • Other: Everything else!

Use categories to quickly see work-life balance, time spent on health, and other patterns.

Color System​

Choose colors strategically:

  • Similar activities: Use similar hues (light blue for "Deep Work", dark blue for "Meetings")
  • High priority: Use vibrant colors for important activities
  • Passive time: Use muted colors for rest or passive activities
  • Personal system: Develop a color coding that makes sense to you

Temporarily Disabling Activities​

Life changes! When you don't need an activity for a while:

  1. Go to "Edit Activities"
  2. Tap the activity
  3. Enable "Temporarily disable activity"
  4. Tap "Save"

Disabled activities:

  • Won't appear when logging time
  • Can be re-enabled anytime
  • Don't delete your historical data

Best Practices​

How Much Detail?​

The right level of detail varies by person:

Too broad: "Work" (doesn't help identify patterns) Too detailed: "Email - Client A - Project X" (exhausting to maintain) Just right: "Email", "Meetings", "Deep Work", "Admin"

Start broader and add detail where it helps you understand patterns.

Consistency Matters​

For meaningful insights:

  • Log daily: Even if you do it all at once in the evening
  • Be honest: Log the real activity, not the ideal one
  • Keep categories stable: Don't rename frequently or insights get muddled
  • Review weekly: Check your patterns in the Reflection view

Strategic Activity Design​

Think about what you want to learn:

Want to understand work-life balance?

  • Separate "Work" from personal activities
  • Track "Family Time" separately from other social time

Want to improve health habits?

  • Track "Exercise", "Meditation", "Cooking healthy meals" specifically
  • Include "Screen time" or "Social media" to identify time drains

Want to build creative practices?

  • Create distinct activities for different creative pursuits
  • Track "Reading" vs "Writing" vs "Art" separately

Integration with Other Features​

Notes​

Add context to activities:

  • Quick thoughts: "Great energy today!"
  • Important details: "Discussed Q1 goals with team"
  • Feelings: "Felt anxious during this meeting"

Reflections​

Use activity tracking as the foundation for reflections:

  • Review your week visually
  • Notice patterns in timing and frequency

Timeline Navigation​

Efficiently navigate your activity history:

  • Swipe: Move between days quickly
  • Calendar picker: Jump to any date
  • Today button: Return to current day instantly
  • Reflection view: See your whole week at once

Common Patterns​

Morning Routines​

Track your morning activities to optimize your start:

  • Meditation
  • Exercise
  • Breakfast
  • Email/Planning
  • Deep Work

Notice what mornings feel best and replicate them!

Work Blocks​

Understand your productive time:

  • Deep Work (focused individual work)
  • Meetings (collaborative time)
  • Email/Slack (communication)
  • Admin (administrative tasks)
  • Breaks (rest and recovery)

Identify your peak productive hours and protect them.

Evening Rituals​

Build healthy evening routines:

  • Cooking
  • Family Time
  • Reading
  • Journaling/Reflection
  • Sleep Prep

Track these to ensure you're winding down effectively.

Troubleshooting​

"I forget to log activities"​

  • Set reminders: Use notification settings to prompt logging
  • Batch log: Set aside 5 minutes each evening to log the day
  • Be forgiving: Missing a day occasionally is fine
  • Review calendar: Use your calendar to remember what you did

"I can't decide between similar activities"​

  • Combine them: If "Email" and "Slack" feel too similar, just use "Communication"
  • Ask yourself: "Will tracking these separately give me useful insights?"
  • Simplify: Fewer, broader activities are easier to maintain

"My activities change seasonally"​

  • Disable, don't delete: Temporarily disable off-season activities
  • Create seasonal variants: "Summer Sports" vs "Winter Sports"
  • Review quarterly: Adjust your activity list every few months

Next Steps​

Once you're comfortable with basic tracking:

  1. Add context with notes: Start adding thoughts and reflections
  2. Regular reflections: Set a weekly time to review your patterns
  3. Review weekly: Use the Reflection screen to understand your rhythms
  4. Optimize your days: Use insights to design better days

Activity tracking is just the beginning - the real power comes from understanding your patterns over time!