Getting started

Welcome to TaskSpark.

Here's everything you need to get up and running — from the first install to the small tricks that make it feel like yours. Short, practical, a little opinionated. If anything here is wrong or out of date, tell me.

First, let's get it installed.

Three small steps. You'll be adding your first task in under five minutes — promise.

Step 01

Download TaskSpark

Head to the Download page and grab TaskSpark.exe. The installer works on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). Open the file, click through two confirmation prompts, done.

Heads up: Windows may show a SmartScreen warning. Click More info → Run anyway. The build is signed and Google-approved; SmartScreen just takes a few releases to earn trust on newly-certified installers.

On Mac or Linux? Use the web app at app.taskspark.tech — same account, same data, almost the same feature set (a few power features stay desktop-only). On a phone, you'll be redirected to app.taskspark.tech/m automatically.

Step 02

Sign in, or go offline

When TaskSpark opens, you'll see two options. Pick whichever fits how you work — you can switch later and your data will come with you.

Step 03

Pick a setup mode

A quick wizard asks how much you want turned on:

Basic — just a task list. Clean start.
Full — everything on: streaks, mood check-in, break reminders, kanban.
Custom — opens Settings so you pick.

My advice: Start with Basic. Add features one at a time as you hit moments where you want them. Fewer choices on day one = less overwhelm.

Day-to-day flow.

The only thing you have to do is add tasks. Everything else is optional — here's the rhythm most people settle into.

01 — Capture

Add a task

Hit + New Task in the toolbar or press N. Title is the only required field. Priority, due date, tags, energy level, time estimate, subtasks — all optional, add them when they'll actually help.

Quick edit: double-click any task title to rename it inline without opening the full modal.
02 — Decide

Use What now?

Not sure where to start? Hit the big button. TaskSpark looks at priority, due dates, your current mood, and surfaces the single best task to do next. Start the focus timer straight from the suggestion, or dismiss and pick your own.

It's the thing that makes TaskSpark different — let it do the deciding on the days when deciding is the hard part.

03 — Close the loop

Complete & reflect

Tick the checkbox. A completion dialog lets you optionally log impact, outcome, and a link to the deliverable — and asks if you want to add it to your Wins Board.

Slipped? Ctrl + Z undoes your last action. TaskSpark remembers the last 20 per session.

04 — Find things

Filter, sort, switch view

Sidebar filters by priority, tag, or status. Due today and Overdue keep the urgent stuff visible. Flip to Kanban for a drag-between-columns board. Sort dropdown remembers your preference.

Focus, paused properly.

The timer stays out of your way. Breaks stay gentle. Both are configurable if the defaults don't fit.

Timer

Start, pause, stop

Hit ▶ on any task. TaskSpark slides into Focus mode — an in-window overlay that dims everything but the task you're on. Press Esc to leave. (New in V4: there's no separate floating window any more; the focus state lives where you're already looking.)

Pause keeps your progress; Resume picks up where you left off. Stop writes the elapsed time against the task — you'll see actual-vs-estimate on the card afterwards.

Breaks

How break reminders work

While the timer runs, TaskSpark tracks elapsed work time. After your interval (30 minutes by default), a break prompt appears.

Take a break stops the timer and starts a break countdown. Stay focused dismisses the prompt for now.

Good starting point: 25–30 minute work intervals with 5 minute breaks. Tweak from Settings → Feature Settings → Timer.
Customise

Make it yours

Change work / break length, toggle the break chime, preview the sound, or upload your own audio (desktop only). Prefer no interruptions? Turn break reminders off completely at Settings → General → Break Reminders. No guilt.

Small tricks.

The handful of habits that make TaskSpark feel twice as fast.

Small habits, big payoff

#

Tag for context

Add tags like work, @computer, or errands. Sidebar filters them instantly.

⚡

Set energy levels

Mark tasks High/Medium/Low energy. On sluggish days, What now? surfaces the lighter ones.

⏱

Estimate time

Add a time estimate and watch actual-vs-estimate on each card. Calibration compounds.

🔥

Protect your streak

One grace day per streak built in. Vacation Mode pauses streaks cleanly while you're away.

↻

Use recurring tasks

Complete once, TaskSpark offers to spawn the next occurrence. Less admin, more momentum.

↓

Export for reviews

Settings → Export → CSV of completed tasks. Paste into Claude for an instant quarterly review.

Deeper reference.

The short, written-down version of how each piece works. Skim the sidebar, jump to what you need.

Install

Download the Windows or macOS installer, run it, click through two confirmation prompts. The Windows build carries a verified certificate and Google has approved the sign-in flow, so SmartScreen will let you through (click "More info" → "Run anyway" if it pauses). The macOS build is notarised, so Gatekeeper opens it without a fuss. Prefer a browser? Use the web app instead — almost the same feature set, no install. Phones get redirected to app.taskspark.tech/m, a slimmer view tuned for one-handed use.

First run

TaskSpark opens into an empty workspace. You'll see two buttons:

  • Sign in with Google. Creates a TaskSpark Sheet in your Drive and syncs tasks to it. Your data, your storage.
  • Continue without signing in. Tasks live locally on this machine. You can connect Google later and your local data migrates into the Sheet.

Nothing else is mandatory on day one. Add a task, ignore everything else.

Workspaces

You can have up to three workspaces, each backed by its own Sheet. Switch from the sidebar. Useful splits: Personal / Work, or Home / Health / Side-project. More than three felt like a different product, so three it is.

Google Sheet backend

TaskSpark uses a single Sheet in your Drive as its database. The OAuth scope is drive.file, which means TaskSpark can only see files it created. Your existing Drive is invisible to the app.

If you open the Sheet directly and edit a row, TaskSpark picks up the change on next sync. It's a real spreadsheet, not a black box.

Kanban board

Four columns by status: Backlog, In progress, Blocked, Done. Drag cards between columns, or flip status from the task detail pane, both write the same field. Toggle "keep completed visible" in board settings if you like seeing what you've shipped.

Habits

A habit is a recurring task with a cadence. Two modes:

  • Daily: "every day", "every weekday", "every Monday".
  • Times per week: "3 times a week" without pinning specific days.

Streaks count, and Vacation Mode protects them on days tagged holiday.

Outlook sync

Read-only. Connects via Microsoft Graph using PKCE, no backend server involved. Meetings show up next to your tasks on calendar and day view. It's currently in early access, feedback welcome.

Shared workspaces

Paste a Google Sheet URL into the "Add workspace" dialog. If you have edit access to the Sheet, you'll edit tasks normally. If you only have view access, TaskSpark automatically enters view-only mode and hides all edit controls, so you can't accidentally break someone else's workflow.

Common questions

Can I use this without Google?

Yes. Pick "continue without signing in" on first run. You lose sync and shared workspaces, everything else works.

Where's my data?

Signed in: a Sheet in your Drive, scope drive.file. Signed out: local storage on this machine. See Privacy for the full picture.

What about Linux?

The web app runs in any modern browser — same data, almost the same feature set. The always-on-top floating timer, custom break sounds, offline mode, calendar integrations, budget tracking, CSV export and global keyboard shortcuts stay desktop-only. A native Linux build is on the roadmap.

Can I export?

Yes. Use Settings → Export to download a CSV of any workspace. If you're signed in with Google, you can also open the underlying Sheet in Drive and download it directly as CSV or XLSX — TaskSpark doesn't hold your data hostage either way.

Is there a mobile app?

There's a mobile web view at app.taskspark.tech/m — phones get redirected there automatically. Today / Upcoming / All tabs, a floating quick-capture button, optional install as PWA on iOS for a more app-like feel. It runs on the same Sheets backend as everything else, so anything you capture on your phone shows up on desktop.

How fast is sync between devices?

It's eventually-consistent, not real-time — changes flow through your Google Sheet, which means a few seconds in practice. There's no live socket. Editing the same task on two devices at the same instant is something to avoid.