Foundations (What & Why)
What Nova Goals is, who it helps, and the simple ideas behind a single, intentional focus session.
What is Nova Goals?
Nova Goals is a free, local-first focus timer and accountability ritual that runs in your browser. You set an intention, pick a length, and hold a single timed session with a calm, living visual. No account is needed; signing in is optional and exists only to sync your history across devices.
Nova Goals is a web app for holding one focused session at a time. You open it, type an intention in plain words, choose 25, 50, 90, or a custom length, and begin. A large countdown carries you through three phases: settling in, deep focus, and the final stretch.
By default it is local-first: your completed sessions are saved to IndexedDB in your browser, and your goals, day notes, and in-progress session live in localStorage. Signed out, none of that leaves your device. The one exception is deliberate and anonymous — while the focus screen is open, the app sends a throwaway id so it can show how many people are holding a session right now. That id lasts 35 seconds and is never linked to your history.
If you want your history on more than one device, you can turn on sync — with a sync code, or by signing in with an email link. Then your sessions, goals, and day notes are also stored on Nova's server so your devices can share them. Be clear-eyed about the trade: that copy is not encrypted, and the sync code is the only thing guarding it.
The aesthetic is quiet on purpose: terracotta on warm paper, a single timer, and one of three living visuals you can switch between mid-session. Ensō is a zen ring that fills. Water is a bowl that rises. Moon is a disc that waxes from a thin crescent to full as time passes.
There is also a public wall, entirely opt-in: you can post an intention before a session as an open commitment, or share a finished session — your words, the minutes held, an anonymous avatar and alias, and your country. Others can leave a quiet bow. Nothing reaches the wall unless you choose it, per session, and you can remove your own posts.
Two things are still illustrative today, and we say so plainly. The eight named companions are generated avatars — no matching, no chat, no real person behind them (the roster of others focusing, shown beside them, is real and anonymous). The optional money stake is a self-accountability concept and is not wired to real payments.
- Runs in the browser — no account needed; sign-in is optional and only carries sync.
- Set an intention, pick 25 / 50 / 90 minutes, and hold one session.
- Three living timer visuals: Ensō ring, rising Water, waxing Moon.
- Local-first by default: sessions in IndexedDB, goals and notes in localStorage.
- Opt-in sync stores your history on the server, unencrypted, behind a sync code.
- The named companions and the money stake are illustrative; the live presence count is real.
Do I need to create an account to use Nova Goals?
No. Open the page and begin; your history is saved in your browser. There is an optional email sign-in, but it exists purely to sync that history across your devices — there is no password and no profile.
Is Nova Goals a website or an app I install?
It is a web app you open in a browser at novagoals.com — there is nothing to install. Because it is a static site, it loads fast and the timer then runs locally in your browser.
What happens during a session?
A real-time countdown runs while showing your intention, your stake label, a row of avatars for presence, and a live count of others holding a session right now. Phase labels move from 'Settling in' to 'Deep focus' to 'Final stretch.' You can end early or switch the visual at any time.
What can you do with Nova Goals?
With Nova Goals you set an intention, choose a session length and an optional self-accountability stake, and hold a real-time focus session with a living visual. If you stop early you name a non-judgmental reason, and the app tracks your held minutes, weekly total, and a daily rhythm streak — all stored locally on your device.
The core loop is short and complete. On the home screen you see a greeting, a day-rhythm streak, your focused-this-week total, recent sessions, and a button to begin. From there you move through setup, focus, and a gentle completion summary.
Setup is four small choices. Type a free-text intention. Pick 25, 50, 90, or a custom length. Pick a stake ($0, $3, $7, or $15). Toggle 'sit with others' on or off. The stake is framed as money on the line, returned when you finish or when you name your reason for leaving — but real charging is not yet wired up, so today it is a conceptual nudge.
The focus screen is one real-time countdown, timestamp-based so it survives reloads and resumes correctly. You can switch live between the three visuals, and you always have 'End early' and 'skip ahead' controls.
If you end early, the app does not scold you. It asks which reason fits — pulled to the internet, a notification, a physical need, lost the thread, or something urgent — with an optional private note. The completion screen then shows minutes held, your rhythm dots, the stake outcome, a line 'from the room,' and a short reflection.
- Write a free-text intention before each session.
- Choose a length (25 / 50 / 90) and an optional stake ($0 / $3 / $7 / $15).
- Switch live between Ensō, Water, and Moon visuals during a session.
- End early and log a non-judgmental reason with an optional private note.
- Track held minutes, a weekly total, and a daily rhythm streak — stored locally.
- Timestamp-based countdown that resumes correctly after a reload.
Can I really put money on the line?
Not yet. The stake is a self-accountability concept — you pick an amount to feel a gentle commitment, and it is 'returned' when you finish or name your reason for leaving. Real payment processing is not wired up, so nothing is actually charged today.
Does the timer keep running if I reload the tab?
Yes. The countdown stores an absolute end time and recalculates from it, so reloading mid-session resumes exactly where it should. Background-tab throttling self-corrects too.
What does 'sit with others' do right now?
It shows a brief 'finding your circle' animation and a row of avatars for a sense of presence. The avatars are generated and there is no live multiplayer or chat yet. Real shared rooms are future work.
Why use Nova Goals instead of a plain timer?
Nova Goals turns focus into a calm ritual rather than a stopwatch: a named intention, an optional stake, a living visual, and a non-judgmental reason log when you stop early. It keeps your data on your own device by default, so the practice stays private and pressure-free.
Most timers count down and nothing more. Nova Goals adds the small framing that helps focus actually hold. Naming an intention makes the session about something specific. A length you chose on purpose sets a clear edge. A living visual gives your attention somewhere soft to rest.
The reason log is the quiet heart of it. When you step away early, the app asks why without judgment, then lets you note it privately. Over time that turns distraction from a failure into information — you start to see what actually pulls you out.
Privacy is a deliberate stance, and the default is the strong one. Signed out, your intentions, notes, and streaks stay in your browser. There is no profile to mine and nothing to sign up for. The trade-off is honest: your history then lives on one browser, and clearing it clears your data.
Sync exists because that trade-off is too steep for some people, but it is opt-in and we will not pretend it is free. Turn it on and your sessions, goals, and day notes are mirrored to Nova's server, unencrypted, guarded only by your sync code. That is a real change in your privacy posture — which is exactly why nothing syncs until you ask for it.
We are also clear about what is still a sketch. The named companions suggest the feeling of focusing alongside others, but they are generated for now; only the anonymous count of people currently focusing is real. The money stake is a commitment device on paper, not a live charge. The app is free, and we would rather underclaim than oversell.
- An intention plus a chosen length frames focus as a ritual, not a stopwatch.
- Non-judgmental reason logging turns distraction into useful information.
- Three calm visuals give attention a gentle place to rest.
- Local-first by default: nothing syncs until you turn it on.
- Honest about limits — companions and stakes are illustrative; sync is unencrypted.
Is my focus history private?
By default, yes — it is stored only in your browser and nothing is uploaded. If you turn on sync, a copy is kept on Nova's server, unencrypted, reachable by anyone holding your sync code. That is the honest trade for having your history on more than one device.
What happens to my data if I clear my browser?
Signed out, it is gone: clearing your browser or site data erases your sessions, notes, and streak, and there is no copy to restore from. If sync was on, the server copy survives, and your history returns when you enter the same sync code or sign back in.
Why log a reason when I quit instead of just stopping?
Because the goal is awareness, not guilt. Picking a calm reason — a notification, a physical need, lost the thread — and jotting a private note helps you notice your real patterns over time, without any scolding.
Ready to begin?
Begin a session