Requirements & Setup

Nova Goals is a web app. Open it in any current browser on a laptop, desktop, tablet, or phone. That is the whole requirement.

No account is needed. You do not have to give an email or a password, and there is no profile to create. Open the page and begin a session.

Signed out, your state lives in your browser on the device you are using: completed sessions in IndexedDB, and your goals, day notes, and in-progress session in localStorage. Your intentions, history, streak, and weekly total stay on that one device. The single exception is deliberate: while the focus screen is open, the app sends an anonymous, throwaway id so it can show how many people are focusing right now. It expires after 35 seconds and is never attached to your history.

If you want your history on more than one device, sync is there and it is opt-in. Enter a sync code, or sign in with an email link, and your sessions, goals, and day notes are mirrored to Nova's server. That copy is not encrypted, and the sync code is the only thing protecting it — so pick a strong one and treat it like a password. Sign-in exists for exactly this and nothing else: there is still no password and no profile.

You do not need money to use Nova Goals. The app is free. The optional 'stake' you can attach to a session is a self-accountability concept, not a fee, and real charging is not wired up yet.

An internet connection is needed to load the page. The countdown timer itself is timestamp-based and real-time, so it keeps correct time through a reload.

The fastest path is four steps and takes under a minute.

First, open novagoals.com. The home screen shows a greeting, your day rhythm streak, your focused-this-week total, your recent sessions, and a 'Begin a session' button.

Second, press 'Begin a session' to reach setup. Type an intention: a short line of free text naming what you are about to do. Pick a length: 25, 50, 90, or a custom length.

Third, leave the defaults alone if you want the simplest start. You can skip the stake (set it to $0 / None) and leave 'Sit with others' off. Then begin.

Fourth, the focus screen opens with a large countdown and a living visual. Work until the timer ends. If you need to stop sooner, use 'End early' and name a reason; otherwise let it run to completion.

That is the entire quick start. Everything else, like stakes, body-doubling, and switching visuals, is optional and explained in the full setup.

The setup screen has four controls. Here is what each one does and what is real versus illustrative.

Intention. A free-text line naming what you intend to work on. It appears on the focus screen to keep your aim in view. There is no fixed format; write whatever helps you.

Length. Choose 25, 50, 90, or a custom length. The countdown is real-time and timestamp-based, so it survives a page reload and resumes at the correct remaining time.

Stake. Choose $0 (None), $3, $7, or $15. The idea is gentle self-accountability: money on the line, returned when you finish or when you name your reason for leaving. Be clear that this is currently a conceptual mechanic. There is no payment processing yet, so nothing is actually charged or refunded; the stake is a framing, not a transaction.

Sit with others (body-doubling). Toggle this on to focus alongside other people's presence. When it is on, a brief 'finding your circle' animation plays, and the focus screen shows a row of 'others in the room' avatars. Be honest about what this is today: the named avatars are generated (DiceBear), there is no chat, and there is no matching. What is real is beneath them — a live count of how many people are holding a session at that moment, and a small roster of their anonymous avatars. Genuine shared rooms are future work. Leave the toggle off if you prefer a plainly solo session.

Commit openly (the wall). A second, separate toggle posts your intention to the public wall the moment you begin — an open commitment, under an anonymous avatar, alias, and your country. When the session ends, the wall shows how it went: kept, or ended early, and the minutes held. It is off by default, decided per session, and your posts can be removed by you. Skip it entirely and nothing you do ever reaches the wall.

Once these are set, begin. If 'Sit with others' is on you pass through matching first; otherwise you go straight to the focus screen, where you can switch the living visual between Ensō, Water, and Moon at any time.

Step 1 — Home. Open the app. You see a greeting, your day rhythm streak, your focused-this-week total, recent sessions, and 'Begin a session'. Press it.

Step 2 — Setup. Type your intention. Pick a length of 25, 50, 90, or a custom length. Pick a stake of $0, $3, $7, or $15 (a self-accountability framing; no real charge yet). Toggle 'Sit with others' on or off.

Step 3 — Matching (only if you toggled 'Sit with others' on). A brief 'finding your circle' animation plays. This is illustrative; it is not live matchmaking against real users.

Step 4 — Focus. A large countdown begins. Choose your living visual and switch it live whenever you like: Ensō, a zen ring that fills; Water, a bowl that fills; or Moon, a disc that waxes from a thin crescent to full. The screen shows your intention, the stake label, a row of presence avatars when rooms are on, a live count of others focusing right now, and phase labels that move through Settling in, Deep focus, and Final stretch. Controls are 'End early' and 'skip ahead'. The timer is timestamp-based, so a reload resumes it correctly.

Step 5 — Reason log (only if you press 'End early'). A screen reads 'You stepped away' and asks you to pick a non-judgmental reason: pulled to the internet, a notification, a physical need, lost the thread, or something urgent. You can add an optional private note. This step is skipped if you let the timer run to the end.

Step 6 — Complete. You see minutes held, your rhythm/streak dots, the stake outcome, a line 'from the room', and a gentle reflection. Your session is recorded to this browser's IndexedDB and feeds the totals you saw on Home. If sync is on, it is mirrored to your other devices shortly after.