Count the work, not just the checkboxes
A checklist helps you remember steps, but three checkboxes do not tell you how much time the task needs. Before adding it to your day, estimate the whole job and check the slot you want to reserve.
Ora’s notes and checklists are part of Free. The app supports actual-time recording separately from planned time; timed step sequences are a distinct Pro feature. This guide’s example starts with estimates you choose.
One folder, three steps, thirty planned minutes
Our fictional example is preparing a folder: collect documents, review them and send it. We propose estimates of ten, fifteen and five minutes respectively. The total is thirty minutes. These are authored estimates, not measured times or a guarantee of your own duration.
- Collect: ten planned minutes to locate the example documents.
- Review: fifteen planned minutes to check the folder is complete.
- Send: five planned minutes to prepare and make the delivery.
- Total estimate: thirty minutes for that scope, counted once.
Choose how to represent the work
For one task with a checklist, use the list to remember what remains and review the overall task duration. The checklist describes the content of the work; check the time assigned to the whole job in the sphere.
For three separate tasks, distribute the estimates and check the total. Do not retain another thirty minutes as a fourth independent job: our example would count the same scope twice.
For a sequence with per-step timing, review Pro timed steps. A checklist and a focus sequence meet different needs; choose the documented workflow you actually want.
Separate estimates from recorded work afterwards
Checking steps describes progress, but the thirty-minute estimate does not demonstrate time worked. Ora supports actual time through a timer or manual corrections; planned-versus-actual comparison is Pro.
If today you only collected the documents, retain what remains. Before treating the folder as complete, check that all three parts of the scope are done.
Compare the workflow and prepare a small task
We consulted Sunsama’s time documentation and Structured’s task-and-subtask index on 25 October 2026. These are other planning approaches; we assume neither feature parity nor a performance advantage.
Ora offers a personal 24-hour sphere, task organisation and focus sessions. Open the public demonstration to explore the approach before deciding how to prepare your own task.
Sunsama: planned and actual times