Pulse — A timer with purpose

A focus timer isn’t just a countdown. Pulse knows what you’re doing, how long you’ve been at it, and what comes next. It’s not just counting down — it’s holding your attention on one thing.

What for? Executing subtasks with time estimates. Each Pulse is linked to a specific subtask: when you finish, it automatically advances to the next. No decisions, no friction.

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The three modes

Linked

The main mode. Connects to a subtask from today’s Core. When the timer hits zero, you complete the subtask and Pulse advances to the next one automatically.

When to use it: For working on your daily focus tasks. This is the mode you’ll use 80% of the time.

Free

No task connection. A pure timer for when you need to focus on something not tracked in Monolith — reading, researching, making a call.

When to use it: When the work isn’t registered as a task. No linked history.

Defense Mode

Integrated with Chaos Mode. Each defense plan item has its own Pulse. You work one item, complete it, move to the next.

When to use it: Only when you’re in Chaos Mode.

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The lifecycle

 pre-config
    ↓
  active
    ↓
finalized ──→ completed
    ↓
  break ──→ break-ended

1. Pre-configuration: You pick duration and mode (linked/free)
2. Active: Timer runs. You can pause, add time, or cancel
3. Finalized: It hit zero. You see a summary with options
4. Completed: You log the result. If linked, advances to next subtask
5. Break: 5-minute break (optional). You can skip it

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Controls during Pulse

Action	What it does
Pause	Stops the timer without losing time. Resume where you left off
Add time	Opens a selector for additional minutes
Embers	Capture a quick idea without leaving Pulse
Break	Take a 5-minute break
Cancel	Stops the Pulse. You must write a reason (blockage, interruption, exhaustion, context, priority, other)

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What happens after

When you complete a Linked Pulse:

• The subtask is marked as completed
• Pulse automatically advances to the next Core subtask
• If it was the last subtask, the Core completes
• Everything is logged in history: real time vs. estimated, start/end time, result

If you cancel, the reason is logged. Cancellation history helps you spot patterns: do you always cancel because of interruptions? Maybe you need to block notifications.

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Pulse on Home

While a Pulse is active, the sidebar shows the Pulse icon with a pulsing animation. You can go back to Nexo without losing the timer — it keeps running in the background.

The timer also appears on the Companion (if you have sync enabled) and on the Android widget.