Getting Started with TaskBeacon

Welcome to TaskBeacon! We're thrilled to have you. This guide will help you set up your task system and understand the basic concepts behind how TaskBeacon helps you stay focused, clear-headed, and productive.

Step 1: Capture Everything

One of the biggest causes of stress isn’t the work itself—it’s the mental load of deciding what to do next. TaskBeacon starts by giving you a trusted system to hold everything.

Open TaskBeacon and add everything that's on your mind

Don’t organize yet—just get it out of your head

Include work, personal, long-term, short-term—all of it

Example tasks:

Once your mind is clear, it’s easier to organize and act.

Step 2: Add Just Enough Structure

Grouping your tasks helps you prioritize smarter without overthinking. In TaskBeacon, this is done using parent tasks.

Use Parent Tasks to Organize

Group related tasks under a parent task:

Examples:

Tasks inherit influence from their parent, helping TaskBeacon better assess what matters.

If something feels vague or too big to tackle, break it into smaller tasks. You can turn any task into a parent just by adding subtasks under it.

Step 3: Trust the Dashboard

The Dashboard is where the magic happens. TaskBeacon ranks every task using the TaskPulse score—a smart system that looks at priority, due dates, start dates, dependencies, and more.

You’ll see up to five tasks that are most important right now. These might span work and personal life—you don’t need separate lists anymore.

Step 4: Use Filters for Focus

Filters help you stay in the right mindset for the moment. You can:

Hide work tasks on the weekend

Focus only on phone calls when commuting

Show only errands when out and about

Filters apply to your Dashboard and your full list.

Step 5: Understand How Priority Works

TaskBeacon avoids over-complicated priority settings. Instead, it uses tiered influence:

Top-level categories (like Work, Personal, etc.) have a priority

Every task under them inherits that influence

When you set a task’s priority, you’re really asking: “How valuable is this in context?”

You get powerful prioritization without needing a 10-point scale.

Ready?

You’re all set to:

Add your tasks

Organize just enough

Let TaskBeacon surface what matters

For more advanced features or logic, check out the How TaskBeacon Works section.