Start Guide
Set up MONOid in under 10 minutes — containers, projects, tasks, routines, and your first weekly review
MONOid is a lightweight weekly planning system designed to help people and teams decide what matters, shape a believable week, and build a steady review rhythm.
This guide gets you to a first working loop: one container, one project, a few tasks, and a visible week. Keep it intentionally small. You can add structure after the first plan works.
First success
You are done with this guide when:
- You have one container for a real area of responsibility.
- You have one active project inside it.
- You have 3-5 tasks captured.
- At least one task is scheduled into a routine block on the Calendar.
- You know where unscheduled work goes next.
Capture route: app home / Calendar. Viewport: desktop 1440x1000 and mobile 390x844. Success state: workspace switcher visible, Calendar loaded, empty or starter routine blocks visible.
Step 1: Create one container (1 minute)
Containers are your top-level groupings — think of them as areas of responsibility (e.g. Work, Side Project, Home).
- Open Containers from the left sidebar.
- Click Create Container.
- Give it a name (e.g. "Work") and an optional description.
- Press Cmd+Enter (or click the button) to save.
Start with one container. Add more only when the first loop feels clear.
Capture route: Containers index or create dialog. Viewport: desktop 1440x1000. Success state: new container appears in the list.
Step 2: Add one active project (2 minutes)
Projects live inside containers and represent ongoing efforts with outcomes (e.g. Launch marketing site, Q1 hiring).
- Open Projects from the left sidebar.
- Click Create Project.
- Enter a title, pick a container, and set the status to Active.
Keep the project outcome-oriented. It should answer "what am I trying to achieve?"
Capture route: Projects index or project create dialog. Viewport: desktop 1440x1000. Success state: project is Active and linked to the container from step 1.
Step 3: Capture 3-5 tasks (2 minutes)
Tasks are the concrete actions that move projects forward (e.g. Write first draft, Set up CI pipeline).
- Open Tasks from the left sidebar.
- Click Create Task.
- Enter a title — the task will default to Backlog.
- You can also create tasks directly from a project's detail page.
Do not try to capture everything. Start with 3-5 tasks that feel relevant this week.
Capture route: Tasks index or project detail. Viewport: desktop 1440x1000. Success state: starter tasks show in Backlog or This week.
Step 4: Choose two starter routine blocks (2 minutes)
Routine blocks define the structure of your week — the recurring time slots that shape when different types of work happen (e.g. Deep Work, Admin, Meetings).
- Open Routines from the sidebar (in the collapsible section below the main nav).
- Click Wake & Sleep to set your daily start and end times.
- Click Add Routine to create your first block:
- Give it a name (e.g. "Deep Work").
- Pick which days of the week it recurs on.
- Set a start and end time.
- Choose a colour.
- Create one more starter block, usually Admin, Meetings, or Light Work.
Tip: Plan less than you think you can do. A believable week has buffer built in.
You can optionally add daily schedule items (meals, breaks) using the Add Daily Schedule button — tasks can't be assigned to these, but they help you see your full day.
Step 5: Put one task on the Calendar (2 minutes)
The Calendar is where planning becomes real. It's your home page.
- Click Home in the sidebar to open the Calendar.
- Switch to Week view to see all your routine blocks laid out.
- Expand the left sidebar — you'll see your shaping and todo tasks (work in scope for the week).
- Expand the right sidebar — you'll see backlog tasks (unscheduled).
- Drag one task from either sidebar into a routine block to schedule it.
A task can only be in one block at a time. To unschedule, drag it back to the backlog sidebar.
You'll notice two kinds of blocks:
- Solid blocks — real blocks with tasks or edits.
- Faint/outlined blocks — template ghosts from your routine. Adding a task or editing the block turns it into a real block.
Capture route: Calendar week view. Viewport: desktop 1440x1000. Success state: one task is visible inside a routine block.
Step 6: Know where unscheduled work goes (1 minute)
Not everything needs to be scheduled immediately. My Inbox is where unscheduled tasks land.
| Task | Schedule |
|---|---|
Outline launch blog post Launch blog outline | |
Draft launch tweet thread Launch tweet thread | |
Fix memory leak in data processing BUG-123 | |
Submit Q1 expenses Q1 expenses | |
Review PR #247 DASH-247 | |
Add error boundaries to dashboard DASH-2 | |
Design API endpoint structure API-1 | |
Research component library options DASH-1 | |
Q1 board deck structure Q1 board deck | |
Ship login flow to staging API-LOGIN | |
Update landing page copy Landing page copy | |
Schedule board meeting Board meeting | |
Write unit tests for auth middleware API-2 | |
Draft API error response format API-ERR | |
Implement user authentication flow API-3 | |
Build dashboard sidebar component DASH-3 |
- Open My Inbox from the sidebar.
- You'll see tasks split into This week and This month tabs.
- For each task, decide:
- This week — move it to a project and set the bucket to todo or shaping.
- Backlog — leave it for later.
- Reassign — move it to a different project if it landed in the wrong place.
Check My Inbox regularly (daily is ideal) so unscheduled tasks don't pile up.
After your first week: do a review
Reviews are the reflection layer that keeps your system honest. Start with a Weekly Review at the end of your first week.
- Open Reviews from the sidebar.
- Click Create Review and select Weekly.
- The review opens with template steps to guide you:
- Work through each step — log accomplishments and disappointments, linking them to projects or tasks.
- Check the Projects and Tasks panels on the right to see what shipped and what's stuck.
- Use your answers to update tasks, shift priorities, and plan the next week.
A weekly review takes 15–30 minutes. It's the single most valuable habit you can build in MONOid.
Tip: Do a short Daily Review too (5–10 minutes). It helps you close loops and stay aligned day to day.
Capture route: Weekly Review page. Viewport: desktop 1440x1000. Success state: review steps visible with Projects and Tasks context panel.
Optional: Connect your tools
If you use external tools, you can connect them to keep everything in sync.
Calendar sync
- Go to Settings > Calendars.
- Click Add Calendar.
- Paste an iCal URL from Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar.
- Your events will appear on the MONOid calendar (syncs roughly every hour).
Linear or Notion
- Go to Settings > Integrations.
- Connect your Linear or Notion account via OAuth.
- Configure automations — e.g. "when an issue is created in Linear team X, create a task in MONOid."
- See the Notion and Linear docs for details.
For teams and enterprise
MONOid supports organisation workspaces where team members share containers, projects, and review templates. Org admins can manage integrations, templates, and permissions at the workspace level.
If you use the new Teams feature, enable it in workspace settings and then manage member groups + bulk resource access from the Teams area. See Teams.
If you have enterprise requirements (SSO, admin controls, compliance, custom workflows, data import/export), contact us at support@usemonoid.com.
What to focus on in week 1
- Keep it small. 2–3 containers, a handful of projects, 5–10 tasks.
- Plan less than you can do. A believable week beats an ambitious one.
- Use the Calendar daily. Drag tasks into blocks each morning.
- Check My Inbox. Triage unscheduled tasks so nothing gets lost.
- Do your first Weekly Review. Close loops and set up the next week.
After your first week, you'll have a feel for the rhythm. From there, explore My Tasks for status tracking, review templates for deeper reflection, and integrations to connect your stack.
Next steps
- Concepts — Understand the core data model
- Conventions — Learn the UI patterns (index pages, detail pages, filters)
- AI and Agents — Agent deeplinks, assignment, and run modes
- Calendar — Deep dive into the scheduling interface
- Reviews — The full review system
- Support — Downloads, contact, and help
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