If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your task list or ended the day wondering where all your time went, you might enjoy exploring a different approach to productivity. RightNow Tasks introduces capacity-first planning—a method that starts with your available time and energy, then helps you plan accordingly.

What is Capacity-First Planning?

Instead of starting with an endless list of tasks, capacity-first planning begins with a simple question: “How many productive hours do I realistically have today?” This approach acknowledges that we all have different amounts of energy and time available each day, and that’s perfectly okay.

How Capacity-First Planning Works

Here’s the simple three-step process that makes this approach so effective:

1. Set Your Daily Capacity

Each morning, you reflect on your available time and energy. Had a busy morning with meetings? Maybe you have 4 focused hours. Clear schedule and feeling great? Perhaps 8 hours. There’s no judgment—just honest assessment.

2. Visual Progress Tracking

As you plan your day, a progress bar shows how much of your capacity you’ve allocated. When you reach your limit, the app gently suggests saving additional tasks for another day. This visual feedback helps you create realistic, achievable daily plans.

3. The “Right Now” Interface

When it’s time to work, RightNow presents one simple question: “What should I do right now?” This focused approach helps you stay present with your current task rather than feeling overwhelmed by everything on your plate.

Real-World Impact

Since implementing this approach, our beta users report:

• 73% higher task completion rates
• Reduced end-of-day stress and guilt
• Better estimation skills over time
• A healthier relationship with productivity

The Technical Implementation

Building capacity enforcement in Flutter required some creative solutions:

bool canAddTask(Task task, double dailyCapacity) {
  final currentLoad = todaysTasks
    .map((t) => t.duration)
    .reduce((a, b) => a + b);
  
  return currentLoad + task.duration <= dailyCapacity * 60;
}

The key is making the constraint feel empowering rather than limiting. When users see that progress bar fill up, they’re not seeing restriction—they’re seeing a realistic day taking shape.

Learning and Growing

One unexpected benefit of capacity-first planning is how it naturally improves your estimation skills. By working within daily limits, you get immediate feedback on whether your time estimates are accurate. Over time, you develop a better sense of how long tasks actually take, making future planning even more effective.

Is This Approach Right for You?

Capacity-first planning works especially well if you:

• Feel overwhelmed by long task lists
• Want to end each day with a sense of accomplishment
• Prefer realistic planning over aspirational goals
• Value work-life balance and sustainable productivity

It’s not about doing less—it’s about being intentional with your time and energy.

Try It Yourself

If capacity-first planning sounds like something you’d like to explore, RightNow Tasks is currently in beta for Android. We’d love to have you join our community and discover a more balanced approach to daily productivity.

Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to productivity. The best system is the one that works for you, and sometimes that means trying something new.