Dream Afar + Todoist: Master Task Management with Visual Focus

Todoist is trusted by over 30 million people for task management. Dream Afar brings beauty and focus to your browser. Together, they create a task management system that's both powerful and visually inspiring.

This guide shows you exactly how to combine Dream Afar and Todoist for a productivity workflow that actually sticks.

Why This Combination Works

The Psychology Behind It

Todoist's strength: Capturing and organizing everything you need to do

The challenge: Todoist can become overwhelming when you see all 50+ tasks

Dream Afar's solution: Show only today's priorities on every new tab

This creates what psychologists call "environmental design" — your browser environment constantly reinforces what matters most.

Complementary Features

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Setting Up Your Workflow

Step 1: Configure Todoist for Daily Extraction

Create a filter in Todoist for Dream Afar:

Filter name: "Dream Afar Daily" Filter query: (today | overdue) & p1

This shows only:

• Due today or overdue
• Priority 1 items

Step 2: Set Up Dream Afar

1. Install Dream Afar
2. Enable the todo widget
3. Enable the notes widget for quick capture
4. Choose calming wallpaper collection

Step 3: Establish the Daily Sync

Morning (3 minutes):

1. Open Todoist → View "Dream Afar Daily" filter
2. Copy 3-5 tasks to Dream Afar
3. Close Todoist — don't look again until needed

Evening (5 minutes):

1. Review Dream Afar completions
2. Mark complete in Todoist
3. Process any notes to Todoist inbox
4. Set tomorrow's priorities

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The Complete System

Level 1: Basic Sync

For those just starting:

Todoist: Store all tasks
Dream Afar: Today's top 5
Sync: Morning and evening

Why it works:

• Todoist handles complexity
• Dream Afar handles focus
• Minimal daily overhead

Level 2: GTD Integration

For Getting Things Done practitioners:

Todoist structure:

• Inbox (capture everything)
• Projects (organized by outcome)
• @contexts (by location/tool)
• Someday/Maybe (future items)

Dream Afar role:

• Display @work or @home context
• Quick capture to Todoist inbox
• Focus mode during deep work

Workflow:

1. Capture everything in Todoist (or Dream Afar notes)
2. Weekly review: process, organize, prioritize
3. Daily: extract today's actions to Dream Afar
4. Work from Dream Afar, not Todoist

Level 3: Time Blocking

For calendar-integrated productivity:

Morning planning:

1. Review Todoist tasks by project
2. Estimate time for each
3. Add to Dream Afar with time blocks:
   • "9-10: Write proposal (Project X)"
   • "10-11: Client call"
   • "11-12: Code review"

Dream Afar becomes your time-block display — see your schedule on every new tab.

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Advanced Techniques

Technique 1: Priority Layering

Use Todoist priorities strategically:

Technique 2: Context Switching Prevention

Problem: Jumping between different types of tasks

Solution: Theme your Dream Afar by context

Example morning:

Dream Afar todos:
1. [WRITE] Blog post draft
2. [WRITE] Newsletter outline
3. [WRITE] Documentation update

All writing tasks together. When done, refresh with:

Dream Afar todos:
1. [CODE] Fix login bug
2. [CODE] Review PR #234
3. [CODE] Update API tests

Technique 3: The 1-3-5 Rule

Popularized by The Muse:

In Dream Afar, always show:

• 1 big thing (2+ hours)
• 3 medium things (30-60 min each)
• 5 small things (under 30 min)

Example:

BIG:
[ ] Write Q1 strategy document

MEDIUM:
[ ] Prepare meeting slides
[ ] Review team reports
[ ] Update project timeline

SMALL:
[ ] Reply to vendor email
[ ] Schedule dentist appointment
[ ] Submit expense report
[ ] Update Slack status
[ ] Clear browser bookmarks

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Handling Common Scenarios

Scenario: Too Many Urgent Tasks

Problem: Everything in Todoist feels urgent

Solution: The "Must vs Should" test

Ask for each task: "What happens if I don't do this today?"

• Actual consequence → Must (add to Dream Afar)
• Vague anxiety → Should (keep in Todoist for tomorrow)

Rule: Maximum 5 items in Dream Afar. No exceptions.

Scenario: Unexpected Tasks

Problem: New tasks appear during the day

Solution: The Capture Protocol

1. Quick capture in Dream Afar notes
2. Assess: Is this more important than current todos?
3. If yes: Add to Dream Afar, move displaced item
4. If no: Transfer to Todoist inbox, handle later

Scenario: Recurring Tasks

Problem: Same tasks every day

Solution:

• Keep recurring tasks in Todoist only
• Don't add to Dream Afar (they're automatic)
• Dream Afar is for priorities, not routines

Scenario: Project Sprints

Problem: Need intense focus on one project

Solution: Sprint Mode

1. Create Todoist project with all tasks
2. Each day, extract 3-5 project tasks to Dream Afar
3. Enable focus mode in Dream Afar
4. Block everything except project resources
5. Work until complete

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Productivity Frameworks Applied

Eat the Frog

Framework: Do the hardest thing first

Implementation:

1. Mark your "frog" as P1 in Todoist
2. Always add frog first in Dream Afar
3. Start your day by completing item #1

Two-Minute Rule

Framework: If it takes under 2 minutes, do it now

Implementation:

1. Quick tasks go in Dream Afar notes
2. Batch process during breaks
3. Never add 2-minute tasks to Dream Afar todos

Ivy Lee Method

Framework: End each day by writing tomorrow's 6 priorities

Implementation:

1. End of day: Review Todoist
2. Write tomorrow's 6 in Dream Afar
3. Order by importance
4. Tomorrow: Work top to bottom

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Wallpaper Psychology for Task Management

Choose wallpapers that support your work:

For High-Stakes Tasks

• Mountain peaks — Achievement focus
• Clear skies — Mental clarity
• Minimalist landscapes — Reduce visual noise

For Creative Tasks

• Colorful abstracts — Stimulate creativity
• Urban scenes — Energy and movement
• Nature patterns — Organic inspiration

For Administrative Tasks

• Calm waters — Patience
• Simple horizons — Perspective
• Soft clouds — Easy atmosphere

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Weekly Review Process

Sunday Evening (20 minutes)

In Todoist:

1. Clear inbox completely
2. Review all projects
3. Update due dates
4. Identify next week's priorities

In Dream Afar:

1. Clear all old todos
2. Add Monday's priorities
3. Transfer any uncaptured notes
4. Choose new wallpaper collection

Daily Review (5 minutes)

Morning:

1. Review Dream Afar (already set)
2. Quick check Todoist for changes
3. Adjust if needed

Evening:

1. Mark completions in Todoist
2. Set tomorrow's Dream Afar todos
3. Process notes to inbox

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Troubleshooting

"I keep opening Todoist instead of working"

Solution:

• Remove Todoist from bookmarks bar
• Rely on Dream Afar for daily tasks
• Open Todoist only during designated review times

"Dream Afar todos don't match Todoist"

Solution:

• Accept they're different views of same system
• Todoist = source of truth
• Dream Afar = today's curated focus

"I forget to sync between them"

Solution:

• Set calendar reminders: 8am sync, 6pm sync
• Make it a ritual (coffee + sync)
• Start small: once daily sync is fine

"I have too many P1 tasks"

Solution:

• If everything is priority 1, nothing is
• Review weekly: demote P1s that aren't truly urgent
• Maximum 3 P1 tasks per day

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The Complete Daily Schedule

7:30 AM: Morning Sync

1. Open Todoist (2 min)
2. View "Dream Afar Daily" filter
3. Copy top 5 to Dream Afar
4. Close Todoist

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Morning Work

• Work from Dream Afar todos
• Quick capture ideas in notes
• Focus mode blocks distractions
• Pomodoro timer for sessions

12:00 PM: Midday Check

1. Review Dream Afar progress
2. Adjust afternoon priorities if needed
3. Add any captured notes to Dream Afar todos

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Afternoon Work

• Continue from Dream Afar
• Capture unexpected tasks in notes
• Complete remaining todos

5:30 PM: Evening Sync

1. Mark complete in Todoist
2. Process notes to Todoist inbox
3. Set tomorrow's 5 priorities
4. Clear Dream Afar for fresh start

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Conclusion

The Dream Afar + Todoist combination solves the fundamental challenge of task management: how to stay focused on what matters without losing sight of everything else.

Todoist holds your complete task universe — every project, every context, every someday/maybe. Dream Afar shows you the curated daily view — just today's priorities, beautifully presented, on every new tab.

This separation is powerful:

• You're never overwhelmed (Dream Afar limits the view)
• You never forget (Todoist stores everything)
• You stay focused (Dream Afar appears constantly)
• You feel inspired (beautiful wallpapers)

The key is the daily sync ritual. Five minutes morning, five minutes evening. That's all it takes to maintain a system that actually works.

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• The Complete Guide to Browser-Based Productivity
• The Pomodoro Technique for Browser Users
• How to Block Distracting Websites in Chrome
• Deep Work Setup: Browser Configuration Guide

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Ready to combine Dream Afar with Todoist? Install Dream Afar free →