User Guide

How to use Focus OS

A 5 minute read. By the end you will know how to track every edit, see where your time goes, and know exactly what to work on next.

STEP 1

Getting started

Focus OS runs in your browser. There is nothing to install and no API keys to set up.

  1. Open the app and click Create Test Account.
  2. Enter your name, email and a password. Your role is set to Video Editor.
  3. You land straight on your dashboard, pre-loaded with a few sample projects so it makes sense right away.
  4. Delete the samples whenever you like and add your real projects.
Good to know: your data is saved privately on this device, in this browser. Use the same browser each time. Coming back later? Just click Log In.
STEP 2

The dashboard at a glance

The top of your dashboard is eight cards that answer the questions you actually care about:

๐ŸŽฏ

Today's Focus

The single most important thing to work on right now.

๐Ÿ“‚

Active Projects

How many edits are currently on your plate.

โฑ๏ธ

Hours This Week

Total time logged over the last 7 days.

๐Ÿ’ฐ

Revenue This Month

Money collected so far this month.

๐Ÿงพ

Unpaid Work

How much you are owed across open invoices.

๐Ÿ†

Best Client

Who has paid you the most overall.

๐ŸŒ

Time Drains

The project earning you the least per hour.

โžก๏ธ

Next Best Action

Where to start, decided for you.

Below the cards you will see Today's Focus, your Active Projects, and a quick What To Prioritize Next panel. Use the left sidebar to jump between full sections.

STEP 3

Add a project

Click + New Project (top right, on any screen). Fill in as much or as little as you want, then Save.

What each field does

  • Project name & client โ€” what it is and who it is for.
  • Deadline โ€” drives your "due soon" and "overdue" warnings.
  • Project type โ€” YouTube, Reel, TikTok, Podcast, Brand video, Event recap, AI video, Client content, Personal.
  • Status โ€” Brief received โ†’ Editing โ†’ Client review โ†’ Revisions โ†’ Final export โ†’ Delivered โ†’ Paid โ†’ Archived.
  • Software used โ€” tag DaVinci Resolve, Higgsfield, Notion, Drive or Other.
  • Estimated vs actual hours โ€” the gap is how the app spots jobs that run over.
  • Project fee โ€” used everywhere in revenue. Your hourly value is calculated automatically (fee รท actual hours).
  • Priority โ€” High, Medium or Low. Shows as a coloured bar on each project.
  • Notes & files โ€” anything to remember, plus links and screenshots.

Click any project card to open it again and edit, mark progress, or delete it.

STEP 4

Track your time

Go to Time Tracker. There are three ways to log time, all feeding the same numbers:

โฑ๏ธ The timer

  • Pick a project, hit Start. Pause for breaks.
  • When you finish, hit Stop & Log โ€” the time is saved to that project and added to its actual hours.

โœ๏ธ Manual entry

Already did the work? Pick the project, type the hours and date, add a quick note, and hit Log Time.

Every entry shows up in Recent Time Entries at the bottom.

STEP 5

The daily check-in

The fastest way to log a day. In Time Tracker, under Daily Check-In, just answer one question:

"What did you work on today?"

Write it like you would tell a friend. For example:

"Spent about 3 hours on the Lumen Studio brand film doing the rough cut. Next step is color grading."

Click Process Check-In and the app turns that sentence into four things:

  • Project worked on โ€” matched automatically
  • Estimated time โ€” pulled from your sentence
  • Task done โ€” what you accomplished
  • Next step โ€” saved back to the project as a reminder

Check it looks right, tweak anything, then Save. Your time is logged and your project is updated.

STEP 6

Revenue & clients

๐Ÿ’ฐ Revenue Tracker

See revenue by client and by project type, your highest-value projects, your low-value time drains, and every unpaid invoice. When a client pays, hit Mark paid and the numbers update everywhere.

๐Ÿ‘ฅ Client List

Every client ranked by lifetime value, with a flag telling you what to do:

Follow up someone owes you money.
Low value the work is not paying enough per hour.
Healthy a client worth keeping.
STEP 7

Project stages

The Project Stages view is your pipeline from brief received all the way to delivered. It is the fastest way to see what is stuck. Click any card to open the project and move it forward by changing its status.

STEP 8

Focus Intelligence

This is the brain of the tool. It reads your projects, time and revenue and tells you, in plain language:

  • What to work on first
  • Which project is closest to its deadline
  • Which project has the highest revenue on the table
  • Which client needs a follow-up
  • Which project is taking too long
  • What to stop spending time on
  • What to template or outsource
Note: this test version uses a built-in rules engine, so it works instantly with no API key. It can be upgraded to a live AI model later for even smarter advice.
STEP 9

Files & links

Inside any project you can attach what matters:

  • Links โ€” Google Drive folders, Higgsfield links, Notion pages, client briefs, invoices, reference videos. Add a label and a URL.
  • Screenshots & thumbnails โ€” upload DaVinci screen grabs or thumbnails directly (up to ~1.5MB each).
Tip: keep big export files in Drive and paste the link, rather than uploading the whole file.
STEP 10

Tips & FAQ

Get the most out of it

  • Always set a fee and log actual hours โ€” that is what unlocks your real hourly value and the smart recommendations.
  • Do the daily check-in once at the end of each day. 20 seconds keeps everything accurate.
  • Set deadlines so the deadline warnings can do their job.
  • Check Focus Intelligence each morning to decide where to start.
Where is my data stored?
Privately in your browser on this device. Nothing is uploaded. Use the same browser to keep your history.
Can I use it on my phone and laptop?
Each device keeps its own data for now. Cross-device sync is a future upgrade.
Do I need DaVinci, Higgsfield or Notion connected?
No. This version is fully manual. Those integrations are planned and listed under Integrations.
Will I lose my projects?
They stay until you clear your browser data. Treat this as a test build and keep important info backed up in Drive too.

Ready to focus?

Open your dashboard and add your first real project.

Open Focus OS โ†’