Get started with Dayplan
After you sign up, Dayplan asks for your work hours, which calendars you use, and which breaks you take, then walks you through planning today or tomorrow. You finish with a real plan on screen instead of an empty planner.
This guide takes you from a new account to a real first plan. You'll tell Dayplan the shape of your day and about your calendar, then choose the tasks that matter to you today or tomorrow. By the end, you'll have a plan on screen instead of an empty planner to configure.
What you will need
- A Dayplan account.
- A computer browser. This guide covers the Dayplan web app.
- Optionally, a Google or Apple calendar account. Calendar sync is part of Dayplan Pro; see Dayplan plans: Free and Pro.
Step 1: Set your work hours
After the welcome screen, Dayplan asks When do you usually work? These times help it judge how much work fits in a day.
- Set Work starts at and Work ends at.
- If you want Dayplan to plan your whole day, select Add wake and bed time and enter Wake up at and Bed time at.
- Select Continue.
These times are anchors, not a promise that every day must look the same. You can change them later in Settings → My day.
Step 2: Tell Dayplan about your calendar
Seeing tasks and meetings side by side makes your first plan more honest. What this step shows depends on your plan.
On the Free plan, the step asks Which calendars do you use?
- Select the calendars you use: Google Calendar, Apple Calendar (iCloud) or Outlook, or I don't use a calendar app.
- Select Continue, or Skip for now.
You'll notice that nothing is connected yet. That's because calendar sync is part of Dayplan Pro. Dayplan uses your answer to prompt you to connect those calendars once you start a Pro trial or upgrade.
On Dayplan Pro, the step is Connect your calendar:
- Select Connect to Google Calendar to sign in with Google in a pop-up window.
- Select Connect to Apple Calendar and enter your Apple ID email and an app-specific password.
- Select Skip for now to start without a calendar.
After a connection works, you can add another Google or Apple account, then select Continue. You can connect or manage calendars later in Settings → Calendars. See Use the calendar and timebox tasks.
Step 3: Choose breaks you would actually take
Dayplan asks What sounds like a real break? so your plans can include rest instead of treating every open minute as work.
- Select the suggested breaks you actually take.
- Add your own break if the suggestions don't fit.
- Select Continue.
If you don't want to choose now, select I'll skip breaks for now. Breaks stay editable in Settings → Breaks.
Step 4: Choose which day to plan
On Let's plan your first day, Dayplan suggests today or tomorrow based on the time and the work hours you entered. Select Today or Tomorrow if you want the other day, then select Start Planning.
You'll notice that your first plan skips the review of yesterday. That's because there's no previous Dayplan day to review yet, so it begins with what's in play.
Step 5: Make your first plan
- Add at least one task to the day.
- Mark the few tasks that would make the day count as Must do.
- Drag work that can wait into Can be done tomorrow or Can wait a week or two.
- Set realistic durations, add breaks, and place important tasks on the calendar.
- Review the plan on its paper cards and note anything that will set you up for success. This last step may also ask whether Dayplan can email you to help you keep the habit.
When you finish, Dayplan opens the day you planned: Today if you planned today, or Horizon, Dayplan's home view, if you planned tomorrow. It may also offer you a Dayplan Pro trial. Close the offer with the ✕ button or
Esc to keep using the Free plan.
See How to start your Dayplan Pro free trial.
Tip: If you'd rather look around first, select Skip for now at the top of any first-plan step before the last one. Dayplan opens the same place finishing would, and any tasks you already added stay. Select Plan today in the sidebar whenever you're ready to plan.
What you set up
You now have:
- Work hours that Dayplan uses to judge your workload.
- Optional wake and bed times.
- Your calendar, if you connected one.
- A set of break activities you can reuse.
- A first daily plan.
Next, read The Dayplan method: capture, plan, shut down for the ideas behind the daily loop, How to plan your day in Dayplan for the normal daily ritual, and Find your way around Dayplan for a map of the app.
Troubleshooting
The Google sign-in window doesn't open
Allow pop-ups for Dayplan in your browser, then try again. Google sign-in opens in a separate window.
Apple Calendar rejects the password
Dayplan needs an app-specific password, not your main Apple password. Go to account.apple.com, open Sign-In and Security, choose App-Specific Passwords, generate one, and paste it into Dayplan.
I skipped a setup choice
Open Settings from the account menu at the bottom of the sidebar. Work hours and wake and bed times live under My day, calendar display options under Calendar, connected accounts under Calendars, and break choices under Breaks.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to connect a calendar to use Dayplan?
No. You can plan with tasks alone and connect a calendar whenever you're ready. Calendar sync is part of Dayplan Pro. On the Free plan you can still import events from a calendar file; see How to import a calendar file (.ics) into Dayplan.
Can I change my work hours after setup?
Yes. Open Settings → My day and change Work start and Work end. You can also add or clear Wake up and Bedtime there.
What if I skipped the first plan?
Nothing is lost. Tasks you added stay where you put them. Select Plan today in the sidebar to run the planning ritual whenever you're ready.
Can I use Dayplan on my phone?
You can create an account and message us from a phone's browser, but the planner itself is built for a computer screen. On a phone, Dayplan shows a link you can copy or email to yourself to open on your computer. Native mobile apps aren't available yet.
Do I have to start a Pro trial?
No. You can close the trial offer and keep using the Free plan. See Dayplan plans: Free and Pro for what each plan includes.
Verified October 19, 2026 · Reviewed by the Dayplan team
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