> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.sonto.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The big picture

> The ideas behind the app — so the features make sense

Sonto is a planning method with an app wrapped around it. Once the few core ideas click, every feature
has an obvious place. This page explains the thinking; the [tutorials](/guides/the-basics) show it in
action.

## Zoom out, then zoom in

Knowing what to do *today* requires knowing where you're *headed*. So plans in Sonto **cascade** from
the long term down to the immediate:

**Year → Quarter → Week → Day.**

You zoom out to set direction, then zoom in to act on it. Each level informs the next, so the work in
front of you reflects something that actually matters to you.

The time you invest shrinks as the horizon shortens:

| Horizon | Roughly        | How often          |
| ------- | -------------- | ------------------ |
| Year    | an hour        | once a year        |
| Quarter | thirty minutes | every three months |
| Week    | ten minutes    | weekly             |
| Day     | three minutes  | every morning      |

## From intention to action

Each level of the cascade has its own kind of outcome:

* An **[intention](/reference/glossary#intention)** — a soft, directional statement of what a year or
  quarter is about.
* A **[goal](/reference/glossary#goal)** — a concrete outcome for the year.
* A **[milestone](/reference/glossary#milestone)** — a concrete 90-day target that moves a goal forward.
* A **[task](/reference/tasks)** — the atomic unit you actually do.

These levels aren't wired together: a task holds no hidden link back to its goal — and that's on
purpose. You keep them aligned by **reviewing your plans often** and choosing today's tasks in their
light, ticking off goals as you reach them. There's nothing to maintain, so alignment stays a living
habit instead of admin.

## Where work lives

Three containers hold your tasks, each answering a different question:

* **[Areas](/reference/projects-areas)** — never-ending parts of your life, like *work* or *family*.
* **[Projects](/reference/projects-areas)** — bounded efforts with a start, an end, and a clear outcome.
* **[Tags](/reference/tags)** — a cross-cutting layer that groups related work *wherever* it lives.

The [inbox](/reference/screens) is the holding pen for anything not yet sorted.

## Reflect, then adapt

Reviewing your plans is where alignment actually happens — so Sonto builds a moment of
[reflection](/reference/glossary#reflection) into every horizon: day, week, quarter, and project. Most
task apps treat reflection as an afterthought, or leave it to a separate journal; here it's part of the
rhythm — the same review that keeps your daily work pointed at what matters. Plans are guideposts, not
commitments carved in stone: notice what's working, adjust, and plan again. Plans change; that's not
failure, it's life.

## Gentle focus

The point isn't to control every minute — it's to protect what matters. Keep the **Day** screen for
today's work only; when something new arrives that isn't on fire, route it to your inbox or your week
instead of derailing today. Block time on your [calendar](/reference/calendar) for your real priorities
before meetings fill it up.

<Card title="The Sonto Method" icon="triangle" href="https://sonto.app/method" arrow="true" cta="Read the Method">
  The fuller story behind the method, on the Sonto website.
</Card>

## Where to go next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The Basics" icon="play" href="/guides/the-basics">
    See the ideas in action.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plan your Year and Quarter" icon="calendar" href="/reference/planning/quarter-year">
    Start the cascade at the top.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>