Open Tempo

How Tempo works,start to finish.

Everything you need to set up Tempo and get the most out of it. Start with section 2 if you just want your assignments in.

What Tempo does

Tempo reads your assignments from your school calendar and works out when to start each one. Every evening it turns that into a short plan: numbered study periods with real start times, from when you start studying to when you want to stop.

You open it, see the one thing to do now, and start. When you finish, you tell it how long it took, and it gets better at planning for you. If a night falls apart, it reshuffles without making a big deal of it.

Get set up

  1. Open Tempo on your phone at tempo-study-3x2.pages.dev/app. Nothing to download.
  2. Add it to your home screen so it opens like an app.
    iPhone (Safari): tap Share then Add to Home Screen. Android (Chrome): tap ⋮ then Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Paste your school calendar link. This is the part people get stuck on, so it has its own section. No link? Tap Try it with sample assignments to explore first.
  4. Tell Tempo when you study: minutes on school days and weekends, when you usually start, and when you want to stop.
  5. Pick your starting style (early, a day or so before, last minute), so Tempo leaves the right amount of room before deadlines.

Find your calendar link

Tempo needs a special link from your school's system, called a calendar feed. It's a long web address that usually ends in .ics. It lets Tempo read your assignments without your password.

The Canvas app doesn't show this link. You need the Canvas website, in Safari or Chrome. That's why it's hard to find.

It's the address you see when you log into Canvas in a browser. Opens in a new tab.

On a computer (easiest)

  1. Go to your school's Canvas website and log in.
  2. Click Calendar in the left menu.
  3. At the bottom of the right-hand side panel, click Calendar Feed.
  4. Copy the link in the box that pops up. Text or email it to yourself, then paste it into Tempo on your phone.

On an iPhone or Android

  1. Use the box above, or open Safari/Chrome and go to yourschool.instructure.com/calendar. Log in if asked.
  2. Switch to the desktop layout, because the phone layout hides the link. Safari: tap aA in the address bar, then Request Desktop Website. Chrome: tap ⋮, then tick Desktop site.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the right-hand side panel and tap Calendar Feed.
  4. Press and hold the link in the box, tap Copy, then paste it into Tempo.

Keep the link private. Anyone with it can see your assignment list. Tempo stores it only on your phone.

Connect Canvas (optional)

The calendar link only knows due dates. If your school uses Canvas, you can also give Tempo an access token, so it can see what you've turned in, what's missing, point values and when work was assigned. Finished work then clears itself, and the lock can unlock the moment Canvas says something is submitted.

  1. On the Canvas website, open Account then Settings.
  2. Scroll to Approved Integrations and click + New Access Token. Name it "Tempo".
  3. Copy the token and paste it into Tempo under Settings then Canvas access token.

Treat the token like a password: only paste it into Tempo. Many schools make tokens expire after 90 days; Tempo warns you a week before. You can delete it in Canvas anytime to disconnect. Some schools don't allow students to make tokens at all, and that's fine: everything else still works.

Your Today screen

Today is where you'll spend most of your time. From top to bottom:

HeadlineHow many study periods you have, and whether they fit before your stop time.
RibbonYour evening at a glance: one colored block per period, sized by how long it takes, then free time. Finished blocks turn solid. Tap any block to make it the big card.
Lock cardTurn on a lock for tonight. See Tempo Lock.
Big cardThe one thing to do now, with its start time, how long it should take and when it's due. Tap Start period to begin, or Done if you already did it.
Later todayThe rest of tonight as a timeline. A dashed line marks your stop time.
NotesHeads-ups, like work that won't fit before its deadline or a very busy day coming up.
Get aheadWhat's coming next. Swipe through and start early if you have time.
This weekMinutes you've logged each day and how much you've finished.

Each class has its own color everywhere in Tempo, so you can tell what's what at a glance. Tap any assignment to see its details: when it was assigned, when it's due, and how long it needs.

Starting work

  1. Tap Start period. The screen fills with that class's color and a timer starts.
  2. Do the first step it shows, like "Do the first problem only." Two minutes is enough to get going.
  3. When you're done, tap Finished and pick how long it actually took. That's how Tempo learns your pace. Need a break? Pause saves your progress.

If you finish faster than planned, the time shows up as earned back. After a few logged periods, estimates adjust to you, and you can see your pace in Week.

Tempo Lock

A lock is a promise you make to yourself: distractions wait until tonight's work is done.

  • Start it: tap Lock tonight on Today, then choose tonight's whole plan or just one assignment.
  • How an assignment clears: finish it after at least 15 minutes of focus in Tempo (less for short ones), or instantly when Canvas says it's submitted, if you've connected Canvas. Skipping it on purpose also clears it.
  • Never past bedtime: the lock always ends at your stop time.
  • Emergency unlock: always there. Pick a reason, wait 30 seconds, and you're out. No judgment.

What actually gets blocked: on a laptop, the Tempo Lock Chrome extension blocks distracting sites (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and more) during a lock. On phones, blocking apps needs the iPhone app, which is coming. Until then, the lock keeps your session and its rules.

When plans change

  • Can't do something now? On the big card, tap Can't do this now? and choose later today, tomorrow, a shorter version or skip. Tempo reshuffles the rest.
  • Yesterday didn't happen? Tempo moves the leftovers into today and tells you calmly. Tap Adjust to change anything.
  • Estimate wrong? Tap the assignment, change Time it needs with − and +, and save. You can also set Don't start before.
  • Want to do something specific now? Tap it anywhere and choose Do this now, or tap its block in the ribbon. It becomes the big card.
  • Skipped by mistake? Find it in Upcoming and tap Bring back.

Upcoming and Week

Upcoming lists every assignment by due date, each with when to start it. Tap Show past work to see older items.

Week has a month calendar. Darker purple means more work is planned that day, and the dots show what's due, by class. Tap a day to see its work. Below that are a two-week chart, the work left in each class, and your pace.

Settings

Tap the gear at the top of Today:

  • Calendar links and Canvas access token.
  • Study time: minutes and start times for school days and weekends, plus your stop by time.
  • Tempo Lock: the minimum focus time to clear an assignment.
  • Privacy: whether to share anonymous usage counts.
  • Reminders: a quiet notification when a period is about to start, while Tempo is open in a tab.
  • Starting style: how early you like to start.

Fixing problems

"Safari can't find the server"

Check the address is exactly tempo-study-3x2.pages.dev. If it still won't open on school Wi-Fi, the network may block it: try cellular data. Turning Airplane mode on and off also clears old errors.

"Couldn't load a calendar link"

Make sure you copied the whole link (it usually ends in .ics) and that it's the Calendar Feed link, not the normal Canvas page address. Paste it again in Settings.

Work I already finished keeps showing up

The calendar link doesn't know what you've turned in. Tap the check to mark it done, or connect Canvas so finished work clears itself.

Today is empty

Either nothing needs to start today (nice), or your study time is set to zero for today. Check Settings → Study time.

The estimates feel off

Tap the assignment and change Time it needs. And after each period, pick how long it really took: after a few, Tempo adjusts to your pace.

I got a new phone

Tempo keeps your plan on your device, and there are no accounts yet, so set it up again with your calendar link. Your assignments come right back.

Something else

At the bottom of Today, tap Testing Tempo? Tell us what you think and describe it. It goes straight to the people building Tempo.

Privacy

  • Your plan stays on your phone. Assignments, settings and your calendar link are stored only in your browser.
  • Calendar links and Canvas requests pass through Tempo's server only to be fetched for you. Nothing is saved.
  • If you turn on anonymous usage, Tempo counts things like "a lock started" or "a period finished", with a random ID. Never your name, classes, assignments or calendar. You can turn it off anytime in Settings.
  • No ads, nothing sold. Tempo is for students 13 and older.
Ready? Open Tempo and paste your link.Open Tempo