OpenTime
A universal, human-readable format for your goals, tasks, habits, reminders, events, appointments and projects.
Overview
Understand what OpenTime is and why it matters
Specification
Complete technical specification
Getting Started
Create your first OpenTime file
Reference
Quick lookup for all fields and values
Examples
Real-world OpenTime files
FAQ
Common questions answered
JSON Schema
Validate your .ot files programmatically
OpenTime is a new plain-text standard designed to bring clarity and ownership to the way you manage your time.
Where Markdown made your thoughts portable, OpenTime makes your schedule portable — across apps, devices, platforms, and decades.
Why OpenTime Exists
Most productivity tools lock your data inside their system. Your tasks live in one app, your habits in another, your schedule somewhere else — and none of them speak a shared language.
Even when they claim to “sync,” you're still stuck inside someone else's worldview.
OpenTime changes that by giving you:
- A single format for everything: goals, tasks, habits, reminders, events, appointments, and projects
- Plain-text files you own locally (
.ot) - Total portability between apps who are open enough to adopt a standard, or accept a standard at all
- No vendor lock-in
- Future-proof, human-readable data
Your time should belong to you — not to the tools you use.
What Makes OpenTime Different
Human-readable
You can open an .ot file in any text editor. It makes sense at a glance. You can read it like a human.
App-agnostic
Any app can read or write OpenTime. No licenses. No restrictions. They just need to accept YAML formats.
Extensible
Apps can add their own x_* fields without breaking the standard.
Local-first
Your data starts with you — not a server.
Round-trip safe
Nothing gets lost when moving between apps. Everything stays intact within your saved .ot file.
Built for the next decade
OpenTime supports modern scheduling concepts: recurring habits, flexible tasks, time windows, deep metadata, and more.
Why It Matters
Time is the most valuable thing you have. In some philosophies, it's the only thing you have.
It deserves a format that's:
- portable
- future-proof
- open
- flexible
- and truly yours
OpenTime gives you the freedom to structure your life the way you want — and take it with you wherever you go.
Where Elysium Fits In
Elysium is the first app built natively around OpenTime.
It's both:
- a powerful productivity system for everyday life
- and the reference implementation for the
.otformat - a shared foundation the community can shape, extend, and evolve
But OpenTime isn't just for Elysium.
It's for any developer building:
- calendar apps
- task managers
- habit trackers
- journaling tools
- productivity dashboards
- PKM systems
- or anything connected to time