Prior glossary

The words Prior uses, from area and backlog to sprint and streak, each with a short definition and a link to the page that explains it in full.

Terms are in alphabetical order. Each one links to the page that covers it.

• Access key: a private key that lets an app that cannot sign in through the browser reach your account. See Access keys.
• Area: a part of your life or work, like Work or Studies, that groups projects. See Areas and projects.
• Assignee: the project member responsible for a task in a shared project. See Assign tasks.
• Backlog: a status for tasks you do not plan to do soon. They stay off Today. See Statuses and the Inbox.
• Burn chart: a burn down or burn up chart that shows the work done and left in a sprint. See Burn charts.
• Calm mode: the default way to use Prior, without XP, a pet or leagues. See Calm or Game.
• Checklist: an ordered list of up to 100 small steps inside one task. See Checklists.
• Chest: a reward from Game mode, earned by levelling up and other milestones. See Chests and items.
• Command palette: the search box opened with Cmd K or Ctrl K that finds anything and runs commands. See The command palette.
• Cycle: a period of time in a project, with a start and an end. In a Scrum project it is called a sprint. See Cycles and sprints.
• Deck: a set of flashcards on one subject. A pack is a deck that holds other decks, such as one per chapter. See Decks and packs.
• Deep link: an address starting with prior:// that opens something in the app, like a task or a new task. See Deep links.
• Discover: the short course inside Prior, made of chapters you start yourself. See Learn Prior with Discover.
• Due date: the day a task is due, with an optional time. See Due dates and times.
• Eisenhower matrix: a grid that sorts tasks by importance and urgency. In Prior it is the Priority lens. See The Eisenhower matrix.
• Focus session: a Pomodoro timer around one task, on the Focus page. See Focus timer.
• FSRS: the method that decides when a flashcard comes back to you, right before you would forget it. See How scheduling works.
• Game mode: the optional way to use Prior with XP, a pet and weekly leagues. See Calm or Game.
• Habit: a routine you check off on a schedule, with a streak. See Create a habit.
• Inbox: a task status for what you captured and have not sorted yet. The Inbox in the sidebar is your email. See Statuses and the Inbox.
• Kanban: a board with one column per stage of work. See Kanban board.
• League: a weekly ranking of players by XP in Game mode. See Leagues.
• Local-first: your work is saved on your device first and synced after. See Offline use and sync.
• MCP: the standard that lets an AI assistant like Claude or ChatGPT work in your Prior account. See Use Prior from your AI assistant.
• Milestone: a checkpoint in a project, with an optional target date, that tasks can belong to. See Milestones.
• Note: a document, personal or shared with a project. See Notes overview.
• Pet: the companion you raise in Game mode as you complete tasks. See Pets.
• Pinned project: a project kept in the sidebar for quick access. See Find your way around Prior.
• Planned block: a slot that automatic time blocking reserves for a task. See Time blocking.
• Planning poker: a way for a team to estimate a story together, in secret, then compare. See Planning poker.
• Pomodoro: a work rhythm of timed sessions and short breaks. See Focus timer.
• Prior AI: the in-app assistant. It proposes changes and nothing happens until you confirm. See The Prior AI assistant.
• Priority: how much a task matters, from P1 (the most) to P4 (none). See Priorities.
• Priority lens: the page that shows your tasks in the four quadrants of the Eisenhower matrix. See The Eisenhower matrix.
• Pro: a paid plan that adds Prior AI, automatic time blocking and Scrum projects. See Plans and pricing.
• Project: a finite outcome, like a trip or a website, that gathers tasks and notes. See Create a project.
• Quadrant: one of the four boxes of the matrix: Do now, Schedule, Delegate and Later. See The Eisenhower matrix.
• Quick add: the one-line field that turns a sentence into a task. See Quick capture.
• Recurring task: a task that creates its next occurrence when you complete it. See Recurring tasks.
• Reminder: a notification at a time you choose for a task. See Reminders.
• Review card: a change proposed by Prior AI that only happens when you confirm it. See Review cards.
• Role: what you can do in a shared project: owner, editor or viewer. See Roles and permissions.
• Scrum and Scrumban: ways to run an agile project, with story points and, for Scrum, sprints. Both are Pro features. See Kanban, Scrum and Scrumban.
• Seat: one paid place in a Team plan, assigned to a person by email. See Team seats.
• Share link: a reusable link that lets people join a project as editor or viewer, after confirming. See Share links.
• Status: where a task stands: Inbox, Backlog, Todo, In progress, Waiting or Done. See Statuses and the Inbox.
• Story points: the size of a task in a Scrum or Scrumban project, in steps of 0.5. See Story points.
• Streak: the number of scheduled days in a row that you checked a habit. See Habit history.
• Sub-task: a task that belongs to another task, in the same project. See Sub-tasks and dependencies.
• Sync: how your devices stay up to date through your account. See Offline use and sync.
• Task: one thing to do, with a title and any of the fields Prior offers. See Create a task.
• Time blocking: Prior placing your open tasks in the free hours of your calendar. See Time blocking.
• Today: the page with the few things to do now. See Use the Today page.
• Waiting: a status for a task that depends on someone else, with a follow-up date. See Statuses and the Inbox.
• Wrapped: a monthly recap of your work told as a short animated story. See Prior Wrapped.
• XP: the points Game mode gives you for finishing tasks and checking habits. See XP and levels.

Updated 5 November 2026