What's new with Octave (and what's coming next!)

If you use Octave Station daily, you're going to love what's coming to the Lists section. Long-awaited new views are now available, and several major improvements are on their way in the coming weeks. Here's a full rundown of what's changing, plus a brilliant tip to motivate your kids right now!

What's available now

View by person

This is probably the most anticipated feature by the Octave community: each family member now has their own column in the Lists section. No more searching for their tasks: everything is there, visually separated, with time markers (morning, noon, evening) for each person. Children know exactly what belongs to them, and parents have a clear overview of what each person is responsible for.

View by folder

It arrives at the same time as the view by person. You can now organize your tasks exactly as you wish, grouping them by folder according to your own family logic.

What's coming in the next few weeks

The Octave team isn't stopping there! Here are the major improvements coming very soon, both on the mobile app and on the station:

New event and task card design

Task cards are getting new options. You'll soon be able to directly add HTML links and photos. Your kids can even upload a picture of their tidy room to prove it's really done. 😄

New movement options

Moving tasks, lists, and folders will become much smoother: a welcome boost to reorganize your Lists tab with ease!

Quick deferral of tasks or events

A new option will allow you to quickly defer a task, without wasting time manually recreating it.

Task expiration setting

This is probably the most anticipated new feature of this wave of updates. This setting will save you from having to manually delete uncompleted tasks. Here's how it will work:

• A task like "Make my bed" automatically expires in the evening if it hasn't been checked off.
• Expired tasks then serve as data to generate reports on what was done or not done.
• Perfect for tracking habits and progress of each family member over time.

And after all that? AI chat and voice command are on their way!

While waiting for gamification: Dominique's token trick

The token system and the General Store are coming soon to Octave, but while waiting for their official deployment, Dominique, president of Belles Combines and mother of eight children, has developed a simple and effective trick to motivate her children now. Here's how you can do it too!

How to set up the homemade token system

1. In the description of each task, indicate the token value using the ⚪️ emoji:

   • Empty the dishwasher → ⚪️
   • Clean your room → ⚪️⚪️⚪️
   • Take out the trash → ⚪️⚪️

2. All week, children do and check off their tasks normally in Octave.

3. Sunday is payday! Before the start of the new week, consult the "This week" view, count the tokens accumulated by each child for completed tasks, and grant them to each. Unfinished tasks are simply deleted.

Tokens can then be exchanged for rewards or privileges chosen in advance by the family: extra screen time, special activity, outing, etc.

Why this trick works well:

• It's simple to set up: just one emoji in the description is enough.
• It's visually clear: children immediately see the value of each task.
• It's motivating: the reward system is transparent and predictable.
• It's flexible: each family decides for themselves the value assigned to each task.
• It uses what already exists in Octave: no need to wait for new features!

And you, how do you use Octave creatively?

Have you developed your own tips to get the most out of the app? The Octave team loves to discover how families use the tool. Write to them at service@lesbellescombines.com; your tip might just appear in a future article! 💙