The gathering is what Haklo is built around. Once a week, your family comes together — at the table, on the couch, on a video call — and spends about fifteen minutes moving through four short moments together.
One person holds the phone at a time. They share, they tap, and they pass it on. There's no countdown, no scoring, no facilitator script to learn. The app guides the flow; the family fills it in.
What a gathering is
How long does it take?
About fifteen minutes for a family of four. A little less for two or three; a little more for five or six. Haklo doesn't put a timer on anyone — fifteen minutes is what most families settle into after a few weeks.
Who's "in charge"?
Whoever started the gathering on their phone is holding the device first, but that's all. There's no facilitator role with special powers. Pass the phone to the next person when you're ready; they'll see the screen they need to see.
Kids can hold the phone. Teens can hold the phone. There's no minimum age built into the ritual itself.
Do we have to do it on the same day every week?
The day you picked at setup is the day Haklo expects to see you, but nothing breaks if life moves it. Sunday families sometimes do Monday. A vacation week might shift to Tuesday. The gathering counts whenever you finish it.
The four moments
Every gathering moves through the same four moments, in the same order. The shape stays the same so families can stop thinking about the format and start thinking about each other.
One thing
Something from your week. A win, a frustration, a thought you've been sitting with — anything that's actually on your mind. There's no "right" kind of share here. "I'm annoyed about the dishwasher" is just as much a one thing as "I'm grateful for our trip."
Priority
What matters most for you in the week ahead. Work, school, a relationship, a project, a decision you're chewing on. One thing — not a list.
Goal
Something you're working toward. Goals can carry over from previous weeks; they don't have to be new each time. Most goals span months, not weeks.
Kindness
A quiet kindness you'll do for someone in the family this week. You don't tell anyone what it is or who it's for — you just do it. The privacy is the point.
When someone can't be there
Not everyone in the family will always be in the room. Haklo is built around that — being away doesn't mean being left out.
How do I mark someone as away?
When you start a gathering, you'll see your full family roster with a toggle for each member. Mark anyone who isn't with you as away. You'll be asked whether they're away this week (traveling, busy, sick) or whether they live away (college, lives in their own home). The choice affects how Haklo invites them in next time.
What happens to away members?
Away members are notified that the family gathered, and they can add their own one thing, priority, goal, and kindness from wherever they are. Their input lands in the same gathering record, alongside everyone who was in the room.
How long do they have to add their input?
About three days. After that, the gathering closes whether everyone has added their part or not — the recap is generated with whatever was shared.
If an away member misses the window, they're noted in the recap by name. Visibility, not guilt — but visibility matters.
After the gathering
What's the recap?
Once everyone present has finished, Haklo generates a recap of the gathering — a structured record of what each person shared. Free families see the entries themselves; families on Haklo Plus also see an AI-written summary that pulls together themes, names what's progressing, and flags anything left unresolved.
The recap is private to your family.
Where can I find old gatherings?
In the gathering tab. Scroll back to revisit any week. Each gathering's recap stays there for you.
What's the streak counter?
The number on your home screen counts how many weeks in a row your family has gathered. If you skip a week, it resets — but the goal isn't a high number. The goal is the rhythm. A streak of three that includes a hard conversation is more valuable than a streak of fifty that became performative.
When things go sideways
What if we get interrupted partway through?
The gathering flow doesn't have an exit button right now — it's designed to be done in one sitting. If something forces you to stop, you can close the app, but here's what to know:
- Each moment (One Thing, Priority, Goal, Kindness) saves when you advance to the next one. Anything you typed but didn't tap forward on isn't kept.
- If you don't come back within about four hours, Haklo automatically closes the gathering and saves a recap of whatever you finished. You'll see it on the home screen the next time you open the app.
- There isn't a way to resume a half-finished gathering today. If you want to continue, you'll start a new one.
We know this is a gap. It's tracked, and we'll improve it.
I forgot what to do — where do I see the instructions again?
Go to Settings → Help → "How gatherings work." It's a quick refresher of the four moments. You can also revisit this page anytime.
Missing something or got a question this page didn't answer? Let us know — we update this page from real questions.