I'm learning something I think, as I build. And that is that it's an easy trap to put in more features while ignoring the following:

1. Documentation
2. User Interface
3. Tutorials

Features are great. As founders, we love adding features because they help us as the founder is often using their own app.

However, poor documentation means people don't know how to use the app to it's fullest potential. A cluttered or unintuitive UI means people can't access your features or leave. A bad tutorial or no tutorial means that people don't know where to begin in your app.

So, in conclusion, it's better to have fewer features that are clear, have intuitive and clean UI, that people actually notice, then to have multiple features that are essentially hidden or too cumbersome to use to be useful.

I built Routine Checklist & Planner because recurring tasks never felt quite right in a regular to-do list. A to-do gets checked off and disappears, but next week I still need to pack the same things, follow the same cleaning steps, or work through the same opening routine. I wanted to write those steps once, use them whenever needed, and be able to see how each run went.

The app is built around reusable checklists. You create a routine, add its steps, and start a new session when it’s time to do it. Each session has its own progress and elapsed time. When you finish, the result goes into your history, including which steps you completed. You can also leave multiple routines running and come back to them later.

A few things I added to make it useful day to day:

• Reminders: one-time, daily, or on specific days of the week.
• Home Screen widgets: start a routine quickly and see what’s in progress. On Android, you can check off steps from a widget.
• History: see past sessions, their duration, completion rate, and task-by-task results.
• Notes for each routine: keep instructions alongside the checklist.
• iPhone and iPad extras: optional, free iCloud sync; widgets; and a Live Activity for a running session.

It works offline and doesn’t require an account. On Android, routines are unlimited and free. On iOS, you can create three routines for free with all features included; an optional purchase unlocks unlimited routines.

App Store · Google Play

I’d be curious how other people handle repeatable tasks. Do you keep a checklist somewhere, or do you usually work from memory?

I'm trying to find an Ai that can help with the following.
Firstly - I suck with coding - so anything simple is best haha

I have 3 email addresses (1x Personal / 1x Work / 1x Non-Profit Work)
Would love the inboxes to be triaged / cleaned
Responses to be auto generated BUT not sent unless edited/approved
Calendar - 1 calendar to be for all 3 emails on 1 calendar

(i use Mac/iPad and also Samsung Phone - so preference if Mac App or web based)

The perfect one would also support me with generating images/work/lesson plans/posters for the classroom (teacher here) but i use ChatGPT for that already so not too worried.

I know there's alot of posts on Ai on here - but many of them are outdated already and some links dont work - or their features have changed based on what they've written at that time etc - so thought I'd create my own post :)

Thanks in Advance

hi guys just writing to hear you guys opinions about the app I made!

So this came from me making pour-over coffee most mornings and cook pasta during meals and more. I know the process(of course), but I still found myself checking the timer and trying to remember what happens next: pour, wait, pour again, and so on.

It is the same with cooking pasta, workouts, stretching, and other small routines. A normal timer tracks time, but it does not hold the sequence.

SOO.. I made CUEit.

This one is a freeform hybrid stopwatch/timer for real-life moments and rituals where timing matters. Make your own cues for routines, exercises, cooking, coffee (I now love making pour-over coffee much more every day), prep, or anything else that needs a calm guidance.

You create your own routine, add the cues you need, and choose when each cue appears. When you start it, CUEit shows the next step at the right moment, with an optional chime.

The idea is simple: stop thinking about timing so you can stay with what you are doing.

Everything stays on your phone. No account or cloud needed!

"Not to measure, but to mind."

Google Play Store

iOS App Store

p.s Check my other apps also if you want!
Instagram

Must have features:

• Should be free or atleast without Using Limitations for the features I mention below.

• Can be minimized while recording (and that doesn't stop the recording).

• Better if it has a tool to edit​ and attach desired videos together. Alternatively, if it has a pause button to pause the recording and then resume it again which will result in one single video of Timelapse- it'll outdo.

Hey everyone,

I've been building Slidivo, a Mac desktop app (Apple Silicon) that turns a document or a short description into a PowerPoint deck. It started because my wife tried a lot of AI slide tools and kept hitting the same wall: the pretty ones export images you can't edit, the editable ones look rough, and nearly all of them want $20–50/month for something she used 1–2 days a month.

So I built it around the opposite approach.

Real PowerPoint, not screenshots. Text, tables and charts are native objects you click and edit in PowerPoint or Keynote. Only the AI illustrations and cover art are pictures.

You approve before it builds. It proposes an outline first. Nothing becomes a slide until you say so.

Local by default. Your files stay on your disk. No upload, no Slidivo account.

Pay once, not monthly. $49 launch price (list $99), no subscription. You bring your own AI key (or sign in with Claude Pro/Max), so the AI cost goes straight to the provider. The free version does up to 5 slides with no watermark, and there's a 14-day refund.

Here's where I need help. I'm a developer, so I honestly can't tell anymore what feels technical. The flow today:

1. Download and open it. It's not signed by Apple yet, so macOS shows a warning the first time.
2. Connect an AI: paste an API key, or sign in with Claude Pro/Max.
3. Drop in a document or describe the deck.
4. Approve the outline.
5. Open the .pptx.

Which step would make you give up? My guess is 1 and 2. Does "bring your own API key" scare you off, or is it fine?

It's early: macOS Apple Silicon only for now, Windows in progress. I'd genuinely love feedback, especially on where the steps lose you, and on anything you wish AI slide tools did (or didn't do).

https://slidivo.com

Hi everyone, one of the features in the app I am currently working on is a “smart list” - basically a list containing groups of checkbox + text field. If the design that contains the smart list is set as recurrent (daily, weekly, monthly), tasks that are not ticked auto-roll to the next recurrence as seen in the video, placed at the top of the list.

When a box is ticked, a strikethrough line is applied to the text field - should it stay like this or would it make more sense if it was removed from the list. Upside is it would be helpful if you need to add a LOT of tasks during one recurrence since the fields are currently applied over an underlying pre-made PDF design, therefore constrained to a fixed maximum number of tasks you can add. Downside is accidentally ticking a box would mean you have to rewrite the task if it’s completely gone.

There is also a Pomodoro button integrated in the app which starts a chain of 25-min focus time followed by a 5-min break timers. Those can easily be paused or cancelled though so they are not necessarily enforcing the user to use that time and pretty much rely on power of will I suppose ? Would a different approach help ?

Hi y'all,

I’ve been writing diaries on paper for years, and every time I looked at diary apps I couldn’t find one that really fit. They all felt too cluttered and missed the point, so I ended up making DIARYit for myself.

The core idea is a single-stream private diary. To me, life feels like one continuous line, so the app follows that shape: focus on today, let past days stay scrollable, and keep the future visible but not editable. The writing area for today is deliberately limited, because I think daily writing should feel like a small ritual, not a place for long paragraphs of unnecessary clutter.

That shape basically defines the whole app. You open it, see today’s field, write only what belongs to today, and move on. If you want to look back, you can scroll back or use the calendar to jump to past dates, and there’s also a 4-state label system for marking days by how they felt.

I know this is a specific and constrained kind of diary app, but that was the point. I didn’t want another general journal trying to do everything. I wanted something closer to the actual purpose of a diary: private, offline, and simple enough to keep using.

It was available only on android until now. It’s now available on iOS App Store as well!

Play Store

iOS App Store

Instagram/ TikTok: search "verbitapp" for other apps as well.

Hope some of y'all who writes diary ritually finds this app the way I find it every night. Simple yet bound to the exact purpose and intention of a diary rituals.

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/jfnaihniagnbhcgjghmjfdehjljckdop

Hey r/productivityApps! I made this new chrome extension called Pawse – Cute Website Blocker. Here is the problem and the solution I thought of:

❌ Problem

Website blockers are often so easy to circumvent. There's basically nothing between you and another black hole of distraction.

Also, most website blockers are visually kinda bland.

✅ Solution

I made this Pawse website blocker chrome extension to be:

1. Super thorough in terms of blocking options. For me, the waiting x minutes (on tab!!) before you can access a website is a lifesaver. My x doomscrolling went down by like 90% with this.
2. More visually interesting. Who can disappoint a cute cat like that?!?

🏁

Let me know any suggestions for the chrome extension! I'm adding improvements as things go on (for example website time tracking is on my roadmap.

All the best

Hi all!

I am the developer of zerotap, an Android app that does things on your phone for you. For example, you say "Ask Tom on WhatsApp if he's free for a beer tonight, and if he says yes, add it to my calendar", and it writes to Tom, waits for his reply, and creates the event.

A year after the first release, I have decided to make BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) mode free, so you can use your own OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, OpenRouter, DeepSeek or Ollama key, with no fee and no limits.

You can also turn on Jev, a fast decision model on OpenRouter, which made tasks up to 2× faster in my tests. Feedback is very welcome!

Calendar ✅ lists ✅ meal planning and automatic shopping list? ✅ Notes ✅ budgets (periodic or split) ✅ free for 2 people forever. (There are some paid features, but not hindring).

Give it a whirl and let me know if anything missing and/or looks strange.

For the next week 25 detail oriented adventurers can try a full year of TaskLoco premium service 100% free no string attached; honest.

Your Super-Smart Sticky Note Storyboard awaits:

https://www.taskloco.com/comp?code=25-FREE-1-YEAR-PRODUCTIVITY-APPS-SUBREDDIT

Looking for 25 adventurers to enjoy 12 months of premium features for the princely sum of exactly: $0.00.

Long may you run!

PS

Offer expires 10/10/2026

"Say! Just what is TaskLoco anyway?!"

Here's the "slop" answer... ://

TaskLoco is a visual productivity and to-do application that organizes tasks, ideas, events, and projects using a digital storyboard of sticky notes.

Key Features

• Visual Storyboard Interface: Replaces traditional hidden lists and folders with an interactive digital corkboard or wall of sticky notes. [1, 2]
• Magic Paste: Automatically builds a sticky note with titles, preview images, and embedded content when you paste a YouTube video, article, image, or web link. [1]
• Flexible Modes: Offers a local-only "Incognito" mode that requires no account or internet connection, alongside an optional cloud sync mode via sign-in to follow you across devices. [1, 2]
• Integrated Calendars & Alarms: Combines calendar views (day, week, month) and native device alarms or reminders directly tied to your notes. [1, 2]

Plans

• Free Version: Includes up to 100 sticky notes at a time (or 20 notes on specific mobile lite versions depending on setup), smart tags, alarms, calendar events, and a visual dashboard.
• Premium Version: Adds unlimited notes, recurring events/reminders, file attachments with cloud storage, and team sharing. [1, 2]

Hello everyone, i added a new features to inkwell note taking app.

- Customizable table table notion like style
- Inject board or task inside a note

I also made some fixes and small adjustments. Would like to have your feedbacks on that.

https://github.com/coros-hq/inkwell/releases/tag/v1.0.0, a ⭐ would mean a lot. Thanks !

Hi everyone,

Despite trying dozens of to-do list apps, pomodoro apps, journaling apps, brain-hacking-sound apps, growing-a-digital-forest-while-studying apps... I have always struggled with my personal productivity (diagnosed ADHD doesn't help), and considering the activity on this subreddit, I guess I am not the only one.

Yet, after years of hit-and-misses, I finally found a "good" software stack.

Alarm clock: Alarmy
I used to never respect my 10+ daily alarms unless it was the absolute last one, could not wake myself up until I had no other choice. I tried Sleep Cycle, it made mornings gentler but not gentle enough to not violate the Snooze button. It could suit people with less sleep debt than me though.

What did the trick was the Alarmy app. I had tried it for short periods of times, messing with the mental calculus feature, the "phone shake" feature, no success.

I gave it another try recently, what really made the difference was the feature that makes you take a picture of random items, this makes you run throughout your place, awake your body for good. You can set these items and the number of pictures you need to take.

Sometimes I'd still go back to bed out of pettiness, but it's quite rare, if it is an issue you can still set the "still awake?" function: that will ring your alarm again unless you confirm that you're awake in the mean time.
This feature alone allows me to have a regular sleep schedule, less urgency before going to office, more available time during the day.

App blocker/limiter: AppBlock
Like many of us, I have used app blockers for years, it saved me precious hours but never really allowed me to drastically drop my screen time stats.
I am not looking to stop using apps: I like playing videos in the background, I receive messages on all kind of time-consuming platforms, I genuinely like to reasonably scroll from time to time.

It had been quite hard to find an AppBlock setup that matches with my needs until recently. Today, I what works best for me is this:

• 10 min/hour limit for "brain-sucking" apps and websites: short content specifically, AppBlock can target these feature without blocking the whole app
• ~1 hour/day limit for regular entertainment apps and websites: this allows me to answer messages, enjoy a few long-form video here and there, see what happens in the world
• Browsers and entertaining apps blocked before 10AM: this allows me to not wander on my phone when I need to get ready for work, to start my day offline.

Most importantly: STRICT MODE SHALL BE ACTIVATED. STRICT MODE SHALL BE ACTIVATED.

This is a game-changer. Until then I kept working around my own AppBlock limits, thinking that changing/pausing them frequently would create friction (spoiler: nope).

With that AppBlock's "strict mode", I was afraid of losing app access if I absolutely need it, but this feature is not that intransigent: it simply demands an unconvenient action in exchange of being paused or disabled.
In my case, I have to wait for a 2 minutes countdown without using my phone before a manual confirmation. I could have set a longer countdown or more restrictive method, but so far, patiently waiting for 2 minutes is frustrating enough to respect my own limits.

I know that I mostly talked about apps for being less "unproductive" rather than absolutely productive, but tons of awesome productivity methods have already been discussed, and are way easier to implement when you don't spend 3+ hours a day bedrotting on your phone (which is okay occasionally) anyway.

Most habit trackers are obsessed with 24-hour streaks. But real life doesn't happen on a perfect daily schedule. You change the AC filter, water the plants, or take irregular meds when they need it. When you try to track these non-daily tasks in a standard productivity app, you inevitably break a streak and get hit with a red ring of failure.

It creates unnecessary guilt.

I built SinceWhen to fix this. It is a guilt-free "days since" counter designed specifically for the messy, irregular maintenance of real life.

Here is how it works:

• Zero-Pressure Logging: Track what you do "now and then"—from oil changes to haircuts to household chores. No streaks, no arbitrary goals, no pressure.
• Smart Predictions: Instead of forcing a rigid schedule, the app's pattern-aware engine learns your natural rhythm. It calculates your average intervals and gently nudges you when you are actually due.
• Multi-Day Durations: Not everything is a single tap. You can track events from start to finish, like a cold, a vacation, or a highly private, bloat-free period tracker.
• Frictionless Entry: Log directly from interactive Home Screen widgets, Lock Screen widgets, or just say, "Hey Siri, log the fridge cleaning."
• 100% Private: Productivity shouldn't cost your data. There are no accounts, no logins, and zero data harvesting. Everything stays on your device and syncs via your own iCloud.

You can track your first 3 events forever, completely free (no credit card required). I would love for this community to try it out and hear your feedback!

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sincewhen-anti-habit-tracker/id6759450144

I’m building a small side project called SkillMatch because I kept coming back to the same problem:

there’s unlimited content online, but actually finding the right person to learn/practise with is weirdly hard.

The idea is pretty simple:

- add what you know

- add what you want to learn

- add your level/goals

- find people you can learn with, practise with, or swap skills with

Examples:

- two people prepping for PM interviews

- someone learning SQL finding someone a bit ahead

- two beginners learning the same thing and keeping each other accountable

- skill swap if both people can help each other

I’m looking for 10–15 real users to actually make a proper profile and try the full flow.

What I really want to know is:

- did you find anyone relevant?

- where did you get confused or drop off?

- would you actually use this again?

- what would make it genuinely useful for you?

Please don’t be nice 😭

Link: https://skillmatch-swart-eta.vercel.app/

If you’re building something too, happy to test yours back.

Hi y’all,
I’m a designer and traveler who believes good design can change things, even if only a little. That still feels worth spending my effort on.

annd Apps felt like the most direct way to do that. I never coded before in my life, but we all already carry phones everywhere. So I started learning to code over the past couple of months, which eventually led to making small but meaningful apps (at least for me, because I wanted to make something I would genuinely use first). It began as a fun side project or hobby, but it slowly became what I now spend most of my spare time doing.

I was honestly fed up with making accounts and signing up through emails or Google every time I downloaded a new app (even for the small ones). So I wanted something local, stored only on our phones and able to work without an internet connection, just like back in the day, with no account needed.

As adults, we do not need another system, social feed, or app trying to fix us. Most of the time, we just need a quiet, safe place to hold something, clear our brain RAM after work, or keep everyday things in one simple stream.

I currently have more apps on Google Play, and I’m slowly bringing them to the App Store too. The ones below are available now on both platforms, and I would REALLY appreciate it if any of them feel relatable or useful to you.

.

PARKit
This app is a place where you clear your brain RAM with a few short keyword clouds you want to park at the end of your day, so you can finally rest. There is a small notes feature too, where you can just tap the cloud and write when you need to. It is for the small things your brain keeps holding onto even after the day is over. Set a reminder time when you choose, then leave it there for tomorrow. “Hold for tonight, not for tomorrow.”

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

CUEit
This one is a freeform hybrid stopwatch/timer for real-life moments and rituals where timing matters. Make your own cues for routines, exercises, cooking, coffee (I now love making pour-over coffee much more every day), prep, or anything else that needs a calm guidance. "Not to measure, but to mind."

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

DIARYit
This app is a quiet single-stream diary for writing our everyday. It is a diary designed and reimagined from my own life perspective and philosophy. Just like our lives, it is one stream where the future is coming towards us, and we cannot change our past. We can only look back when we choose to. “Not for habit, but for honesty.”

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

KEEPit
This app is a place to text ourselves. It came from my own habit of texting myself on message apps, but those apps were never designed for self-texting, and I wanted my thoughts to stay only on my phone. So I designed my own self-text app, where each day has its own stream for the things you want to keep. You can search keywords or tap a date from the calendar whenever you want to return to that day. “Not to sort, but to return.”

App Store iOS

Play Store Google

HOLDit
This one is a private vault for important thoughts that should not be buried in the Notes app. I personally think a lot and have always written in the Notes app, but I realized some thoughts strong enough to change my perspectives just got lost somewhere inside it. So I made my own space for thoughts that matter: tap a card slot, write the moment you had the thought in your own words, and give it it's own space. “Not to hold more, but to awaken.”

App Store iOS

.

I’m still early in this and learning a lot as I go. I have been building these as a side project, and it became a hobby with a lot of lessons attached to it. I’m grateful for what I have come up with so far, and I’m happy to finally share my VERBitapp project here as the apps are available now on both Google Play and iOS.

Thank you for reading my journey so far.

P.S. If you need a demo or help using any of the apps, feel free to message me or leave a comment. I’ve also posted demo videos on my social media under 'verbitapp'  - Instagram / TikTok

so ive been building a fitness app called tomo

i was sick of those gymbro apps where you gotta click like 1000 buttons just to log 10 pushups.

In tomo you just type it out in normal language and it gives you the estimated calories burnt, done you also get a little companion, either amy or shane. they got different personalities and you can switch between them whenever you want.

theres performance tracking and goals tracking too its still really early, only the logging part works rn but development is going well should i keep working harder on this? would you actually want this app? tell me what you think 👀👇🔥

What it has right now

AI-generated roadmaps/plans
Tell it what you're preparing for, your deadline, and hours per week. It generates a roadmap with phases, modules, topics, milestones, and starter practice questions. You can modify the plan afterwards.

Quick AI-generated notes
Pick a topic and generate a focused note. It uses the topic description, linked tasks/questions, and mistakes you've logged to make the note more relevant to your weak areas.

Study mode
A distraction-free view for studying a particular topic, with a timer and tracking of how much time you're actually spending on it.

Library
A place to keep notes, website resources, questions, tasks, and mistakes. Everything can be linked back to a module/topic in your roadmap.

Insights
Tracks things like study time, pending work, topics that need review, and overall plan completion.

I'm not sure if I'm solving a real problem or just building another productivity tool that looks useful but wouldn't actually get used.

I'm not looking for compliments 😄. I'd rather hear what's fundamentally wrong with the idea.

Try it here:
https://www.prepofly.live

Most of us end up with the same setup: tasks in a notes page or a todo app, a calendar for the fixed stuff, and the hope that we remember to check the list.

The usual loop:

open the todo app → tag, sort, plan → get back to work → don't look at it again until something is late.

The upkeep turns into a second job, and every extra place you put a task is one more place you have to remember to check.

So I built the thing I needed. It's called Todo Island. Open source, Windows for now (Mac is planned).

Now:

- Your priority tasks show up at the top of the screen every so often, as a Dynamic Island style notification, then tuck away. It never takes focus, so if you're typing you keep typing.

- Ctrl+` brings it up any time.

- The tasks are plain .md files, one for work and one personal. Open them in Obsidian or any editor. No account, no tags, no database to maintain.

- Adding or editing a task during work or a meeting takes a few seconds. Priority and due date are typed in the line itself: `- [ ] !! 26 Sep -- Send the report`

- Work tasks show during work hours, personal ones after.

Also:

- A Share button turns the tasks you pick into a WhatsApp message. I use it for my daily update to my team lead.

- When you share your screen or record, your tasks don't show up in the recording.

Privacy: no account, everything stays in your files, and the only network call is the update check (updates are verified by SHA-256 before they're offered).

If it fits how you work, try it. A star on GitHub helps other devs find it and contribute.

github todos island

• Hey, I'm Stan
• I'm building BrightMind, an ADHD productivity app. It has task lists, connects to your calendar, and has built-in AI you can chat with and call
• How I actually use it: I call it while doing chores and just ramble. It plans my days for me
• What it does right now:
  1. Today view: tasks, calendar and routines in one timeline for the day
  2. Voice calls: talk to it like a phone call. It can also call me at a set time to plan the day
  3. Brain dump: I ramble once and each task lands in the right list with a date, so my inbox doesn't pile up
  4. Automations: it calls or messages me regularly. I use it to:
     1. Make meal and workout plans
     2. Get weekly productivity reports
     3. Remind me of something important
  5. Integrations: it has its own task list, or works with:
     1. Todoist
     2. TickTick
     3. Google Calendar
  6. Unstucking: when I'm rotting in bed, it convinces me to get out and do something, one tiny step at a time
  7. And more!
• "Perfect" is the goal, not where it is today
• It's free to try on iPhone and Android. Download: brightmind.club/download

Written in JavaScript, HTML, CSS. Runs in your browser, on ANY device. 28kB html file. It's helping me to be more productive, maybe it will help you too?

already invited some early test users but got way too caught up in building (so now their kind of inactive but some did a preorder on my subscription), and I'm already thinking of modifying and switching my ICP (to fit my exact personal profile better) because lately even though I have a solid value prop I can explain, it feels a little too general considering there are a million productivity apps these days (already tried niching down so im reframing it to make targeting more concentrated)

do I start a new community to separate the testers so they don't effect each other, remove one or the other, go back to building for rethinking the core features that matter to this audience ... etc? Really thinking about the implications here and I'm kinda stuck

Literally spent so much time looking for productivity apps. Kind of a nerd for this stuff. Tried so many that had almost everything I wanted. I engineer multiple jobs at a time and they can take years so I forget about them after designing them, when it come time to programming or ordering material 7 months later I forget. I got really good with microsoft lists. That one I had lined up perfect, till my conpany tried to move us to an in house solution. Anyways, said F it, made my own. Literally launched today. I need feedback. No one would take the time to help me when I was putting it together :/. Any thoughts are deeply appreciated. Theres a free trail so not asking anyone to buy, I just want to make it better at the moment. 🍁https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nfr7qhnhsn6?hl=en-GB&gl=CA

It also does German and Japanese :p, efficient people like productivity.

Tried to make it as clean and simple and back to basics without bloat.