Alternatives
Products that do what I packaged all of the productivity advice into one product does
Hey hackers, Like many of you, I'm always trying to optimize my productivity, and I have tried a lot of apps out there to do so. I didn't find the exact one that I could use, so I built one for myself. Check it out and let me know if you have any thoughts!
- 1YP
Care to share a screenshot and the 'killer feature' of any of your personal, self-built productivity tools? eg. I made my own calendar and money-tracker last year - there are no other users, it makes no money, I have no plans to make it public, but it holds my life together :) http://i.imgur.com/h2keJDg.png GREAT BECAUSE... it tells me how much I'm going to get paid this month. Absolutely no ulterior motive here (ie. I'm not canvassing opinions for a productivity app startup or anything), just interested.
2013
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- 4IM
I recently decided to try out Google Tasks as my only task management system, and while I find some things about the interface great, it really isn't suited for someone like me who has multiple lists with lots of elements on each. So, I whipped this together real fast and I can't imagine using Google Tasks without it anymore. I realized you might want it too, so I put it on the web. Enjoy :)
2011 · gtasker.com
- 5IS
Hey HN friends, I keep getting distracted working from home and always end up watching youtube, browsing blogs like HN or just mindlessly scrolling then I feel like crap because I didn’t do enough. I went through dozens of productivity tools but they’re quite overwhelming to use and none of them actually helped me focus. So I built http://complish.ai, a web-based sidebar that helps me focus on one task at a time. I launched it last month and have over 3,000 users now and I’ll be keeping it free. Would love for you all to try and give some feedback!
2023
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- 7IM
2022 · 50hacks.co
- 8IM
I am a non-hacker "idea guy" with zero discernible talent. Like most, the story starts with me doing things the hard way. I dreamt of a tool that would save me countless hours. Like most of my ideas, it was supposed to die in a couple of hours, but this one had some legs.... "If I needed this, surely others did too" kept looping in my head. Could I get this built? Could I build it myself? Nah...too lazy to learn how, but before I did anything, I had to promise myself one thing: No more ideas! If ideas were sit-ups, I would have a six pack instead of this tire. It was a constant mental…
2012
- 9IB
Hey, just wanted to share with you guys and app that I built and deployed in a day with Lovable. So, as a founder I always wanted to have an advisor but my budget would always be less, then on the other hand hand I had Paul's essays on Startup Advice, which I never read because I was busy building stuff. Hence, I built this product which comes into a sweet spot of both at the same time being more reasonable and capable than the alternative. ps: it's running on a reasoning model and tbh I've been able to gather pretty good insights from it. Note to PG: If you're seeing this. I'm your big fan.…
2025 · paulgraham.resurrect.space
- 10IB
I’ve always liked fast online tools for jotting notes or organizing thoughts — but most “productivity” sites either save data to the cloud, require sign-ups, or are full of distractions. So I built an online productivity tools website, a small collection of browser-based tools. It includes an online notepad where you can write and save notes right in your browser, a cornell notes tool available in more than 20 languages, and more coming soon like a pomodoro timer and a simple blank page for focused writing. Everything works entirely in-browser using localStorage — no accounts, no cloud sync,…
Oct 2025 · onlinenotep.ad
- 11IM
I'm documenting everything about my process. From learning to code, to building the app, and all the way to my outreach efforts. I'm learning as I go and sharing it with everyone who's not a programer, and is daunted to build a software on their own. Trust me. If I can do it, anyone can! You can find my updates on: https://Claritask.com ...as well as video updates on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmqmifW4kIcPclXigay1dQ Would love to hear your feedback on my progress and if you have any suggestions on what I can do better. There's so many task managers out…
2017
- 12AC
We created Slash (https://getslash.co/hn) after realizing that todo list apps are hopelessly broken. They're great at making lists, but offer you no help in crossing them off. In fact, they often create even more stress when you're staring at a list 100 items longs. Slash is a task "do-er" that helps you CRUSH your list by focusing on one task at a time. Quickly enter your tasks, hit 'Start', and the window shrinks down to a small always-on-top window that shows your current task and how long you've been working on it. When you're done, hover over the task name and click…
2019
- 13C6
Hey there, I'm a solo dev behind KewlTools. So I'm one of those people who like to build their own tools/utilities whenever they a) want to get something done, or b) want to learn something. c) don't want to spend ages finding a utilty and going through walls of ads. I gradually built 66 tools, all free, fast, ad-free, and zero login. I (and my family/friends) use these daily, so thought some of you will find it useful! Any suggestions, improving current tools or adding new ones, please let me know.
2025 · kewltools.com
- 14AD
Hi guys, This is my first time building something from scratch so go easy on me. I've always used to-do lists to keep me productive and stave off anxiety (not sure why they work so well for me but they do). I get kinda annoyed at the to-do list apps on the app stores because they move tasks to the bottom of the list when you tick them off. Some people may like that, but it annoys the shit out of me, because I like to feel a sense of progression as I go down through the list over the course of the day. So this was borne out of my frustration really. I also made it browser-based so it's easy…
2022 · anotherdarntodo.com
- 15OI
I'm trying to get the motivation up to actually finish building out a "real" product, and I found myself needing a "win" to keep my momentum up. So, I hacked out a little one sentence journal app last night. I experimented with a few UI things (e.g.., the autosaving of the sentence for today and so on), so it was a good learning experience also. You can check it out at: http://osod.im
2012
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In my long career as an “almost digital entrepreneur” (a fancy way to say I’ve tried a thousand things online without making a single cent), I never really felt that “this is it, I’m so close, I’ll finally quit everything and update my passport: job title? SaaS founder.” (Small detail: I don’t even have a passport. But I like to imagine that if I did, I’d want something cooler than “unemployed creative” written on it). For years, I collected side projects, hobbies, half-dead MVPs, and random nonsense, all with the same ending: super hyped at the beginning, burned out in the middle,…
2025 · postonreddit.com
- 17MW
Primary link: http://hackerscoffee.org I thought Coder’s Coffee (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4010355) was a great idea but disagreed with a few aspects of its execution (registration solely via linkedin, iOS app only, manual approval process, brittle: crashed every time I used it on my phone). I noticed the app had stopped working entirely last week, and went to the site (http://www.coderscoffee.com) to discover that the project seems to be no more. I re-implemented the concept, minus my grievances, in about 20 free hours I had last week (and also took the opportunity to make a…
2013
- 18AA
I built this app in less than 4 hours over a busy and noisy weekend to help me stay focused while studying, during my college days. Since then I have been maintaining this open source project. Its been quite a fruitful and enjoyable ride. Hope you all like it :)
2023 · github.com
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- 20IB
2022 · kambanthemaker.gumroad.com
- 21MS
For years, I have struggled to understand my cash flow and save for the future. In addition to that, my wife has many credit cards and accounts that complicate matters. I am building a tool that connects all our accounts, helps us create a budget, and tracks and adjusts expenses on the fly. I am also sprinkling some AI magic on it for financial suggestions. I am looking for feedback on the implementation. More importantly, I am looking for more beta testers to improve the product.
2023 · financemadelovely.com
- 22RM
Long time lurker reading and learning from the community here. Inspired to act and currently working to escape from cubicle nation. Financial constraints mean I can't quit cold turkey but realized that working on the "Next Big Thing" part-time doesn't really work either. So, I'm trying to first bootstrap my way out of the day job by being less ambitious and churning out some useful apps. Released the first, Elapsed ~ 2 weeks ago. Apple featured it as a "New & Noteworthy" Productivity app. http://www.elapsedapp.com Elapsed is the ultimate timer app for multi-taskers. Multiple concurrent…
2011
- 23IM
2018 · timekeeperapp.co
- 24A2
Hey Hacker News, I have finished this after 2 months and made the entire thing free (up to 2 projects) for you all to try out, all you need is an account. Thansk and enjoy, Dan
2024 · flourishfreelance.com
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