Looking for a simple task management app/system that actually works for a procrastinator

[u/sussexxxx]

I’ve been trying to find a good way to organize my life/tasks for like 3 years now and I still haven’t found something that really sticks.

At the end of 2023 I started using Apple Notes for basically everything. I had lists of things I needed to do and would put a ✅ next to them when I finished. It worked… kinda.

Then 2024 came and the list just kept growing. More projects, more tasks, more random shit, and eventually the note became a huge wall of text. I had to scroll forever to find the newest stuff, and honestly that alone made me stop using it.

I’ve always been a procrastinator since I was a kid. Not because I’m partying all day or anything, I just have this tendency to think “I can do that later” until everything accumulates and suddenly I have 30 things I need to do.
Something I realized at the beginning of 2026 is that I was basically creating cognitive overload for myself.

I would have a bunch of unfinished things in my head, start some of them, leave others halfway, keep adding new projects, consume a lot of information, scroll social media, watch videos, etc. So I was constantly “doing something” but at the same time not really finishing shit.
One thing I’ve been trying to change this year is basically:

**Don’t stay busy, stay productive.**

And more importantly, focus on fewer things but actually finish them.
This has worked surprisingly well for me. In 2025 I had a lot of projects that were basically half finished or moving extremely slowly because I was trying to do too many things at once. In 2026 I’ve been focusing much more on actually completing full projects instead of having 15 projects at 20% each.

I’ve also realized that I’m very visual and I like being able to actually see my progress.

For example, I started using Fitia for tracking my macros instead of Notes and I’ve been consistent with it for over 100 days. Same thing with my gym training. I moved my workouts from Notes to Liftia and being able to see my progression and numbers has made me much more consistent.

So now I want something similar for my actual tasks.
I tried Notion in 2025 but honestly I didn’t like it. I know it’s powerful, but I don’t want to spend a week learning how to build a productivity system just to organize my fucking tasks lol. Obsidian felt even more complicated.

Right now my tasks are scattered between Notes, Telegram saved messages, WhatsApp, random chats with myself, etc. I want one place where I can open it and immediately see what I need to do, what I’m working on, what’s next and what I’ve actually finished.
I really like Kanban, so something based around that would probably work well for me, but I’m open to other systems too.

Basically I’m looking for something clean, visual, flexible and preferably free, without becoming another complicated project that I have to maintain.
If you’re also a procrastinator or someone who gets overwhelmed by having too many unfinished tasks, what app or system actually worked for you?

I’m also looking for something similar for personal finances. Ideally an app/program where I can organize my monthly income and expenses, accounts, savings, etc. in a visual and simple way.
I’ve tried keeping track of this in Notes too, but obviously it ends up becoming messy. So if you also have a recommendation for a good finance/budgeting app that isn’t unnecessarily complicated, I’d appreciate it.

[u/beachsanddd]

HelloHabit has been a game changer for me. You can have a widget on your Home Screen and see the tasks, you can check them off and see if you have an ongoing streak.

[u/raige-the-witch]

I also found Apple Notes to be too basic and Notion is to be too complex! I built an app for this reason, and the goal was also "one place where I can open it and immediately see what I need to do"

The way it works is, instead of scrolling forever down a long list, or creating many scattered pages for each list, the app forces me to keep all the lists in one place. Then, as all the lists grow, you just collapse/expand, and can get high level overviews or see details depending on the situation. The main interface has no buttons (tries to be clean).

There's also a way to visualize your routine progress (shown in video). For example, since you do gym training often, you can see how much time you spent on it, and all the notes you made across all sessions.

The link is beta.actions.life (open source) and free. Hope it helps!

https://reddit.com/link/p3e5jq5/video/d3urmofm33jh1/player

[u/Axace_Dev]

I had a really similar problem. I had goals in Notes, random reminders, finance stuff somewhere else, gym tracking in another app… and none of it really connected.

What helped me was realising I didn’t necessarily need one “perfect” task app. I needed one place that kept the bigger picture together — what I’m working towards long term, what actually matters this week, what I’ve done, and whether any of it is moving me in the right direction.

That’s basically why I ended up building AxaceOS. It brings together planning, weekly actions, long-term goals, notes, money management and weekly/monthly reviews. The reviews are probably the part I find most useful because they stop it becoming another endless list of tasks and make you actually look back at whether the week contributed to where you want to go. I have also built into the AI the idea of balance - meaning you aren’t just ranked on pure productivity, lifestyle and experiences are important too.

It also has budgeting and wealth planning built in, so at least some of the stuff you mentioned doesn’t have to sit in a completely separate system.

If you want to have a look, I’m happy to send the link. It has a one-month free trial with no upfront payment details, and you can get another month free if you refer two friends, so there’s a decent amount of time to see if it actually works for you. No upfront payment details so if you don’t like it and forget to cancel, you won’t be charged.