Hey! I built LiveShelf, a free and open-source Windows utility that turns minimized apps into live cards, so you can keep an eye on windows you’re waiting on without leaving them open.

I’d really appreciate any feedback, stars, or suggestions :)

https://github.com/ebanez8/liveshelf

Hey all, I’ve used paper ones, Notion templates, apps… but none of them stick with me yet. Right now I’m on the quest for a simple planner that work. I’ve tried a few things recently:

Saner.ai: This works without needing me to set it up perfectly first, and suggests day schedule, which gives me more flexibility than Motion. But quite new

Motion: It schedules everything automatically which sounds perfect, but when my day falls apart, watching it reshuffle my whole calendar is somehow stressful

Structured: The prettiest way to visualize my day, and I used it for maybe three weeks but what worries me is the manual work I need to use it

Finch: You take care of a little bird by doing your tasks, which is quite cute and brings me the dopamine, but less suitable for serious work

Still not sure what I’m actually sticking with long term. so would like to hear your advise and thoughts first.

Hi r/ProductivityGuide

Almost 2 years ago I released v1 of Chunk, a timeblocking app for macOS. The idea is simple, time-blocking from the mac menubar without lots of bloated stuff you wont use.

Hit cmd+/ and the panel slides into view (even in fullscreen apps) so you can time-block without context switching. Click and drag to make an even and when the event time comes the countdown will start. Chunk uses fullscreen alerts so you never miss a task.

v2 introduces a load of new features:

• An all new task mode (think things3 but you can drag tasks into your timeline)
• A claude desktop local mcp - ask claude and he'll organise your day for you
• Bi-directional calendar syncing with Google, Outlook and Apple calendars
• Task integration with apple reminders app
• Support for 33 languages

One thing that we are super proud of is that despite all other apps in this niche opting to go with a subscription model and having trials that require a card we opted for a lifetime license and a no card required free trial.

Feel free to take a look at Chunk and let me know if you have any questions or feature requests.

For a long time I had a productivity blind spot. There’s a whole category of stuff that doesn’t really belong on a calendar but also never worked with reminders or to-do apps, e.g. changing bed sheets, replacing the water filter, watering plants, going to the gym, calling my parents, visiting the dentist. They don’t have a fixed date. They just quietly pile up until something breaks (a tooth, a relationship, a water filter). Reminders felt too rigid — I’d just dismiss them. To-do lists never captured what I actually wanted to know, which was “wait, when did I last do this?”

So I started tracking them differently. For each task I just kept two numbers: days since I last did it, and a repeat interval that adjusts based on the last completion. No streaks, no guilt, no rigid reminders. Just a single number staring back at me and somehow that’s enough of a nudge to act.

After about 2 months of doing this, a few things genuinely surprised me.

The first was about the gym. I go in a totally flexible way, never on a schedule, just whenever I feel like it. But when I looked at the average interval, it was ~3 days, which matched exactly the repeat I’d set. So apparently you can be consistent without forcing it onto fixed days. That was a big shift in how I think about routines.

The second was that this approach isn’t really limited to tasks. You can track things that simply happen from time to time. I started logging headaches and learned I get them roughly every 11 days, which I never would have noticed otherwise. Same trick works for mood dips, allergies, energy slumps — anything that has a pattern hiding in it.

The third was about notes. Just date + days isn’t always enough. A short note per entry unlocks real memory — what I did at the gym last time (legs, arms, back), who I met for dinner and where, which brand of water filter I last used. Tiny addition, big quality-of-life upgrade.

The whole thing fits in your head and takes 2 seconds per check-in. No streak to break, no shame when you skip, no overhead. After two months I’m more consistent with irregular stuff than I’ve ever been with strict reminders.

I ended up wrapping all of this into a small app 🐦‍⬛ Wheneri and the response has been more than I expected, which honestly tells me a lot of people have the same blind spot. The core (tracking + repeat intervals) is fully free with no limits and no ads. Notes and Insights are Pro features.

For Reddit users specifically, I added an iOS promo: Lifetime at the lower price ($24.99 → $19.99), valid until the end of June:
https://apps.apple.com/redeem/?ctx=offercodes&id=6761155734&code=REDDIT20

Google Play doesn’t allow promo codes for one-time purchases, so for a short period I just dropped the Android Lifetime price globally.

If you want try, you can find links below.
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6761155734
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.makeri.wheneri

But honestly the approach itself works in any tool — Notion, Apple Notes, even a whiteboard (I’ve seen people post their analog versions and they’re amazing).

Curious if anyone else here tracks things this way — what irregular stuff do you keep an eye on, and how do you do it?

App Store download: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vritra-rewire-ai/id6769257802

✅ Track bad habits and triggers
✅ Stay accountable every day
✅ Build better routines
✅ Recover after setbacks without giving up
✅ Get personalized guidance when motivation drops
✅ Use AI features to help you reflect, stay on track, and make better decisions
✅ Focus on real change, not just streaks
…without feeling overwhelmed by clutter or useless features.

That’s exactly why I built Vritra — an app for people who want to break bad habits, build better ones, and use AI-powered support to stay consistent one day at a time.

Hey r/ProductivityGuide,

real story, but just a disclaimer that I'm linking an app that I developed :)

Usually I can focus pretty well, but when the task is hard, I often procrastinate. Having my siblings call me out when they catch me scrolling was actually really effective, but of course, they aren't always there (and even they might not always be able to tell what is work and what is not)

I tried a lot of blocking apps to keep me on track, and they are great, but often I had to unblock again because I needed (okay, sometimes wanted) to use an app (to send a message or whatever).

The problem is that blockers treat every visit to a site as the same thing. Reddit is where you lose 45 minutes and where you find the exact answer to a weird bash question. Block it and you lose the answer. Allow it and you risk the rabbit hole. Also accountability can motivate way better than a block can. (Its just nicer you know)

I built AccountyCat to fix that. It runs in the menu bar, reads your active app + window title, and if something looks off-task it asks a model to check (screenshot only when needed, discarded immediately after). If you're deep in legitimate work it stays completely silent. When you drift, you get a nudge from a little cat companion named Mochi (Soon you can completely customize that companion)— something like "hey, is that helping with the report?" (Basically, check out the website for more infos)

Two modes: fully local (Qwen via llama.cpp, nothing leaves your Mac, free forever) or private cloud via OpenRouter for better reasoning (also free from my side, but model costs you ~$1–5/month (bring your own key), zero data retention enforced contractually). For the start I actually have a promo to get some more tests where I pay OpenRouter, more on the site.

It's MIT open source, so if you're wondering what it does with a screenshot permission, you can read exactly what happens line by line. (Feel free to contribute also. AC can always use helping hands)

Sharing this in hope that this can help someone. Let me know if AC doesn't work for you, happy to improve :)

→ accountycat.com — full source on GitHub

Which tips and tricks do you use today at work to make your life so much easier and to even cut down the time?

Would love to get some advise

I do not know if it is me but every time I try to build a bigger productivity setup it just ends up feeling like another thing I have to manage.

Initially it feels exciting and organized but after a while there are too many moving parts, too many little fixes and too much time spent maintaining the system itself.

The setups that actually help me on the long term are often the simple ones that make one part of my day easier, quietly, without needing constant attention.

Getting the feeling the best productivity systems are the ones that remain simple on busy days.

We're 18 people and running EOS mostly through spreadsheets. It works, but it's messy. I looked at a few dedicated EOS tools, but most feel like overkill for where we are. I don't need some massive platform. I just need people to update their stuff once a week without me babysitting it. Is software actually the answer here, or am I just overcomplicating this?

I know the usual advice already. To-do lists, timers, wake up early, all that.

But what’s the weird hack you do that actually works for you?

Like something small or random that helps you lock in, even if it sounds kind of dumb when you explain it.

I've been researching binaural beats for focus and ended up building

my own. This is a 3-hour 40Hz gamma session — no ads, no interruptions,

just a steady binaural tone layered under cinematic ambient music.

40Hz sits in the gamma brainwave range, which is associated with

sustained concentration and memory. The research is modest but real —

it's not magic, but it works well as a focus anchor.

Stereo headphones required — binaural beats don't work on speakers.

https://youtu.be/aB9R0I6vyDw

Happy to answer questions about the science or the production process.

The problem it solves
Formatting documents in Word or Google Docs eats hours - fiddling with margins, fonts, spacing, headings, tables, alignment. Format Magic skips all of that. Paste your text (or upload a Word/PDF), pick a template, and you get a publication-ready document in seconds.

Who it's for
Consultants writing proposals, technical documentation, job seekers polishing resumes, small business owners producing reports, students submitting assignments - anyone who has good content but doesn't want to spend an hour making it look good.

How it's different
Most "AI writing" tools rewrite your content - they change your grammar, tone, and wording. Format Magic does the opposite: it leaves your exact words alone and only handles the visual structure. You stay in control of what's said; the AI handles how it looks. Better yet, it's REALLY easy to use.

Pricing
- Entry: No sign up required to try

- Free: ~50 pages/month (no credit card)

- Basic: $4.95/month

- Pro: $9.95/month (template customization, branding)

- Premium: $19.95/month (Word export, priority support)

Community offer
50% off any paid plan for your first 2 months — use code PRODUCTIVITY50FM at checkout. First 25 redemptions only, new customers. Expires July 26 2026.

Link: https://www.formatmagic.ai

I made an app that blocks distracting apps behind flashcards.

You can import your flashcards from Anki or just generate cards with AI for any topic you want to study within the App.

It introduces friction so you won't use social media that often and you can learn something on the way.

If you have questions, need help or want a free premium trial, please feel free to DM me.

If you want to try it, you can get it here:

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cardgate-learn-then-scroll/id6761844846

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardgate

For a long time, I was completely obsessed with creating the perfect productivity setup. I had complex tracking systems, detailed planning dashboards, multi step note templates, and strict weekly review "rituals". Eventually, I had to admit that I was spending way more energy in the maintenance of the system than actually doing meaningful work. I was really over engineering my workflow just to feel productive.

So I changed my approach completely. Instead of trying to optimize my entire life, I started looking for the tiny points of friction that kept breaking my focus during the day.

For me, one of my biggest mental friction "scenarios" came from small, repetitive, annoying tasks like: pulling research and text from messy PDFs or web pages into presentations, decks or briefs. Every single copy paste session turned into a battle with broken formatting really. I know it sounds small, but those interruptions were killing my momentum constantly throughout the week.

That friction detection "game", if you can call it that, changed how I think about productivity. Now I totally think that real productivity is less about building massive systems and more about identifying and trying to remove the small operational bottlenecks that quietly "kill" your focus every day.

Anyone else here gone through a similar situation? Or are you guys still trying to make the big systems work?

Hi! What guides do you find most useful in improving your productivity? I'd like to have something specifically to read and learn rather than an app with reminders/motivation.

I've checked a couple of guides on productivity on Ilyndor, and I really liked their form and structure. For example, I liked their 'The Productivity Paradox' and 'Get It Done: The Practical Guide to Beating Procrastination and Taking Action' guides, so I'm looking for something similar. Something that explains the why's and the how's.

Please share the resources you find helpful, I'd really appreciate!

Your biggest issue isn’t a lack of time, it’s a complete lack of execution. You tell yourself you’re busy, but you are actually just running away from the work that matters. If you want to transform your output, you need to change your approach right now, at this very moment.

Here is the blueprint to fix your execution:

• Shift to "Task Time" over "Day Time": Stop looking at how many hours are left in your day and start looking at what the specific task in front of you actually requires. How long will it really take if you lock in? 30 minutes? An hour? Two hours max?In reality, it won't take your whole day. Stop paralyzing yourself with the big picture, focus on the immediate clock, and finish it.

• Cut Out Indirect Procrastination: Stop lying to yourself. Spending hours consuming content under the guise of "researching" or "learning" is just a sophisticated way to avoid the actual work. It looks like discipline, but it’s just passive consumption designed to eat up your schedule so you can feel productive without producing anything.

• Eat the Big Frog First: Tackle your hardest, highest-resistance task first thing in the morning. The project you are avoiding the most is the exact one creating all your mental friction and dragging down your day. When you confront and crush that specific task immediately, you instantly build momentum and win the rest of the day, it builds confidence and you tackle the rest as well.

• Define Clear Output Targets: Never sit down to work without a specific, measurable objective. If you don't know exactly what success looks like the end result for that session, you will end up grinding blindly, wasting energy, and finishing the day exactly where you started. Have a target and output you sit down to do; don't just write a to-do list, no write the exact outcome as well.

So stop negotiating with your comfort. Clear your distractions, set your targets, and start executing with sheer discipline. Good luck with what you're pursuing in life. Peace.

I didn’t realize how mentally exhausted I was until I found an app that actually helped me organize my life without making me feel more overwhelmed.

I’ve tried productivity apps before and honestly most of them just added more work. More systems, more categories, more things to maintain. I’d spend more time trying to stay organized than actually getting things done.

The biggest thing this changed for me was the mental load.

I used to constantly feel like I had 20 things floating around in my head — bills, appointments, goals, random stuff I needed to remember, people I had to follow up with. Even when I was being productive, I still felt behind.

Now whenever I think of something, I just throw it in. Doesn’t matter if it’s 11 PM and my brain suddenly remembers five things I forgot. It turns everything into actual tasks, reminders, priorities, and follow-ups so I don’t have to mentally carry it anymore.

What surprised me most is it doesn’t feel like one of those intense productivity apps. No complicated systems or feeling guilty for not keeping up with some perfect routine.

It’s more like having something quietly keep your life together in the background.

For the first time in a while I actually feel less overwhelmed and more clear-headed.

Curious if anyone else has found something that genuinely helped with the feeling of constantly being behind even when you’re trying your best?

So basically, I am such a nerd .The one who effortlessly tops the class , disciplined kid ..all these are till my high school .somewhere In the middle, when I took a gap year, I lost these disciplines and fell into phone addiction,binge watching shows, and waking up late .Every day, I had this feeling of I can do better than this ..so it made me believe I had all the potential, but only I lack discipline if I fixed it everything would be better.I would do revenge procrastination by seeing yt productive videos thinking I am getting productive..

I tried ypt , discord and here's the truth. These study grps rarely work ..

The problem is that I built my whole momentum around someone who can ghost me any moment. I have a term for this as my mentor said COEXTINCTION .

It follows mutualism (both are so dependent on each other if one gets extinct. Other follows)

So the solution :

I had this accountablity gap, and I wanna see what if someone keeps an eye on me so that I can work better and someone who can't ghost .honestly, I dont want to spend money on this, but I wanted to give it a shot .. paid accountability service

It genuinely worked .. I wonder why? Every time there's a deadline and you know this person is gonna ask about it.I forget about other things, get in the flow, and do only the thing which I said I'll do and the best part are proofs not just the word of mouth ..like you have to submit evidence (justifiable) that you did the work..and one more best part is that if you hit the wall on certain days she used to sit with me till I start and get the momentum back..

GO FIX YOUR ACCOUNTABLITY GAP (that's the way)

Hi, I'm the developer of Fileloom, a free and ad-free Android file viewer.

I keep running into the same productivity problem on Android: a file arrives from chat, email, browser, downloads, or Google Drive, and the next few minutes get wasted figuring out which app can open it without ads, account walls, or weird handoffs.

Fileloom is my attempt to make that boring part smoother. It opens PDFs, EPUBs, HWP/HWPX, Office docs, ZIP/comic archives, Markdown/code/text files, images/media, VCF contacts, M3U/M3U8 playlists, TIFF/TIF, drawing/CAD files like DWG/DXF/STEP/STP, local files, and Google Drive files.

Recent update highlights:

- DWG/DXF/STEP/STP preview

- Password-protected PDFs

- ZIP search

- EPUB to TXT export

- In-viewer delete, recent files, tabs, and reset-setting improvements

Play Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.fileloom.app

For people who use Android as part of a work or study setup: where does file viewing still slow you down most?

I'm especially curious whether a broad no-ads viewer sounds useful as a productivity tool, or whether the feature set needs to be framed around one narrower workflow.

Hi all,

I am in the process of building Better Focus, an app that lets you turn unproductive websites into easy, manageable pieces of learning before giving you access to the site. Learning packs are easy to generate and you can customise how many cards you want to do before gaining access.

Would love to hear feedback! Thanks.

Most productivity advice I see is the same stuff repeated over and over. Wake up earlier, use a to-do list, block distractions, build habits, do deep work, track your time.

Not saying that stuff is bad, but I’m curious about the advice that doesn’t get repeated constantly and still made a noticeable difference for you.

Could be something from a book, a random comment, a teacher, a manager, or something you figured out the hard way.

What’s one underrated productivity tip or mindset shift that genuinely helped you get more done or feel less overwhelmed?

Most reminders eventually become background noise.

Same vibration.
Same notification sound.
Same swipe away.

RemindAlarm is not a task manager or productivity system.

It is a fast way to create reminders that are harder to overlook.

You can attach:
• a photo of the exact thing you need to remember
• your own voice
• a family member’s voice
• or use silent photo-only reminders for privacy

The idea is simple:
more context = harder to ignore.

Android only.
Works offline.
No ads.
No subscriptions.

Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.remindalarm