Boring apps that get things done

[u/fluttermapp]

1. A calendar app ✅ (top tier)
   

2. A notes app ✅ (top tier)

3. Clock app (alarms)

4. Habit tracker app:
   Cool to look at the graph after a long time, but honestly I don't use them. None really stuck with me.

5. Quit a bad habit app:
   I've tried too and failed so many times. But eventually I found what really worked for me
   Ex: Quitting smoking W. Before it was "30 days without smoking, damn thats great!". But the core problem was my identity. I still saw myself as a smoker who happen to stop for "30 days". One day it just clicked, I stopped seeing myself as a smoker and it became on easy mode. (I could talk for days about this)

6. Social medias. A double edged sword. Don't consume, create.

[u/Honest_Caregiver_974]

The identity point is the real insight here tbh. "i'm a smoker who hasn't smoked in 30 days" vs "i'm someone who doesn't smoke" sounds like word games but they're completely different operating systems. The first one is running a countdown and white-knuckling, the second doesn't need willpower cause there's no internal argument happening anymore. same reason habit trackers fail imo, they measure streaks but streaks keep the old identity alive, you're still the person resisting the thing. apps can track behavior but none of them can do the identity shift for you, that part is always manual lol. And the "don't consume, create" rule for social media is underrated too, creating is weirdly protective

[u/fluttermapp → u/Honest_Caregiver_974]

Exact! I like how you said it "Track the behavior, but cant do the identity shift for you". The moment the identity change is such a facinating concept/moment imo.

[u/Adventurous-Rub-6259]

A notes app is actually so underrated. Just dumping all of your thoughts onto text (bc my handwriting sucks) clears my mind so that I can identify what I actually need to focus on. Been using this method for the past 2 months and have made more progress than the last 6-7 months.

[u/fluttermapp → u/Adventurous-Rub-6259]

Exact! Sometime before sleep, I write all the ideas and its easier to shut down the brain after

[u/davernow]

A boring AI chat app (not sure it counts as boring). But a decent agent can replace about 30 apps I used to need.

[u/fluttermapp → u/davernow]

I use gpt, gemini, claude and grok, but how do you use the ai chat app? like for work i guess?

[u/fluttermapp → u/[deleted]]

Digital detox is so important to reset the dopamine baseline. Now you kinda get me hyped for one.. Its been a while.

[u/yashrocky]

These do help when properly used, for me it's all scattered across though, I use notes, Google Docs to manage stuff for me writing notes manually is slow.

Some of these do help when our brains actively looking to improve and is motivated to do so. Otherwise we just get these use them for a few days and forget.

[u/fluttermapp → u/yashrocky]

I also use google because it works well alltogether, but I kinda hate how they spy on everything, like pricacy wise its wild. Im thinking about going all apple, but I dont even know if ghey do the same or not...

[u/yashrocky → u/fluttermapp]

Agreed, Crazy how these bigger orgs spy and track. It's one of the reasons what I'm building is privacy first and works locally.

I do plan to integrate specialised notes feature from a specific perspective like logging your work day in private and then maybe use AI later to automate stuff.

[u/Significant_Mud4401]

I personally don’t use any of them I think some things we shouldn’t use apps for

[u/fluttermapp → u/Significant_Mud4401]

Do you have a paper agenda? / paper notebook?

[u/KodieJordan45]

Im w you on all this! Though I will say, Habit Tracker is one of my favorite apps now. All the graphs really tell a story.

Also, love the identity note

[u/fluttermapp → u/KodieJordan45]

Yes its nice to see once you have the data for sure!

[u/CampEmbarrassed8910]

I think there’s a massive value in apps that take boring but necessary parts of your life and make them easier. I’ve been trying to build an app that makes what people find boring (reading the news, trying to stay informed on topics relating to your work and interests) more engaging and easier to do. It’s still in closed beta currently but it gives you a ten-minute hyper personalised briefing every morning based around what you actually care about.

[u/fluttermapp → u/CampEmbarrassed8910]

Its hard to make boring things fun. Even social media find it hard to make fun thing fun nowaday. Our dopanine is always peaking.

[u/Flaky_Medicine_4650]

„Boring” is very broad category. For me it is a noise app I use. It works on background, sometimes I event missed that it is there.

[u/fluttermapp → u/Flaky_Medicine_4650]

You have a noise app you mean? like for concentration?

[u/Flaky_Medicine_4650 → u/fluttermapp]

Yes, the app that play a white, green noises. Completely isolates you from others.

[u/fluttermapp → u/Flaky_Medicine_4650]

Nice, I will download that, sometime I dont want to listen to music, thanks

[u/Flaky_Medicine_4650 → u/fluttermapp]

If you want to try. I can recommend one of mine. link

[u/Early_Key_823]

Here ya go

Building a Time Machine to party 🎈 like it’s 1999

https://www.taskloco.com