I built a tiny open-source tool because starting was harder than the work

g4hio — Sun, 06 Sep 2026 02:57:57 +0000

I did not need another productivity system.
I needed a smaller first step.
That is why I built StartTiny: a free, open-source anti-procrastination tool that runs in the browser. No account. No backend. No ads. Tasks, notes, and settings stay in local storage.
Live demo: https://g4hio.github.io/starttiny/

Source: https://github.com/g4hio/starttiny

The actual problem
Most of the time I was not stuck because the task was impossible. I was stuck because the first action was too big.
"Write the essay" is not a next action.

"Open the document and write one messy sentence" is.
A lot of productivity apps try to help by adding more structure: more lists, more tags, more dashboards. That can be useful later. It does not help much in the moment when you are avoiding the file.
StartTiny is built around that first two minutes.
What it does

A flexible focus timer: 10/2, 25/5, 40/10, 50/10, plus custom lengths
Tasks with priority and optional deadlines
Smart sorting (or sort by deadline, priority, newest, oldest, completion)
A private brain dump for distractions
Help Me Start prompts that shrink a task
An energy check so a tired day gets a 10-minute sprint
Focus mode to hide extra UI

It can be a study timer, a procrastination timer, or a Pomodoro alternative. 25/5 is there if you want it. You are not locked into it.
Why local-first
If you need an account before you can start, the tool has already added friction. StartTiny is HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Open it, add one task, start the timer.
That also means it works offline after the first load, there is no analytics, you can fork it, and the whole project is readable without a build step. MIT license.
What I learned
The timer is not the product. The product is reducing “how do I begin?”
Custom intervals matter. On a bad day, 25 minutes feels like a wall. Ten minutes is short enough to start.
Distractions need a parking space. If a thought has nowhere to go, it stays in the session.
Simple tech is a feature. No framework was required. That made GitHub Pages easy.
Who it is for
Students: homework, revision, essays, coding, reading, exams.

Adults: work, writing, applications, household tasks, anything you keep putting off.
It is not a full project manager. If you need to start the next ugly draft, it might be the right tool.
Open StartTiny. Bugs, translations, accessibility, and better presets are welcome on GitHub.
What makes you avoid starting a task?

DEV Community: g4hio

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I built a tiny open-source tool because starting was harder than the work

I built a tiny open-source tool because starting was harder than the work