Today, productivity apps are everywhere. From overly complicated project management software to sleek but bloated to-do lists, it feels like managing tasks has somehow become a task in itself.
I didn't build TinyOrange to chase trends. I built it because I needed it; well, my girlfriend needed it first, but I also found out later that it really helped me with my tasks management system.
The Problem: Productivity Was Becoming a Second Job
It all started when my girlfriend asked for a simple tool to help her maintain her work without wasting time. She uses Asana, but these apps are designed for teams, not individuals, making documentation flow maintenance cumbersome.
I experienced similar challenges when founding my company and handling numerous responsibilities alone during our early days. When motivation runs low, discipline becomes necessary, and momentum is essential to keep going.
To keep the business running, I needed better organization. Work often stalled because I couldn't identify the next priority among my many tasks. I juggled various responsibilities: fixing bugs, building features, customer communication, marketing, processing feedback, and building traction - not to mention personal and family matters.
I tried several project management solutions I was familiar with - starting with Jira, then Asana, and finally Trello with its kanban approach. As a software engineer who loves systems, I noticed an irony: the more I "optimized" my workflows, the more time I spent maintaining them instead of doing actual work.
These apps demanded significant overhead: configuring projects, linking subtasks, assigning priorities, creating labels, setting up automations, typing tasks, moving items between columns, and managing dashboards. What should have been helpful tools became almost full-time jobs themselves.
I didn't want a second job. I just wanted to get things done.
The Idea: Focus on Doing, Not Organizing
I realized what I needed was radically simple:
- A clean space where I could drop tasks as fast as they came to me.
- No setup headaches.
- No endless configurations.
- No stupid amount of workflow to maintain.
Just a way to quickly write things down and get them done without distractions. And I need to make it as frictionless as possible to see it back and forth.
TinyOrange was born from that frustration and that vision.
Building TinyOrange: Keeping It Tiny on Purpose
From the start, my principle was simple:
If a feature made you spend more time organizing than doing, it didn't belong.
That's why TinyOrange:
Is lightweight and fast.
Lets you create tasks instantly without worrying about fields or categories.
Focuses only on helping you take action, not creating complicated systems around it.
I made it a desktop app so your tasks appear immediately when your computer starts (maintaining momentum). Many people lose valuable time figuring out what to do when they begin their workday, as it takes time to get in the zone. Seeing what needs attention right away solves this problem.
It's built for doers, not project managers.
I built TinyOrange using technologies that keep it lean, distraction-free, and brutally simple. Every design choice, from the minimalist UI to the frictionless flow, is intentional.
Why TinyOrange Matters
At the end of the day, productivity shouldn't feel like homework.
TinyOrange reminds me, and hopefully others, that sometimes the best system is the one that gets out of your way.
You can check out the app here: tinyorange.app
