The hardest part is starting.
Startsy makes it small.

Say a task out loud. Startsy gives it a finish line, breaks it into steps small enough to start, and puts the first one right in front of you. Built for brains that freeze at the start, like many with ADHD.

Try a step now Join the waitlist
🤖 Android: in testing🍎 iPhone: coming📱 Tasks stay on your phone🙅 No streaks, no shame
Hi! I'm Startsy. Let's do one small thing.
Nate Cain, founder of MCPOTA

Why I built Startsy

I built the tool I needed.

I've lived with ADHD my whole life. I could handle a cyber incident at 2 a.m., but a simple task like "clean the office" or "do the paperwork" could sit for weeks. Not because I didn't care. Because I couldn't see where to start.

What finally worked was breaking big tasks into little, easy ones, and only looking at the next one. As my father-in-law told me: the journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.

Startsy is that advice in an app. It's helped me every day, and I hope it helps you too.

— Nate Cain, founder of MCPOTA

The problem

Ever stared at a task and just… couldn't start?

It isn't laziness. Getting started is an executive function skill: the brain's planning-and-doing system. When a task feels big or blurry, many people (especially people with ADHD) hit a wall called task paralysis, or trouble with task initiation. The more there is to do, the harder it gets to pick the first thing.

"Clean my office"

where do I even begin?paperstrashcablesthat boxit'll take all daylater…

Step 1: Grab a trash bag.

One small, clear action you can do right now. Then the next one.

Startsy shrinks the wall.

Startsy doesn't hand you a longer to-do list. It gives you a finish line so you know what done looks like, and a chain of steps small enough to start that runs all the way there, including the parts people forget, like sending it or putting it away.

You only ever see one step at a time. Stuck on one? Tap Make it smaller.

These ideas come from skills taught in adult-ADHD coaching and therapy programs that have been tested in research, like breaking work into concrete steps and tracking progress you can see.

Try it

Here's what it feels like.

START HERE Clean my office 🏁 Done when: the desk is clear and the trash is out
Step 1 of 6: Grab a trash bag

Tap Done and watch Startsy cheer. That's the whole idea: a small win, then the next small step, until the finish line.

Startsy the robot is silent and optional. It celebrates finished steps and never gets sad or scolds. You can turn the celebrations off in Settings.

How it helps you start

Built around how starting actually works.

🏁 A finish line

Every task says what done looks like, and its steps run all the way there.

Clear goals make it easier to begin

👣 Steps small enough to start

One step at a time. Too big? Break it down again, right there.

Concrete small steps are a core skill in adult-ADHD programs

🎤 Voice first

Just say the task. Pause and think; the mic keeps listening until you tap Done.

Less typing, less friction

3️⃣ Today holds three

Today, This week and Later. Today never holds more than three tasks.

Fewer choices, less overwhelm

📈 Progress you can see

"Step 3 of 6." Every step done counts, even on days you don't finish.

Visible progress helps people follow through

✨ Break it down with AI (optional)

AI suggests a finish line and steps, only after you agree, and only that one task's words are sent.

Help when the first step is hard to see

What Startsy will never do

🚫 Streaks🚫 Points and badges🚫 Guilt for missed tasks🚫 Ads🚫 Selling your data

Private by design

Your tasks stay on your phone.

No account, no ads, no analytics. Export or delete everything from Settings. The only thing that ever leaves your phone is a task you choose to send to Break it down, after a clear consent screen. Read the privacy policy.

Pricing

Free while in testing. Pricing will be announced before launch. Founding members get the best price we'll ever offer.

Join the waitlist

Startsy is a planner built on skills taught in proven programs. It isn't a treatment for ADHD or medical advice.