Built a tiny offline app to help me stop doomscrolling. Maybe it helps you too.
You ever just sit there?
Not tired. Not busy. Just... frozen.
You want to do something — anything — but instead you just sort of exist in front of your screen like an underpaid background actor in your own life.
Yeah. That’s me, like, twice a day.
So obviously, I did what any reasonable person would do:
I made an app.
🎉 Meet Ugh Okay
A no-login, no-cloud, no-pressure button that just tells you what to do when you can’t decide for yourself.
It’s not a productivity system.
It’s not AI-generated magic.
It’s just a little thing that helps you do one actual thing instead of refreshing Reddit again.
🧠 How it works
You download the app (iOS & Android - I fought Expo for this)
You delete the default activities (or don’t - I’m not your supervisor)
You add your own:
“Stretch for 2 minutes”
“Write 2 sentences”
“Take a dramatic sip of water”
“Stare into space and call it mindfulness”
Then:
You tap the button.
Get a random action.
Tap again if it sucks.
Delete it if it really sucks. That’s it.
⚙️ Tech stack / Dev notes
Built with React Native via Expo (so I could ship to both platforms faster)
App is 100% offline, no backend or database - your data lives on your phone only
Uses AsyncStorage for persistence
No user accounts, no analytics, no tracking
Language toggle (EN/RU) is baked in - no localization library, just dumb text swapping (for now)
Custom icon & branding cooked up with ChatGPT’s help - yes, even the buttons talk like it
UI tweaked in Figma (after arguing with myself for 30 minutes about border radius)
🛠 Why I made it
Honestly?
Because I got sick of doing nothing and being mad about doing nothing.
I didn’t want another “system” - I just wanted a push-button brain override that gently tells me to go do literally anything instead of spiraling into another scroll loop.
👀 Who it’s for
People frozen in front of their phones
People who don't want guilt-based productivity
People who love pressing buttons (hello ADHD)
Me. It was mostly for me.
Download it here:
📱 App Store
🤖 Google Play
🌐 Website
It’s 100% free. No ads. No weird monetization.
I made it for myself — maybe it helps someone else too.
Would love to hear what you think.
Fan of the name
Thanks! I’d love to take credit but… the name was actually brainstormed with ChatGPT. So if it flops, we know who to blame 😅
Love the "do one real thing" angle.
I build Monk Mode on Mac and I keep seeing the same pattern: people usually do not need a bigger productivity system. They need one tiny intervention at the exact moment they are about to slide into the feed.
Your app handles the frozen moment after the scroll impulse shows up. Mine handles the feed itself by blocking YouTube Home, Shorts, X For You, and Reddit front pages while still letting people open the exact thing they meant to use.
Feels like those two ideas rhyme. Tiny change, immediate behavior shift. That is way more compelling than another giant habit framework.
"Love this idea! 🎯 Sometimes a simple nudge is all it takes to break the endless scrolling loop. Your approach feels genuinely refreshing compared to all the complicated productivity systems out there. Thanks for sharing!"
Thank you! 🙌
Honestly, I'm way too lazy to build a "full productivity system" — so I ended up making something simple enough even for myself to use.
Glad you liked it! 🚀
This project was more of a warm-up for me — the next one will probably be a full-blown ToDo app with built-in AI (like ChatGPT) — and that one I'll actually try to launch with a subscription model. Let's see how that goes. :)
Good Job!
Thanks! :)
I like the concept !
The app look nice
Why not to add a widget ?
Thanks! A widget is definitely in the plans for the next update.
I originally built the app as quickly as possible just to help myself out - before I lost interest entirely 😅 But now that I'm using it regularly, I can see that even opening the app feels like too much cognitive effort sometimes. So yeah, widget coming soon!
I'm developer too, I know well what you are talking about, so gg
Ps. I'm on Pixel 4a and the logo in lancher icon is too big, if you can zoom out a little bit please
Thanks for the heads-up! Yeah, the launcher icon is definitely a bit extra on some phones 😅
I'll tweak it in the next update - appreciate you catching that 🙌
And good luck with your own dev stuff too, we’re all out here "building and debugging in the dark" :)))
A lovely idea! It allows yourself to become more concious of yourself
Thanks!:)
I'm gonna download it and try it out.
Thanks!:)
Wow that's so cool!
This is such a sharp little intervention. That space between inertia and intention is so real and designing for that moment, without layering on guilt or gamification, is wildly underrated. Love how low-friction and honest the whole approach is.
I’m in the middle of launching something totally different (an AI chess coach), but this captures the same spirit: building tools that meet people where they are, not where some system thinks they should be. Really appreciate the clarity behind this.
Thanks for the kind words! I played chess a lot growing up - love the idea of an AI coach that meets you on your level. Good luck with the launch!
Wishing you success with your project! Have you thought about crowdfunding as a way to secure funding and build your audience?
Thanks a lot! 🙌
I actually built this mostly for myself (and a bit for the portfolio). Planning to add a few small features like a widget, but no crowdfunding — it’s a free tool to help people (and me) stay a little saner. :)
"Love the idea! It's so easy to get caught in the endless scroll. I'll definitely check this out—anything that helps break the cycle is worth trying. Thanks for sharing!"
This keeps the tone positive and shows genuine interest in their project while encouraging further conversation.
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Thanks :)
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Hmm, that’s actually a solid idea for a little Easter egg 😄 Appreciate it - might just sneak that in! Thanks!