For the task you’ve been avoiding
Stop planning.Start.
Startsy is a web app that helps people begin avoided tasks. Type one task, choose why it feels hard, and get one concrete first step plus a 2–25 minute timer.
Sound familiar?
Feels overwhelming
“There's so much of it I can't see where it begins.”
Startsy gives you one piece small enough to see the whole of.
Don't know where to start
“I know the task, but I can't find the first move.”
Startsy turns the task into a concrete place to begin.
It has to be perfect
“If I start, I want to get it right the first time.”
Startsy offers a rough first move that doesn't need to be final.
Afraid it won't go well
“I'm worried about what happens if it doesn't go well.”
Startsy keeps the first step small enough to try without deciding the whole outcome.
It's boring
“I keep finding something more interesting to do.”
Startsy gives you a short, clear piece to do before you decide what comes next.
My head is too full
“There are too many things in my head at once.”
Startsy holds one task and one next move while you begin.
How it works
01
Name it
Say what you're avoiding, in your own words. One sentence is enough.
02
Get one small step
You get the first five minutes of the task — matched to the reason it feels hard.
03
Start for 5 minutes
A quiet timer. When it ends, you decide what happens next.
Why other tools don’t help you start
A to-do list
Holds: The list.
Leaves to you: Starting is still up to you.
A timer
Holds: The time.
Leaves to you: Picking the first move is still up to you.
An accountability app
Holds: A deadline.
Leaves to you: Getting past the reason it feels hard is still up to you.
Startsy holds the start: one step small enough to do now, matched to why it feels hard.
Why it works
Procrastination is mostly about feelings, not time.
Research describes procrastination as a way of avoiding the bad feelings a task brings up, rather than a time-management problem.
Naming when and how you'll start helps.
Deciding exactly when and how you'll begin — an implementation intention — reliably helps people follow through. A review of 94 studies found a medium-to-large effect.
A small, concrete plan for the moment of starting.
Procrastination is common and well studied.
Procrastination is one of the most studied problems in self-regulation.
References
- Sirois, F., & Pychyl, T. (2013). Procrastination and the priority of short-term mood regulation: Consequences for future self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(2), 115–127.
- Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69–119.
- Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.
- Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94.
Startsy is built on these ideas. We haven't run our own study, so we don't claim numbers for Startsy itself.
What are you avoiding right now?
Try it here. This is the real thing, not a demo video.
Who it’s for
Freelancers and remote workers
Find a first move when a flexible day has no clear starting line.
Read more →Brains that find starting hard (including ADHD)
Name what feels hard about beginning and take one small step.
Read more →Startsy is a self-improvement tool, not a medical or mental-health service.
Pricing
Start free. Upgrade if it earns it.
Free
$0
- 3 first steps a day
- 2 and 5-minute sessions
- 7 days of history
Starter
$7.99/mo or $59/yr · Save 38% yearly
- Unlimited first steps
- 2, 5, 10 and 25-minute sessions
- Full history and gentle streaks
Pro
$11.99/mo or $89/yr · Save 38% yearly
- Everything in Starter
- Your procrastination profile
- Personalized interventions
Questions
Is this another todo app?
No. Startsy doesn't hold your list — it holds one task: the one you keep avoiding. It gives you a first step small enough to begin now, and a quiet five minutes to do it in.
Why five minutes?
Because starting is the hard part. Five minutes is short enough that your resistance has nothing to argue with, and long enough that the task is genuinely underway when the timer ends.
What happens to what I type?
Your task text is personal data and we handle it carefully. It is stored so you can pick up where you left off, it is never used to train AI models, and you can delete it from your account page at any time.
What if I stop early?
Then you stop early, and it still counts — you started, which is the thing you weren't doing before. There are no broken streaks and no guilt screens here.
Do I need an account?
No. Your first step and first session work without one. An account only becomes useful when you want to save progress across days.