Show HN: I made an all-in-one desktop app with a no-BS approach to get work done
Floutwork is an all-in-one desktop app designed to serve as a personal work system, offering a no-BS approach to getting real work done online.
Background: When I transitioned from a development role to a product management role, I realized there was no real organization or structure to the way I worked as a PM. Tasks I needed to complete were scattered across emails, Teams, meetings, etc. I was inundated with emails and found myself juggling multiple browser windows, numerous open tabs, and other desktop applications. This overwhelming situation made it clear that success in my new role hinged on being self-organized and focused. After reading the book "Deep Work" by Cal Newport, I recognized that my work habits were counterproductive to accomplishing meaningful work. After that, I delved further into the "focus and productivity" path, read more books on the subject, and decided to integrate these concepts and methodologies into a single app. I could have created a specialized tool that addressed only one or two problems, like many other apps out there, but I knew that building a single app designed to assist with the workflow from start to finish was the only way to eliminate as many distractions and friction points as possible. Honestly, I could've wrapped up development way sooner if I'd just tackled one issue. But what's the point if one part of my workflow rocks and the rest sucks?
What's the problem with modern work? You might be using a combination of a task manager and a calendar to track tasks. To work on a task, though, you probably bounce to your browser full of tabs. If you use desktop apps like Teams, Slack, or Discord, this bouncing back and forth becomes even worse because every link you click on opens in the browser. The real problem is when we jump to a browser full of tabs every time, we get distracted by all the tabs and get sidetracked, or our old habits kick in due to how our brains are now wired, and we start aimlessly browsing. This causes a lot of friction in our flow. This is one of the main reasons why people today are not able to focus or don't feel motivated to get work done. What usually takes 1 hour to complete can take up to 3 hours.
What's unique about Floutwork? Floutwork has an excellent task management system and a calendar view right next to it to intelligently show you when you can work on your tasks amidst your busy schedule. However, it goes beyond that and lets you pin your work apps right within Floutwork. Once you know you need to work on a task, you can quickly hop on to your web apps right within Floutwork and get that done, and then repeat. Every time you access a web app within Floutwork, any tabs you open within that app stay within that app, so you only get to see the tabs to get your current task done. This powerful flow cuts down all the distractions and friction points that come between tasks and work getting done.
Now that all your work can be consolidated into one unified system, you can access powerful tools in a distraction-free way to:
- Monitor your work habits
- Gamify your tasks
- Experience an immersive focus mode for tasks
- Open a command bar without losing your flow to open apps, links, tools, add tasks, ask ChatGPT, etc.
- Quickly take work notes in context
- Clean out your emails with a few clicks
- Access AI tools via ChatGPT meaningfully right within your flow
This app is designed for people in roles like PMs, freelancers, managers, admins, and marketers, where being self-organized online is crucial for success. I know the HN community has a lot of developers. While this app can offer some benefits to devs, it won't be a game-changer for your workflow, especially if you're primarily in VS Code or other desktop development tools most of the day.
I'd love to invite you all to try out the product and would appre...
161 comments
[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 134 ms ] threadMy previous post: I posted about this product at the beginning of the year, but it was still very rudimentary and I didn't give any background on my post. I received a lot of feedback from the HN community and implemented some much-discussed topics like 1.) Dedicated focus mode. 2.) Smooth onboarding. 3.) Dark Mode. 4.) Ability to download all your data. 5.) Upfront pricing. I greatly value the HN's insights!
There are great screenshots of the app in the landing page: https://www.floutwork.com
- native or wrapper eg. Electron/Tauri
- what is your opinion of app adoption vs. web app
- what tool did you use to design? figma/paper?
I'm concerned about the name, fl out or flout (openly disregard?) didn't know that was a word huh.
Pricing might need to be broken out more eg. $5 seems too cheap.
native or wrapper eg. Electron/Tauri - Electron
what is your opinion of app adoption vs. web app - Could you clarify? Are you asking about Floutwork app adoption versus Floutwork as a web app, or are you referring to apps vs. web apps in general?
what tool did you use to design? figma/paper? - I used Figma
Did you go with web [desktop] app for a particular reason like MacOS user's pay more or something for an app?
Pricing might need to be broken out more eg. $5 seems too cheap. - Could you clarify this one as well? When you say the pricing needs to be 'broken out more,' do you mean offering additional pricing tiers or options?
I am not a successful business owner though so take this opinion lightly.
Congrats on launching and sharing! The idea of an integrated all-in-one solution is intriguing to me. So intriguing that over the last 10 years I've started various projects in a similar direction. Mostly focused on integrating calendars (multiple external calendars), tasks and notes within the same app. Lesser focus on web app integration or focus modes.
Combining calendar, tasks en notes within the same app is something that I have not found a good solution for. Most apps focus on only 1 aspect and lack in the others typically leading to having to use a separate app for each aspect, and then losing time and focus by context switching between apps.
A few years ago I wrote about my experiences in this space[1].
I'm curious to see how you have tackled this problem and how the integration between tasks/calendars (and notes?) works.
also: The "Learn more" link near the bottom does not go anywhere.
[1]: https://stevenvanbael.com/open-calendar-task-space-is-a-mess
If I wasn't programming then I might be more interested in this but I need the full browser for my work and looking up docs or help on an error I'm getting doesn't seem like it'd play well with this. I do like the integrations with you calendar/agenda but it's just not for me.
Project White Rabbit: www.pwr.builders
E: was answered here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37920591
It would also be nice to have more info about the integrated mail client, does it support IMAP/SMTP, and/or Exchange servers?
Floutwork does have a built-in email app, but its primary role is to supplement your main email client, not replace it. It currently makes it easy to clear out high volumes of emails with just a few clicks and can be used for sending quick replies. Over time, I plan to develop a richer experience that could serve as a replacement for your primary email client. The email app supports Gmail and Outlook.
I discard immediately any subscription based app that doesn't provide a clear and useful service for / because of the subscription (as a side note, this is apparently not highlighted in any capacity in your website, and it seems to be you don't offer any kind of cloud related storage).
Before you say "but what's 5 bucks a month" well the reason for me saying no to 5 bucks a month is the same reason why you charge 5 bucks: You're looking at volume.
People needs to realize that by offering subscription only apps, they are competing in a very, very crowded market. Only those apps that offer a real value get a sustained subscription.
For the record, 5 bucks is more or less the same amount I pay in my country for the full set of Adobe apps, and half of what I pay for the full set of JetBrains tools (International price). The other two services I pay for are OpenAI and Github Copilot.
P.S.: In my opinion JetBrains offers the best subscription model there is, that is a "hybrid" model. It's subscription based, but if you paid a full year (Not calendar) you get the last version available for the calendar year which ends inside the period you paid (Or that is how I understand it).
It's interesting to hear what you pay for Adobe and JetBrains in your country. The JetBrains hybrid model is definitely worth exploring. Thanks for bringing it up.
> I do feel it is a bit hard to nail the best pricing model that works for everyone
I understand the reason for going with a subscription model, but in your case I think that works for you only, not for your users.
It’s a constant reminder of how I’m not managing my work well enough by choosing efficient tools.
Imagine if you had to rent a hammer. Or a pencil.
I get you want recurring revenue. It might be possible to have the $10 fee go into some security or bond that pays you out a few cents per year forever. Not sure how that will work taxes wise.
Argentina is a weird country.
But again no workflow. A good client understands and if necessary forces you to do the next thing. Say a mail has a web link. The sensible thing to do would be to store a fullpage screenshot with the email because web pages evaporate. Doing this with tools not designed for that specifically is so much work you shouldn't even bother to try it.
You want to reply? NO, YES, YES but not now. Then it should show up in the todo list. If the todo item only lives in "draft emails" it will get lost.
They could have just used emacs ;)
Enhanced integration between apps and uniformity is what OPs app offers I think, similar to why I use emace
Everytime I start lusting after a sweet young thing I ask: Is it local? Is it future-proof? Is it plaintext? Is it extensible by competent users? The answer is always no to one of them (unless it's basically also a text editor like Vim (shudder)), and the "heat" dissipates, and I "rejoice in the wife of my youth."
I recently learned to love the unadorned emacs (no eVIl mode), and I can't believe I spun my gears in modal land for so long.
That's the biggest obstacle for me with these personal knowledge management apps. They're nice to use individually, but when I need to collaborate with someone, there's no way to delegate access—much less granular access.
I believe it's intended for documentation. But I use it as my note taking app.
Syncthing might also work in a rather hacky way, but would probably also run into real-time collisions.
However the interface (like Roam) is too limiting. I am used to split frames of multiple buffers with others a C-x b away, and treemacs and mu4e and Olivetti mode, and eshell, and dired, and...
PS I misread “gamify your work” as “calmify…” and rather liked it. We’re all after some sense of flow.
On pricing I would want to download 7 day trial, then purchase that version and buy upgrades. It’s no bs pricing for your no bs desktop.
Pricing has been a hot topic, and I'm definitely considering more options soon. Thank you!
Right no it's too much to digest, it feels heavy and like I need to learn a whole new way of working. It is not clear to me what problem or massive pain point you are solving for me. Remember, you are asking me to spend time trying, learning and using a new tool, sell me on why I can't go on another day without doing that.
You've built a ton of value, more is not always better. Simplify and make it stupidly easy to understand.
Congrats and good luck.
Granted I haven’t used station in maybe 4-5 years so I have no idea what’s changed or what the landscape looks like in this niche of software..
This statement has no bearing or reflection on any potential security implications re: this particular software (whether they may or may not exist)—- it’s just a general statement that this type of software could be put under the microscope in a corporate environment and potential users should be aware of that..
What?
“And ‘what’ could mitigate that?”