Should I Build It Should I Build It
19 Apr 2025
Productivity Task Management

a to do list that allows you to only do one thing per day

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

Your idea for a to-do list that limits users to one task per day falls into a crowded space with several existing solutions. The 'Swamp' category indicates that many of these solutions have been mediocre, struggling to gain traction or generate revenue. With 4 similar products identified, competition is present. The engagement, indicated by the low average number of comments (2), confirms that many similar product launches struggled with user interest. Given this context, it's crucial to differentiate your product significantly to stand out. The good news is that there is an overwhelmingly positive buy signal for such a product.

Recommendations

  1. Start by thoroughly researching why existing "one task a day" to-do list solutions haven't fully succeeded. Analyze their shortcomings in terms of user experience, features, and marketing. Understanding their failures will inform how you can create a genuinely different and better product.
  2. If you decide to proceed, identify a very specific niche of users who are currently underserved by existing to-do list apps. This could be individuals with ADHD, people struggling with specific productivity methods, or those in a particular profession. Tailoring your app to a niche allows you to develop features and messaging that resonate deeply.
  3. Consider whether your core unique selling proposition of 'one task per day' is the right one. It may be useful to experiment with other task management principles like task batching and time boxing to see if there's something even better to be built within this space.
  4. Explore building tools or integrations that enhance existing to-do list platforms, rather than creating a standalone app. This could involve developing a plugin for popular apps like Todoist or Asana that enforces the "one task per day" rule. This would allow you to focus on the unique functionality without having to develop a full-fledged app.
  5. Based on user feedback from similar products, focus on incorporating robust task management features such as prioritization, randomization, and labeling capabilities. Address the need for improved task organization and handling by providing users with more control over their daily tasks. Consider user requests for enhanced interoperability with other apps and seamless task completion synchronization to increase user satisfaction.
  6. Given the expressed excitement about the app's potential for task prioritization, create a demo video or interactive tutorial that highlights these specific benefits. Show potential users how the app's unique approach can help them manage daily tasks more effectively and overcome procrastination.

Questions

  1. What specific psychological or behavioral principles support the 'one task per day' methodology, and how can you integrate these principles into your app's design to maximize its effectiveness?
  2. How can you build a community around your app that fosters accountability and support for users who are struggling to stick to the 'one task per day' rule? Can you design community features or challenges to encourage engagement and habit formation?
  3. Given the overwhelming amount of productivity advice out there, is it possible that your idea is too simplistic, and that users would want more flexibility for doing more tasks on certain days? Would you want to think about allowing some overflow from one day to the next in case the user finishes the task before the end of the day?

Your are here

Your idea for a to-do list that limits users to one task per day falls into a crowded space with several existing solutions. The 'Swamp' category indicates that many of these solutions have been mediocre, struggling to gain traction or generate revenue. With 4 similar products identified, competition is present. The engagement, indicated by the low average number of comments (2), confirms that many similar product launches struggled with user interest. Given this context, it's crucial to differentiate your product significantly to stand out. The good news is that there is an overwhelmingly positive buy signal for such a product.

Recommendations

  1. Start by thoroughly researching why existing "one task a day" to-do list solutions haven't fully succeeded. Analyze their shortcomings in terms of user experience, features, and marketing. Understanding their failures will inform how you can create a genuinely different and better product.
  2. If you decide to proceed, identify a very specific niche of users who are currently underserved by existing to-do list apps. This could be individuals with ADHD, people struggling with specific productivity methods, or those in a particular profession. Tailoring your app to a niche allows you to develop features and messaging that resonate deeply.
  3. Consider whether your core unique selling proposition of 'one task per day' is the right one. It may be useful to experiment with other task management principles like task batching and time boxing to see if there's something even better to be built within this space.
  4. Explore building tools or integrations that enhance existing to-do list platforms, rather than creating a standalone app. This could involve developing a plugin for popular apps like Todoist or Asana that enforces the "one task per day" rule. This would allow you to focus on the unique functionality without having to develop a full-fledged app.
  5. Based on user feedback from similar products, focus on incorporating robust task management features such as prioritization, randomization, and labeling capabilities. Address the need for improved task organization and handling by providing users with more control over their daily tasks. Consider user requests for enhanced interoperability with other apps and seamless task completion synchronization to increase user satisfaction.
  6. Given the expressed excitement about the app's potential for task prioritization, create a demo video or interactive tutorial that highlights these specific benefits. Show potential users how the app's unique approach can help them manage daily tasks more effectively and overcome procrastination.

Questions

  1. What specific psychological or behavioral principles support the 'one task per day' methodology, and how can you integrate these principles into your app's design to maximize its effectiveness?
  2. How can you build a community around your app that fosters accountability and support for users who are struggling to stick to the 'one task per day' rule? Can you design community features or challenges to encourage engagement and habit formation?
  3. Given the overwhelming amount of productivity advice out there, is it possible that your idea is too simplistic, and that users would want more flexibility for doing more tasks on certain days? Would you want to think about allowing some overflow from one day to the next in case the user finishes the task before the end of the day?

  • Confidence: Medium
    • Number of similar products: 4
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 2
  • Net use signal: 18.9%
    • Positive use signal: 36.7%
    • Negative use signal: 17.8%
  • Net buy signal: 8.9%
    • Positive buy signal: 8.9%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

Just One Task - Task management app that shows only one task at a time

11 Feb 2023 iOS Productivity Task Management

Overwhelmed by your to-do list? Just One Task is a simple task management app that shows only one task at a time.

Users congratulate the launch and express excitement about the app's potential for task prioritization. Many are eager to try it out. Specific feature requests include randomizing and labeling options, alongside further prioritization enhancements. The app is perceived as useful for managing daily tasks efficiently.

Users are requesting enhanced task management features, specifically prioritization, randomization, and labeling capabilities. These features are deemed necessary for improved organization and task handling.

Avatar
81
4
75.0%
4
81
75.0%
Relevance

Get stuff done by focusing on one task at a time

15 Oct 2023 Productivity Task Management

Users expressed concerns about the product's dual focus, suggesting it may lead to failure. They requested multiple widgets for different Reminders lists and emphasized the need for task interoperability with the Reminders app. Additionally, there were issues reported with task completion synchronization between apps.

The product needs support for multiple widgets, as its current lack of interoperability reduces its value. Additionally, the task completion sync process is cumbersome.

Avatar
5
4
-50.0%
25.0%
4
5
25.0%
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