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Show HN: I made an all-in-one desktop app with a no-BS approach to get work done

206 points by daniel_sushil 3y ago

Hi HN! This is Daniel from Floutwork (https://www.floutwork.com https://www.floutwork.com) 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 appreciate hearing your feedback!

seriocomic 3y ago
This appears to solve a bunch of my current issues, so for me, it's the right app at the right time. I've signed up and giving it a go, and it does what is says on the label. Great work, and thanks for making it flexible enough to add other web-apps and configurable. What I like so far - per-app tabs, great to keep my current browser from being unnavigable, ability to add other apps using different logins, so I can share a multi-login set of tabs in one system rather than having different personas or multiple browsers. I know a lot of this can be done with a bit of effort manually, but it's just 'nice' to have it there for you. What I don't like - sluggish start/load time. Lack of clarity about the built-in apps and how they connect to anything else you're running. The bookmarks function I haven't got my head around yet.
- daniel_sushil 3y ago
  Thanks for trying Floutwork and for the review. I plan to enhance the built-in Bookmarks app to make its value more evident. I'll also work on better explaining how your web apps and built-in apps work together. Quick summary of some key capabilities: You can select any text in any web app, right-click, and add it to your tasks or notes. Imagine reading an email or a message on Slack or LinkedIn that you want to follow up on; this feature can come in handy without requiring you to switch contexts or lose your flow. You also have the option to capture a screenshot and the current URL when adding a task or note, providing complete context for future reference. This context is stored in your task notes for tasks and right along with your note in the case of notes. The same goes for links or tabs; you can right-click to add them to your bookmarks. We often receive numerous links via email, Slack, etc. You can easily right-click on those links to add them to your bookmarks, organized by tags, without leaving your flow. These improvements significantly reduce the friction associated with context-switching.
  - daniel_sushil 3y ago
    You can also quickly add tasks, notes, and bookmarks using the command bar. Simply type CMD+1 from anywhere, and the command bar will open. From there, you can select the action you want to take without interrupting your workflow. Additionally, you can open the command bar and start typing the bookmark name, then press Enter to quickly access it. Pressing SHIFT+ENTER on the bookmark or any typed URL will automatically open it in split view.

206 points by daniel_sushil 3y ago

seriocomic 3y ago

This appears to solve a bunch of my current issues, so for me, it's the right app at the right time. I've signed up and giving it a go, and it does what is says on the label. Great work, and thanks for making it flexible enough to add other web-apps and configurable. What I like so far - per-app tabs, great to keep my current browser from being unnavigable, ability to add other apps using different logins, so I can share a multi-login set of tabs in one system rather than having different personas or multiple browsers. I know a lot of this can be done with a bit of effort manually, but it's just 'nice' to have it there for you. What I don't like - sluggish start/load time. Lack of clarity about the built-in apps and how they connect to anything else you're running. The bookmarks function I haven't got my head around yet.

daniel_sushil 3y ago
Thanks for trying Floutwork and for the review. I plan to enhance the built-in Bookmarks app to make its value more evident. I'll also work on better explaining how your web apps and built-in apps work together. Quick summary of some key capabilities: You can select any text in any web app, right-click, and add it to your tasks or notes. Imagine reading an email or a message on Slack or LinkedIn that you want to follow up on; this feature can come in handy without requiring you to switch contexts or lose your flow. You also have the option to capture a screenshot and the current URL when adding a task or note, providing complete context for future reference. This context is stored in your task notes for tasks and right along with your note in the case of notes. The same goes for links or tabs; you can right-click to add them to your bookmarks. We often receive numerous links via email, Slack, etc. You can easily right-click on those links to add them to your bookmarks, organized by tags, without leaving your flow. These improvements significantly reduce the friction associated with context-switching.
- daniel_sushil 3y ago
  You can also quickly add tasks, notes, and bookmarks using the command bar. Simply type CMD+1 from anywhere, and the command bar will open. From there, you can select the action you want to take without interrupting your workflow. Additionally, you can open the command bar and start typing the bookmark name, then press Enter to quickly access it. Pressing SHIFT+ENTER on the bookmark or any typed URL will automatically open it in split view.