Hi all, Marie here, one of the Founders of Sloth! Thanks so much for the hunt! We weren't expecting this so early, just launched 2 days ago, but are honored just the same!
To give some background, Sloth was born out of a personal problem of mine. Some of the best work I do is under pressure, which naturally led me to doing things at the last minute, which isn't a good thing.
Sloth uses the concept of 'timeboxing', which is to allocate a set amount of time to each task therefore creating a deadline (pressure!) which can increase the productivity of the user.
In Sloth, when you start a task it starts a countdown timer. The goal is to try and focus 100% of the time while the timer is on and to essentially beat the clock. It works best when the timers are short so a great way to use it is to set multiple timers for a large task by breaking it into smaller chunks.
This technique is used a lot in software development, but it can really be applied to any field.
Thanks again for the hunt!
@ngthatsme1 Also, noticed on your site that you collab with other startups --- would you be interesting in talking? My co founder and I run a year old app dev company and would love to connect
@kirillkudin hey Kirill! thanks for the question. Our goal was to give our users flexibility. Everyone's different, but I find it helpful starting with a 5 or 10 min task to get me going and then working up from there. But you could just as easily set it to do 25 min with a 5 min break if that works.
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This is a very helpful tool..
I look forward to using it.
I have one feature suggestion if your interests and circumstances permit please regard your attention to the following idea:
Consider adding a feature that allows users to set a punishment for not completing the scheduled task..
There can be a list of auto-generated punishments list to select from..
For example: 10 pushups.
Also there should be the ability to add custom punishments so people can fit the right punishment for their scheduling crimes..
This may differentiate you from competitors.. but I will have to do more research..
Just a thought and no disrespect intended at your existing product as I see the tremendous value it provides..
Thank you for your consideration here.
Jaswinder Brar
@jay_bee12345 Hey JB! thanks for the suggestion, we are more than open to ideas so feel free to comment away! Already working on v2, things like pre-set lists, silent alarms (color flash), and showing the complete duration and end time for the list.
Re: punishments, I wonder if we should flip this to the positive and make it a reward instead. Although, punishments might be more fun 😈😈😈
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@ngthatsme1
Both punishments and rewards may be beneficial..
As the punishments are designed to help you anyways..
10 pushups will increase your day's workout..
Another example of a punishment is no video gaming all day..
Resulting in a more productive (less enjoyable) day..
The rewards idea is brilliant this will give extra incentive to complete the task..
Finish cleaning up your e-mail folder and reward yourself with an allotted time to browse your fav. recreational websites.. etc..
Thanks again!
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Great product, and great to see that an Android version is coming soon. Any plans for Pebble Time/Android Wear support when it lands on Android?
This may not fit the Pomodoro/Timeboxing use case, but I've long dreamt of an app that would let me "snooze" lots of different things for various periods of time. Anything from "water the plants" to "call jane". I'd get a notification when it's almost time to do it, and I could reset it after I mark it as complete.
I know there are things like Boomerang or calendar alerts, but having it as a stand alone app would be much cleaner. Any thoughts on going this route?
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Great concept and love the idea! The only question I have from looking through how it works is, how does this app stick out from the other competitors in terms of actually getting users to accomplish the tasks they set. After looking through the images, it seems to be another reminder that you set for yourself in a more convenient fashion
@cobionecanobi hi Cobi! Our hope is that the visual of the timer ticking down will help people be more conscious of the time spent on a task, resulting in better focus. The objective is to have the app open and visible while you're working, while a reminders app is something that's usually set and then brought up again at a specific time.
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@ngthatsme1 Fair point, I hope that's the effect it will have on people :)
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I currently use the pomorodo timer and this feature would make it perfect. I like the idea but having it on phone with my current text messages = distractions. Let me know if you guys have a extenstion at any time!
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