The to-do list for solo founders
Halstom: Catch the idea.
Skip the decisions.
Press ⌥Space in any app, type the thought, pick a project. Halstom works out the priority for you, and you’re back to work before the idea turns into a detour.
One-time purchase · macOS 26 or later · No account · Works offline
Sound familiar?
Your ideas show up mid-task. Your to-do app doesn’t.
You’re halfway through something and an idea hits. You open your task app, wait for it to load, find the project, pick a priority, set a status… and now you’re not doing the thing you were doing. Or you don’t bother, and the idea’s gone by lunch.
Adding a task is a form.
Priority, status, due date, assignee. You wanted to write one line.
“High priority” is a guess.
You stop, think, and pick something arbitrary. Every single time.
Switching projects means waiting.
Dropdown, click, spinner. By then the thought is gone.
ClickUp, Asana and Notion were built to manage teams. You’re one person with a dozen projects and a brain that won’t stop.
Three seconds. Zero decisions.
Capture.
Press ⌥Space from any app, even with no window open. Type the task. Hit Return.
Answer two questions.
Will you enjoy it? Will it move the needle? One keypress each, or skip.
Back to work.
The panel vanishes. The task is already in the right project, in the right order.
Try it right here.
This is the real flow. Press ⌥Space, or click the desktop.
- Open Quick CapturePress ⌥Space or click the desktop below.
- Name the taskType anything, then press ↩.
- Answer, one at a timeUse ↑↓ or 12 to pick, ↩ to continue.
- Back to workThe panel is gone and the task is waiting in the list further down.
The one opinion
Stop deciding what’s “high priority.”
Answer two honest questions, will you enjoy it? and will it move the needle?, and Halstom ranks the task for you. No dropdowns, no guessing, no re-sorting.
Will you enjoy it?
Will it move the needle?
Moves the needleDoesn’tFunBoring
The real work
Boring, but it matters. Do it anyway.
Boring work that matters beats fun work that doesn’t. Always.
Skip the questions and the task simply goes to the bottom of the list. Nothing breaks.
Everything else is one key, too.
- Space
Mark it done.
Point at a task and press Space. Changed your mind? Undo for ten seconds, or ⌘Z.
- ⌘1–9
Jump between projects.
Instantly. Nothing to load. Hold ⌘P to flick through them all.
- ⌘I
Details when you want them.
Notes save as you type. Deadlines take one click.
Overdue floats up.
Late tasks pin themselves to the top so they can’t hide.
Point at a task and press Space · Tier First · Overdue floats to top
Built for one person. On purpose.
- No teams
- No assignees
- No statuses (just to do and done)
- No account
- No sync server
- No loading spinners
Your tasks live in a file on your Mac. That’s why everything opens instantly, and why nobody else can see them. Show the file in Finder, or export everything as JSON whenever you like.
Why I built this
I’m Shaqeeq. I run several projects on my own, and I have ADHD, so ideas hit me constantly, usually while I’m in the middle of something else.
I’ve used ClickUp, Asana, Trello, Plane, Motion, even Notepad. Every one turned adding a task into paperwork, and by the time I’d filled it in, I’d lost my place. Or I’d skip it and lose the idea instead.
I love how Raycast and Spotlight just appear when you need them and disappear when you don’t. So I built that, for tasks. I built Halstom for me first.
$5.99. Once.
No subscription. No account. Buy it, download it, it’s yours.
- Quick Capture from any app
- Automatic priority from two questions
- Unlimited projects and tasks
- Keyboard control for everything
- Local-only storage and JSON export
macOS 26 or later · Direct download
Questions
How is this different from Things or Todoist?
Both have a quick-add box, but tasks land in an inbox you have to sort later, and you set the priority yourself. Halstom files the task straight into a project as you capture it and works out the priority from two questions. There’s nothing to process later.
Does it sync between Macs?
Not right now. Halstom is local-only, with no account and no network access. You can export and import your data as JSON at any time.
Is there an iPhone app?
Not yet. Halstom is Mac-first.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac running macOS 26 or later.
What if ⌥Space is already taken?
Pick any shortcut you like. Setup asks you to press it once to make sure it works.
Can I get my data out?
Yes. Your tasks are stored in a file you can open in Finder, and you can export everything as JSON.
Is it a subscription?
No. $5.99, one time.
Catch the next idea in three seconds.
Buy for $5.99Try the demo again ↑See every v1 feature
Capture
- Configurable global ⌥Space shortcut
- Opens instantly, from any app
- Shortcut conflict check in setup
- Works with no window open
- One question at a time
- Optional detail prompts
- Last and default project memory
- Natural-language deadlines
- Complete keyboard control
- Success pill after save
Prioritisation
- Enjoyment and leverage are independent
- Four computed tiers, never hand-set
- “The real work” always outranks “Feels productive”
- Untiered work sorts last
Sorting and views
- Tier, deadline, recent and custom modes
- Drag switches to Custom Order
- Pinned overdue section
- To Do, Done and All filters
- Search titles and notes
- Relative deadline labels
- Three-beat completion
Projects
- Searchable system emoji catalogue
- Glass dock with names, dots and badges
- Resizes, shrinks, then scrolls at 12 projects
- Picker morphs into the dock
- Project cards with stats
- ⌘1–⌘9 and hold ⌘P
- Create, rename, archive and delete
Task detail and safety
- ⌘I inspector
- Graphical calendar and presets
- Notes autosave
- Created and completed timestamps
- 10-second undo toast and ⌘Z
Mac integration
- Dock, menu bar, or both
- Menu bar quick actions
- Configurable dock badge
- Launch at login
- Keeps running without windows
- Native four-tab Settings
- Light and dark Liquid Glass
Data and onboarding
- Local-only, no account or network
- Show store in Finder
- JSON export and import
- Four-step welcome
- Reopen onboarding from Help
Keyboard shortcuts
⌥SpaceQuick Capture, from any app
⌘↩Save now in capture
⌘1–9Jump to a project
Hold ⌘P← →Switch from the dock
⌘IToggle inspector
⌘FFind
⇧⌘NNew project
⌘RRename project
⌘ZUndo
SpaceEMark the task under the pointer done
Return⌫Open or delete a task