A to-do list app for when a long list makes you freeze
You open your list, read it, feel stuck, and close it again. If that sounds familiar, you’re not lazy, and you’re far from alone. Many people with ADHD describe the same thing. Nearer is a to-do list app built around it: it breaks big things into small steps and shows you just one at a time.
The short version
Tell Nearer what you want to get done. It writes the small steps for you and puts one on the screen. Finish it, and the next one appears. Nearer is a productivity tool, not a treatment for ADHD.
Why a long list can stop you before you start
A long list asks a lot before you’ve done anything. You have to read it, work out what matters most, and decide where to begin. Each item is often a big job too, like “sort out taxes”, so even after choosing you still have to work out the first step.
All that deciding is tiring. It’s easy to freeze, put the whole thing off, and come back to the same list tomorrow. People call this task paralysis. It has little to do with effort, and a lot to do with a next step that isn’t clear yet. We go through it in more detail in can’t start your to-do list?
How Nearer helps
One card at a time
Nearer shows one task, full width, and keeps the rest of the list out of sight. When you finish it, the next one is already there, so you never have to stop and choose.
Small steps, written for you
Describe a goal in your own words and Nearer’s AI breaks it into small steps. If a step still feels too big, press Break apart and it splits that one into smaller steps too.
You always come back to the right place
Nearer remembers which card you were on, on your phone and your computer. Open it tomorrow and the next step is waiting, with no list to read through first.
Routines that reset themselves
A morning or evening routine is its own list. It comes back unchecked every day, week or month, so you never have to rebuild it, and it stays out of your task list.
If you’re comparing apps that do some of this, see one task at a time apps and AI task breakdown apps.
What it does not do
- · No reminders or notifications, so nothing prompts you to start.
- · No streaks or scores, so a missed day never counts against you.
- · No shared lists. Nearer is just for you.
- · No App Store or Google Play app. It runs in your web browser, on your phone and your computer.
No credit card required. See pricing.
Common questions
- Is Nearer made for ADHD?
- Nearer is made for anyone who freezes in front of a long list, and a lot of people with ADHD describe exactly that. It is a productivity tool, not a treatment, and it isn’t a replacement for advice from a doctor or therapist.
- Why does one task at a time help?
- A long list asks you to decide what to do before you can do anything, and that decision is often the hardest part. When you only see one task, Nearer has made that decision for you, and you can start on it straight away.
- Does Nearer send reminders?
- No. There are no notifications of any kind. Nearer is for when you sit down to get something done. If you need a nudge to start, keep a calendar or an alarm for that.
- What if a step still feels too big?
- Press Break apart on that card and Nearer splits it into smaller steps. You work through those one at a time, and finishing them ticks off the bigger step.
- Is there a free version?
- No free tier. Every account gets a 7-day trial of the whole app with no card, then $79.99 per year, or $9.99 per month.