Recurring tasks stay one task
Miss the bins three weeks running and there's one bin task, ready again when it's due. Most apps clone the task each cycle. We don't, by design.
A missed chore doesn't multiply.
Mild Steps is a free app for chores, routines, habits, and life admin. A repeated task stays one task — miss it for a week and there's still one thing to do, not seven.
Open it, see a short plan for today, pick one thing. Everything else stays in the Task Bank until it's useful.
Free · Works in your browser · No card, no app store
TodayOne useful thing
9Sat
LowNormalHigh
Morning launch
Step 2 of 5 · Before lunch
Clear kitchen counter
Chore · Anytime
LaterNot today
2 wins today
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Every list app is easy to start and hard to come back to.
The list grows. Chores repeat. Habits get missed. Ideas turn into obligations. Two weeks later Today is a wall of red, and opening the app costs more than doing the dishes.
The failure isn't discipline. It's that ordinary maintenance — bins, laundry, forms, the kitchen counter — generates a constant low volume of small work, and most software responds by stacking it up and showing you the stack.
You shouldn't have to face the whole backlog every morning.
One missed chore shouldn't become seven overdue copies.
A routine that worked last week shouldn't need rebuilding today.
A low-energy day shouldn't make the whole plan impossible.
Two places, not one list.
Tasks live in the Task Bank. Today shows what's useful now. That separation is the whole design — storage and action are different jobs, so storing something doesn't put it in front of you.
The question the app asks isn't "what have you got outstanding." It's: what's one useful thing you can do now?
Today is short on purpose
A handful of suggestions, not a database. You can act without sorting your life first.
Energy changes the plan
Low, Normal, High. Low shows only what matters most. High shows more. The day shrinks and expands with your actual capacity.
Done, Later, Not today
Done records a win. Later moves it. Not today clears it and says nothing about it. Three exits, no failure state.
One step at a time.
A routine is a sequence built from real Task Bank items — a morning launch, an apartment reset, a bedtime wind-down. Start it and only the current step is visible. The rest of the day stays quiet until you get there.
Current routineApartment reset
Step 3Put away the visible laundry
Only this step is asking for attention right now.
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Six screens, one job each.
Today — the plan for today: suggestions, active routine, energy, wins.
Task Bank — where habits, chores, and one-off tasks are stored and edited.
Routines — reusable sequences built from Task Bank items.
Ideas — possibilities that aren't tasks yet, and don't nag.
Add — fast capture with gentle defaults.
Settings — language, timezone, default energy.
For the recurring stuff, not the career stuff.
Mild Steps is for people who handle complicated things all day and still lose to the dishes. If your problem is quarterly planning or team deadlines, this is the wrong tool — try a project manager.
It's built for:
Running a household: chores, tidying, maintenance, errands
Wanting routines without a schedule
Abandoning systems once the backlog gets too heavy to open
Days where capacity is genuinely different from yesterday
Capturing ideas without each one becoming an obligation
Executive-function friction, overwhelm, choice fatigue, and trouble starting small tasks are exactly the conditions this was designed around — including, but not limited to, ADHD.
What it isn't.
To-do lists collect everything in one place until the list is too heavy to open. We split the Task Bank from Today.
Calendars are for appointments. Most chores don't need a time slot — they need a part of the day. Morning, before lunch, after lunch, evening, anytime.
Streak apps motivate some people and discourage others. A broken streak is a reason not to come back. We count wins and stay quiet about gaps.
Notion-style databases are powerful and abstract. Six fixed screens beat a system you have to maintain.
Project tools are for teams, deadlines, and accountability. This is personal and private.
Where the design comes from.
Not a medical product and not a treatment. It's a planning tool informed by work on cognitive load, executive-function support, behavioral activation, implementation intentions, habit design, and self-compassion.
The practical translation: smaller lists mean fewer decisions per open. Parts of day give context without a schedule. One-step routines remove the sequencing load. And avoiding "failed," "missed," and "overdue" keeps the app approachable after a bad week — which is the week that decides whether you keep using it.
Questions people usually ask.
Is Mild Steps only for people with ADHD?
Not only. It's designed around executive-function friction, which is central to ADHD and common well beyond it. If ordinary repeated tasks are where you get stuck, it should fit.
Is Mild Steps a to-do list?
It includes tasks, but it is not a standard to-do list. Mild Steps separates reusable tasks, daily suggestions, routines, and ideas so Today does not become a giant backlog.
What happens if I miss something?
Nothing dramatic. Mild Steps does not create a pile of overdue copies. You can do it later, remove it from today, or let it become ready again when appropriate.
What is the Task Bank?
The Task Bank is where reusable tasks live. Today pulls from it, routines use it, and edits stay connected.
What are Ideas?
Ideas are possibilities that are not tasks yet. They stay quiet until you choose to promote them into a one-time task, habit, or chore.
Why parts of day instead of exact times?
Many daily tasks need a general context, not a strict calendar event. Morning, before lunch, after lunch, evening, and anytime give structure without forcing everything into a schedule.
What does energy level do?
Energy level changes which suggestions appear. Low energy shows only high-importance items. Normal shows high and normal. High energy can show more.
Does Mild Steps track streaks?
Mild Steps focuses on wins today and returning without shame. It does not need broken-streak punishment to be useful.
Is Mild Steps a medical app?
No. Mild Steps is a practical planning tool. It is inspired by evidence-informed ideas, but it is not a treatment and does not promise medical outcomes.
Is it free?
Yes. There's no paid tier, no trial, and no card required. It's early access and free while it's being built.
Do I need to install anything?
No. It runs in the browser on any device.
Early access, built carefully.
Mild Steps is an early-stage product. Features, wording, data structures, and availability may change as the app improves. Please use it with that in mind, keep your own backup of anything essential, and avoid storing sensitive information that you would not want in an early-access planning tool.
Your information stays private.
We do not sell your information, share it with advertisers, or use your task content for unrelated purposes. Mild Steps stores what is needed to run the app for you.
You don't have to catch up.
Start with one thing. The rest keeps.
Free while in early access. No credit card.
Create a free accountFree while in early access. No credit card.