Introducing Subroutine

Subroutine is a task manager I've been building for myself — and now for anyone else whose brain works the way mine does.

The problem with task managers

Most task managers are built for people who can look at a list of 40 things and decide what to do next. I can't do that reliably. When I open a conventional task manager I either freeze up, pick the wrong thing, or spend 20 minutes reorganising the list instead of doing anything on it.

This isn't a motivation problem or a discipline problem. It's an executive function problem — the part of cognition that handles planning, prioritisation, and transitioning between tasks. For a lot of people (myself included) this part doesn't run automatically. It has to be scaffolded.

Subroutine is that scaffold.

What makes it different

It asks how you're doing

Before showing you anything, Subroutine asks you to pick a mode:

• Analysis paralysis — You know you have things to do but can't start.
• Overstimulated — There's too much going on and you need to reduce load.
• Hyperfocused — You're in the zone and want to maximise throughput.
• An intense emotion — Something is happening that needs processing first.

Each mode shapes what the pipeline surfaces and how dense the queue is. The app doesn't pretend you have infinite bandwidth.

The pipeline, not the list

Instead of a flat list, Subroutine maintains a pipeline — a time-ordered sequence of actions that auto-schedules based on duration estimates and the gaps between your events. Floating actions drift toward the present. Static actions stay pinned.

When you miss something, it requeues automatically. Nothing disappears into the abyss.

Natural language everywhere

Every entry point — action creator, event creator, routine step editor — uses the same natural language parser. Type dentist Thursday @2pm ~1h every month and it parses the weekday, time, duration, and recurrence rule, highlighting each component a different colour inline. No dropdowns. No date pickers.

What it is right now

Subroutine is in active development. The macOS desktop app, Android app, and Wear OS companion are all functional. The HTTP API is open and well-documented. All of it is open source.

It's not polished. Some parts are rough. Large pieces of the design are still evolving. But it's already the task manager I use every day.

What's coming

• Accounts and sync — cross-device sync backed by the same HTTP API
• Refined mental-state modes — smarter queue shaping per mode
• Better recurrence UI — richer recurrence rules and a visual preview
• Templates — saved action templates for one-click scheduling

If you're curious, download it or read the API docs if you want to poke at it programmatically.

— Brendon