Write the proposalOpen a blank document.
Make it smaller.
Name what you’re putting off. Find one concrete action small enough to begin.
A little help getting started
Start the thing
you’re avoiding.
The email. The paperwork. The thing that feels too big.
Sumongo helps you find one small first move.
Then gives you a little room to begin.
An app for iPhone. In the making.
One task. A few minutes.
Meet your first move01 / 03
Write the proposal
Just the first move.
Nothing else to figure out right now.
First move
Open a blank document.
WhenNow
You can stop when the time is up.
Try a different task
A simple concept preview. Nothing leaves this page.
A smaller way in
You don’t need the whole plan.
Just a place to start.
Some days, getting started is the work.
Sumongo makes space for that.
5:00A little time. A clear end.
Give it a few minutes.
Start with two, five, or ten minutes. At the bell, keep going or stop here.
Next timeWrite the opening sentence.
Leave the door open.
Save a next move for later. Come back to a place to begin, whenever you’re ready.
Less to carry
A quiet place
to begin again.
Built around the task in front of you.
And the person behind it.
One thing at a time.
One open task. One next move. Space to pay attention to what’s here.
Every return is a fresh start.
A smaller invitation when you need it. No catching up, no score to protect.
Your work stays yours.
The first iPhone release is being designed to keep task content on your device, without an account.
Thoughtfully grounded
Research informs it.
Real life will shape it.
Sumongo draws on research into how we approach effort, make tasks concrete, and return to unfinished work.
These studies inform the design. Sumongo itself has not yet been tested for effectiveness.
01A concrete place to begin
Experiments found that thinking about tasks concretely, rather than abstractly, reduced procrastination. That’s the thinking behind a visible first move.
McCrea et al. · Psychological Science, 200802The effort of starting
A study linked procrastination with the way people weigh effort now versus later. Sumongo uses this as a reason to explore smaller immediate commitments, not as proof of a particular timer length.
Le Bouc & Pessiglione · Nature Communications, 202203A gentler return
In a study of 119 students, self-forgiveness for procrastinating was associated with less procrastination before the next exam. A reason to leave judgment out of the experience.
Wohl, Pychyl & Bennett · Personality and Individual Differences, 201004A note for next time
Across four studies, a brief plan for resuming interrupted work reduced attention residue. It informs the next-move note you leave before stepping away.
Leroy & Glomb · Organization Science, 2018Coming to iPhone
Big things.
Small beginnings.
We’re building a little help for the moment before you start.
In development. A release date will be shared here.