You spend 3 hours on YouTube and it feels like 20 minutes. Most people never try to fix that, because they don't see it as a problem.
Here are 10 small tool ideas aimed at problems like that, the ones people have stopped noticing. Each one does one simple job.
The 10 ideas
1. Shame.clock
Problem: You spend 3 hours on YouTube but it feels like 20 minutes. Time blindness is real.
Solution: A floating timer that shows exactly how long you've been on a specific app or site. It doesn't block anything.
Why it's different: Other tools block or limit you. This one only shows the time, and the sting of seeing it does the rest. No rules to set up.
2. Promise.me
Problem: You say "I'll send that tomorrow," then you forget. People slowly lose trust in you.
Solution: Type a small commitment, like "Send invoice to John by Friday 5pm". It reminds you, later asks "Did you do it?", and tracks how often you keep your promises.
Why it's different: A to-do app tracks tasks. This tracks your own reliability score over time.
3. Dead.drop
Problem: You want to share something sensitive, like a password, a private note, or a file, but you don't want it to exist forever.
Solution: Paste text or a file and get a one-time link that self-destructs after one view. No accounts, no logs.
Why it's different: It is simple and suits paranoid people, which is fair when screenshots and data leaks are everywhere.
4. Who.said
Problem: Someone quotes a stat, a news story, or a claim. Is it real? You don't have time to fact-check it.
Solution: Highlight any text on the web, right-click, and pick "Who said this?" It shows the original source, the date, and a credibility score.
Why it's different: Misinformation is everywhere. This gives source tracing to everyone, not only journalists.
5. Wallet.leak
Problem: Subscriptions you forgot about keep quietly taking money from your bank account.
Solution: Connect your bank or card with read-only access. It finds the recurring charges and lists them, each with a one-click "Is this worth it?" prompt.
Why it's different: Budget apps like Mint (shut down by Intuit in 2024) tried to do everything. This does one job, finding money leaks, and nothing else.
6. Intro.bridge
Problem: You want to introduce two people, but writing the email is awkward and takes time.
Solution: Enter two names and one sentence about why they should connect. It writes a double opt-in intro email that you can copy and send.
Why it's different: Networking is valuable but full of friction. This removes the "how do I phrase this?" part.
7. Changelog.me
Problem: You're growing and learning, but it happens so slowly that you don't notice it.
Solution: Once a week it asks, "What's one thing you learned or changed this week?" and saves your answer. After a year, you have a personal changelog.
Why it's different: A journal asks for too much. This asks for one sentence a week, and at year-end you see how much you changed.
8. Unsubscribe.now
Problem: Your inbox is full of newsletters you don't read, and unsubscribing one by one is tedious.
Solution: It scans your inbox and lists every subscription, ranked by the last time you opened it. One click unsubscribes you from all the ones you ignore.
Why it's different: Email clients already show unsubscribe links, and Gmail now lists your subscriptions by how often each sender emails you. This batches the decision and uses your reading habits as the filter.
9. Ask.later
Problem: A good question comes to mind while you're reading or watching something, but you don't want to break your flow.
Solution: Press a hotkey and type the question. It saves it with the URL and timestamp so you can review it later.
Why it's different: Bookmarks save content. This saves the question you had in the moment, which helps learners.
10. Proof.snap
Problem: You need to prove something existed at a certain time, like a tweet, a price, or a conversation, but it might get deleted or edited.
Solution: Paste a URL. It creates a timestamped, archived screenshot with cryptographic proof and gives you a link to share.
Why it's different: The Wayback Machine is slow and wasn't built for proof. This captures evidence instantly for disputes, records, or accountability.
What these ideas have in common
All ten are simple to build and simple to use. What makes them worth building is that each one pulls on something people already care about:
| Lever | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Shame/Pride | People are social, and self-image matters. |
| Friction removal | If something takes 2 fewer clicks, far more people use it. |
| Invisible problems | Fix what people put up with but never put into words. |
| Trust/Proof | When fakes are everywhere, proof that something is real has value. |
| Self-knowledge | People want to understand themselves better. |
Where to start
These are starting points. Pick the one that matches a problem you actually have and cut it down to the smallest version you can build. A problem you deal with yourself is usually the best sign of what to build.