Cairn

The first step, carved

A systematic way to cross the wilderness between a plan and its first real step, with a small game to help you actually take it. Name the idea, lower the stakes, carve one stone at a time.

3 in 4

venture-backed startups eventually fail. Rarely for want of a good idea; more often for want of a single first step across the wilderness between the blueprint and the building site. The fix isn't more theory; it's a better process.

Source: More Than Accountants: start-up failure rates

Your Blueprint

Pick what you're working on, then work the four stages: tick the steps and jot your notes. Everything is saved locally in your browser; this is your Project HQ, and it never leaves your device.

I'm working on…

Pick what you're working on above, and your four stages will appear here, the same shape for any first step.

Momentum Game

Beat procrastination by turning work into a game. Set one task, run a focused sprint at your length, take a break, and carve a stone for each sprint you finish. Set your own rhythm; there's no single right one. Progress is saved in your browser.

Stones carved: 0

Work 25 min
Break 5 min

25:00

Your carvings

No stones yet. Finish a sprint to carve your first.

Stone by Stone

Knowing You're Done

Success here isn't profit or a business. It's one thing, finished, and some sign to you that it really is. Both halves change with what you're working on.

Pick what you're working on to start.

Pick what you're working on to see what done looks like.

Each Stone Builds the Next

Every stone you carve stacks on the one before it. This is your climb; it fills in as you finish sprints, and it lives only in this browser.

No stones yet. Your climb starts with the first sprint.

Your Data

Everything you enter lives only in this browser: your notes, ticks, and carved stones. It's yours: take a backup, or import it onto another device. Nothing is ever uploaded.