If we’re honest, most of the apps on our phone are probably more of a distraction than anything else. Twitter, Messenger, Instagram, Pokémon Go — they’re not exactly paragons of productivity. But there’s one app that wants to take up space on your home screen and free up space in your schedule by actually getting you to get things done. Meet Time, a new app that gamifies productivity, turning recreation into achievement.
Sure, there are plenty of to-do lists, time trackers, and other productivity apps out there, but this one is a bit unique. Powered by artificial intelligence, Time lets you enter a task and the amount of time it ought to take to complete it. When you’re ready to begin, simply tap on the task, and the timer begins, counting down against a green backdrop. As your time begins to run out, the background changes to yellow, and then to red. Should you need more time to complete the task, no problem — just pull down a bit on the item. But if you finish it, pull it all the way down, and mark it as complete.
Should you take too much time, however, the app will go into Overtime Mode, and you’ll see just how much extra time you’re wasting, er, taking. And don’t worry — Time won’t go silently into this new status. When you run out of time, you’ll hear an alarm go off, creating the sense of urgency you may need to get the job done.
The AI kicks in with more frequent use. The more addicted you become to finishing your tasks on time, the smarter the app becomes. In fact, the app can start to offer tips to help you be more productive based on your prior work habits.
As Techcrunch noted, the app features a number of algorithms that employ linguistic recognition to associate tasks with one another. That means that if you tell yourself to “buy groceries” or “go to the grocery store,” the app ought to understand it as the same thing. And if you constantly under or overestimate the amount of time this task will take, the app might suggest a different time frame.
