A lot of productivity apps try to be everything at once. They look impressive, but they come with a cost: maintenance, constant context switching, and navigating a busy app with too many friction points. I was stacking these tools on top of one another, trying to find the best one that could handle everything, but it was just making all my work heavier.

After my suite of productivity apps became harder to manage than my work itself, I started looking for more lightweight options, and I eventually settled on a handful of tiny open-source tools. They do one job really well and stay out of your way for the most part. And they started replacing chunks of my heavier productivity setups.

Notepad++

A super light, yet feature-rich text tool

I’ve been using Windows Notepad since I got my first computer, and it’s still a really solid option; it fits well in my plain local text stack. But the more recent Copilot updates made it feel like it’s just getting stuffed with the newest AI features for the sake of it.

I also regularly get prompted to log into my Microsoft account, which I’d prefer not to. Plus, despite loving Notepad for its simplicity, sometimes I do miss some formatting and organization features. So I started using Notepad++.

Notepad++ is a very lightweight app for what it provides. It’s primarily a source code editor, though you can also use it as a regular text editor, which is what I do. I get tabbed documents, advanced search function, and syntax highlighting that can be repurposed to visually separate sections of text. It also supports Markdown editing.

It opens instantly, handles huge files without lagging, and saves everything locally. Also, no accounts or syncing, and no AI bloat. It’s a super fast and reliable option for text editing with more structure than Notepad, but needs less space.

Notepad++

Turtl

A notes manager with encryption

Turtl is a small, open-source notes manager app that takes your privacy seriously. Everything you create is encrypted on your device, and even with sync turned on, no other service or person can read your notes besides you.

It’s also more than just a note-taking tool. Think of Turtl as the lighter, open-source version of Google Keep. It uses a similar layout in that you create “cards” that are neatly packed into your workspace. And you actually get some more structure with the different workspaces and folders.

The note cards themselves are also more feature-rich than Keep. You can create text notes with Markdown support, store passwords in your cards, use the cards as bookmarks for weblinks, and upload files and images as cards.

This super simple setup lets me store so much of my work, from to-do lists and project tasks to drafts and media files. And the app remains very lightweight with zero lag, plus everything is completely private.

Turtl

Pomatez

A Pomodoro timer that keeps me productive

Pomatez is a tiny Pomodoro timer app that makes it easy to ditch heavy setups. Many of my productivity apps ship with timer features, but I don’t want to open an entire PKM suite just to set up a timer. So Pomatez was a really good find for me.

It’s a desktop app (Windows, macOS, and Linux) built around the Pomodoro technique of focusing or working for 25 minutes, then taking a break for 5 minutes. The timer is the primary function of Pomatez, but it has a couple of extras to help keep you on top of your tasks.

It has a Task List feature that lets you add separate lists with as many tasks as you want in each, and they will appear on the timer itself so you can tick them off as you work. The timer is also very minimal and intuitive - it’s just a circular clock with some interaction buttons.

The app is surprisingly customizable for being so small and minimalist. You can configure the rules of the timer itself, and there’s a host of interface settings, such as keeping the app on top, making it compact, and enabling dark mode.

Pomatez

Colorpicker

An underrated feature for graphics work

Colorpicker is exactly what it sounds like: a free and open-source color picker tool. It literally only does one thing, but it does it extremely well and plays nicely with just about any graphics setup you’re working with. And it eliminates the need for other HEX code and RGB value tools.

If you see a color you want to grab anywhere on your desktop (including apps, window frames, and buttons), just grab it with Colorpicker and it will show you the color values instantly. There’s also an online version where you can tweak the sliders to get precise colors and their values.

Colorpicker

TinyTask

Automate actions with zero bloat

When I think of automation, I usually envision large installs with complex setups and technical know-how. TinyTask is a microscopic automation tool that simply records and repeats your actions, and anyone can use it. It’s only 36KB in size, and it’s portable.

It works by recording your mouse movements, clicks, and keyboard inputs. And then you simply play back the recording if you want to repeat that exact task. It also comes with some hotkeys so you don’t have to navigate to the little automation window every time. TinyTask is the perfect tool for things like filling out forms, clicking through menus, and logging into websites.

TinyTask

Productivity doesn’t have to be so bloated

These tiny apps don’t only free up space on your computer, but they also free up mental space. You don’t realize how much decision fatigue many modern productivity apps really give you until you stop using them - which defeats the whole purpose of even having them. These little tools all do one thing and do it well, letting you focus on your actual work without getting distracted or overwhelmed.