Why I created Livate: from procrastination to action
Alexandre
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Reading time: 3 min
I spent years setting vague goals — "get back into fitness", "launch a side project", "learn a new language" — without ever making a move. It took me a while to understand that the problem wasn't motivation. It was the lack of a method.
The name: Live + Elevate
Livate is a blend of Live and Elevate. I wanted a name that carries the project's meaning: turning an intention into concrete action. Not just planning. Doing.
It's an iOS app designed for productivity and mental well-being. If you want to see the journey that brought me here, start with my story in a nutshell.
The problem: "it would be nice if I did that"
When I was a kid, my dad used to say: "What's done is done — one less thing to worry about." At the time, I thought it was cliché. It took me 10 years to realize how true it was.
I've always wanted to build something, create, carry a project that matters. But I never took the leap. The mountain seemed too high. Where do I even start? What do I even start with? And then life goes on, and good intentions stay just that — good intentions.
The real blocker wasn't laziness. It was the lack of a method to break the mountain down into doable micro-actions.
The turning point: 1 goal, 3 actions of 15 minutes
One evening, I found myself staring at my to-do list: about thirty tasks, zero real progress in weeks. I closed my laptop and told myself: if I can't find a way to break this down into things I can actually do tomorrow morning, I'm done.
The next day, I grabbed a blank sheet of paper. 1 goal. 3 actions of 15 minutes. I had everything done before noon.
It was ridiculously simple. And that's exactly why it worked. No complex system, no priority matrix, no app with 47 settings. Just a clear goal and immediate micro-steps.
I repeated this for 2 months with a notebook. It changed the way I made progress. But the notebook had its limits: no tracking, no reminders, no structure. That's when the idea for Livate was born.
Who is it for?
I built Livate for people like me: those who have a head full of ideas but don't know where to start. Those who've tried 5 productivity apps and spent more time configuring them than actually making progress on their goals.
The app asks you one simple question: what's your goal today? And it guides you to break it down into actions you can do right here, right now, in 15 minutes.
Why yet another app?
I've tested a dozen productivity apps. My issue with most of them: before I even set my first goal, I'd spend 20 minutes configuring categories, tags, views, and filters.
Livate is the opposite. You open the app, start your flow, and you're off. No friction, just action.
No pressure, no judgment. A simple space to take 2 minutes for yourself, set your goal and the micro-actions to achieve it, through a guided, frictionless experience.
The micro-actions method (with or without the app)
You don't need Livate to give it a try. Tomorrow morning, take 2 minutes:
Write down 1 clear goal — not "be more productive", but "write 500 words of my article"
Break it into 3 actions of 15 minutes — things you can do right away
Do the first action before noon — the rest will follow
That's what I did with a notebook for 2 months before coding Livate. If it works for you, the app is the automated version: it structures the journey, tracks your streaks, and motivates you with a daily badge system.
Let me know in the comments if you've tried it — and how it changed your day.
