Level up your real life.
Tasks, habits and focus – with XP, levels and rewards.
CORTEX turns your to-do list, habits, focus timer and day plan into a game you actually want to play: finish tasks, earn XP, level up your character and spend credits on rewards you choose. Freelancers get time tracking and reports on top.
You do it all yourself.
Five tools, no clear picture.
Tasks in one app, invoices in Word, time untracked, finances only in your head. The result? You lose time, focus and energy — and by evening you have no idea where the day went.
App-switching all day
Tasks, calendar, invoicing, notes — each somewhere else. Half the work is just searching.Invoicing by hand
Invoices made manually, numbers looked up, payment references tracked. A pointless time sink.No clear picture of your time or money
You don't know what actually makes you money, where your hours went, or what to bill.
Direction first.
Then daily steps.
Break big goals into manageable steps and connect them to daily tasks. Keep your "why" in sight on the Vision Board and think projects through in Mind Maps.
- Goals with progress — see how close you are, not just a wishlist.
- Vision Board — your dreams and direction always in view.
- Mind Maps — plan a project before you dive in.
Wake up knowing
what to work on.
Pick a few priorities for the day, start the timer and focus on one thing. CORTEX builds your day plan and keeps track of deadlines, so nothing slips.
- One-click day plan — the system schedules your tasks for you.
- Focus timer — track time right on the task, no side notes.
- List and calendar — daily and weekly views with hourly slots, drag & drop, and your Google calendar as busy blocks.
An invoice done
in 30 seconds.
Create an invoice in the Czech format (for businesses not registered for VAT) in English, Czech, Slovak, German or Polish and send the PDF to your client from your own email. Numbers, payment references and your client database are handled for you — and you instantly see who paid and who owes.
- Invoices + PDF — ready to send in moments.
- Client database — contacts, IDs and history in one place.
- Payment matching — automatic with Fio, a statement upload for other banks; paid / unpaid at a glance.
Measure what
work really takes.
Start a timer on recurring work and Cortex tells you where your hours went. Finally you have data for invoicing and proof of what pays off and what doesn't.
- One-click timer — start work on a client project in one click.
- Time reports — by week, project or client.
- Invoice from hours — tracked time × the project rate, a draft invoice in one click.
Reward now,
not a year from now.
Your brain loves small wins. Every finished task earns XP and credits, you level up and unlock rewards. Exactly the feedback that keeps you going even on the days you don't feel like it.
Ranks to reach:
-
Novice
Lvl 1+
-
Scout
Lvl 3+
-
Apprentice
Lvl 5+
-
Warden
Lvl 8+
-
Adept
Lvl 10+
-
Strategist
Lvl 15+
-
Veteran
Lvl 20+
-
Master
Lvl 25+
-
Grandmaster
Lvl 30+
-
Legend
Lvl 40+
-
Reality Architect
Lvl 50+
- XP & levels — watch yourself grow from Rookie to Grandmaster.
- Rewards — trade earned credits for real rewards.
- Character stats — build Strength, Intelligence and Wisdom.
Achievements
First Step
Complete your first task.
Deep Work
Log a focus session of at least 60 minutes.
Merchant
Issue your first invoice.
Solo works.
Together works better.
Productivity doesn't have to be lonely. Share real progress on the community wall, find people with similar goals in People, join a shared co-working sprint or an alliance and compete in weekly challenges. The community is opt-in.
- Weekly challenges — whoever does more wins. A fresh round every week.
- Shared goals — pull in the same direction.
- Leaderboards — healthy motivation not to slack off.
A promise to yourself
that keeps you on track.
Committing to yourself builds trust and certainty. The personal contract helps you name your why, locks in a 30-day commitment and turns it into concrete recurring steps in your planner.
- Mental anchor — reminds you who you're becoming when motivation dips.
- Consistency over mood — the system turns the promise into routine.
- More confidence — every win proves you can rely on yourself.
A minute of calm,
whenever you need it.
The day speeds up and your head is running at full throttle. Calm brings you back into your body in a minute: a shape on the screen grows as you breathe in and shrinks as you breathe out, and you just breathe along. No counting, no pressure, free.
- Breathing exercises — Calm down, Focus, Before sleep and Energy for 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes, with a reduced-motion countdown mode too.
- Meditation timer — a soft bell, short guided scripts and rain or noise sounds generated right in your browser.
- SOS calm — 60 seconds of 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, the sigh breath and helplines one tap away.
- Gentle, on your terms — a one-minute breath before and after focus, a reminder at most once a day and only if you want it, calm minutes and a small XP reward once a day.
Relaxation exercises for everyday stress, not a treatment.
Understand your brain.
In 3 minutes a day.
Why do you put things off even when you want to do them? What does dopamine really do? Brain Academy explains it in short lessons, in plain words and with sources. Every lesson ends with one small experiment you try right away on your own tasks – so you see what works for you.
- 7 lessons in week 1 — procrastination, dopamine, action before motivation, unfinished tasks, attention, if-then plans and habits.
- An experiment, not just theory — CORTEX opens the right screen, already filled in; you try it and tell it how it went with one tap.
- Made to stick — questions come back after 1, 3, 7 and 21 days, the streak counts weeks, not days, and experiments earn XP and badges.
A ready-made plan
in one tap.
No need to start from a blank page. Pick a template – a half marathon in 12 weeks, exam season, moving house, a family budget or a morning routine – fill in a few details, and CORTEX sets up the goals, tasks, habits and calendar blocks for you. You see up front what it creates, and you can remove it all again in one step.
- 30+ templates in 8 categories — students, freelancers, teams, health, habits, money, personal growth and home and family.
- At your pace — choose Easy, Normal or All in and preview what will be created before you apply it.
- Your own templates — save a goal, routine or project as a template and share it with a friend by link.
IT'S IN YOUR POCKET
CORTEX isn't just a website. It's a Progressive Web App (PWA).
Install it on your phone and keep tasks, time and invoices with you anywhere. Works on iOS and Android.
WHAT DO YOU GET?
One system. Every tool a freelancer needs.
Journal & energy
Track energy, sleep, mood and flow. Find the patterns behind your best work.
Vision Board
Visualize your dreams and long-term goals. Keep the big picture in view.
Mind Maps
Mind maps for projects. Capture ideas before they vanish.
Rewards
Trade earned credits for real rewards. Motivate yourself positively.
Planner & calendar
An hour grid for the day and week, one-click day plans, and your Google or Outlook calendar as busy blocks.
Personal finance
Income, expenses and cashflow in one clear planner. No more guessing.
Leaderboards
Who's most productive this week? Healthy competition with your friends and alliance.
Habits
Build good habits and break bad ones. Track streaks and lock in discipline.
Dark and light mode
Dark mode by default is easy on the eyes; the sun and moon icon switches to light. Or let CORTEX follow the time of day.
Brain Academy
Short lessons on how your brain works, each with one experiment on your own tasks.
Calm
Breathing exercises, a meditation timer, soothing sounds and SOS calm one tap away.
Templates
Ready-made plans for sport, school, money and home. Goals, tasks and habits in one tap.
STOP JUST READING. START.
CREATE FREE ACCOUNTIS CORTEX FOR YOU?
Freelancer
You find work, do it, invoice and keep the books. You need an overview, not five apps.
Small team
You pull together. Shared goals, challenges and a clear view of who does what.
Solopreneur
You build a business alone. You're CEO, marketer and accountant. You need a system, not chaos.
FREE FOR EVERYONE.
NO PAID TIER, NO ADS
CORTEX is free for everyone, with every feature. We don't plan a paid tier or ads. Servers and development are funded by voluntary supporters – if CORTEX helps you, you can chip in a small amount.
INVEST IN YOURSELF
FREEEverything is free. All it takes is your discipline.
- One plan, every feature.
- No ads, no credit card.
- No limits on tasks, goals or habits.
OPTIONAL SUPPORT
Support is purely voluntary. You help us keep servers running and further development.
SUPPORT PROJECTSupport is voluntary and you can cancel it anytime.
ONE APP FOR YOUR WHOLE DAY
| What you need | What CORTEX gives you |
|---|---|
| Tasks and day planning | Tasks in one sentence, a one-click day plan and a calendar |
| Work time tracking | Focus timer and time tracking, reports and CSV/PDF export |
| Invoicing + PDF | Invoices for Czech businesses not registered for VAT, with a QR payment |
| Finance & client overview | A monthly budget and a client list |
| Motivation, habits & competition | Habits, XP, levels and rewards, alliances |
| Price | FREE, every feature |
Free tools, guides and templates
Pomodoro timer, printable planners, focus and habit guides – free, no sign-up.
Planning your day, week and time
All →Motivation and procrastination
- How to stop procrastinating
- How to get motivated (even with no motivation)
- Motivation vs discipline
- How to gamify your life
Habits and routines
- How to build habits that stick
- Habit tracker: printable and online
- Morning routine checklist: templates for busy days
- How to break a bad habit
Goals and long-term plans
All →Stress, calm and recovery
All →Sleep and energy
- How to fall asleep: practical tips and their limits
- Bedtime procrastination
- Chronotype and productivity: find your work window
ADHD and the working day
- How to work with ADHD: workday and planner
- How to focus with ADHD
- ADHD task paralysis: a small way to get started
Studying and exams
All →Freelancing: time, rates and admin
All →Bad habits, cravings and addiction
- Why do I keep doing things I do not want to do?
- Urge surfing: what to do when a craving shows up
- What to do after a relapse, today and the next morning
The CORTEX app and its features
All →FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much does it cost?
Who is Cortex best for?
Do I have to pay or enter a card?
How is my data secured?
LESS CHAOS. MORE DONE.
Create an account and keep your whole day in one place: tasks, habits, focus and goals.
CREATE FREE ACCOUNTSign-up takes 30 seconds. No credit card. Runs in your browser and installs on your phone.
BUILT FOR YOUR WORK.