Everything we have recently added to CORTEX, newest first. We only write about things that already work, so you can try each of them right now. All of it is free for everyone, with no ads and no credit card.
Why do we put things off, what does dopamine really do, and why do unfinished tasks keep nagging? Seven short lessons in week 1 explain it in plain words, with sources. Each one ends with a small experiment you try right away in your own tasks or habits, and the questions come back after 1, 3, 7 and 21 days so the idea sticks.
When your head is racing, open Calm. The shape on the screen grows as you breathe in and shrinks as you breathe out – you simply follow it for 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes. There is also a meditation timer with a soft bell, rain or noise generated right in your browser, and SOS calm: 60 seconds of grounding when it all gets too much.
Relaxation exercises for everyday stress, not a treatment.
The welcome after signing up is shorter and to the point. You pick one goal, write down a single first task for it and can start it straight away for 2, 5 or 10 minutes. New accounts get a simpler Today screen with the plan, habits and calendar – and you switch everything else on whenever you want.
Under More you pick what you are dealing with: stress, trouble getting started, chaos, habits that do not stick, studying, low motivation or no overview of your money. CORTEX shows a short tip and one concrete step, such as a minute of breathing or a 2-minute focus session. Nothing switches on by itself – you decide.
During your first week one quiet card a day on Today shows you around – you can postpone it or switch it off completely. Send a friend your personal link, and once they get going you both earn a badge. There are also new badges for your first habit check-in and your first weekly review. The newsletter now starts only after you confirm the link in the e-mail.
Open in the app More about this feature: A first-week guide, invite a friend and new badges
Writing posts, messages and comments or inviting others now needs a verified e-mail address. That makes life much harder for spammers and gives you a calmer community. Your own tasks, habits and everything private work without it, and so do reporting and deleting your account.
Open in the app More about this feature: A safer community with verified e-mail
Write to your buddy or start a group of up to 50 people. You can send a photo (its location data is removed automatically), reply to a specific message and keep up to three chat windows open on your computer. Anyone who bothers you is one tap away from a report or a block; moderators handle reports and every decision comes with its reasons.
If your connection drops, you can still jot down a task – CORTEX sends it to your Inbox once you are back online. A new version is one tap away, the home-screen icon takes you straight to a new task, focus or messages, and text shared from another app lands in your Inbox. We offer the install only after your first finished task, not at the door.
Open in the app More about this feature: A better app on your phone, even offline
Click a task to open its details with subtasks and notes; only the checkbox completes it, and you can always undo. Show tasks as a list or as a board with columns, save your filters and share projects with others. Phones get an agenda view of the calendar, goals explain where their percentage comes from and suggest a next step, and habits show what to tick off today first.
Open in the app More about this feature: Tasks, calendar, goals and habits
Want to run a half marathon, get through exam season, move house or sort out a family budget? Pick one of more than 30 templates, fill in a few details and choose Easy, Normal or All in. CORTEX shows you up front what it will create – goals, tasks, habits and calendar blocks – and you can remove all of it again in one step later.
The community wall now mainly shows people who write in your language (Czech and Slovak share one community). Add more languages or switch on all of them at any time, and your choice is remembered on every device.
CORTEX now opens in dark mode, which is easy on the eyes in the evening. The sun and moon icon in the top bar switches to light mode in one tap. In the settings you can also follow your system or the time of day – dark from 19:00 to 7:00.
We announce features once they are done. We would rather not promise things you then have to wait for. Got an idea that would help you? Write to info@getcortex.cz.
Signing up takes 30 seconds. Brain Academy, Calm and the templates are waiting in the app as soon as you log in.
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