ourli

Plan before you promise: forward planning for freelancers.

Productivity

Freelance

Calendar

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Hi PH community - I'm Brooke, and I built ourli. I've tried every time management app out there, but none could answer the question I needed them to: have I scheduled the time this project needs, by the time I need it? And is that time realistically available, given my actual capacity? As a freelancer, I need that answer before every commitment. But most apps forget the most important thing - we're human. There's no such thing as 100% productivity during working hours, and letting you set due dates based on wishful thinking vs reality only adds to the stress of overcommitment. And when plans change, as they inevitably do, what happens to the work you missed? It either disappears into the ether, or an AI agent decides you can write the client report in the hour before you present it - because that's when your calendar next says you're 'free'. So, I built what I needed: - Create a project with its hours and a due date, and see - before you commit - whether it fits, will be tight, or needs a new due date. - Every project hour is Complete, Allocated, or Still to allocate, and those counts are always visible. You drag hours into your calendar where and when you choose. - Delete a block and its hours go back to 'Still to allocate'. They never disappear. - Google Calendar events count against your available hours automatically. You can also mark days to reduce your available capacity, for example travel days, early finishes, appointments, and so on. Only I know what kind of projects I prefer working on at 9am on a Tuesday vs 4pm on a Thursday. Only I know that, even though the calendar says my flight is one hour, over half the day is eaten up by travel. And only I know that, if I can't find the time to walk my dog, get out in nature, or have a long lunch with my husband, then I haven't actually managed my time at all. ourli is not an auto-scheduler - it does the arithmetic and leaves the decisions with you. There's a 14-day free trial, no card, and a discount for the first 100 founding members (€12/month instead of €18 - locked for as long as they stay subscribed). Am I the only one who prefers to plan this way? To me, it makes sense, but most tools out there seem to favour automation for automation's sake over your own judgement.