Exa: Your External Memory

Externalized Cognitive Assistance (Exa) was designed from the lived experience of having ADHD and may also feel helpful to people with other cognitive challenges, or people who simply find this way of organizing intuitive.

Get things out of only living in your head and into a place you can reliably return to and easily navigate, without facing one giant backlog.

Find what needs you now

• In This Moment gives you a short, chosen focus view.
• Quickfire gives you quick access to your chosen lists, modes, and individual items.
• Boss Mode holds the very few things with immediate and serious consequences.
• Adulting and the Modes you create give everything else a dependable landing place.
• Quick capture lets you save first and organize later through a calm Inbox.

Remember what is still in motion

• Not So Fast keeps waiting situations visible—like an oven, laundry, or computer update—until you acknowledge them.
• Optional alarms and reminders bring chosen items back when you decide they should return.
• Cycle queues help you keep moving through repeatable or temporarily stuck work.

Build structure that fits your life

• Create Atoms with nested steps, dates, recurrence, and optional reminders.
• Build Lists and checklists for routines, errands, and one-time projects.
• Use Bridges to connect a reminder to its original Exa record instead of making another disconnected copy.
• Keep hobbies, activities, and personal projects in Freedom Zone, away from task pressure.
• Search across your records and learn the app through the guided Episode One tutorial with narration or captions.

Local-first by design

Your productivity records stay in Exa’s app-private storage on your device. Exa has no separate account or login, ads, analytics, or third-party advertising trackers. It does not keep a server-side copy of your productivity records.

The current no-paywall beta works offline. It does not include subscription purchases, advertising, analytics, or an Exa network service. Opening a support or privacy link takes you to your browser or email app.

You control your data

Export a complete backup when you choose, preview and import a backup, or use Delete All to erase Exa’s local records and cancel its alarms and timers. Android backup is disabled, so export a backup before clearing storage or uninstalling if you want to keep your records.

Free beta access

This testing release is free to download and use, with no subscription or paywall. It does not start a trial or charge you. Subscription access is planned for a future release; any purchase terms will be shown before you choose to subscribe.

Exa is a general productivity and external-memory tool informed by lived ADHD experience. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. For medical advice, including diagnosis and treatment, speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Exa is not an emergency service.

Alarm and reminder behavior depends on Android notification and exact-alarm access, device settings, power conditions, and manufacturer restrictions.