Bearing
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Intention-setting
on steroids.

A commitment app for people who want to live more deliberately — and need real structure to do it. Tasks, screentime, fitness, routines, journals — all bound to your intentions, with optional financial stakes when you want skin in the game.

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est. 2026 · made with intention
Bearing's day-plan calendar shown across iMac, iPad, and iPhone — color-coded time blocks for tasks, fitness, screentime, and routines.
01 · The Case

The one thing you should never outsource to AI is your agency.

Bearing is built on a stubborn premise: people who live deliberately are people who set deliberate intentions — and then build structure around them. Productivity apps optimize the doing. Bearing optimizes the deciding.

The app helps you declare what matters to you in specific, measurable terms. It holds you to it with real stakes, real tracking, and real feedback. And when you inevitably drift, it pulls you back — not with guilt, but with the quiet structure of a promise you made to yourself.

Whether you need to work more, work less, move more, scroll less, or finally start that thing you keep talking about — Bearing is a system for showing up on purpose.

02 · Skin in the game

Put money on actually doing it.

Bearing's stake system lets you attach real money to any commitment. Fulfill it — your money comes back. Drop it — it's charged after a 24-hour grace period. The friction is the point.

  • Starts at $1. Or €1, £1, ¥100, ₩1000, د.ك 1.
  • Stripe handles payments. We never see your card.
  • Free passes earned by good behavior void a stake when life genuinely interrupts.
  • Pair stakes with a custom reward — "cheat day," "new book" — to balance the stick with a carrot.

Stakes are optional. The system works without them — they just turn intention into incentive.

03 · Differentiators

Built for people who want structure, not slogans.

The specific things that set Bearing apart from the rest of the productivity drawer.

01 · Screentime that actually works

Block distractions, not your good apps.

Tag your distracting apps and sites in a nested category tree. Block at the limits you set, across phone, desktop, and browser as one connected picture. YouTube exceptions let one channel through while the rest stays blocked.

  • Cross-device sync — limits track even if you switch devices mid-day
  • Friction-based blocks that aren't bypassed in three taps
  • Per-app, per-domain, or per-category controls
Bearing's nested screentime category tree showing 'Distracting Apps/Sites' expanded into Social Media with real domains like instagram.com and facebook.com.
02 · Fitness as a commitment

Steps, heart rate, screentime — one promise.

Fitness goals are first-class commitments. Step daily, step interval, heart-rate threshold, HR interval — pair them with stakes, group them with screentime caps, hold yourself accountable to one composite day.

  • Four shipped fitness commitment types out of the box
  • Syncs from iOS HealthKit and Android Health Connect
  • Mix fitness with screentime + tasks in the same container
Bearing's active commitments view showing a 'New Standard Workday' container with a 15-minute distracting-apps cap and a 30-minute heart-rate 90+ BPM commitment in the same group.
03 · AI that scaffolds, never decides

An assistant that builds the structure, not the goals.

Chat to draft routines, task trees, screentime categories, and journal prompts. The AI proposes — you edit, accept, throw out. Your agency stays yours.

  • Built-in tools for routines, tasks, screentime, journals
  • Suggestions arrive as preview cards you confirm or discard
  • No autonomous changes to your data — ever
Bearing's AI assistant showing a created 'Zen Monastery Morning' routine with 9 timed steps including seated meditation, walking meditation, and morning chant.
04

Encrypted at rest

Browsing history, time tracking, and journal entries are encrypted at rest with server-managed keys. We can decrypt only the narrow paths the app actually needs.

05

Nested trees for everything

Tasks AND screentime targets organized as deep, flexible hierarchies. Reflect your life's actual structure instead of squashing it into a flat list.

06

Specific by design

Vague resolutions don't work. Commitments are concrete: durations, deadlines, quantities, intervals, routines — customizable to the shape of your actual life.

04 · How it compares

Five apps' worth of accountability. One system.

We checked 15 of the most popular commitment, screentime, fitness and planning apps against what Bearing does. Hover or tap any mark for the details.

Show
Feature Bearing All of it Forfeit Stakes + AI enforcer Beeminder Commitment contracts stickK Commitment contracts Opal Phone blocker Freedom Cross-device blocker one sec Friction blocker ScreenZen Friction blocker Cold Turkey Desktop blocker Jomo Blocker + habits Strava Fitness tracker WayBetter Fitness bets (StepBet) Pushscroll Exercise to unlock TickTick Task planner Routinery Routine timer RescueTime Time tracker
Commitments & stakes
Commitment contracts Put money on the line that you lose if you don't follow through.
Stakes charged automatically Miss the commitment and the card on file is charged. No honor system.
Forfeits sent to an anti-charity for you Lost stakes go to a cause you oppose, and the app makes the donation. You never have to send it yourself.
Levels of commitment strength Plan it, commit to it, stake it, or stake it and lock it so you can't back out.
Precise intentions Quantity, interval and time window, e.g. “30 pushups every 2 hours, 8am–4pm”.
Recurring commitments & blocks Commitments and screentime blocks that repeat on a schedule.
Earned free passes Flexibility you earn by keeping commitments, so one bad day doesn't break the system.
Walking away has a cost If you stop opening the app, standing commitments still count against you. Quitting quietly isn't free.
Screentime
Screentime blocking & tracking Block distracting apps and sites, and see where the time went.
One live budget across every device Android, desktop and every browser share the same budget, updated live. One block can target apps and sites from all of them.
Site-level tracking in mobile browsers Time on reddit.com in a phone browser counts, not just time in the Reddit app.
Block by URL keyword or path Match on a word in the URL or a path suffix, not just whole domains.
Sub-page exceptions Block Reddit except one subreddit; block YouTube except one channel.
Limit how often an app opens Cap the number of times a day you can open an app or site.
Exercise to unlock Earn screentime back by moving: steps, heart rate, workouts.
Fitness
Fitness tracking Steps, heart rate and workouts from your phone or watch.
Heart rate with no watch Read your pulse with a fingertip on the phone camera.
Fitness goals verified by device data Commit to a fitness goal and let watch or phone data, not self-reporting, decide whether you met it.
Routine steps gated on fitness targets A workout step won't complete until the step count or heart-rate target is actually hit.
Planning, routines & time
Routines Morning, fitness and growth routines as ordered, timed steps.
Commitment reminders Notifications when it's time to do the thing you committed to.
Real device alarms Create alarm-clock alarms for the commitments that can't be missed.
Nested task trees Tasks stored as deep hierarchies, not flat lists.
Commit to a branch, not a leaf A commitment to a parent task is satisfied by doing any task beneath it.
Time tracking Log what you actually spent your time on.
One-tap time tracking Switch what you're tracking with a single tap.
Google Calendar integration Your calendar and your plan in the same view.
Integrated journaling Journal entries and prompts in the same app as your commitments.
AI that builds for you An assistant that drafts routines, task trees, journal prompts and exercise descriptions as real app items.
Privacy
Sensitive data encrypted at rest Browsing history, app usage, task names, journals and location encrypted field by field, beyond the host's disk encryption.
Platforms
Every platform iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and the web.
Price
Price (USD) Subscription, one-time or per-stake fees.
  • Yes
  • Partly or via an integration
  • No
  • Coming soon
  • Couldn't confirm

Based on each app's own site, help docs and store listings as of October 2026. Apps change fast. If we got something wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.

05 · The surfaces

One app. Everything you commit to.

Tasks, screentime, fitness, routines, stakes, and the day-plan calendar where it all converges. Built to work together.

Bearing task tree showing nested categories like Life Basics > Shopping > eggs/bread, with colored underlines and emoji.

Tasks

Nested trees with emoji + color

Bearing day-plan calendar on mobile showing color-coded time blocks for the planned day next to what actually happened.

Day plan

Plan vs. reality, side by side

Routine template editor showing a 'Weekly Intention Ritual' with stretch 8min, meditation 10min, weekly intention journal, and make 5 commitments.

Routines

Sequenced rituals with timing

Bearing commitment creation showing duration, abstention, recurring interval, and limited interval templates.

Commit anything

Duration, abstention, interval, recurring

06 · The Flywheel

Drop off. Come back bigger.

Most apps assume you'll be a perfect user. Bearing assumes you won't — and turns that into the point. You commit to making more specific commitments in the future. So even when you inevitably drift, your past self has left an invitation back to intentionality.

The compounding isn't in the streak. It's in the returning.

  1. 01

    Commit

    Make a specific, structured promise to yourself. A duration, a deadline, an interval, a routine. Real stakes optional.

  2. 02

    Live it

    The app tracks, blocks, nudges, and stays out of your way. You build evidence of agency, one day at a time.

  3. 03

    Drift

    Life happens. You will drop off. We expect it. The system doesn't punish — it just keeps the record honest.

  4. 04

    Return

    Because your past self committed to your future self, you have a reason to come back. And usually, a bigger one.

07 · Get it everywhere

One commitment system. Every device you use.

Screentime data and blocks sync across all surfaces so the picture is honest and the blocks actually work.

Desktop

macOS Universal · 10.15+ Windows 10 and 11 · 64-bit

Browser extension

Chrome Manifest V3 Firefox 118+ Safari macOS 14+

Mobile

iOS App Store Android Google Play

Or use the web app — no install needed.

08 · Common questions

Frequently asked.

What exactly is Bearing?

A commitment app for people who want to live more intentionally. It combines task management, screentime tracking and blocking, fitness tracking (steps and heart rate), routines, and journaling — all bound to specific commitments you make to yourself.

How is this different from a to-do app or a screentime app?

Bearing is a system, not a single feature. A to-do app helps you remember; a screentime app helps you block. Bearing helps you decide what kind of person you want to be on a given day, then aligns all those tools in service of that decision.

How do I get beta access?

Click 'Request beta access' anywhere on this page. We're rolling out invites in waves as we onboard testers thoughtfully. Free during beta.

How do stakes actually work? Is this real money?

Yes — Stripe handles the payments. You attach an amount (starting at $1 USD or equivalent) to a commitment. If you fulfill it, the money is returned. If you fail, you're charged after a 24-hour grace period. We also issue free passes for genuine life interruptions. Stakes are entirely optional — the rest of the app works without them.

What can I track and commit to?

Tasks, screentime caps and app blocks, fitness (step daily, step interval, heart-rate threshold, HR interval), routines, journals, and arbitrary custom commitments. All in one app, all bound to the same intention system.

Is my data really private?

Sensitive fields — browsing history, time tracking, journal entries — are encrypted at rest with server-managed keys. We can decrypt only the narrow paths the app actually needs (like rendering a chart in your account). It's not end-to-end encrypted, but it's a meaningfully stronger guarantee than 'we promise.'

Does the AI replace my judgment?

No. That's the whole premise. The AI helps you scaffold structure faster — suggesting task trees, drafting routines, proposing journal prompts. You decide what to keep, change, or throw out. Agency is the one thing we won't help you outsource.

What's the 'flywheel' thing about?

Most habit apps assume you'll stick with them. We assume you'll drift — and turn that into the design. You commit to making more specific commitments in the future, so when you drop off, your past self has left an open invitation back to intentional living. The compounding is in the returning, not the streak.

What does it cost?

Free during beta. We'll publish pricing well before the beta ends. Our intent is a fair price for a tool that earns its place in your life — not freemium dark patterns.

Which platforms do you support?

Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, plus browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Screentime data syncs across all of them so blocks and tracking are consistent.

09 · Begin

Start showing up on purpose.

Beta is open. Spots are limited. The next year of your life is already happening — Bearing helps you decide whose hands it's in.

Request beta access Try the web app

Free during beta · No credit card · Available on every major platform