Following the success of Spirit City: Lo-Fi Sessions, a new cosy task list gamification app, there has been a few new apps trying similar things coming out across 2024. On Track is the latest but its taken the free to use route instead of being a paid product. It may contain paid extras at a later point but does it actually do anything useful for productivity?
On Track as a task management and to do list tool is one of the most basic I’ve come across. The theming of the app is that you set a timer for your tasks and a steam train sets off on its journey that will take however long you inputted. Once you set off, you can add tasks by inputting them in a short frame (which has a very small character viewing count), cross them off when you complete them, or just delete tasks all together. That is it. There is no journey to journey tracking, you can’t save or repeat journeys, you can’t have sub tasks. Everything is lost every time you close the app. As a to do list tracker, this does nothing more than using notepad or writing down something on a piece of paper. For some, that might be enough, but for most I suspect the to do list features will be underwhelming.
Where On Track shines is in its aesthetic. As the steam train sets off, you view the world passing by out of the train window. This procedurally generated (I think) landscape is largely fields, trees and distant mountains that scroll by like a Ghibli backdrop. Its cosy, warm and soothing but if you actually sat to watch it, you aren’t really being productive. You can turn on a day/night cycle and run that at different speeds or set a specific time of day. Occasionally rarer backdrop events occur like passing lakes or watching an aircraft fly by but if you are watching out for that, again, are you being productive?
Alongside cosy graphics we have relaxing sounds. A selection of lo-fi beats is available and a mod to add your own music into On Track is already out. You can also turn on or off train chugger-chuggers, general background chatter or room noise and then set their volumes. These are all or nothing effects though and so their constant volume and lack of dynamics turn all three sound effects into a hum. It sets a nice mood but outside of that, very little is on offer. If weather was included at least that could include rain, wind, distant thunder and so on to break things up.
The vibe of On Track is charming but as a productivity tracker, its extremely basic. I can’t recommend it for that alone when other free and minimalist products are already out there doing better things. Think of this more like a YouTube backdrop video. I use a wooden fire at Christmas dinner to provide ambience for the meal. You can do this for a Ghibli train ride. The productivity side is next to worthless in its current release.
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