01
The Problem
Most productivity apps are designed to keep you inside the app. They use push notifications, streaks, and badges to capture attention. A good planner should do the opposite: it should help you get out of the app and back to your life.
2025-PresentFounder & DeveloperIn progress
Rhythme
A daily planner built to combine tasks, habits, and reflection on a single quiet page.
I got tired of productivity apps that treat planning like a game with streaks and badges. I wanted a quiet page to organize my day and write down what I got done.
Case study
02
The Database
I chose PostgreSQL through Supabase. Instead of complex schema designs, I kept tables flat. A single log table links habit completions and tasks to a specific calendar date, which makes reading a user's day straightforward.
03
The Frontend
I built the frontend with Next.js. Habit tracking requires instant feedback. If checking a habit takes two seconds because of database latency, it feels broken. I update the checkbox immediately on the screen and sync the state to the database in the background.
04
What I Learned
Building alone forces you to prioritize. I realized that a database with perfect theoretical schema normalization is useless if it makes the frontend queries slow and hard to read. I learned to choose simplicity over perfect database theory.
Next step
Let's talk about building products.
I am always glad to talk with other developers, founders, or recruitment teams who value clear communication and straightforward code.