The devlog.
Build-in-public notes from a studio of one. What I'm shipping, what changed my mind, and the small decisions behind the apps. Honest, unhurried, occasionally nerdy.
How to connect goals and habits in Notion (so the daily stuff adds up)
Goals in one database, habits in another, and no line between them. Here is how I connect goals and habits in Notion with a couple of relations, so the daily ticking actually feeds the things I care about.
How to research a travel destination without over-planning the trip
I have over-planned trips into admin and under-planned them into regret. Here is how I research a travel destination now, enough to skip the regret and still leave room to wander.
How to come up with an app idea worth building on your own
Every app I've built started as something that annoyed me, not a brainstorm. Here's the honest filter I run an app idea through before I write a line of code.
Sunrise alarm clock apps: a gentler wake-up without the lamp
I wanted gentler mornings without buying another gadget. How a sunrise alarm clock app turns the phone you own into a wake-up light, and where it falls short.
How to build a side project when you've already got a full-time job
I built Novaire Digital in the hour before work most mornings. The honest version of building a side project while working full time: tiny sessions, ruthless scope, and protecting yourself enough to still be standing in a year.
How to find Wi-Fi you can actually work on while travelling
The listing always says fast Wi-Fi. Here is the ten-minute routine I use to check it before I book, and what I do when the connection lets me down anyway.
How to remember what you read from a paper book
I have a shelf of books I have read and can barely remember. Here is the small, slightly boring habit that finally made the good ones stick, and why paper is the hardest format to get right.
How to set an alarm for a different timezone (and not miss your flight)
Phones handle timezones their own way, and it is not always the way you want at 6am in a new city. Here is how I set alarms across timezones, and the app I built so I could stop doing the maths.
What to write in a journal when your mind goes blank
The blank page is usually a friction problem rather than a lack of things to say. What to write in a journal when your mind goes empty, and the one change that made it mostly stop happening.
Offline journaling: keeping a journal where there's no signal
The moments you most want to write something down are usually the ones with no connection. Why offline journaling matters, and what to check before you trust an app with it.
Own your journal data: how to export it and avoid lock-in
Three years of entries are worth nothing if you can't get them out. How to export your journal data, avoid lock-in, and keep your writing yours.
Using AI as a sounding board when you build alone
When you build alone, every decision runs through one brain. Here is how I use AI as a sounding board to get a second angle, and how I keep that thinking private.
How to keep a travel journal when you're always moving
Three half-filled notebooks taught me that travel breaks every journaling habit. Here's how to keep a travel journal that survives an actual trip, on the move and on your own phone.
How to stick with voice journaling when typing has failed you
Six dead journals taught me that talking beats typing. The honest version of what makes a voice journaling habit stick, and what quietly kills it.
Is your AI journal private? What actually happens to your words
Most journaling apps stay quiet about where your entries go. Here is the honest version: what the cloud model does with your words, what on-device changes, and what to check.
How to start a journaling habit when typing feels like homework
I tried to journal for three years. Notebooks, apps, reminders. Nothing lasted longer than two weeks. The problem wasn't discipline. It was friction. Here's what eventually worked.