<h1>Hello world! 👋</h1>
<p>Over the past few years I’ve had quite a few ideas for software—mostly web apps. A couple of times I even started building them with small groups of developers. But as it often goes with side projects, motivation slowly faded for some people, and eventually the projects stalled. At some point I realized I was the only one still working on them, so I paused everything.</p>
<p>With the start of the 1356 Challenge, I decided to approach things differently: build something on my own, even if it takes longer than expected. This post is part of that commitment. I want to share my progress publicly to stay accountable and motivated. From time to time I’ll post updates about what I’m building—failures, small wins, lessons learned, and everything in between.</p>
<h1>Introducing SkyNote</h1>
<p>So what exactly is SkyNote ?</p>
<p>About a year ago I finished my Bachelor Professional in Software Development. During that time I experimented with a lot of productivity tools to structure my learning and daily work. I tried various solutions—task managers, productivity apps, browser extensions, and focus tools.</p>
<p>Some examples I used:</p>
<ul>
<li>Notion</li>
<li>Todoist</li>
<li>Trello</li>
<li>ClickUp</li>
<li>TickTick</li>
<li>Google Tasks</li>
<li>different Pomodoro browser extensions</li>
</ul>
<p>They’re all good tools in their own way, but none of them really matched how I personally like to work.</p>
<p>Ironically, the tool I ended up using the most was the simple Windows focus timer inside the clock app. It’s minimal and it works—but it’s also very limited.</p>
<p>That’s where the idea for SkyNote came from.</p>
<h1>The Vision</h1>
<p>SkyNote will be a customizable productivity dashboard web app.</p>
<p>Instead of forcing users into a fixed workflow, the idea is that the product adapts to you, not the other way around.</p>
<p>Users will be able to build their own dashboard using widgets from a library, arrange them however they want, and customize the layout and design.</p>
<p>Think of it as a personal productivity cockpit.</p>
<p>For the MVP, I want to keep things relatively simple. The first version will likely include:</p>
<ul>
<li>a focus timer</li>
<li>todo lists</li>
<li>a calendar</li>
<li>daily focus reminders</li>
<li>a small music player</li>
<li>a focus session history overview</li>
</ul>
<p>Later on I’d like to expand the platform with additional widgets and features like:</p>
<ul>
<li>weather widgets</li>
<li>a contact book</li>
<li>project management tools</li>
<li>team collaboration</li>
<li>integrations with other services</li>
</ul>
<p>The possibilities are pretty much endless once the widget system is in place.</p>
<p>Another important goal is to build this with community feedback. I want SkyNote to become something that actually helps people structure their day and work the way they want.</p>
<h1>Current Progress</h1>
<p>Right now I’m working on mockups and early design concepts.</p>
<p>These will later be presented on a small project website where people can find:</p>
<ul>
<li>a roadmap</li>
<li>feature overviews</li>
<li>development updates</li>
<li>beta launch information</li>
</ul>
<p>For the design phase I’m currently using:</p>
<ul>
<li>Figma for mockups</li>
<li>Squarespace for the landing page</li>
</ul>
<p>I’m definitely not an expert in either of those tools yet, but I tend to learn tools pretty quickly. Hopefully I’ll have some mockups ready to share sometime next week. If any of you have Figma best practices or workflow tips, feel free to share them. I’m always happy to learn something new.</p>
<h1>Tech Stack</h1>
<p>Since SkyNote is planned as a web app, I spent some time choosing a stack that would be stable, well-supported, and efficient for a solo developer.</p>
<p>Here’s what I’m currently using:</p>
<h2>Frontend</h2>
<ul>
<li>Next.js</li>
<li>React</li>
<li>TypeScript</li>
</ul>
<h2>Backend</h2>
<ul>
<li>Hono</li>
<li>TypeScript</li>
</ul>
<h2>Runtime / Tooling</h2>
<ul>
<li>Bun (runtime, bundler, and package manager)</li>
</ul>
<h2>Authentication</h2>
<ul>
<li>Better Auth</li>
</ul>
<h2>Development Tools</h2>
<ul>
<li>Visual Studio Code</li>
<li>Git for version control</li>
</ul>
<h1>Why this stack?</h1>
<p>I didn’t pick these tools randomly. There were a few practical reasons behind the decision:</p>
<h3>1. Full TypeScript ecosystem</h3>
<p>Both the frontend and backend use TypeScript. That means:</p>
<ul>
<li>shared types</li>
<li>better maintainability</li>
<li>fewer runtime surprises</li>
</ul>
<p>For a long-term solo project this is extremely helpful.</p>
<h3>2. Next.js ecosystem</h3>
<p>Next.js has one of the largest ecosystems in modern web development. It provides:</p>
<ul>
<li>routing</li>
<li>server components</li>
<li>API routes</li>
<li>strong community support</li>
</ul>
<p>This reduces the need to reinvent basic infrastructure.</p>
<h3>3. Hono for the backend</h3>
<p>Hono is lightweight, fast, and works extremely well with modern runtimes like Bun. It also keeps the backend simple without pulling in unnecessary complexity.</p>
<h3>4. Monorepo structure</h3>
<p>The project is structured as a monorepo, which allows shared dependencies and types between frontend and backend.</p>
<h3>5. Bun runtime</h3>
<p>Bun replaces Node.js + npm in this setup. Some reasons I chose it:</p>
<ul>
<li>significantly faster installs and builds</li>
<li>built-in bundler and runtime</li>
<li>easier dependency sharing in monorepos</li>
</ul>
<p>It simplifies the overall toolchain.</p>
<h3>6. Authentication with Better Auth</h3>
<p>Authentication is one of those things you don’t want to reinvent from scratch. Better Auth integrates nicely with the stack and allows me to run authentication directly inside the application.</p>
<h1>Repository &amp; Community</h1>
<p>The project already exists as a Git repository, but it’s currently private. Before making it public I want to double-check that there are no security-sensitive configurations or credentials included.</p>
<p>I’m also planning to create a Discord server where people can:</p>
<ul>
<li>ask questions about the project</li>
<li>suggest features</li>
<li>discuss ideas</li>
<li>follow development progress</li>
</ul>
<h1>Join the Journey</h1>
<p>If the idea sounds interesting to you, let me know what you think. Feedback, suggestions, and criticism are all welcome.</p>
<p>If people are interested, I’ll continue sharing updates here—from design mockups to technical challenges and development progress.</p>
<p>For now, I’ll continue working on the mockups and design concepts.</p>
<p>More soon. 🚀</p>


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My Project SkyNote