my first app reached 500 users and i'm so happy

it's a (slightly) gamified life planner/todo app called "orakemu" ( [https://www.orakemu.com](https://www.orakemu.com) ), available on iOS, android, and web I made it because I struggled with procrastination and going in all directions during my phd. So I am basically making the app I always needed - a productivity app but with a more "psy" approach currently working on recurring tasks and external calendar integrations edit: added link

For those that are curious about the background story, I actually wrote this the other day (for another post). It's a bit long but it gives the full context! One year ago I finished my PhD in psychology (on repetitive negative thoughts/rumination and executive control). During my PhD I always struggled with procrastination, becoming too scattered, getting into too many rabbit holes, feeling like an impostor at times... sometimes working too much and sometimes not working enough. I had tried Notion and built a system. Then I switched to Obsidian. Then I had hybrid systems with turn by turn todoist, ticktick, habitica, and other task managers... I also found out that tracking my time was super helpful so I used rescuetime, then toggl, and then used Timeular for a while. I never found the one perfect app though (at the end of this post I also give my golden tips that helped me, regardless of the app). I was frustrated by existing productivity tools which gave you a lot of data without meaning. YOU as the user had to make them meaningful and analyze them. So I wanted to make a "productivity" app with a more psychological approach. In psychotherapy, you often start by clarifying \*why\* you come to therapy, why you are doing what you do. So I thought "wouldn't it be cool if an app did the same?". Then the productivity tools are just there to help you do more of what matters to you. My dream was to have within one app: journaling, todos, time-tracking, a planner/calendar, etc. So that I could 1) look back and appreciate my progress, 2) focus in the present, 3) plan and prioritize the future. I'm not done yet, but I'm making progress on this. Of course I really wanted to finish my PhD so I did (+ academia doesn't pay well and you need to fight for funds), but then I started working on my app as soon as I finished! The app is called "orakemu" ( [https://www.orakemu.com](https://www.orakemu.com) ) from two maori words, ora and kemu, meaning "life" and "game". The goal for me is that orakemu will become the only all-in-one gamified life management app that organizes your entire life through the roles you play. I sacrifice simplicity and minimalism to instead embrace the complexity of real life. This enables me to create a rich system and framework where tasks, time-tracking, habits, and projects are all interconnect through your Life Roles. The goal is to finally see and balance all aspects of our life in one place, helping us making conscious choices about where to invest our time and energy across our roles as Parent, Career Warrior, Creative Spirit, Being a Functional Adult, a Loving Partner, a Self-Care Sage and more. It's already helping me stay on track, not lose track of time, and "just do" things by pressing play on tasks. I'm on a 245+ days streak of using orakemu Currently I'm releasing v0.4.5 with \- life roles \- weekly XP/time stats \- a drag and drop timeline \- tasks \- flexible time-tracking \- dark mode up next: \- recurring tasks/routines/habits \- calendar integrations \- notes \- multiple timers at the same time Edit: added link to orakemu

all of this is also based on what helped me during my phd: golden tips for myself: \- use time-tracking and daily goals -> AKA hold yourself accountable! \- try reading/writing every day \- aim for 2-4 hours of deep work per day, without distractions, no phone nearby \- 4h hours of deep work is amazing, 6hours is an outlier, 8+ hours are for rush times. (because you need to rest and enjoy your life too) \- break tasks down into smaller steps \- distinguish tasks you can just work on in small batches (e.g., emails) from deep work tasks that require you loading up a lot of information to get going (e.g., writing) \- use obsidian to take notes and organize your thoughts \- talk with peers, brainstorm, debate your ideas and help each other

thank you bud!