Studio notes
How the apps get made, and the strategy tools we build on the side.
Side projects
Notes
Studio notesProduct StoryI Collected 100+ Thinking Frameworks Over a Decade. Then I Built FrameworkList.Every framework I'd ever underlined in a book, lost in a notes app, then re-googled at the worst possible moment. So I built a curated library of the ones great thinkers actually use.Read →Studio notesProject StoryFrom App to Knowledge Base: How a Plant Obsession Became a CommunityI built StaghornPal (now Fern) to track my own ferns. Then collectors started asking questions I couldn't answer in an app. So I built StaghornFern.org.Read →Studio notesProduct StrategyThe Entropy of Strategy: Why We Drown in "Good Ideas"In product management, entropy is the default state of your roadmap. Learn how to fight chaos not with gut feeling, but with low-friction structure.Read →Studio notesProduct StoryWhy I Built an AI to Replace My Own Job as a StrategistI spent 10 years as a strategist, moving boxes in PowerPoint. Then I realized I was just formatting, not thinking. So I built an AI to do the grunt work.Read →Studio notesPersonal StoryChristmas Eve 2025, Apple Rejected My "Subtlety"On Christmas Eve 2025, Apple rejected my app update because I was too "subtle". It was a wake-up call about avoidance.Read →Studio notesMental HealthWhy "Productivity" Won't Save You: How I Built My Way Out of a RutYour to-do list gets you through the day. Your Bucket List gets you to the future. Here’s how I stopped optimizing for survival and started living.Read →Studio notesPrivacyThe Courage to Disconnect: Why I Chose "Privacy First" in a Data-Hungry WorldIn an era of "Cloud Sync" and "Big Data", I chose to build a Local-First app. Here is why privacy is the ultimate luxury.Read →Studio notesProductivityThe "Productivity Porn" Trap: Why Your 2025 Plan Needs Less Features and More "Death Awareness"I tested 8 annual planning tools for 2025. Here's why most failed, and why "death awareness" is the missing feature you actually need.Read →Studio notesProduct PhilosophyWhy We Build Apps With IntentionWe choose clarity over complexity, relationships over engagement, and privacy over convenience.Read →Studio notesDesign PhilosophyDesigning Apps for Human Connection, Not AddictionIn a world of addictive apps and endless notifications, we explore how to design technology that enhances human connection rather than replacing it.Read →Studio notesDesign PhilosophyWhy Privacy-First Design Matters More Than EverIn a world where data collection has become the norm, we explore why building apps that respect user privacy isn't just ethical.Read →
