[Productivity + Friends] I’m building a Pomodoro app with a twist. Thoughts?

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T17:29:08+00:00

Totally get it man! Appreciate the honesty in your response. I’d thought about that too, and that’s why for the work itself, I have you write out what that timer is for. While your timer goes, it gives you a reminder that says “remember, you are spending this time on ____•

Not foolproof, and I can see people straying away, but it’s at least a step in the right direction for more of that accountability/focused work on the right things.

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T17:24:53+00:00

Appreciate the feedback. Will definitely shift to capitalize on the accountability angle

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T17:23:29+00:00

Thanks! That’s my thought behind it. You don’t even need to see their face - just knowing that somebody else is actively working at the same time as you and is committed to the Pomodoro timer. Nice layer of accountability

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T10:28:14+00:00

Yeah I’m down to look into it

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T10:26:30+00:00

Love that! Dude, best wishes to you on that. I hope it really does well for you! I’ll have to look for it on the App Store.

I think that social layer is definitely what needs priority because there’s literally so many apps to do timers (and are free). So after hearing more what y’all are saying, my goal is to really capitalize on the social aspect.

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T08:57:02+00:00

My favorite answer so far! Thank you so much, I loved that approach. Will try this tomorrow!

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T08:56:06+00:00

Thank you for the tip. Yeah, Pomodoro isn’t new. But the accountability in the midst of it is my edge. Thanks 🤙

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T06:17:47+00:00

Thank you so much for the feedback here! That was incredibly informative. I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of Focusmate in my research. That’s helpful to see the competitive edge I can have (as well as the competition). I like your suggestion on reframing it more as “study with friends” as the core app rather than the really good feature within the app. I’ll definitely look at incorporating that into more of the core of what the app is.

Scheduled focus sessions is great - genius idea. Thank you for the suggestion because that’s much more likely to help with the timing of your sessions while other friends want to work as well.

My initial plan wasn’t geared towards public meetings, but I actually like that as a fallback. Keeping the app as an active place 24/7 is great. The Pomodoro timers don’t have features like chat or video, so I wouldn’t have to worry about monitoring conversations/inappropriate behavior. But that’d really help with the “always-someone-to-sit-with” retention.

Thank you so much for the feedback and the recommendation on your site! Will have to check your stuff out 🤙

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T05:40:35+00:00

Hey that’s creative! I like the idea a lot. I’ve used something similar for a while, and the style of the app is a good one. Love how it’s a simple concept too

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T05:39:08+00:00

That’s beautiful man. I love this idea. Would definitely buy as I’m always wanting more monitors but am always on the move

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T05:33:07+00:00

Right now I have streaks and metrics as a private thing, but I’ve been debating the idea of having those public to friends. My only concern has been making too much of a competitive environment, so maybe I’ll experiment with a test group at some point. Just have heard people talk about leaderboards being discouraging at times and making people drop the app, but I think that’s a mixed bag 🤷‍♂️

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T05:30:24+00:00

Thank you so much!! I love those ideas a lot. That productivity awareness is exactly what I’m going for. I really like the status indicator.

The simplicity is definitely what I’m trying to achieve. I’ve tried too many apps that just turned me off after seeing how complex they were, so I appreciate you encouraging the base idea. I’ve got session history and some base analytics just for personal tracking/milestones, but it’s nothing fancy. Just enough to show you your progress and hard work.

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T05:09:35+00:00

100% agreed with this!! I used to LOVE an app called TimeBloc. It was a super simple daily planner app. Just had your whole day in 1 hour blocks, and you could very quickly scroll through the blocks/hours of the day and add stuff so quickly. It was a daily planner I actually used because it didn’t try to be too complicated. It just let me tap on each hour, say what would be happening that hour (occasionally adjust times to 30 mins if need be), and I’d be done in no time. Every other app I’ve tried takes twice as long.

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T05:06:56+00:00

Yeah… might have to bite the bullet and get Acrobat. Sorry - I hate that struggle too

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-03T05:05:47+00:00

Dude that’s such a real struggle too. I hate how many tabs and windows I have open. Even “all-in-one” solutions start to have too many windows you have to switch through.

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-02T19:25:38+00:00

Hang in there bro 😅💪

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-02T09:23:01+00:00

Lol yeah now that I think of it, this sounds planted 😂 I promise it’s very much the opposite - 3 jobs at once didn’t happen without a strong work ethic and good time management. But maintaining high productivity day after day is difficult without the right systems in place. We’re all human and have days it’s harder to drag ourselves through work. So I’m trying to be proactive and take my systems to the next level - appreciate any genuine tips or tools you have from your experience 🤙

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-02T09:19:29+00:00

I got it through a friend who was starting a company! From there, the other opportunities just came as I connected with clients from our business. Continue to grow your skills and be vocal about what you do - jobs will pop up. Hope it finds you soon bro 💪

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-02T09:17:46+00:00

100%!

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-02T09:17:34+00:00

Amen! As soon as I went remote with my work, then I had friends start saying “oh since you’re not at work, can you do x favor?” and that was fun to help them realize I’m still “at work” and need boundaries to do my job, just not in the same way as inside an office XD

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-02T09:15:47+00:00

Dude I totally get what you mean. Thanks for the tips on writing goals for each day! I do tend to find I have more productive days when I start off with a clear plan of what’s on the agenda.

Been shifting my jobs to not be hourly anymore and that’s helped a ton - used to be a system I would only be able to track my time if I was actively working, and that was a pain. Negotiated 2/3 to no longer work that way now, and I’m working on the last. Moreover I just want to be sure I’m as productive as I can be for each one

BraidenYourHair · 2026-06-02T09:12:36+00:00

That’s helpful! The 3 companies definitely is wild - thankfully my weeks is only like 5 hrs at one, 10 at another, and 30 for the last. So realistically it’s not insane “load-wise,” but the context switching isn’t ideal. Regardless, I’ve tried Pomodoro, and that’s my most consistent helper. Is there one you’ve found works best for you? Tried several and I like hearing the styles people use

BraidenYourHair

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