Category: DYDit
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2024 Evaluation: Item #1 → Sell
I quit my “normal” job at the end of 2022 to make a go at earning money independently in 2023. To give me focus & discipline, I committed to doing Seven Things, then graded my performance after the year ended. Having these commitments really helped, so I repeated the process and committed to Six Things…
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Clear Habits
I’m focused on building a tour business this year, but will continue improving, supporting, and using my habit tracker, “Did You Do it Today?” Thinking of building a habit this year? You should. It’s actually kinda fun to have a daily goal, and I think the app does a solid job of keeping you honest.…
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New Year, New You
I, stupidly, don’t talk about it much, but my habit tracker web app “Did You Do it Today?” is still up & running, and helping people build their habits one day at a time. We all have life improvements we want to make, and DYDit is a great way to make a formal, skin-in-the-game commitment…
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DYDit Data Review: Q2 2024
“Did You Do it Today?” has been live for three more months, so it’s time for another look at some top data nuggets (see the Q1 ’24 recap here): #1 → Customers “DYDit” 65% of the time This was 62% in the last quarterly review, so we’re moving in the right direction. That said, because…
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Fun with GIFs
I added another new badge to DYDit today, and the GIF that launches when you tap it could be my favorite I’ve used in the app so far. It’s clearly from an earlier generation, but I don’t really care to know much more than that — it just makes me LOL every time I see…
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No Mo Row
An update to the surprise rowing machine in my building: I guess “ask permission” beats “ask for forgiveness” this time around
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Weekly New Badge
In order to add variety to the DYDit app, keeping it feeling fresh & alive, every Monday I change the GIFs that customers see after they check in. I’m now also introducing a new achievement badge each week, and the newest one is earned by checking in at least 50 times.
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DYDit Updates #1
I sent my first “DYDit Updates” email to active subscribers today. It includes juicy, super-secret info that you won’t find anywhere else. It also has a picture in it that isn’t AI generated, and includes my face. So, subscribe to my app for faces & secrets. Oh, and if you want help building a habit.
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Free Rowing Machine
Someone plopped their very nice rowing machine in our gym. They clearly didn’t ask permission, as all residents received a stern email asking whoever left it there to contact management. I thought of crafting this into a LinkedIn-worthy “be bold” or “only ask for forgiveness” syrup to market DYDit, but I just can’t. I really…
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Satisfyingly Mind Numbing
I’m launching a referral program so customers are rewarded for helping spread the word about DYDit. So, today I had to manually create lots personal promo codes in Stripe, and then manually add each of them to my database. Extremely repetitive, mindless work, but kinda satisfying on a scorching hot Friday while watching the Euros…
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Planted on Couch
Making myself very much at home at one of the common-area couches in my apartment building. I’m crafting a DYDit Updates email to customers, and realizing I’m very glad I don’t have to water & maintain the beautiful plant wall next to me.
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DYDit Has Badges
Achievement badges are now live on Did You Do it Today! The first badge that can be earned is for checking in 25 times, no matter if the check-in is a “Yes” or “No”. Accountability & consistency are two of the crucial things DYDit offers to those who subscribe for help building their habit. And…
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Side Gig Research
Growing & making Did You Do it Today better every day is still my 100% focus this year, but I’m now spending some evenings researching my potential side project. Probably shoulda started tough work like this many, many months ago.
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Exactly What I Want
David Perell produces one of my favorite podcasts, and in this one he summarizes the writing habits of Jerry Seinfeld. There are many inspirational nuggets within, including “Fail Doing Exactly What You Want To Do” I’m loving building & growing “Did You Do it Today?” right now, so if it fails 🤷
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Work from Bar
The Euros are the best footie competition, even better than World Cup (everybody plays too scared there), and the first match was today @ 3pm. So, I asked my Boss if I could work from my favorite bar. He said “yes”, as long as I promised to still do some work. So, with this post…✅…
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Park Work Sanity
Working from home, alone on Did You Do it Today? will slowly drive me crazy if I don’t force myself to get out of the apartment. So I do it once a week, usually to a library Sometimes, however, I find myself in a random new place, as I did yesterday @ Swampoodle Terrace. It’s…
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Not an “Real” App
Did You Do it Today is not a “real” mobile app. At least this is how people respond when I tell them that you won’t find DYDit in the app stores. Unfortunately, when people hear “app”, they mean the ones that you download from the iPhone or Android app stores, So, for them, if it’s…
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Inspiration & Motivation Park
I’d say the majority of time I’ve had a new idea for “Did You Do it Today“, or a motivation breakthrough, it hasn’t been while sitting at the computer working. Rather, it’s been in this park, running laps while listening to podcasts. I usually run ten laps, and it’s the monotony of this, and not…
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Friend Guilt Motivation
Just got back from my annual golf trip with college buddies (a tradition that’s been going on for 30+ years). Some of them are DYDit customers, and a common greeting when friend-customers first see me is a dejected “I checked in ‘No’ today” 🙁 Can’t say I’m a fan that the sight of me causes…
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Rainy Day Thinking
Rainy days are perfect for staring out the window thinking about very important topics like hex values & whether to award a badge @ 23, 25, or 30 check-ins 🤔
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Bundled Customer Joy
I posted last week about not adding the feature that’s been most requested by “Did You Do it Today?” customers. I think I gave some good reasons, but CUSTOMERS ARE EVERYTHING TO ME! So, I’m now working on adding two features, combined in a happy little package, that many have asked for. I’m pretty excited…
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Good Board/Sad Board
I have a white board next to my desk, and I write the current # of “Did You Do it Today?” subscribers at the top of it. Sometimes I’ll see that number and think “this is sooo hard…” 😔 Other times I’ll see it and think “wow, it’s incredible that people have chosen to pay…
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Junk Brand Mail
It still makes me giggle every single time when I get mail delivered to my LLC, which uses the name I very much jokingly came up with ages ago as my “personal brand” 🤣
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Only One Habit
Very specifically, you can only build one habit at a time in “Did You Do it Today?” The #1 feature request I’ve gotten from customers is the ability to track more than one habit in the app. That it doesn’t support this is not because of oversight or laziness. Rather, it’s an intentional choice based…
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Suburb Library Check-in
I’m working out of the Central Library in Arlington, VA today. As with most things suburb, it’s bigger, calmer, but not quite as interesting as in DC. Sorta like the https://didyoudoittoday.com work I’m doing today (and this post?). At least I’m being productive, and can honestly answer my daily check-in later with “Yes”.
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The Bluesday After
Sure, being my own boss is (mostly) great, but that doesn’t mean working the day after a long weekend isn’t a little hard. So, I’m fighting through today’s malaise by doing some video learning about how to (finally) make my app more responsive to different screen, device, and font sizes.
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War Production
The US industrial output during WW2 was incredible, and doubled in just four years → https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-war/war-production/ So many interesting facts in this one: There was a cost to all this, of course, and going to a relative’s funeral earlier this week at Arlington Nation Cemetery was a good reminder of this. It’s Memorial Day weekend…
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Lots of Software
I believe in paying for software. I use lots of it to build & support my habit tracker app “Did You Do it Today?“, and pay for a fair chunk of it. I’m happy to do so, though, as the stuff I pay for really helps me, and it feels good to support the folks…
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Cool By Any Means
One thing I miss about not having a “real” job while I’m making a go at it with https://didyoudoittoday.com is working out of a “real” office & the over-abundant air conditioning usually happening there. I like it cold. The AC isn’t working in my building right now, so I’ve had to resort to using this…
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Designing Quote Bubbles
I’m continuing with onboarding improvements, and today that means working in the design software Figma creating quote bubbles for customer testimonials. Subscribe at https://didyoudoittoday.com and then say something nice about using it and you just might make it onto the new page! #dydit #dyditlife
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Improving the Funnel
I’m finally getting folks trickling on to https://didyoudoittoday.com to check it out. That means it’s time to start optimizing their onboarding funnel by reducing the # of screens & taps. But I’m trying to do that without sacrificing getting them to start feeling the habit they might want to start building using the app.
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Offline Marketing Campaign
My offline marketing “campaign” begins today 🤣 https://idydit.com
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Libraries are Neighborhoods
This week’s library workspace is the West End branch. Libraries really are a reflection of the neighborhood they serve, meaning this one has: GW professors working on very important papers; a kind man I’m pretty sure lives out of the shopping cart parked out front; and groups of besuited World Bankers eating in the attached…
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Independence is All-Consuming
Independence is all-consuming. Building, selling, and supporting an app as a solopreneur means a shit-ton of work. You have 1,001 things to do at any moment, and only yourself to guide you to what’s most important & right. This means you’re ALWAYS thinking about things, no matter if you’re aware of it or not: Then,…
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Work from PJs
Most times that I work out of the co-working space in my building I’m reminded that Gen Z work-from-homers really do wear their pajamas all day (not shown in the pic, for your safety)
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I’m Not a Habits Expert
I’m not a habits expert, and don’t want to pretend that I am one. You see tons of habit gurus out there relentlessly posting quotes & manifestos about how important good habits are. They’re not wrong, and there are a ton of studies out there to support what they’re saying. So, you don’t really need…
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Empty Gym Costs
One of the benefits to working full-time on idydit.com is that I get to go to the gym when nobody else is there. So, it’s just me that can focus on all the French bulldogs 💩ing in the dog park right outside the windows.
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Today’s Working Spot
Working out of the Mt. Pleasant library in NW DC today. It’s usually full of people, yet still mostly quiet. Except for when the teens arrive, or when the woman is here that continuously, joyously, loudly LOLs watching stuff on the computer ♥️
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“That’s all it does‽”
“That’s all it does‽” is the question I see in the eyes of every person when I first describe the habit tracker I built, “Did You Do it Today?“ My answer is always the same: Yep, it’s focused on only doing one thing — helping you build a single habit. So, why doesn’t it do…
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You Don’t Need a Habit Tracker
You don’t need a habit tracker. You just don’t. I mean, look at all the habits you’ve established without one! You know you’re capable of building a new habit on your own, and don’t need any help. And yet…other things are also true: So, if #1 applies to you (and, it does 🫵), something that…
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Not a $1,000,000 Idea
The “Did You Do it Today?” habit tracker is not a $1,000,000 idea. Nor even a $100,000 idea. It’s a “hopefully it eventually pays some bills” idea. I didn’t build the app to get rich, I did it to: Snooty VCs call things like this “lifestyle businesses” and I’m very, very comfortable with that label.…
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DYDit Data Review: Q1 2024
DYDit has been live with real, paying customers (other than me!) for 3+ months. That means I now have some tasty data nuggets to consume, digest, and get energy from. Here are the top 3 things I’ve foraged: #1 → Folks answer the daily “Did You Do it Today?” check-in with “Yes” 62% of the…
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DYDit is a Tool, Not a Destination
“Did You Do it Today?” is a tool, not a destination. Yes, you make better progress toward building your Habit when you engage with it each day, but the app is absolutely not about long engagement. Ideally, you spend about 7 seconds a day with it: • 1 second → See the Daily Check-in text/email…
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Why DYDit isn’t Free
Software costs $ to build & maintain, and this is mostly paid for in one of three ways: 1- Advertising 2- Your personal info & data 3- Your direct support I will never fund “Did You Do it Today?” via 1 or 2, so that leaves #3: Subscriptions. But, for $5 month, you get simple…
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Why I Built “Did You Do it Today?”
Look, I ❤️ tech, and think it’s a force for good change in the world. But it sometimes feels like it’s become too complicated, and isn’t helping us with the stuff we all think & worry about. • How can I be happier? • Where can I improve my life? • What’s something I can…
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App Monetization
A new report shows that most subscription mobile apps don’t make money → https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/12/most-subscription-mobile-apps-dont-make-money-new-report-shows/ “Seeing the actual monetization figures could be a shock to those who think they have what it takes to beat the odds.” Yep. Yep, indeed.
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Six Things I’m Going to Do in 2024
I declared my five 2024 goals here. Thinking about it more, however, and contrary to learning that it’s counter-productive to commit to too many things, I’m going to add a sixth one: Community → I’m going to get involved with some sort of organized, IRL group this year. My default in life is solitary, and…
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Five Things I’m Going to Do in 2024
I really enjoyed publicly declaring goals for 2023, and then evaluating my year-end performance towards them. Seven was too many, though, which was part of the reason my grades were so low in many of them. So I’m committing to five this year: Sell → I spent last year building & launching, Did You Do…
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2023 Evaluation: Item #2 → Build
Continuing this series: “Build – I’m going to build a small, daily habit-tracking web app using no-code tools. The project is mainly to independently build & learn, but the goal is to eventually sell subscriptions. Lots more to come on this one, especially since I’ll be following the ‘building in public’ mindset .“ Grade = A- Along with…
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Did You Do it Today?
A web app that sends you a daily check-in message to help you build a new Habit & track your progress → https://didyoudoittoday.com Yep, this is the web app I’ve spent 300+ hours building over the past few months. The design is unpolished. It’s sometimes slow. It’s a little quirky & there’s lots of functionality still…
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