I wanted a simple reminder that the year was moving forward, along with something useful to reflect on.
That is why I built MyClepsydra, a web app that sends an email with an inspirational quote as time passes. When 1% of the year goes by, or any custom percentage you set, I receive a new email with a new quote. You can see it for yourself by clicking here.
How Did I Get the Idea
I had just learned to code and wanted to build something simple for myself. While looking at the various year progress bars that people share online, the idea came to me.
It was a simple concept, built on something that already existed, but I wanted it to do more than just track time. I wanted to be notified while the year was progressing. I wanted a service to remind me that time flies but not in a depressing way. A reminder to take some time to reflect and track the progress of my goals too.
How It Works
MyClepsydra tracks how much of the year has passed and sends an inspirational or stoic quote at the interval you choose. There is no complicated dashboard or stream of notifications. It sends an email when the year reaches one of your milestones.
What I Learned While Building It
This started out as an indie hacking project, the idea was to pick something small and commercially viable and then just ship it. It ended up being more than just that, even if this ends up having little financial success, I still enjoyed the process.
One surprising thing that I learned is that it's easier to pick up things when you have an objective in mind.
It may sound like something that is obvious to anyone, common knowledge, but there is a difference between learning by hearing something and learning by practicing it.
I had already been paid to code and make automations before making MyClepsydra, but I never had a coding side project with a clear idea in mind that I made from start to finish, and most important of all, completed and deployed. I know I'm not the only one with a folder full of unfinished side projects!
Finishing this reminded me how much I liked building, no matter how small and simple the end result is. Being guided by a somewhat well defined idea and following that direction until completion.
What's Next for MyClepsydra?
I have a few ideas that I might add in the future:
- Adding more quote collections, like themes for mindfulness, productivity, or positivity.
- Offering users the option to add personal notes or reflections alongside the quote emails.
- Developing a mobile-friendly dashboard to track progress visually.
I do not know which of these I will build yet. Whatever I add, I want the app to remain small and straightforward.
Try It Yourself
If you would like to try MyClepsydra, it costs $49 as a one-time purchase. You can set your preferred milestone and start receiving the emails. Start now.