DailyNote is a calendar-first personal journal built around a single constraint: you can write only one entry per day. I built it over 3 days during the New Year break, solo — partly as a personal reset, partly as a way to test how far constraints can simplify both UX and habits. Why the constraint? As a user, I kept accumulating fragments: half-thoughts, TODOs, abandoned ideas. The one-entry-per-day rule forces: • finishing thoughts instead of dumping them • choosing when to write • naturally revisiting past entries through the calendar The calendar isn’t decoration — it is the interface. New Year reflections, year-in-review thinking, and daily continuity all shaped the UX decisions. Built by dog-fooding I used DailyNote while building it. That feedback loop drove several iterations: • removing features I thought I wanted • tightening the editor instead of adding options • keeping the UI intentionally “boring” so the writing carries the weight Local-first + E2E encryption (on purpose) Even though it’s a small tool, notes are: • local-first (fully usable offline) • end-to-end encrypted by default • optionally synced, never required End-to-end encryption is still surprisingly rare in note-taking tools — especially ones this small — but it felt non-negotiable for something this personal. Tech notes (for the curious) • single developer • ~3 days of focused implementation • spec-driven AI coding for speed, not magic • most complexity came from encrypted sync, not UI This isn’t trying to replace your knowledge base or second brain. It’s meant to sit next to them — a calm, date-anchored place to think once per day. I’d love feedback, especially on: • the one-entry-per-day constraint • calendar as the primary interface • whether E2E encryption actually matters to you here Thanks for checking it out — and happy New Year. 🎆

DailyNote

A journal built on a calendar

A journal built on a calendar