The journal.

Notes on focus, learning and everyday life, plus what’s new in our apps and how we build them.

Small apps, better days: what our apps can do for your everyday life

Focus, learning, rest, fewer distractions and protected photos. Five small apps, each built to do one everyday job well. Here's what each one helps with, and how to pick the one to start with.

November 3, 2026

Focus · November 3, 2026App blockers compared: what Opal, Brainrot, Freedom, one sec and others cost, and where Lockin fitsApp blockers range from free to $100 a year. We compared the prices of nine popular iPhone blockers, what you get for the money, and why we priced Lockin the way we did.

Focus · November 3, 2026How to stop reaching for your phone: blocking apps and websites on iPhoneWillpower is a bad defence against apps designed to keep you scrolling. Blocking works better. Here's what iPhone can already do, and why we're building Lockin to go further.

Sleep · November 3, 2026A calmer bedtime routine with sound, breath and a little dataGood sleep starts before you get into bed. A simple wind-down routine, the right background sound and two minutes of slow breathing can make nights easier. Here's how to build one with Zen Melodies.

Learning · November 3, 2026Learn world geography in five minutes a dayYou don't need an atlas or an hour a night to finally know where places are. A daily puzzle, short lessons and spaced review do the work. Here's the method, and how Map Guess puts it in your pocket.

Focus · November 3, 2026The Pomodoro Technique, step by step (and how Porotimer makes it stick)A simple way to start hard work and keep going: 25 minutes of focus, a short break, repeat. Here's how to do it well, and how Porotimer turns each session into a tree in your focus garden.

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