The sequel to Hi Juno, 1 Yr Net is part personal project, part family experiment, and part full-stack indie SaaS — built one habit at a time.
🧵 Introduction
Every builder has a graveyard of side projects.
Hi Juno almost became one of mine.
But instead, it evolved.
1 Yr Net is the spiritual sequel — a tool that helps people (starting with my kids) build consistency, show up daily, and slowly stack meaningful habits that lead to real change.
I started working on it in October. The early days were rough.
Lots of vibe coding.
Lots of I-have-no-idea-what-I’m-doing moments.
But also a LOT of learning — and something I didn’t expect: emotional traction.
In this post, I’m going to show you how I built it, what it’s doing today, and why I’m keeping it small… for now.
🔁 From Hi Juno to 1 Yr Net
Hi Juno was about automated accountability. It had one job: ask “Did you do the thing?” every day.
1 Yr Net asks the same question — but adds layers:
- A timeline view to see your progress
- Micro-rewards to gamify consistency
- A structure to think in terms of a one-year future self
- And a full-stack architecture built to scale, even if I’m not scaling it… yet
🧱 The Stack: Full Indie Founder Energy
I didn’t want to hack this together.
I wanted a fast, type-safe, modern app that could grow with me — and with my kids.
Here’s the full stack:
🖥 Frontend
| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
| React + TypeScript | Standard, flexible, powerful |
| Vite | Insanely fast dev server |
| Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui | Utility-first styling + polished components |
| Wouter | Lightweight routing (no overkill) |
| TanStack Query | Great for syncing local and remote state |
| React Hook Form | Smooth form handling with built-in validation |
🔙 Backend
| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
| Express.js (Node.js) | Minimal, familiar, extensible |
| Socket.io | Real-time updates for task check-ins and dashboards |
| TypeScript | Type safety everywhere — one shared language |
| Passport.js | Handles GitHub, Google, and local auth |
| Express Session | Simple cookie-based session handling (vs JWT) |
🗃 Database & Storage
| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
| Drizzle ORM | Type-safe queries, no black box |
| Turso (Distributed SQLite) | Modern, serverless SQLite — super fast |
| Better SQLite3 | For local development and tests |
| AWS S3 | Lightweight file storage for user uploads |
💳 Payments & Services
| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Dead-simple plan management |
| Nodemailer | Transactional email (confirmation, check-in reminders) |
🧪 Dev & Tooling
| Tool | Why |
|---|---|
| TSX | Run TypeScript directly (bye-bye ts-node) |
| Vitest | Unit testing that feels fast and modern |
| ESBuild | Lightning-fast bundling for production |
👨👧 Real Impact: Building Something My Kids Actually Use
This isn’t a theoretical startup.
My kids are using 1 Yr Net every day.
They log in.
They mark their habits.
They see their streaks.
And most importantly — they’re consistent.
- One of them is learning to read daily.
- One is tracking workouts.
- One is writing a short story, line by line.
This app is already delivering what I wanted most:
a tool to build consistency that actually fits into life.
👷♂️ Why It’s Still in Beta (And Might Stay That Way for a While)
I’m not looking to scale this to 10,000 users.
Not yet.
Right now, I want:
- No support tickets
- No server meltdowns
- No “launch stress”
- Just a tight group of testers (mostly friends & family) helping shape it slowly
That’s what the 1 Year Net idea is really about.
Not explosive growth.
Not burnout.
Just deliberate momentum — daily.
🤖 What It Means to Build in the Age of Robots
Anyone can build a habit tracker.
But 1 Yr Net is more than checkboxes:
- It’s real-time (Socket.io)
- It’s multi-auth (Google, GitHub, local)
- It’s gamified (task streaks, points, and eventually avatar progression)
- It’s for humans, not just productivity junkies
And it’s built entirely by one person, using:
- Shared TypeScript types between client and server
- A flat, fast SQLite-based backend
- Tools that were impossible just a few years ago
This is what building looks like in the Age of Robots:
You can create tools that serve real people… without a team, without VC, and without waiting for permission.
🧪 What’s Next
1 Yr Net will keep evolving with the people using it.
Some ideas in the backlog:
- Daily “push” tasks with optional AI-generated micro-rewards
- Mood + energy tracking (optional)
- Weekly recap emails that feel more like letters than logs
- Group timelines (family, friend group, challenge groups)
I’m also designing a 1 Year Net Journal — a physical notebook that syncs with the app (mentally, not literally).
And yes, I’ll keep documenting the process here — because one of my goals is to make building transparent again.
🎉 Final Thoughts
1 Yr Net isn’t a polished launch.
It’s a personal artifact that became a useful tool.
Built during late nights.
Tested by my own family.
Typed into existence one lesson at a time.
And honestly? That’s kind of the dream.
If you’re building something like this — or want to — hit me up.
I’ll share what I’ve learned, the mistakes I made, and the stuff I had to duct-tape together just to ship.
Want early access?
Go to 1yrnet.com and click “Request Invite.”
(Then do your task. Today counts.)
