Hey devs! 👋
This weekend, I gave myself a challenge: build a full-stack app in just 24 hours ⏱️
No fancy goal, just one rule – ship something functional. 🚢
The Idea 💡
A simple “Focus Timer” app that tracks your work sessions and breaks (inspired by the Pomodoro technique). But I added a twist:
• Dark mode ☑️
• Motivational quotes API ☑️
• Session analytics (because why not?) 📈
The Stack 🛠️
• Frontend: React + TailwindCSS
• Backend: Node.js + Express
• Database: MongoDB (hosted on Atlas)
• Auth: Firebase (super quick setup)
Challenges I Faced 🤯
• Time blindness is real. I spent 3 hours on the UI before writing a single API call.
• Getting auth + protected routes working quickly was harder than I remembered.
• Deploying in a hurry = breaking things. (RIP Vercel logs 😅)
What I Learned 📚
1. Perfection is the enemy of done – MVPs are allowed to be ugly but alive.
2. APIs save time – grabbing a free quotes API added magic with 0 effort.
3. Sleep helps debugging – took a 1-hour nap and suddenly everything made sense 😴
The Result 🚀
The app is live, it works, and it’s not half bad!
Here’s the GitHub repo if you’re curious (stars welcome 😉)
TL;DR
Build fast, break stuff, learn faster.
If you’ve never tried a timed challenge like this, I highly recommend it. It’s fun, chaotic, and you’ll surprise yourself.
Your turn!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever built in a day? Drop a link or story below – I’d love to check it out! 🔥