Hello and welcome! This is the very first post for 96 Squares—a mindfulness-focused time tracking app currently in development here at Cottage Path Studio.
The idea behind 96 Squares is simple but powerful: make time tracking easy and turn it into a tool for daily mindfulness. At its core, the app is built to help users pause and ask themselves a deceptively simple question:
“What am I doing right now?”
By encouraging users to record their primary activity throughout the day—and reflect on those choices—96 Squares aims to increase awareness, reduce autopilot behavior, and help people use their time more intentionally.
The name comes from the structure of the day: 96 blocks of 15 minutes each. Every square represents a window of time—a chance to be present, to make a choice, to gently reflect.
Why I’m Building This
The inspiration for this app came from my own struggles with mindfulness. Like many of us, I often found myself slipping into time-wasting habits—mindless web browsing, doom scrolling, bouncing between apps with no real purpose. There’s nothing inherently wrong with checking the news or exploring the internet, of course. But I noticed that I was doing it without intention.
I’d sit down to work and, almost unconsciously, end up skimming headlines on the New York Times. An hour later, I’d emerge from a blur of article tabs wondering where the time went. It wasn’t just about losing productivity—it was about losing presence.
96 Squares is my attempt to counter that drift. It’s a tool I’m designing first and foremost for myself—but I suspect I’m not the only one who could use a little more structure, clarity, and mindfulness in their day.
What’s Next?
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more about how the app works, the design philosophy behind it, and what the development process looks like—warts and all. Whether you’re curious about mindfulness, interested in time tracking, or just like following indie app development, I hope you’ll find something useful (or at least relatable) here.
You can also follow along on Mastodon: @cottagepath@mastodon.social or Bluesky: @cottagepath.bsky.social. I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or your own experiences with time and mindfulness.
Thanks for reading. Let’s build something intentional.