Thoughts Locker

At Thoughts Locker, we have redefined the traditional diary. Record your thoughts any place, any time in the form of 120 character snippets typed up in the moment.

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Inspiration

This hackathon project was born out of my own struggle with keeping a journal. I dreaded the idea of dedicating time and effort to sit down and write out my thoughts, even though I knew it could be good for my mental health. Finding no time in my schedule for this daunting task, I decided to make something that I'd actually find useful in this situation—enter Thoughts Locker.

What it does

Thoughts Locker makes journaling a breeze. It redefines the traditional diary into a more modern, digestible format. Users can sign up and start typing their thoughts, which remain encrypted and visible only to them. Each individual thought can consist of only 120 characters. The platform is designed for use throughout the day, akin to Twitter, but for private thoughts. This approach aims to deliver the mental health benefits of journaling in a more accessible and less intimidating manner.

How I built it

Thoughts Locker is built on a development stack that includes a React.js frontend, an Express.js backend, and a Redis database. The security of user thoughts is a priority, with all entries being encrypted using bcrypt. This ensures that only the account holder has access to their thoughts, even the developer remains in the dark. Although there's still work to be done, the current build serves as a functional demo, giving users a glimpse of what this modern tool has in store.

Challenges I ran into

The main hurdle in finishing this project was the tight time constraint. Tackling the complexity of this web application as a solo developer and aiming to complete it within 24 hours posed a considerable challenge. However, I was determined to overcome it. To meet the deadline, I made the decision to postpone several features and implementations, opting to ship only the essential functionality for the time being.

Accomplishments that i'm proud of

I take pride in my capacity to craft a visually stunning and pixel-perfect frontend for this web application. To maintain complete control over the design, I chose not to rely on any CSS libraries. Each element on the web page was intentionally crafted and coded in pure CSS. Reflecting on this journey, I'm pleased with the progress in my CSS skills. I can now create intricate layouts without the need for extensive external references or documentation.

What's next for Thoughts Locker

Several features had to be postponed to meet the deadline, but I have exciting plans for the future of this project. I envision incorporating the ability to filter and search thoughts based on keywords, date ranges, and even mood emojis. Additionally, I aim to develop a mobile application to complement the web app, which would allow users to post thoughts while on-the-go. Lastly, I'm eager to explore functionality that enables users to share their thoughts with a therapist or counselor. This could provide valuable data to aid in more effective treatment for mental health issues.

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