Time0
Zero-based time planning
Hey IH!
Some of you have seen my Time0 posts ranking #11-12 here lately. In two days I'm finally launching on Product Hunt.
The irony: I built such a privacy-focused time planning app that I literally don't know who my users are.
- First customer from Australia? Can't thank them
- Users having issues? They have to find me
- Launch day support? Can't rally my own users
- Zero emails collected = zero marketing list
I chose maximum privacy over growth hacks. Now I'm launching with absolutely no network to notify.
What's wild: someone from HERE likely submitted Time0 to HuntScreens (wasn't me!), where it got featured with better copy than I could write. The IH → HuntScreens pipeline is real. Thank you, anonymous supporter!
If you've been following the journey or believe solo developers building privacy-first products deserve a chance, would appreciate an upvote: https://www.producthunt.com/products/time0
Let's see if product quality + zero surveillance can still work in 2025.
Stats after 1 week:
- 23 website visitors from 7 countries
- 1 paying customer (somewhere in Australia)
- 100% SEO score, 14 languages
- Zero knowledge about any of them
That's a conversion rate of 4.3% - someone told me that is actually pretty good.
In two days we test if craft beats growth hacking. And until then my mind is with my one Australian user who is like Schrödinger's customer - simultaneously happy and unhappy until they choose to contact me or leave a review! 📦🐱
Thats what building in the dark means for solo devs like me.
Because you manage million-dollar budgets with precision but your most valuable asset - time - is completely unbudgeted.
The Executive Blind Spot
You'd never accept:
A budget without allocation
A project without resource planning
A strategy without metrics
A P&L without visibility
Yet your calendar - representing your most critical resource - runs on hope and reactive scheduling.
The Hidden Cost
Every hour misallocated is leverage lost.
When you don't budget time:
Operational tasks consume strategic thinking
Urgent overtakes important
Meetings expand to fill available space
High-value work happens in margins
Your calendar becomes everyone else's priority
You're not managing time. You're being managed by it.
What Time0 Does for Executives
Apply Zero-Based Budgeting to Time
Quarterly time allocation:
- Strategic planning: 120h (20%)
- Team development: 90h (15%)
- Customer/Partner engagement: 120h (20%)
- Operational necessities: 180h (30%)
- Board/Investor relations: 60h (10%)
- Buffer/Flexibility: 30h (5%)
Total: 600h per quarter
See the ratios. Defend them.
Make Time Costs Visible
"Can you join this meeting?" becomes:
- Meeting: 1h
- Prep: 0.5h
- Follow-up: 0.5h
- Context switching: 1h
- Real cost: 3h from strategic work
Worth it? Now you know.
Protect High-Value Time
This week's commitments:
- Strategic initiatives: 8h (protected)
- Critical operations: 20h (necessary)
- Team development: 6h (invested)
- External meetings: 10h (controlled)
- Remaining capacity: 4h (buffer)
Not a schedule. A budget. Spend wisely.
Track ROI on Time
Last month's allocation vs. value:
- Board prep: 20h → Critical decisions made
- Vendor meetings: 15h → No clear outcomes
- Strategic planning: 10h → New market opportunity identified
- Email management: 30h → Mostly noise
What's the ROI on each hour category?
The Strategic Difference
Time0 doesn't tell you WHEN to have meetings.
It shows you that meetings are consuming 60% of your time when you intended 30%.
It doesn't schedule your strategic thinking for Tuesday at 2 PM.
It shows you that strategic thinking gets 2 hours per week when you need 10.
The Transformation
Before Time0: The Reactive Executive
Calendar controlled by others
"Busy" but not productive
Strategic work in airplane mode only
No visibility into time allocation
After Time0: The Strategic Executive
"I allocate 20% to strategic work"
"Operations gets maximum 30%"
"This request exceeds my weekly buffer"
Clear time investment strategy
The Multiplier Effect
Your time allocation signals priorities:
You protect strategic time → Organization thinks long-term
You invest in people → Team development accelerates
You control meeting time → Organization becomes efficient
You budget time → Company respects time
Leadership by example, made visible.
The Executive Edge
At your level, it's not about time management. It's about time strategy.
Every hour is an investment decision:
Invest in this initiative or that one
Develop this leader or that opportunity
Fix today's problem or prevent tomorrow's
Time0 makes these investments visible and intentional.
Start at Zero
Each quarter, each month, each week.
Don't inherit last period's time allocation. Design this period's strategy.
Because the difference between good executives and great ones isn't hours worked.
It's hours allocated strategically versus reactively.
Your calendar is your strategy. Make it intentional.
Built for leaders who understand that time is the only asset you can't buy more of.
Because "I don't have time" was a lie I told myself while somehow finding 15 hours a week for Netflix.
The Side Hustler's Paradox
You have a dream project. A business idea. A creative pursuit. Something that matters to you.
It's been "about to start" for two years.
Not because you're lazy. Because you genuinely believe you don't have time. But do you actually know where your 168 hours go?
The Uncomfortable Truth
You have time. You just can't see it.
When someone tracks their week for the first time:
Work: 45 hours (including commute)
Sleep: 49 hours
Eating, hygiene, life: 20 hours
Total: 114 hours
Remaining: 54 HOURS
Where are those 54 hours? That's where your side hustle lives.
What Time0 Does for Side Hustlers
Expose Reality
Last week's truth: - Netflix/YouTube: 12h - Social media: 8h - "Researching" the project: 5h - Actually working on project: 2h - Unaccounted for: 27h
Ouch. But now you know.
Claim Your Project Hours FIRST
Next week's allocation: - Day job: 45h (non-negotiable) - Side project: 15h (PROTECTED) - Everything else: fits around these
Not "when I have time." But "I allocated 15 hours."
Choose Your Strategy
Weekend-First: Job gets weekdays, dream gets weekends
Saturday: 5h deep work
Sunday: 4h creative time
Weekdays: 6h total in small chunks
Weekly total: 15h = 780h/year
That's 19 work weeks on your dream. Part-time. While employed.
Front-Loading: Monday energy for the dream, coast through Friday
Even Distribution: 2 hours daily, no exceptions
Face The Trade-offs
To get 15h for side project, I'll reduce: - Netflix: from 12h to 5h (save 7h) - Social media: from 8h to 3h (save 5h) - Random browsing: from 10h to 7h (save 3h) Total found: 15 hours
Time0 makes the trade-offs visible. You decide if they're worth it.
The Reality Check
You're not allocating "Tuesday 9-11 PM for coding."
You're saying: "My project needs 15 hours this week. I'll find them."
Maybe that's early mornings. Maybe weekends. Maybe lunch breaks. Time0 doesn't care WHEN. It just tracks that you committed 15 hours and whether you're being realistic.
The Transformation
Before Time0: The Eternal Wannapreneur
"Too busy" (but somehow watched entire Netflix series)
"No time" (but spent 3 hours reading about productivity)
Dream slowly dying
Excuses feel real because you can't see truth
After Time0: The Builder
"I allocate 15 hours weekly to my project"
"I track where those hours actually go"
"I see what I'm trading for those hours"
Progress compounds weekly
The Hard Truth
Your side hustle doesn't need the perfect schedule. It needs hours. Real hours. Allocated hours. Protected hours.
Time0 shows you:
How many hours you really have
Where they currently go
What you'd need to sacrifice
Whether 15 hours is realistic or fantasy
Stop Lying to Yourself
Either:
Allocate hours to your dream and protect them
Or admit you're choosing Netflix over your future
Both are valid choices. But be honest about which one you're making.
Time0 doesn't judge. It just shows you the truth: You have 168 hours this week. What matters enough to get some?
Start This Week
Not perfect timing. Not ideal conditions. Not "when things calm down."
This week. Allocate hours to your dream. See if you can do it.
Because the difference between a dreamer and a builder isn't talent. It's allocating actual hours instead of waiting for "spare time."
Built by a side hustler who found 15 hours a week hiding in plain sight.
Because parenting doesn't come with a time budget, but it should.
The Parent's Time Mystery
You know that feeling when someone asks "What do you do with your time?" and you simultaneously feel like you do EVERYTHING and NOTHING?
That's because parent time is invisible time:
Work: 40+ hours (visible)
Kids' activities: ??? hours (forgotten)
Household management: ??? hours (constant)
Partner time: ??? hours (what's that?)
Personal time: ??? hours (LOL)
You're exhausted but can't explain where 168 hours went.
The Invisible Struggle
You're not failing. You just can't see the full picture.
Without visibility, everything feels urgent and nothing feels sustainable. You're making time decisions in the dark.
What Time0 Does for Parents
Make the Invisible Visible
This week's reality check: - Work: 45h (including that "quick" evening email) - Kids' activities & homework help: 15h - Household (cooking, cleaning, organizing): 12h - Commute: 8h - Partner conversation/connection: 2h (ouch) - Personal time: 0h (explains a lot) Total committed: 82 hours Sleep (if 7h/night): 49 hours Remaining: 37 hours... where did those go?
Finally, SEE it all.
Plan What Matters
Next week's intention: - Work: 40h (boundary set) - Family activities: 20h (prioritized) - Household: 10h (streamlined) - Partner time: 5h (scheduled) - Personal: 5h (non-negotiable)
Not a rigid schedule. Just knowing: these hours are spoken for.
Communicate Without Defending
Show your partner: "Here's where our 168 hours go" Show yourself: "This is why I'm tired" Make decisions: "If we add soccer, what gives?"
Numbers don't lie. Feelings do.
Find Hidden Time
Weekly surprise discoveries: - Social media scrolling: 10h (wait, what?) - Inefficient errands: 5h (could batch) - Kids' screen time = potential personal time: 7h - Weekend mornings before everyone wakes: 5h available
Time0 doesn't judge. It just shows.
The Strategies That Help
Even Distribution: Same effort each day, no hero days followed by crashes.
Weekend-First: Protect family weekends by front-loading work weeks.
Priority-Based: Kids' recital > Non-urgent work. Make it visible.
The Transformation
Before Time0: The Exhausted Parent
Always busy, never accomplished
Guilt about... everything
No idea where time goes
Partner conflicts about "who does more"
Zero personal time without guilt
After Time0: The Aware Parent
"Work gets 40h, family gets 30h, I get 5h"
Clear about what fits this week
Conscious trade-offs instead of default chaos
Visible contribution from both partners
Scheduled self-care = better parent
The Permission You Need
Time0 doesn't tell you how to parent. It shows you where your time goes so YOU can decide if that's where you want it.
Maybe work needs 50 hours this week. Maybe family needs 40. Maybe you need 10.
The point is: CHOOSE. Don't let time just happen.
Why This Matters
Your kids don't need a perfect parent. They need a present one.
Time0 helps you see where presence is possible - and where you're spreading yourself invisible.
Start Fresh Each Week
No accumulated guilt. No carried exhaustion.
Each week, start at zero: What matters THIS week? How many hours does it really need?
Work will take what you give it. Kids' activities will expand infinitely. Household tasks never end.
But you have 168 hours. Period.
Time0 helps you spend them on purpose.
Built by someone juggling work, life, and family who needed to see where all the time really goes.
Because quoting projects shouldn't be guesswork, and knowing your capacity shouldn't require spreadsheet gymnastics.
The Freelancer's Dilemma
Client: "Can you handle this project?" You: Mentally scanning current commitments "...I think so?"
Two weeks later you're working until 2 AM because you forgot about that other project, underestimated this one, and said yes to a "quick favor" that wasn't quick.
The problem isn't your skills. It's your visibility.
The Hidden Problem
You're juggling invisible balls.
When you can't see your total commitments, every new request feels possible. But feelings aren't math:
Client A needs 25 hours
Client B needs 30 hours
Client C asking for 40 hours
Your week has 168 hours total
Minus sleep, life, eating...
Without visibility, you're guessing. With Time0, you're knowing.
What Time0 Does for Freelancers
See Your Real Capacity
This month's commitments: - Website Redesign: 45h total - Brand Strategy: 30h total - Maintenance Contracts: 20h total - Business Development: 15h total Total allocated: 110 hours Month's work hours available: ~160 hours Actual free capacity: 50 hours (not "maybe 80?")
No more guessing if you can take that rush job.
Quote Accurately
New project request?
Estimate honestly: 35 hours
Check capacity: 50 hours available this month
Allocate: 10h week 1, 10h week 2, 15h week 3
Quote with confidence: "I can deliver by [date]"
Your yes means yes. Your timeline is real.
Track Project Value (If You Want)
This week's allocation: - Project A: 15h @ $150/hr = $2,250 - Project B: 12h @ $125/hr = $1,500 - Project C: 8h (fixed price project) Weekly hours: 35h committed Weekly value: $3,750 + fixed fees
Or just track hours. The money part is optional.
Protect Non-Client Time
This week needs: - Client work: 35h - Invoice/admin: 3h - Skill development: 5h - That passion project: 4h - Buffer for surprises: 5h
If it's not allocated, clients will take it.
The Scheduling Strategies
Weekend-First: Keep your weekends for deep work or life - you choose.
Front-Loading: Deliver early in the week, handle revisions later.
Priority-Based: High-value client gets first allocation.
Even Distribution: Sustainable pace, no feast-or-famine weeks.
The Transformation
Before Time0: The Overwhelmed Freelancer
"I think I can fit it in" (hopes)
Working nights because of poor estimation
Never sure if taking more work is smart or stupid
Projects bleeding into each other
After Time0: The Professional Freelancer
"I have 50 hours available this month"
Done on time because estimates match reality
Clear yes or no to new projects
Each project has defined hours
Why This Matters
Freelancing is about freedom, not chaos.
Time0 doesn't schedule your days. It shows you how many hours you're committing to - before you commit.
The Bottom Line
You don't need to know you'll work on Project A from 9-11 AM Tuesday.
You need to know Project A needs 15 hours this week, and you have them.
Time0 shows you the hours. You decide when to use them.
Because successful freelancing isn't about working more hours. It's about knowing how many hours you're working with.
Built for freelancers who need clarity, not another calendar app.
Because I remember looking at my semester syllabus, seeing 20 different deadlines, and having no idea if I actually had enough time for everything.
The Student Reality
Every semester starts the same way. You get five syllabi with assignments, exams, and projects. You write down the due dates. You feel organized.
Then week 7 hits and suddenly you realize:
That term paper needs 30 hours, not "next weekend"
Three exams in one week means 45 hours of study time - where?
Group project needs 15 hours but when?
Part-time job takes 20 hours weekly
Haven't started the research that needs 25 hours minimum
You're not behind because you're lazy. You're behind because you never knew how many hours you needed.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Due dates tell you WHEN. They don't tell you HOW MUCH.
Your calendar shows the deadline. It doesn't show the 40 hours of work needed before that deadline.
Traditional planning fails students because it tracks dates, not effort.
What Time0 Does Differently
See Your Entire Semester's Workload
Wintersemester 2025 - Total: 135 hours needed - Algorithms & Data Structures: 45h - Software Team Project: 35h - Mathematics III: 30h - Bachelor Thesis Research: 25h Spread across 14 weeks = ~10 hours per week Plus classes and part-time job = realistic or impossible?
NOW you know. Week 1, not week 10.
Reality-Check Before You Commit
That professor says the assignment "shouldn't take long"?
Estimate: 15 hours
Available this month: 40 hours for coursework
Other assignments: 30 hours already allocated
Reality: Something has to give
See the conflict before it becomes a crisis.
Weekly Allocation, Not Daily Schedules
This week needs: - Algorithm assignment: 8h (however you fit it in) - Math problem set: 4h (your choice when) - Thesis reading: 6h (morning or night, doesn't matter) - Part-time job: 20h (fixed) Total: 38 hours committed Remaining: Time for life, sleep, and sanity
You decide WHEN. Time0 just shows you HOW MUCH.
The Transformation
Before Time0: Flying Blind
"I'll figure it out as I go"
Constantly surprised by workload
All-nighters because you underestimated
Dropping activities without knowing why there's no time
After Time0: Eyes Wide Open
"This semester needs 135 hours of project work"
"I have 10 hours this week for assignments"
"Week 10 needs 25 hours - better start early"
"I can take that part-time job - I see where 20 hours fits"
Why This Matters
You don't need another scheduling app telling you to study at 2:15 PM on Tuesday.
You need to know: Can I realistically handle 18 credits + part-time job + volunteer work?
Time0 answers that question in week 1, not during finals when it's too late.
Start Your Semester at Zero
Load your courses. Estimate the hours for each assignment, project, exam prep.
See the truth: How many hours does success require?
Then decide: Is this realistic? What stays? What goes?
Because the difference between struggling and succeeding isn't intelligence. It's knowing whether you're committing to 200 hours of work in a 168-hour week.
Built by someone who survived studying and wished they'd known the real time cost upfront.
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