Take & Do

Most people don't fail because they lack an app - they fail because context doesn't travel with their work. A task lives in Jira, the spec in Notion, the meeting in Google Calendar - but the reason, decision, and state tying them together are missing.

Modern tools optimize for isolated surfaces (lists, docs, calendars) - not for the relationship between them. As a result, people constantly reconstruct context: why this task exists, what it depends on, and when it actually matters.

That fracture shows up everywhere - from software delivery to everyday life. Work becomes a series of disconnected snapshots instead of a continuous flow. Take & Do exists to close that gap: a system where tasks, time, and knowledge stay linked, and context evolves with the work instead of being rebuilt in your head.

Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with Turbopack in development, React 19, strict TypeScript, and a hybrid styling model: styled-components for feature UI, Radix Themes / primitives for accessible controls, and Tailwind where utility-first wins (shared dialog chrome from `@repo/ui`).

Data & auth - Drizzle ORM against PostgreSQL for durable workspace, board, task, and schedule data; Better Auth with email/password plus optional Google, anonymous “guest” sessions where appropriate, and server-enforced access rules so workspaces stay isolated.

Performance - Server Components and route handlers used deliberately so the client bundle stays lean; fetch caching and revalidation where reads are hot; no imaginary micro-optimizations before instrumentation says they matter.

Editors & composition - Lexical and TipTap cover rich descriptions and inline structure without locking content into opaque blobs-important for tasks that are half-spec, half-checklist.

Quality - ESLint + Prettier, Vitest for units, native HTML5 drag-and-drop on the board (no brittle DnD polyfills), focus management in dialogs (shared `@repo/ui` primitives), and environment validation for anything that touches secrets.

Principles - ship thin vertical slices, keep auth boundaries boring and explicit, prefer boring PostgreSQL over clever client caches, and instrument real user journeys before optimizing micro-fetches.

Problem discovery - Before shaping the roadmap, I read long threads on Reddit (r/productivity, r/getdisciplined, app-specific subs) and Hacker News “Ask” threads where people vent about Todoist, Things, Notion, and Apple Reminders. The recurring complaints were not “missing features”-they were *structural*: tasks and calendar events do not stay linked as plans change; notes and tasks duplicate; recurring life maintenance gets lost under work sprints; and “one inbox” collapses when work uses a board but life still uses a calendar.

Product implications -

• First-class *schedules* next to boards so a task can own-or reference-time without exporting mental state to a separate calendar app.
• Workspaces that isolate context (work vs personal vs side project) without forcing separate logins for every experiment.
• Native Kanban with clear column semantics and fast drag operations; no fake “multiplayer” claims-just reliable local UX.
• Rich task bodies for specs and checklists; shallow integration points instead of pretending to replace Google Docs.
• Guest and waitlist flows that let people try the surface before committing identity-without weakening tenancy rules for paid workspaces later.

Non-goals (for now) - becoming a full calendar replacement for enterprise, or a generic wiki-those expand scope faster than a small team can support.

Mixpanel (browser) - The product distinguishes *anonymous guests* (ephemeral trials) from *waitlist-qualified leads* (email captured, intent signal). Events are named and propertied so funnels do not conflate the two populations.

Core events -

• `Guest Session Started` / `Guest Board Created` - volume and depth of try-before-signup behavior.
• `Task Moved`, `Column Changed`, `Schedule Block Linked` - board and schedule adoption, not vanity clicks.
• `Whitelist Dialog Opened`, `Whitelist Submitted`, `Whitelist Failed` - conversion and friction on the waitlist path with `_replyto` preserved for sales follow-up.
• `Auth Login Started`, `Auth Login Succeeded` - separate funnel from guest traffic.

Improvements - super-properties for workspace tier (guest vs registered), session replay sampling on error boundaries, and cohort reports that compare “guests who created ≥3 tasks” vs “waitlist only”-so marketing spend optimizes for retained trials, not form fills alone. Server-side logs remain the source of truth for API failures; Mixpanel explains *behavior*, not stack traces.