Apostolia | Indie Dev

Guess who's back 😎 back again.. So.. it's been four months 🫠 Short version: work got hectic in a way that quietly drained everything out of me, and in July i finally left. Right now i'm somewhere in the middle of it, figuring this transition out and looking for the right opportunity. Until then @buxloop is getting most of my attention, and i'm slowly remembering where i "left" it.. Turns out past me did more than she reported here. The mvp is further along than i thought.. so updates coming soon 🤫 Anyway that's the short version.. there's a much longer one but we've got plenty of time to get into that 😂

Today’s office 🌿🐝☀️

Day 15 of #BuildInPublic  I've been quiet on here this week, but I only had small pockets of time, so I focused on tackling the invisible stuff.. SEO, finalizing the waitlist, tidying up the landing page etc. It's so easy to dismiss this as "not real progress", but the landing page actually feels like a proper front door for @buxloop now 🥹 Overall week rating: slow but solid. Ready for whatever next week brings 😎

the UI looks great. the API is solid. they have never spoken to each other. and that's my day 14 🫠

Okay so.. I basically disappeared for a month 😅 This time it wasn't burnout, but my 9-5 decided March was the perfect moment to need 100% of my brain. You know the kind of month where you close your laptop (past 5...) and genuinely have nothing left for anything else? Anyway.. @buxloop didn't move much but it didn't die either. The backend is solid. The UI exists. The next chapter is wiring them together, which is honestly the scariest and most exciting part! 💻 Back at it. Day 13?

Day 11 & Day 12: The weekend recap. So here's what I was actually working on while ignoring Twitter: 🎨 I wrapped up the mock UI for @buxloop (screenshots below 👇) ⚙️ Bootstrapped the backend foundation 🛢️ Finalize the core database architecture It’s wild how solo building works. You spend half your time obsessing over pixels to make the UI clean and intuitive, and the other half in a complete focus lock-in, architecting the invisible foundation. Setting up the DB from scratch feels exactly like constructing a building. You make every structural decision, figure out how everything connects, and make sure all the pieces fit perfectly together. Will I inevitably have to write a bunch of ALTER queries down the line? Obviously. But after a massive weekend of work, both the outside (UI) and the inside (DB) are finally feeling concrete! 😎

Is there such a thing as #BuildInPublic guilt? 🫠 I haven't tweeted in 10 days. Every day I thought "post something, you're losing momentum" but my brain just couldn't. Life has been incredibly hectic lately. Between a brutal 9-5 stretch and major life stuff in the background, my brain was simply full. I aimed to have the @buxloop MVP ready by end of February. Obviously, that's not happening - but when you build solo and want to build it right, it takes the time it takes. I’ll try to stay active because this community genuinely keeps me going. But building the app comes first. Some seasons I just need to put my head down and code. But I promise: when I finally leave my 9-5 and become a full-time founder, you'll probably want to mute me. Until then, silence = database tears. 💻🥲

there's a different kind of tired when you're exhausted from building something you actually care about 🫠 it's not burnout it's more like... proud exhaustion? like yeah i'm drained from coding after my 9-5, but at least it's for something that matters to me and not another jira ticket

Day 10. my brain really wanted to build 100 new features to "make up" for being sick, but i forced it to focus on the boring stuff. 🫠 spent the evening on @buxloop's "behind the scenes" work: - fixing seo tags & sitemaps - wrestling with mobile responsiveness - setting up analytics it’s not the most exciting part of building a saas, but it’s the work that actually makes it a product. progress is progress. 💻

Finally back at my desk today!☕️ Last week my body forced me into emergency maintenance mode and it was a long downtime 🫠 I’m finally feeling human again and getting back into the 9-5 + @buxloop rhythm today. My brain wants to do everything to "make up" for the lost time, but I’ll try to be kind to myself. Hope you're all having a great (and healthy) week! 🌿 #indieDev #BuildInPublic

Day 9 of #BuildInPublic : System maintenance mode 🤒 I think I pushed a little too hard lately and today my body hit the brakes. Barely survived the 9-5 and I had zero energy left for @buxloop tonight. Decided to listen to my body and go to sleep early so I can hopefully bounce back and grind during the weekend. Daily reminder (mostly for myself): You can't write good code if you're running on low battery. Prioritize your rest guys. 😅

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a dashboard! 🥂 It’s 12:00AM and I should probably be sleeping, but I’m too excited not to share this. Day 8 of #BuildInPublic. Tbh, the only reason I’m making progress is because of this daily check-in. The thought of "I need to finish a feature for my daily post" is the best project manager I’ve ever had. 😅 Here's my chaotic but effective system: - Taking a solid break after my 9-5 to reset. - Notion for structure. - Twitter for accountability. Currently building UI and Backend together because I need that visual feedback to keep going. 🫠 It’s the hyperfocus talking, but I’m loving every bit of this chaotic workflow. Not sure if it's "right", but it's definitely fun. Goodnight world! 🌙

finishing side projects teaches you more than just the code itself. it proves the gap between "employed dev" and "indie maker" isn't talent. it's just showing up when no one's watching. if you're building something (or trying to) drop it below ⬇️

this just hit me.. the full-time job paradox: you have the financial runway to build properly. but you're racing against your own energy levels and the fear that you're moving too slowly. full-time founders don't have safety nets, but they have time. we have stability, but we're always behind. 😅

mom said i'm unique though 😂