u/Chemical_Soup_6893

Hey everyone,

I’m currently building something and I’m trying to do proper user research before going too deep into development.

I’d genuinely like to speak with real people and better understand:

• how they currently journal (or why they don’t)
• what problems existing apps don’t solve well
• what makes habits like journaling difficult to maintain
• and what people actually find useful vs annoying

I’m curious how you approach user research for consumer products.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

Hello! I’m curious for people who tried journaling consistently but eventually stopped. What made you quit?

Was it:

• forgetting
• feeling repetitive
• too time consuming
• emotionally draining
• “nothing to write”
• streak pressure
• privacy concerns
• the app/process itself
• or something else?

Why I’m asking:

I’ve personally tried starting a journaling habit many times, but I never really managed to stick with it. Usually I start motivated for a few days, then life gets busy and I slowly stop opening the app altogether. Right now I’m trying to improve my routine, so I’ve been thinking more about why journaling works well for some people but not for others.

Would love to hear your honest answers and experience.

Is it just me or are journaling apps just... not built for ADHD brains? I've tried so many and none lasted more than 2–3 weeks.

Same pattern every time...I was excited, set it up perfectly, write for a few days, miss a day, miss another... and suddenly the app just sits there and I feel failure again. The streak counter, the "pick up where you left off" pings is making it even worse.

What I think I actually need is just something that quietly notices patterns across weeks (if I happen to write) instead of rating me on consistency and forcing. Except that I feel these apps are full of AI fluff, the stuff it says doesn't make sense to me. I don't want a chatbot.

Has anyone actually found something like this? I'm open, every product I try optimizes for the exact thing that breaks my brain.