Blog
The Mental Load Isn't a To-Do List Problem
71% of household cognitive labor falls on one person. The problem isn't forgetting tasks — it's carrying the invisible work of anticipating, monitoring, and deciding before anyone else even notices something needs doing.
The Earn System That Actually Works (And Why Hard Limits Don't)
Behavioral research on what actually builds self-regulation in teenagers — and why every enforcement-only tool misses the point.
Centriq Is Gone. Now What?
It's been over a year since Centriq shut down. If you still haven't found a replacement, you're not alone — and you're not crazy for still looking.
Does Screen Time Affect Sleep? What the Research Shows (and What It Doesn't)
Blue light and melatonin suppression are real. But taking the phone away at 9 PM and expecting better sleep is a theory, not a guaranteed outcome. Here's what the evidence actually supports.
How to Read a Tape Measure: Fractions Without the Headache
Those tiny lines on your tape measure follow a simple pattern. Once you see it, you'll never squint at 7/16ths again.
Journeyman Voice Calcs vs Construction Master Pro (2026)
An honest comparison between the $55 voice-first calculator and the $40/year button-grid veteran. Where each one wins, where each one loses.
The Construction Math Cheat Sheet That Fits in Your Pocket
Every formula a generalist needs across framing, concrete, roofing, tile, electrical, and more — organized by trade, not by textbook chapter.
Imperial Fractions on the Jobsite: The Guide Nobody Wrote
Every tradesperson does fraction math in their head daily. Most learned it from the guy next to them. Here's the actual system.
Voice Calculator for Construction: What Changes When You Stop Typing
Construction calculators have used button grids for 40 years. Voice input changes the equation — literally.
Why Are We Still Tapping Buttons?
The process of doing math on a jobsite hasn't changed in 30 years. The technology to fix it has been sitting in your pocket the whole time.
Why Tolerate All This Friction?
You don't need to memorize formulas. You don't need a cheat sheet. You need to say what you need and get the answer. That's it.
You're Not Here Because You Like Math
Nobody picked up a hammer because they loved calculating rafter lengths. The math is part of the job — but it doesn't have to slow the job down.
Why I'm Building 11 Apps as a Solo Developer
A solo indie developer with 11 apps sounds insane. Here's the method behind it — and the tools that make it possible.
Your Phone Doesn't Speak Trade
Voice assistants can tell you who directed Goodfellas. They can't tell you how many studs go in a 20-foot wall.
Show the Math
We built the 'Show the Math' button for apprentices. Turns out it's also for the journeyman who uses the hip rafter formula twice a year and can never quite remember if he's got it right.
Agents Are Minions
Fifteen agents run my company. I think of them as little yellow guys with goggles. Here's why that's not as dumb as it sounds.
Edge Functions and Grocery Shopping
Four apps in the App Store, two under review, built from a massage chair while shipping my last set of cabinets. Here's what that actually looks like.
Why You Can't Stick With Journaling (And What to Do Instead)
Most people quit journaling within two weeks. The problem isn't discipline — it's that journals were designed for writers, not talkers.
State of the Studio: February 2026
Where every Tree City Design app stands right now, what's shipping next, and what we learned this month.
Apple Rejected Me Again
Two apps. Three violations. A provisioning agent, an audit system, and the kind of morning that teaches you what AI actually is.
From the Jobsite to the App Store
15 years in behavior intervention. 20 years around the trades. Now I'm building a software company. Here's why.
What Tool Belt Tools Can Your Smartphone Replace?
We chase efficiency with better saws and faster drills. The biggest gains might be in the phone that's already in your pocket.
The AAP Just Dropped Screen Time Limits. Here's What They Want You to Do Instead.
In January 2026, the American Academy of Pediatrics stopped recommending specific screen time limits for kids. Their new advice? Make a family media plan — together.
We're Looking for 25 Families to Help Build TAP
TAP doesn't exist yet in the market. We're building it. And we want the first families who use it to help shape what it becomes.
Meet Your Five Coaches: How AI Workout Timer Makes Workouts Feel Personal
Most timer apps beep at you. AI Workout Timer talks to you — with five distinct AI coach personas that change how workouts feel.
Construction Math Shouldn't Require Clean Hands
Tap-tap-tap on a phone calculator with concrete-caked fingers. Squint at a decimal answer you need in fractions. This is construction math in 2026. We built Journeyman because it doesn't have to be.
The MoodSphere: Why Voice Crumbs Doesn't Have a Record Button
If you've bounced off journal apps before, the problem might be the blank page. Voice Crumbs replaced it with a sphere you press and talk to.
Why Your Calculator Can't Handle Fractions
Construction math lives in fractions — 3/16, 7/8, 15/32. Your phone's calculator doesn't. Here's why that gap costs you time and material on every job.
Family Screen Time Agreements: The Approach That Works When Rules Don't
Every expert says families should negotiate screen time together. Here's a practical guide to building agreements that teens actually follow — and what to do when they don't.
Stop Policing Screen Time. Start Negotiating It.
Enforcement creates the exact problem it tries to solve. Here's a five-step process for negotiating screen time with your teen — one that works because they helped build it.
AI Workout Timer: Just Tell It Your Workout
Describe your workout in plain English and get a voice-coached interval timer. No menus, no manual setup.
Why Parental Controls Backfire With Teenagers (And What Actually Works)
Hard blocks teach kids to route around restrictions. Agreements built together teach self-regulation. The data on this is pretty clear.
You Didn't Fail at Journaling. Journaling Failed You.
80% of people quit journaling within two weeks. Voice Crumbs is built for that 80% — no blank page, no typing, nothing leaves your phone.
Welcome to Tree City Design
We're an indie app studio building tools that solve real problems. Here's what we're about.