The Done Bear Way
The Done Bear way is six constraints, not aspirations: simplicity over features, speed as trust, your data on your device, calm over noise, collaboration without ceremony, and respect for the person using the software. They decide what we build, what we cut, and why Done Bear will not become project management software.
Simplicity over features
Done Bear should have fewer things that work well, not more things that work. Every feature we add is a reason to say no to ten others. The goal is not to cover every workflow. The goal is to do the core things so well that you stop thinking about the tool and start thinking about the work.
Speed is trust
A slow task manager is a broken one. If adding a task takes more than a second, you will stop using it. If syncing feels uncertain, you will stop trusting it. Local-first is not a technical decision. It is a trust decision. Your tasks should feel immediate because your system should feel reliable.
Your data, your device
Tasks live on your device first. The server keeps things in sync, but your data belongs to you. Offline is not a fallback. It is the default. Open Done Bear on a plane, in a basement, wherever. It works.
Calm over noise
Done Bear should never feel urgent. Nothing competes for your attention unless you asked it to: notifications are the ones you set yourself, and the app-icon badge is off until you turn it on. No dashboards full of metrics about your productivity. The product should reduce the noise in your day, not add to it. A good task manager is one you barely notice.
Collaboration without ceremony
Working with other people should not change how you think about your tasks. Share a project, assign a task, move on. No ticket states, no swim lanes, no mandatory standups. Collaboration should support the way you already work, not replace it with something heavier.
Respect the person
Every interaction should feel considered. Polish is not a luxury. It is respect for the person using the software. We care about the details: how a transition feels, how fast a view loads, how little friction sits between a thought and a captured task. Building software that respects your time and your data is not a feature. It is the baseline.
What Done Bear will not become
Done Bear will not become project management software.
- No Gantt charts.
- No story points.
- No sprint boards.
- No dashboards of team velocity.