How a simple Google Sheets system slowly turned into my own app

Source: Dev.to

Background

Over the last month, I’ve been working on a small personal project called OWOLIN. It didn’t start as a startup idea; it began as a simple system I built for myself. For a long time, I tracked my habits, tasks, finances, and short notes using Google Sheets. Nothing fancy—just a few tabs, some basic logic, and it took maybe 1–2 minutes per day. That low effort helped me stay consistent.

Turning the Spreadsheet into an App

At some point I realized that instead of constantly tweaking spreadsheets, I could try turning this system into an app. My goal wasn’t to build something complex or trendy, but to make it cleaner, easier to use, and nicer to look at. That’s how OWOLIN was born.

Challenges

The process hasn’t been easy. Turning a personal workflow into a real product means making a lot of small decisions, trade‑offs, and learning things along the way. Everything takes longer than expected, especially when you’re working alone and figuring things out as you go. One of the hardest parts is staying focused on the core idea: keeping things minimal, simple, and fast, even when adding more features feels tempting.

Current Status

Right now, I use the app every day and slowly improve it based on real usage and feedback. It’s still early, and I’m still learning.

Takeaways

This project reminded me that progress doesn’t always need to be fast to matter. Sometimes, building something useful and intentional is already enough.