It started with my back.
In November 2024 I herniated my L5S1 disc. I won't go into all of it here (the full story is here if you're curious), but the short version is that after I wrecked my back, I had to put a set of daily habits in place to help it heal. A gentle full body workout. A hip and core mobility flow. Walking every day.
These weren't optional. They were things I needed to do every single day, or else my back would really hurt.
So I wanted an easy way to track them. And I also wanted to track how I was feeling, so I could start to see the patterns - what leads to a good day, and what leads to a bad one.
I went looking for an app. And I couldn't find one I liked.
Most of them were really complicated and just not very good. But the bigger thing I noticed was that almost every one of them was built around streaks. Keep the streak alive. Don't break the chain. Everything pointed at performance.
Perfection is the biggest killer of consistency
That's probably the single most important thing I've learned over the last year.
We think we have to be perfect. And if we can't do it perfectly, then somehow it doesn't count. Or we miss one day, the streak resets to zero, and now the whole thing feels ruined.
I just don't think that works for most people. It definitely doesn't work for me.
In my experience, the best way to be consistent is to be okay with things not being perfect. Had a crazy day and couldn't get to your habit? That's okay - it happens to the best of us. Don't beat yourself up and don't feel guilty about it. Just hop back on the wagon tomorrow and keep going.
What I actually wanted was a simple, fun app that gently encouraged me to want to show up. Every app I tried was either overcomplicated and frustrating, or aggressive with the FOMO of keeping a streak alive.
Classic "there's got to be a better way" moment. So I started sketching out what a 10/10 experience would actually feel like.
Then I landed on the meadow
What if every day you did your habits, a beautiful flower grew in your meadow?
And then as you go, your meadow gets fuller and fuller, and it just becomes this fun thing you look forward to working on.
Once I had that, the ideas kept coming. Rare flowers you don't see very often. Animals that come to visit - butterflies, songbirds, an owl. Affirmations to help with mindset. Inviting friends so you can grow meadows together. Honestly, I had way more ideas than I could build.
I got really excited and started seeing if I could design something that actually felt fun and warm and special. And I might be biased, but I think I did.
I've been using it to track my daily workout, and I genuinely find it fun to finish up, check off my habit for the day, and get a little flower for it. You never know what you're going to get. I love seeing the meadow fill in as the days stack up.
Most of us quit before we can see it working
Here's the part I keep coming back to.
One of the hardest things about starting a new habit, or making any positive change in your life, is that it takes a while before you see results in your actual day to day reality. That gap is brutal. It's demoralizing, and it makes it really easy to give up.
I lived that with my back. I did PT stretches every single day for over a year and my progress was completely stalled out. Nothing visible was happening. Most people would have quit, and I don't blame them.
What I love about Meadow is that each day you do your habit, you get a little reward, and you can visibly see the progress you're making - even when you can't see it anywhere else yet.
You're still planting seeds, even when you can't see them yet.
You're still making progress. And if you stick with it, eventually you will see the fruit of that work show up in your real life. But in those early days, when progress is slow and invisible, I find it so helpful to get a supportive little boost that shows it to you.
So that's why I built it
First and foremost, it's the app I wanted to use. I built it for me.
But beyond that, I think pretty much everyone struggles with the lack of visible progress when they first start something new. I think that's why most of us quit. And I think Meadow can actually help with that - help people stay consistent long enough to get the results they're after.
I'm not a habit expert or a guru. I'm just a guy who needed to show up every day for his back, couldn't find the tool he wanted, and decided to build it.
If this resonates, I'd love for you to try it out. Come join us on this journey, and plant your first meadow.
