Why I Decided to Build a Chrome Extension (and Finished It)
Why I built it
I work a lot in my browser. For now, the Kanban style of task management fits how I work.
I was using a Kanban task management Chrome extension. It was ok, but some useful features were locked behind the Pro version. I was using the free version.
So I thought, maybe I could just build one myself. Just for my own use.
Why build my own instead of using what's already out there
I wanted to learn how to build things to solve my own problems. And share them with others too.
In a long term, my goal is to be able to build useful products on my own. Something that could one day have potential to replace my day job income.
What I built
A drag-and-drop kanban board for your new tab. You can manage tasks without leaving Chrome.
The one month constraint
I gave myself one month to finish and launch it. This was intentional.
I have a history of starting things and not finishing them. I probably have 20–25 half-baked apps and ideas sitting in a grave of my own disappointment.
For context, I’m new to indie hacking and I’m not technical. I build with the help of AI. Some people call it Vibe Coding. Whatever.
I did publish one Chrome extension about six months ago. But that was more of an exception.
The deadline forced me to keep things small and actually ship.
Btw, I didn’t fully meet the deadline. Life got in the way. Responsibilities, setbacks, all that. But that’s okay.
What surprised me
This time, I planned much more carefully before building anything.
- I planned the project structure first
- Looked at open source codebases of similar apps
- Thought through features before building
- Did more testing than usual
2 months ago, I tried building a similar app and hit a lot of roadblocks. With that experience, plus better planning this time, things felt less painful.
What's next
I'm in the final phase now. Polishing the UI, writing a bit, designing logos, screenshots, and getting things ready to publish.
It feels good to reach this point. I can't wait to share it with the world. And then moving on to the next app.
This is all part of learning to build as a non technical person.