Marco Schlichting
@marcoplainly.bsky.social
Full Stack Web Developer · Productivity Nerd · Tech Junkie · 🚀 Sharing my Solopreneur Journey · 🌟 Currently pouring my ❤️ into building https://pensive.io
https://marcoplain.com
https://marcoplain.com
The most complex skill in SaaS: knowing when to kill a good idea.
If it takes 2 weeks just to make it fit your feature set, it probably doesn’t belong.
If it takes 2 weeks just to make it fit your feature set, it probably doesn’t belong.
October 21, 2025 at 7:50 AM
The most complex skill in SaaS: knowing when to kill a good idea.
If it takes 2 weeks just to make it fit your feature set, it probably doesn’t belong.
If it takes 2 weeks just to make it fit your feature set, it probably doesn’t belong.
I always end up doing the opposite of what’s advised.
Not because I think I know better — but because I need to see why it doesn’t work myself.
Call it curiosity… or just my way of learning the hard way.
Not because I think I know better — but because I need to see why it doesn’t work myself.
Call it curiosity… or just my way of learning the hard way.
October 14, 2025 at 3:15 PM
I always end up doing the opposite of what’s advised.
Not because I think I know better — but because I need to see why it doesn’t work myself.
Call it curiosity… or just my way of learning the hard way.
Not because I think I know better — but because I need to see why it doesn’t work myself.
Call it curiosity… or just my way of learning the hard way.
What’s more important in life — excitement or stability?
Chasing excitement makes you feel alive.
Choosing stability lets you stay alive.
Somehow, we keep trying to balance both.
Chasing excitement makes you feel alive.
Choosing stability lets you stay alive.
Somehow, we keep trying to balance both.
October 10, 2025 at 1:39 PM
What’s more important in life — excitement or stability?
Chasing excitement makes you feel alive.
Choosing stability lets you stay alive.
Somehow, we keep trying to balance both.
Chasing excitement makes you feel alive.
Choosing stability lets you stay alive.
Somehow, we keep trying to balance both.
It was time to create new hero screenshots for my app, Pensive.
Fresh visuals, same mission — helping you plan and think with clarity.
What do you think?
Fresh visuals, same mission — helping you plan and think with clarity.
What do you think?
October 10, 2025 at 5:44 AM
It was time to create new hero screenshots for my app, Pensive.
Fresh visuals, same mission — helping you plan and think with clarity.
What do you think?
Fresh visuals, same mission — helping you plan and think with clarity.
What do you think?
It's been a while since I last talked about Pensive — my "Dream Life OS" for planning, reflecting, and staying organized. I've been quietly improving it and now looking for a few early users to try it out & share feedback as it evolves.
(Link in bio!)
(Link in bio!)
October 8, 2025 at 11:09 AM
It's been a while since I last talked about Pensive — my "Dream Life OS" for planning, reflecting, and staying organized. I've been quietly improving it and now looking for a few early users to try it out & share feedback as it evolves.
(Link in bio!)
(Link in bio!)
Honest question: do people really use AI to plan their day, break down tasks, and auto-prioritize?
Or are we all just using it to write tweets about productivity instead of being productive?
Or are we all just using it to write tweets about productivity instead of being productive?
October 7, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Honest question: do people really use AI to plan their day, break down tasks, and auto-prioritize?
Or are we all just using it to write tweets about productivity instead of being productive?
Or are we all just using it to write tweets about productivity instead of being productive?
Your early adopters are basically co-founders you didn’t hire.
They give feedback, demand features, break things, and somehow still stick around.
Treat them well - they’re the reason you’ll ever get user #100.
They give feedback, demand features, break things, and somehow still stick around.
Treat them well - they’re the reason you’ll ever get user #100.
September 26, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Your early adopters are basically co-founders you didn’t hire.
They give feedback, demand features, break things, and somehow still stick around.
Treat them well - they’re the reason you’ll ever get user #100.
They give feedback, demand features, break things, and somehow still stick around.
Treat them well - they’re the reason you’ll ever get user #100.
I just learned about the Ballmer Peak. Obviously not real, but a funny idea: programmers hit peak productivity with just the right amount of alcohol. Too little, you overthink. Too much, nothing compiles. In between, you're a 10x engineer ... until the hangover refactor.
September 25, 2025 at 12:48 PM
I just learned about the Ballmer Peak. Obviously not real, but a funny idea: programmers hit peak productivity with just the right amount of alcohol. Too little, you overthink. Too much, nothing compiles. In between, you're a 10x engineer ... until the hangover refactor.
I used to get five likes per post.
Now I get 4.
Progress isn’t linear, the algorithm is probably against me, and my mom still likes every post. Never give up.
Now I get 4.
Progress isn’t linear, the algorithm is probably against me, and my mom still likes every post. Never give up.
September 25, 2025 at 9:50 AM
I used to get five likes per post.
Now I get 4.
Progress isn’t linear, the algorithm is probably against me, and my mom still likes every post. Never give up.
Now I get 4.
Progress isn’t linear, the algorithm is probably against me, and my mom still likes every post. Never give up.
34, nearly 20 years coding, still deep in full-stack development. Time for a change?
Fellow devs: do we code forever, switch careers, or level up in new ways after decades of building apps?
I’ve done it all—HTML, CSS, JS, jQuery, React, Angular, Vue, PHP. Curious what’s next.
Fellow devs: do we code forever, switch careers, or level up in new ways after decades of building apps?
I’ve done it all—HTML, CSS, JS, jQuery, React, Angular, Vue, PHP. Curious what’s next.
September 24, 2025 at 12:44 PM
34, nearly 20 years coding, still deep in full-stack development. Time for a change?
Fellow devs: do we code forever, switch careers, or level up in new ways after decades of building apps?
I’ve done it all—HTML, CSS, JS, jQuery, React, Angular, Vue, PHP. Curious what’s next.
Fellow devs: do we code forever, switch careers, or level up in new ways after decades of building apps?
I’ve done it all—HTML, CSS, JS, jQuery, React, Angular, Vue, PHP. Curious what’s next.
My dream Life OS / Daily Planner Pensive (dot) io finally hit another minor version update to 0.19! 🚀
And with that, the (yet) longest changelog ever found its way to the "What's New Section" 😮💨
And with that, the (yet) longest changelog ever found its way to the "What's New Section" 😮💨
September 23, 2025 at 7:31 AM
My dream Life OS / Daily Planner Pensive (dot) io finally hit another minor version update to 0.19! 🚀
And with that, the (yet) longest changelog ever found its way to the "What's New Section" 😮💨
And with that, the (yet) longest changelog ever found its way to the "What's New Section" 😮💨
Fake it till you make it’ is the worst advice ever. Beginners who admit they’re beginners win faster.
September 23, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Fake it till you make it’ is the worst advice ever. Beginners who admit they’re beginners win faster.
If 50% is all you’ve got today, giving that 50% is still you giving 100%. Don’t underestimate showing up, even on low-energy days.
September 22, 2025 at 11:37 AM
If 50% is all you’ve got today, giving that 50% is still you giving 100%. Don’t underestimate showing up, even on low-energy days.
Nothing kills a good employee faster than watching a bad employee get tolerated forever. It’s like running a marathon while someone else is napping on a Segway… and still getting the medal.
September 22, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Nothing kills a good employee faster than watching a bad employee get tolerated forever. It’s like running a marathon while someone else is napping on a Segway… and still getting the medal.
Everyone loves the 8px grid, but 12 is the real MVP. Divisible by 2,3,4,6—no messy leftovers. That's why Bootstrap rocks 12 cols. Ever tried splitting 10 by 3 in Figma? Pure pain. Design systems aren't math class, they're consistency. So… Team 8px or Team 12px?
September 19, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Everyone loves the 8px grid, but 12 is the real MVP. Divisible by 2,3,4,6—no messy leftovers. That's why Bootstrap rocks 12 cols. Ever tried splitting 10 by 3 in Figma? Pure pain. Design systems aren't math class, they're consistency. So… Team 8px or Team 12px?
Don’t finish a coding session with everything “done.” Leave one loose end. Next time, you’ll know exactly where to start instead of staring at a blank slate. Tackle that one task, and momentum will carry you forward.
September 17, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Don’t finish a coding session with everything “done.” Leave one loose end. Next time, you’ll know exactly where to start instead of staring at a blank slate. Tackle that one task, and momentum will carry you forward.
Building new features feels like cooking a fancy dinner. Fixing bugs feels like doing the dishes afterward. Not glamorous, not exciting - but absolutely necessary. And honestly, it's the dishes that keep the kitchen running.
September 14, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Building new features feels like cooking a fancy dinner. Fixing bugs feels like doing the dishes afterward. Not glamorous, not exciting - but absolutely necessary. And honestly, it's the dishes that keep the kitchen running.
No one outside devs will ever see my code. Still, I keep it clean. Because messy code always comes back to haunt you. Writing neat code is like cleaning your room - you could live in chaos, but your future self will thank you.
September 12, 2025 at 11:11 AM
No one outside devs will ever see my code. Still, I keep it clean. Because messy code always comes back to haunt you. Writing neat code is like cleaning your room - you could live in chaos, but your future self will thank you.
It feels like every day my feed is full of MRR milestones: 5k, 10k, 50k… numbers everywhere. And here I am, proudly holding the line at 0€ MRR. Someone has to keep the balance. Someone has to show what the bottom looks like. Don't worry, I've got this covered.
September 11, 2025 at 9:49 AM
It feels like every day my feed is full of MRR milestones: 5k, 10k, 50k… numbers everywhere. And here I am, proudly holding the line at 0€ MRR. Someone has to keep the balance. Someone has to show what the bottom looks like. Don't worry, I've got this covered.
I’m curious about UX trade-offs: what happens if you replace globally accepted terms like “Home,” “Search,” or “Help” with more playful alternatives, such as “Bonfire,” “Seek,” or “Academia”? Does personality outweigh the risk of breaking familiarity?
September 10, 2025 at 8:43 AM
I’m curious about UX trade-offs: what happens if you replace globally accepted terms like “Home,” “Search,” or “Help” with more playful alternatives, such as “Bonfire,” “Seek,” or “Academia”? Does personality outweigh the risk of breaking familiarity?
It's easy to lose yourself chasing the "next big feature." However, sometimes the real progress comes from stepping back - refining the features that are already tested and used, rather than constantly chasing new and exciting ones.
September 10, 2025 at 7:56 AM
It's easy to lose yourself chasing the "next big feature." However, sometimes the real progress comes from stepping back - refining the features that are already tested and used, rather than constantly chasing new and exciting ones.
A practice that works well: always build new components when adding features. It keeps your codebase clean and forward-moving. Then, once the components are stable, reuse them in existing features. You get progress without breaking old functionality, and your system naturally improves over time.
September 9, 2025 at 9:54 AM
A practice that works well: always build new components when adding features. It keeps your codebase clean and forward-moving. Then, once the components are stable, reuse them in existing features. You get progress without breaking old functionality, and your system naturally improves over time.
My nasal turbinate surgery was scheduled for today, but I got sick and had to postpone it. The tough part of solopreneurship is that even when you’re unwell, the work doesn’t wait. Curious: How do you handle sickness when you’re the only one keeping things moving?
September 8, 2025 at 10:02 AM
My nasal turbinate surgery was scheduled for today, but I got sick and had to postpone it. The tough part of solopreneurship is that even when you’re unwell, the work doesn’t wait. Curious: How do you handle sickness when you’re the only one keeping things moving?
It feels odd building a SaaS you want to use yourself. Each feature decision is a trade-off:
Do I add something niche that's valuable for me but irrelevant to most, or something I don't need but is crucial for new users?
Finding the balance is more challenging than it appears.
Do I add something niche that's valuable for me but irrelevant to most, or something I don't need but is crucial for new users?
Finding the balance is more challenging than it appears.
September 7, 2025 at 6:29 AM
It feels odd building a SaaS you want to use yourself. Each feature decision is a trade-off:
Do I add something niche that's valuable for me but irrelevant to most, or something I don't need but is crucial for new users?
Finding the balance is more challenging than it appears.
Do I add something niche that's valuable for me but irrelevant to most, or something I don't need but is crucial for new users?
Finding the balance is more challenging than it appears.
A gentle reminder:
Unhappiness often stems from a different perspective.
Take a closer look at your life - you may find things aren't nearly as bad as you think.
Unhappiness often stems from a different perspective.
Take a closer look at your life - you may find things aren't nearly as bad as you think.
September 5, 2025 at 7:49 AM
A gentle reminder:
Unhappiness often stems from a different perspective.
Take a closer look at your life - you may find things aren't nearly as bad as you think.
Unhappiness often stems from a different perspective.
Take a closer look at your life - you may find things aren't nearly as bad as you think.