I set out to teach myself programming with the goal of building something useful, thinking it would take no more than three months. Five years later, I’m still on this journey.
BrainXP started as a personal passion project with a simple goal: to solve problems I encountered in my own learning. Sometimes I needed a specific piece of information but struggled to locate it. Other times, I realized I wasn't fully absorbing or reflecting on the books I read. And the stark difference between structured learning in school and the unstructured nature of real-world learning left me feeling disorganized and inefficient.
Initially, I didn’t have a target audience - I was simply creating something useful for myself. However, along the way, I discovered I have ADHD and I suspect that BrainXP is probably a symptom of my pyschology. I recognised this tool might resonate with others: people passionate about learning but struggling to manage their knowledge effectively.
This quirky web app has taken over my life! Countless times I’ve wondered why not use Obsidian, Readwise, or even pay for RoamResearch? I tried other note-taking applications, logging what I was reading, but I always returned to BrainXP. The other apps just didn’t quite fit.
Short answer - I do not really know what makes BrainXP unique. It is not a professional app designed to scale — it's an imperfect tool that probably only suits people with my particular psychology. It's not incredibly sleek or performant as it's me, a self-taught programmer writing the entire codebase.
Unique doesn’t necessarily mean useful, but BrainXP has been incredibly valuable to me. Who knows? It might just work for you too!
This project is, at its core, personal. It reflects my values, challenges, and aspirations. I did not really have any users in mind when building it. BrainXP is here for anyone who sees themselves as a lifelong learner
I had serious reservations about releasing it; serious reservations about charging for it. But, in the end, I thought, if I find it useful, maybe someone else will. Maybe it will spark something in you too!