Messaging House

Category Narrative

The productivity tool market assumes you’ll rent your data from a cloud provider. Daylight rejects that assumption.

Local-first productivity means your tasks are files you own—readable, editable, syncable with tools you control. No account. No subscription. No data hostage situation when the company pivots or shuts down.

This isn’t nostalgia for plaintext. It’s a deliberate architectural choice that trades some convenience for complete data ownership.

Positioning Statement

For developers, knowledge workers, and privacy-conscious planners who want task management without vendor lock-in, Daylight is a local-first productivity app that stores tasks as Markdown files you own and sync yourself. Unlike Todoist, Notion, or TickTick, Daylight never holds your data hostage—your tasks work in any text editor, survive any app, and sync with tools you already trust.

Three Pillars

Pillar 1: Own Your Data

Your tasks are Markdown files with YAML frontmatter. Open them in VS Code, Obsidian, or cat. They’re yours.

Benefits:

• No account required to use your own data
• Export is instant—it’s already exported
• App shutdown doesn’t mean data loss
• Version control with git if you want it

Proof Points:

• Every task is a .md file in a folder you choose
• YAML frontmatter is standard, parseable by any language
• Syncthing/Dropbox/iCloud—use whatever sync you trust
• No server ever sees your tasks

Sample copy:

“Your tasks are files. Not API calls. Not database rows. Files you can read, edit, and keep forever.”

Pillar 2: Recurrence You Can Trust

Most apps track recurring tasks as “next date.” Daylight tracks each instance separately. Complete Friday’s task without losing next Friday’s.

Benefits:

• Completing an instance doesn’t skip ahead
• Skip one occurrence without breaking the series
• Reschedule today’s instance without moving next week’s
• See completion history in the file itself

Proof Points:

• Each instance has its own status (active/completed/skipped)
• Uses iCalendar RRULE standard—same as your calendar
• Instance history persists in the task file
• Past incomplete instances show in “Past” group

Sample copy:

“Recurring tasks that remember what you did and what you didn’t—without mixing them up.”

Pillar 3: Focused Daily Planning

Smart grouping shows what matters now. Past catches overdue items. Now shows today’s work. Upcoming previews what’s coming. Wrapped celebrates what’s done.

Benefits:

• Automatic organization by date relationship
• Overdue tasks don’t hide—they surface
• Today’s view stays focused
• Completion feels tangible (Wrapped group)

Proof Points:

• Four time-aware groups: Past / Now / Upcoming / Wrapped
• No manual sorting or tagging required
• Optional calendar overlay for schedule context
• Manual time tracking captures actual work

Sample copy:

“Four groups. One question: what needs attention right now?”

Sample Headlines

Hero Headlines

• “Your tasks. Your files. Your rules.”
• “Task management that respects your data.”
• “Local-first productivity for people who read the fine print.”
• “The task app that doesn’t hold your data hostage.”

Feature Headlines

• “Recurrence that actually tracks each instance.”
• “Time tracking without the timer babysitting.”
• “Sync conflicts you can see and fix—not hidden merges.”
• “Calendar context without calendar complexity.”

Benefit Headlines

• “Export? You already did. They’re files.”
• “Works offline because there’s nothing to connect to.”
• “No account means no account lockout.”
• “Shutdown-proof: your tasks survive any app.”

Objection-Handling Headlines

• “Conflicts aren’t bugs—they’re honest sync.”
• “Manual time entry beats forgotten timers.”
• “File sync is simpler than you think.”
• “Some things are better without AI.”

Voice & Tone Guidelines

Words We Use

• Local-first (not “offline-first”—we’re online-capable)
• Data ownership (not “privacy”—broader than just privacy)
• Instance (for recurring task occurrences)
• Sync (not “backup”—it’s two-way)
• Conflict file (Syncthing’s term—keep it)

Words We Avoid

• “Simple” (overused, often untrue)
• “Seamless” (nothing is seamless)
• “Revolutionary” (we’re not)
• “AI-powered” (we’re not, and that’s fine)
• “Best” (let users decide)

Message Testing Priorities

Must Resonate

1. Data ownership / no lock-in
2. Recurring task reliability
3. Works offline

Should Resonate

4. Markdown/YAML format
5. Syncthing compatibility
6. Manual time tracking

Nice to Have

7. Android + Linux support
8. Open file format
9. No subscription

Competitive Positioning