I recently created a Progressive Web App called Demon Notes — a deceptively simple note-taking app with a sinister twist. Unlike typical apps that keep your notes safe and sound, Demon Notes deletes everything at midnight. No backups, no second chances. Your notes vanish into the void, and with them, your carefully crafted thoughts for the day.
The idea came from wanting to build more than just a tool. I wanted to create a challenge — a system that forces urgency, decisiveness, and reflection.
Most apps encourage hoarding information. You write notes, save drafts, accumulate ideas, and hope you’ll get back to them someday. Demon Notes flips that on its head.
By deleting your notes every night, it forces you to:
It’s a bit like writing in sand and watching the tide come in. The app is a daily reminder of life’s impermanence and the value of now.
Demon Notes is devilishly simple — almost too simple.
This simplicity is a feature, not a bug. It strips away distractions and forces focus.
The “demon” part is the deletion — the app’s way of imposing a ruthless deadline. It’s masochistic by design. You either deal with your notes on time, or lose them forever.
Some might ask: why build something that might make you hate yourself? Why design intentional frustration into a tool?
Because it works.
This friction sparks creativity. It makes you think outside the box — whether that means emailing your notes to yourself, copying them into another app, or finding a new way to preserve what matters.
That tension between freedom and loss, between urgency and forgetfulness, is where Demon Notes shines. It gamifies the emotional experience of note-taking in a minimalist way.
The true challenge is not just in using the app, but in overcoming procrastination and distraction. Demon Notes dares you to be decisive:
Will you save your ideas before they vanish?
Or will you let the demon claim your words?
Demon Notes is a Progressive Web App (PWA), which means you can install it on your phone like a native app — no app store required.
Once added, you can launch Demon Notes directly from your home screen — full-screen, fast, and offline-capable.
Demon Notes isn’t just software. It’s a philosophical experiment wrapped in a minimalist shell.
It dares you to face the impermanence of your thoughts daily — and in doing so, teaches you something profound about value, memory, and the creative process.
And if one day the demon devours a note you wish you’d saved — well, that’s a story worth telling.
Try Demon Notes yourself — if you dare.