BalanceParent: Time Management & Wellbeing for Busy Families

BalanceParent is a productivity app designed specifically for busy parents, helping them manage tasks across family, work, and personal life. It features time allocation tracking, mood logging, and gentle self-care reminders, all accessible through quick, easy interactions.

Simple Summary

A to-do list app for busy parents that helps balance family, work, and personal time while providing mood tracking and self-care support.

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Goals

Help busy parents balance time between family, professional, and personal responsibilities
Provide insights into time allocation and mood patterns
Offer supportive, morale-boosting content without assuming external support

Target Audience

Busy parents juggling multiple responsibilities
Parents seeking better work-life balance
Individuals looking for a supportive, self-care focused productivity tool

Key Features

Task Management: Categorized to-do lists for family, work, and personal tasks
Time Allocation Tracker: Simple logging of time spent on different areas
Mood Logger: Quick daily mood check-ins
Insights Dashboard: Visual representation of time allocation and mood trends
Self-Care Reminders: Gentle notifications encouraging breaks and self-compassion
Inspirational Stories: Curated content to boost morale and provide support

User Stories

As a busy parent, I want to quickly add and categorize tasks so I can keep track of my responsibilities across all areas of my life.
As a user, I want to easily log my daily mood and time allocation with just a few taps so I can gain insights into my work-life balance.
As a parent feeling overwhelmed, I want to receive gentle reminders and access inspirational content to help me stay motivated and practice self-care.

User Flows

User opens app -> Taps quick mood check-in -> Views daily task list
User completes task -> Taps to log time allocation -> Receives encouraging message
User feels stressed -> Taps for inspiration -> Reads short, supportive story

Technical Specifications

Recommended Stack

Frontend: React Native (for cross-platform mobile development)
Backend: Node.js with Express
Database: MongoDB (for flexible schema and easy scaling)
State Management: Redux
Authentication: JWT

Core Technical Decisions

Mobile-first design for easy access on-the-go
Offline capabilities for task management and mood logging
Push notifications for reminders and encouragement
Data visualization library (e.g., D3.js) for insights dashboard

API Endpoints

POST /api/tasks - Create new task
GET /api/tasks - Retrieve user's tasks
PUT /api/tasks/:id - Update task status
POST /api/mood - Log daily mood
POST /api/time-allocation - Log time allocation
GET /api/insights - Retrieve user's insights data
GET /api/inspiration - Fetch inspirational content

Database Schema

Users:

_id: ObjectId
email: String
password: String (hashed)
name: String

Tasks:

_id: ObjectId
userId: ObjectId (ref: Users)
title: String
category: String (family/work/personal)
status: String (pending/completed)
createdAt: Date

MoodLogs:

_id: ObjectId
userId: ObjectId (ref: Users)
date: Date
mood: String

TimeAllocation:

_id: ObjectId
userId: ObjectId (ref: Users)
date: Date
family: Number (minutes)
work: Number (minutes)
personal: Number (minutes)

File Structure

/src
  /components
    TaskList.js
    MoodLogger.js
    TimeTracker.js
    InsightsDashboard.js
    InspirationWidget.js
  /screens
    HomeScreen.js
    TaskScreen.js
    InsightsScreen.js
    ProfileScreen.js
  /redux
    /actions
    /reducers
    store.js
  /utils
    api.js
    notifications.js
  /styles
    theme.js
  App.js
/server
  /routes
  /models
  /controllers
  server.js

Implementation Plan

Set up project structure and development environment
Implement basic user authentication
Create task management functionality (CRUD operations)
Develop mood logging and time allocation tracking features
Build insights dashboard with data visualization
Implement push notifications for reminders
Create inspirational content database and delivery system
Develop offline capabilities
Conduct thorough testing and bug fixes
Prepare for deployment and launch

Deployment Strategy

Deploy backend to Heroku or similar PaaS
Deploy mobile app to Apple App Store and Google Play Store
Use AWS S3 or similar for static asset storage (e.g., inspirational content)
Implement continuous integration/deployment pipeline using GitHub Actions

Design Rationale

The technical decisions were made to prioritize ease of use for busy parents while ensuring robust functionality. React Native was chosen for cross-platform development, allowing a single codebase to serve both iOS and Android users. MongoDB provides flexibility for evolving data structures and easy scaling. The mobile-first approach with offline capabilities ensures parents can access and update their tasks anytime, anywhere. Push notifications are crucial for timely reminders and encouragement. The modular file structure and use of Redux for state management will facilitate easier maintenance and future feature additions.