I’ve kept a running notebook of my own stray thoughts for years. Always having my phone on me made me wonder: why not capture those insights in an app?
I built Stray Thoughts with a built-in repetition feature, but I hadn’t nailed the optimal pattern. After reading up on popular memory apps, I realized I needed to follow proven research on spacing and recall. So I rewrote my copy to position Stray Thoughts as a true memory aid, and then dove into the studies on which repetition schedules work best.
My app landing page sees a tiny trickle of traffic and a handful of sign-ups, which is encouraging, but not yet enough to make me double down. That modest response convinced me to refocus the positioning.
Most startup advice says “niche down,” but my past niches (USB sticks for embroidery machines, laser-leveling tools for tumblers) yielded only small, hard-to-find audiences. “Improve your memory” speaks to almost everyone. It’s a simple message I could fit on a bumper sticker. Instead of hunting a narrow subgroup, I can reach anyone who wants to remember more.
If you want to improve your memory, check out Stray Thoughts.
Written by Joel Dare with the help of AI on May 24, 2025.