Inspiration :
We wanted to create a solution for a problem we face every single day: decision paralysis. When faced with too many tasks or conflicting choices, it is incredibly easy to waste hours overthinking instead of actually working. We wanted a tool that cuts through the noise, removes the burden of choice, and forces us to take immediate action.
What it does :
DecisionBuddy is a minimalist, terminal-based application designed to trigger instant productivity. It provides three quick, text-based interventions: The 5-Min Focus Challenge: A psychological trick that asks the user to commit to a tiny block of time, forcing them to just start. The Decision Coin-Flip: A binary tool to resolve absolute stalemates between two choices, complete with a psychological tip to reveal what the user actually wants. Random Productivity Rules: Instant, actionable advice (like the 2-Minute Rule) to break down tasks and defeat laziness
How we built it :
We built this project entirely in C using a Command Line Interface (CLI) architecture. Because we wanted to keep the project fast, bug-free, and lightweight for a 4-hour sprint, we relied strictly on the C Standard Library (, , ). We utilized random number generation seeded by the system clock to ensure unbiased decision-making, and kept the architecture clean without complex data structures to maximize execution speed.
Challenges we ran into :
As beginners, our biggest challenge was working under a strict 4-hour time constraint while collaborating as a team. We had to carefully manage our scope, ensuring we didn't add too many features that would break the code. Additionally, making a text-based terminal application feel engaging and intuitive without a graphical interface required a lot of focus on clean spacing and clear, conversational prompts.
Accomplishments that we're proud of :
We are incredibly proud of shipping a fully functional, bug-free application in under 4 hours! We successfully split our tasks, used Git for version control, and created a tool that genuinely solves a real-world problem using basic programming fundamentals.
What we learned :
We learned that you don't need massive frameworks or complex cloud databases to build something useful. We mastered the use of random number seeds in C, improved our logic flow using conditional statements, and learned how to build a clean user experience strictly out of terminal text.
What's next for DecisionBuddy :
In the future, we want to expand DecisionBuddy by: Allowing users to type out and save their custom tasks into local text files. Adding a real-time countdown timer directly inside the terminal window. Implementing a basic gamification system with experience points (XP) for every challenge completed.
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