Palim

I’ve enjoyed reading books, and watching TV shows and films for as longs as I can remember and at some point, I discovered platforms that I could use to keep track of what I read and watched. I’m not going to lie, it was a nice discovery at the time, but eventually I started feeling like these platforms were not really for me.

Part of that came from growing tired of social media in general over the past few years. To me, it feels like every product eventually ends up with posts, comments, likes, ads, and so on, and I noticed that these platforms were no exception. I also started to feel that keeping track of a hobby could become a productivity trap, with more time spent in the app, scrolling through feeds and optimizing a profile, than actually reading or watching something just for the sake of it.

I wanted something more personal and built around my own needs, without all the noise and features I didn’t really need. And luckily, I had the skills to build something for myself, so I did. 🤠

So why keep track at all? Well, keeping a record has been useful to me. I like looking back at what I’ve read and watched, revisiting things I enjoyed, remembering which ones I should avoid (hehe), and having something in mind when a friend asks for a recommendation. I also like discovering new things through other people, and I’ve been part of clubs and communities for that purpose. So I wanted to find a balance that worked for me, with room for quiet reflection and privacy, but also for sharing and discovering new things.

During 2025, I started thinking about building a small hobby project for myself and some people in my inner circle. That’s how ✨ Palim ✨ started. I brainstormed for a while, picked the name in December 2025 (and bought the domains 🤪), and then worked through the first sketches and ideas for the platform. I’ve been building, rebuilding, and improving it since January 2026.

The login page from the MVP, back when I was working on the first version in early 2026.

I’ve never created a product like this before alone, so a lot of it has been figuring things out as I go. I’ve put a lot of time and care into it. The logo alone went through so many sketches and different ideas before I settled on one. I tried different color palettes and design systems too, and I’ve been trying to make the interface as simple and clean as possible.

Here’s what it looks like now:

The landing page as it is now.

And the login page today. A little look at how things have changed since the MVP.

Now Palim is open to everyone. It still feels like a personal project, shaped by how I use it and by the people close to me who use it too. It’s become my biggest side project this year. I work full-time, and building Palim has almost become a part-time job of its own, just because I enjoy working on it so much. There’s still plenty I’d like to add and improve, and I hope to keep enjoying the process for a long time.

Palim · A Journal of What You Read & Watch: palim.app. 🍿💜