Do you feel like wasting your time? Is your to-do list still half full at the end of the day? Our member Lukáš with his Timelines app may have a solution for you. Read more about his career of an app developer and why he chose Locus Workspace from all of the coworking spaces across the globe. Enjoy reading!
What is your name?
Hey, I’m Lukas Petr.
Where are you from?
I’m from Prague, Czech Republic. I grew up on the west side of Prague (in Stodůlky), but two years ago I’ve decided to move to Vinohrady, and I don’t look back.
What do you do?
You mean for work? I have always been interested in technology, in tinkering with things and figuring things out. A long story short – when I was in high school, I tried learning programming. And even though I struggled with it for a long time, I absolutely fell in love with it. Currently, I’m working as an independent iOS app developer. Mostly on my own apps, but I also do a bit of freelancing on the side, for a client from California.
My main project is Timelines (https://timelines.app/): an app for tracking and visualizing where your time is going. It’s for people who want to improve their efficiency and productivity throughout the day.
It is much harder to make money this way as opposed to working for a company, but what I love about it is that I have the creative freedom – to make my own decisions, choose my own working hours, and shape the direction of the product the way I see it. Even after all these years of working on apps, I still find it very exciting to know that people from around the world are using and enjoying something that I have built.
What are you currently working on that you’re most excited about?
Currently, I’m working on a small update of Timelines (my time tracking app) – it will allow bulk editing of events, in case users want to reorganize the way they track their time.
But, in terms of excitement – my longer-term “project” is building sync between devices. It’s very challenging to do so because there are many edge cases that need to be handled in order for it to work perfectly, but I can appreciate a good challenge – that’s what makes it exciting for me. Overcoming the obstacles along the way.
Why did you choose to work from a coworking space?
Since I mostly work on my own apps or do freelancing remotely, I don’t have a team that I could stay in touch with. Working from home all the time would get lonely for sure. That’s the main reason why I decided to work from coworking spaces. To meet new people, make new connections, and ideally to have a sense of community. Also, until recently, I didn’t have a proper work environment at home, so working from a coworking space was a way to boost my productivity too.
Why did you choose Locus in particular?
I have tried many coworking spaces in the past. Both in the Czech Republic and abroad. During my times of trying the “digital nomad” lifestyle – I’ve tried coworking spaces in Gran Canaria, Chiang Mai in Thailand, Bansko in Bulgaria, and more. But from all of those coworking spaces that I tried, Locus for me is hands down the best one. There are multiple reasons for it. From the first day I joined, there was always a good community of people. That’s the most important thing for me. Also, I feel like Locus strikes the perfect balance between social time and productivity. In terms of the place itself – to me, it always felt cozy. With lots of sunlight, and great views of the Žižkov tower. It doesn’t have the regular office vibes, which I appreciate.
How do you feel as a Czech in the multicultural community of Locus?
Honestly? I love it. It’s one of the reasons why I chose Locus. People who are travelling and who are staying in Prague only temporarily are more inclined to put in the effort to participate in the community. In other coworking spaces that I’ve tried in Prague, it just wasn’t like that. I also feel like it has enabled me to improve my ability to speak English – since I get to talk in English most of the time while I’m there. What I sometimes tell people when they ask me this question: I get to be “settled down” in Prague while at the same time enjoying the international community. I don’t have to travel somewhere to get this, rather – other people from around the globe travel here, and I just get to meet them. To me, that’s pretty great.
What is the main benefit you’ve gotten as a member of Locus?
Like I mentioned in my previous answer: meeting new people, making new friends. Having a community, because what I do for work doesn’t really provide me with that.
What is a fun fact about you?
That’s a great question. I’m not sure if it classifies as “fun”, but here’s what came to my mind: I am a creature of habit, and I have certain habits that I do every single day, without exception. Daily Five Minute Journal, meditation in the morning, and 10+ minutes of writing (journaling) in the evening.
For the journaling: I have been doing that for over 5 and a half years, my current streak is 2107 days. It isn’t anything fancy, I just write about whatever comes to my mind. It has helped me work through some challenges, and find some improvements in my life. I’d highly recommend it to everyone to at least try it. I’ve actually written a blog post about this practice, in case you are interested. I kept my writing habit for 1000 days straight. Here’s why and how!
