LAB ENTRY / EX—003
Weekend Window
A well-intended planning prompt that proved interruption is not the same thing as opportunity.
Web Tool
May 2026
The question
Can a browser extension turn scattered free time into satisfying two-hour project windows?
The hypothesis
A timely prompt with a ready-made next step would make unfinished weekend projects easier to resume.
What I built
An extension that watched for open calendar space and suggested one prepared project task with links and notes attached.
What happened
The prompts arrived at technically available moments that were emotionally wrong. Most were dismissed; some created guilt.
What worked
Prepared next steps did reduce restart time when users opened the extension intentionally.
What failed
Passive availability was a poor signal for willingness. Calendar gaps do not represent energy, attention, or permission to work.
What surprised me
Users wanted the preparation without the prompting. The useful part was a clean re-entry point, not a nudge.
What I learned
An intervention can solve the measured friction and still make the human experience worse.
What happens next
The notification concept is abandoned. The re-entry-card idea may return inside another experiment.