Building in public

Dad. Dev.
Chaos merchant.

Developer going indie. Building apps, freelancing, and figuring it out as I go. Husband. Dad. Doing it all in public so you don't have to figure it out alone.

TB
Tom Brooks
tombrooks.dev · London, UK
"Dad. Dev. Chaos merchant. Building a business so my family never has to worry. Doing it all in public."
ADHD Dev React Native PHP / CodeIgniter Supabase 3D Printing Freelance

Not your average
dev story

I've been writing code for 12+ years across eCommerce, property tech, and temperature monitoring systems. PHP, React, React Native — you name it. But the 9–5 grind wasn't built for a brain like mine.

I have ADHD. Which means I hyperfocus like hell on things I love, lose 3 hours to a rabbit hole without noticing, and somehow ship great work anyway. I'm documenting the whole chaotic ride here.

The real why: my daughter and wife. Everything I'm building is for them — so I can be present, flexible, and actually doing work that matters.

12+
Years writing code professionally
3
Active projects building right now
Browser tabs open at any time
1
Very good reason to make this work

Active projects

🦆
Waddle Nest

A baby monitoring app built with love (and a lot of late nights). Track feeds, nappies, sleep, growth — with AI-powered insights. Built for parents who want more than a spreadsheet.

Expo React Native Supabase Claude AI
🖨️
TB3D

My 3D printing side business. Toys, functional prints, custom orders. Building out the eCommerce side and scaling the brand. Because sometimes you just need to make real physical things.

eCommerce 3D Printing Branding
💻
Freelance Dev

Taking on web, mobile, and backend projects. PHP, React, CodeIgniter, TypeScript — full-stack across the board. Open to new clients who want someone who actually gives a damn.

PHP 8+ React TypeScript Tailwind

The honest journey

Episode 1 · Coming soon
Day 1 — I'm doing this in public
The start of the journey. No script, no plan. Just a developer, a family, and a dream.
Episode 2 · Coming soon
What it's actually like coding with ADHD
The hyperfocus, the rabbit holes, the guilt. The real picture nobody talks about.
Episode 3 · Coming soon
I'm building a baby monitor app — here's why
Waddle Nest: the app, the story, and why my daughter inspired it.
Episode 4 · Coming soon
The tools I actually use as a freelance dev
My real stack. What I'd change. What I swear by. No sponsored nonsense.

Let's build something

Whether you need a developer, want to follow the journey, or just fancy a chat — get in touch.

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