We're two computer science graduate students at Grenoble, in the heart of the French Alps. Like many people, we were spending way too much time on our phones, scrolling mindlessly, checking notifications compulsively, losing hours of our lives every single day.

The turning point came during our daily commute on the Grenoble tram. Looking around, we saw everyone (students, professionals, elderly people) glued to their screens. Heads down, eyes fixed on bright displays, completely disconnected from the real world around them. It was like watching a collective addiction play out in real time.

We realized we had the same problem. Our first instinct when waking up? Check our phones. Waiting for the tram? Pull out our phones. Between classes? Scroll through social media. Before bed? One more check that turned into an hour of mindless consumption.

As computer science students, we understood how apps are designed to be addictive. The infinite scroll, the variable rewards, the fear of missing out, it's all engineered to keep you hooked. We knew we needed to take back control of our time and attention.

So we built Timeout. Not as a commercial product at first, but as a tool for ourselves. A simple, elegant interface that would help us use our phones consciously instead of compulsively. An app that would give us friction where we needed it most.

When we started using Timeout, the results were immediate and profound. We got our time back. Our productivity soared. Our relationships improved. We felt present in our lives again. And we thought: if this works for us, maybe it can help others too.

We're balancing our master's degrees with building and improving this app. Every feature we add, every line of code we write, comes from our own experience and our mission to help people live more intentional lives. Your feedback and suggestions are valuable to us, don't hesitate to share your experience with Timeout.