Guide
How One question daily works, step by step
A closer look at what happens behind the scenes every time you open the app, answer a question, or like someone else's reflection.
The lifecycle of a question
Every question published on One question daily goes through the same simple lifecycle.
- 01
One question is scheduled per day
Each question in our archive has an assigned display date. Only the question whose date matches today is shown as the active question.
- 02
It becomes active at midnight
As soon as a new day starts, the previous question is retired to the archive and the next scheduled question becomes the one everyone answers.
- 03
Everyone sees the same prompt
There is no personalization involved: every visitor, logged in or not, sees the exact same question for the day.
- 04
It moves to the permanent archive
Once a question's day is over, it remains permanently browsable in the archive, along with every public answer it received.
A day in the life of a question
Here is what typically happens over the course of a single day.
- 00:00
The question changes
The countdown on the home page resets and the new question of the day is displayed to every visitor.
- Morning
First answers arrive
Visitors start submitting their answers, choosing between public and private visibility for each one.
- Throughout the day
Public answers accumulate
Public answers appear in real time under the question, and other visitors can like the ones that resonate with them.
- 23:59
The countdown reaches zero
The home page's live countdown reaches zero, and the question quietly moves into the archive as the next one takes its place.
What happens when you submit an answer
Submitting an answer involves a few explicit, transparent steps.
- 01
Write your answer
Use the rich text editor to write your reflection, with support for headings, lists, links and basic formatting.
- 02
Choose public or private
Registered users see a visibility switch; leaving it off keeps the answer public, turning it on keeps it private and visible only to you.
- 03
Submit the answer
The answer is validated and saved against the current question and, if you are logged in, against your account.
- 04
See it appear instantly
If your answer is public, it appears immediately in the answers list below the question, without needing to refresh the page.
How likes work
Only public answers can receive likes, since private answers are never shown to anyone but their author.
When you like an answer, that preference is recorded against your account and the answer, and the total count shown to everyone updates immediately.
You can remove your like at any time by clicking the button again; the count is always recalculated from the underlying like records, so it stays accurate even if you like and unlike an answer repeatedly.
The question archive and calendar
Every question that has ever been active is kept permanently in the archive, accessible from a calendar view organized by month.
Tomorrow's question is always shown as locked, with a live countdown until it unlocks at midnight, so you can never see a question before its day arrives.
On mobile, the same information is available through a simplified day-by-day and list view, designed for smaller screens.
Accounts and sign-in options
You can use One question daily fully anonymously for public answers, or create a free account using your email and a password.
Accounts can also be created or accessed instantly using Google or GitHub sign-in, without needing to remember a separate password.
Once logged in, your profile page lets you update your username and full name, which are shown next to your public answers.
Ready to try it yourself?
The best way to understand One question daily is to answer today's question.
Go to today's question