How did I come up with something like that?

Like everything, it was a process. I wanted something simple that I could put in my portfolio.

Something that you literally get stuck with.

Something that is tricky without being difficult.

My first idea was simple. The character would run in circles and you have to do the chores for him before he has to do them himself. This could be done by playing a lot of little mini-games. If you are too slow, the stress level increases and the round would end when the stress meter is full. But that was not simple enough for me. I didn't want players to have to think too much while playing. That's why I simplified the concept. A single click or tap should be enough as input. Then I had the idea of the puppet. You could control arms and legs to push chores away. I liked the idea. So I developed it further. You could make fragile things break or not let good things get caught. And then I realised that I was doing far too much again. It was supposed to be simple! Besides, it still had a strange aftertaste. It was supposed to be positive! So why collect penalty points? I decided to give points for things done and finish the game with enough "adult points". So the concept became simple again: kick your tasks away from you, or rather do them that way, and win points. Leave them too long or let them pass you by and you lose points.

Keep it simple & stupid