diff --git a/.jules/bolt.md b/.jules/bolt.md
index b08b203a..e8063851 100644
--- a/.jules/bolt.md
+++ b/.jules/bolt.md
@@ -4,3 +4,6 @@
 ## 2026-07-12 - Optimize renderTaskRow DOM allocations
 **Learning:** Caching unattached template nodes and instantiating them via `.cloneNode(false)` reduces DOM instantiation overhead in O(N) render loops significantly.
 **Action:** Apply this optimization to other hot-path rendering elements such as rows, cells, and stack containers.
+## 2026-07-12 - Eliminate padStart in hot-path Date formatters
+**Learning:** Using `String.padStart()` in hot rendering loops (like timeline generation) introduces measurable execution time overhead compared to inline ternary operators (e.g., `value < 10 ? '0' + value : value`).
+**Action:** Replace `padStart` with inline ternary string concatenation for zero-padding in frequently executed, performance-critical sections.
diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index a04aae71..46b74b35 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -2684,15 +2684,19 @@ function clamp(value, min, max) {
 
 function formatDateInput(date) {
   const year = date.getUTCFullYear();
-  const month = String(date.getUTCMonth() + 1).padStart(2, '0');
-  const day = String(date.getUTCDate()).padStart(2, '0');
+  const m = date.getUTCMonth() + 1;
+  const d = date.getUTCDate();
+  const month = m < 10 ? '0' + m : m;
+  const day = d < 10 ? '0' + d : d;
   return `${year}-${month}-${day}`;
 }
 
 function formatLocalDateInput(date) {
   const year = date.getFullYear();
-  const month = String(date.getMonth() + 1).padStart(2, '0');
-  const day = String(date.getDate()).padStart(2, '0');
+  const m = date.getMonth() + 1;
+  const d = date.getDate();
+  const month = m < 10 ? '0' + m : m;
+  const day = d < 10 ? '0' + d : d;
   return `${year}-${month}-${day}`;
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/date-formatter-benchmark.test.mjs b/tests/unit/date-formatter-benchmark.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..abafc625
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/date-formatter-benchmark.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import test from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert';
+
+function padStartFormatter(date) {
+  const year = date.getUTCFullYear();
+  const month = String(date.getUTCMonth() + 1).padStart(2, '0');
+  const day = String(date.getUTCDate()).padStart(2, '0');
+  return `${year}-${month}-${day}`;
+}
+
+function ternaryFormatter(date) {
+  const year = date.getUTCFullYear();
+  const m = date.getUTCMonth() + 1;
+  const d = date.getUTCDate();
+  const month = m < 10 ? '0' + m : m;
+  const day = d < 10 ? '0' + d : d;
+  return `${year}-${month}-${day}`;
+}
+
+test('Ternary operator is faster than padStart for date formatting in a realistic tight loop', () => {
+  const iterations = 500000;
+  // Use dates that represent a typical multi-year project range
+  const dates = Array.from({ length: 1000 }, (_, i) => new Date(Date.UTC(2023, 0, 1) + (i * 86400000)));
+
+  // Warmup
+  for (let i = 0; i < 10000; i++) {
+    padStartFormatter(dates[i % 1000]);
+    ternaryFormatter(dates[i % 1000]);
+  }
+
+  let len1 = 0;
+  const startPadStart = performance.now();
+  for (let i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
+    len1 += padStartFormatter(dates[i % 1000]).length;
+  }
+  const durationPadStart = performance.now() - startPadStart;
+
+  let len2 = 0;
+  const startTernary = performance.now();
+  for (let i = 0; i < iterations; i++) {
+    len2 += ternaryFormatter(dates[i % 1000]).length;
+  }
+  const durationTernary = performance.now() - startTernary;
+  assert.strictEqual(len1, len2, 'Output lengths should match');
+
+  console.log(`padStart execution time: ${durationPadStart.toFixed(2)}ms`);
+  console.log(`Ternary execution time: ${durationTernary.toFixed(2)}ms`);
+
+  assert.ok(durationTernary < durationPadStart, 'Ternary formatter should be faster than padStart formatter');
+});