Reclaiming Human Attention

A little while ago, I was sitting at my desk, staring at 47 open browser tabs, three half-written documents, and a Slack window with 23 unread messages. I'd been "working" for 6 hours but couldn't point to a single meaningful thing I'd accomplished.

Sound familiar?

I tried everything. Pomodoro timers. Website blockers. Productivity apps with complex systems. Each one made me feel more fragmented, more behind, more like a failure. The problem wasn't willpower. The problem was that modern tools were designed to fragment attention, not protect it.

Then I discovered something interesting: the research on attention and flow states had been sitting in academic journals for decades. Scientists knew exactly why we couldn't focus—and what to do about it. But nobody had built tools that actually applied this science.

I dove deep into the science. I read the studies on attention residue—how your brain stays stuck on the previous task even after you switch. I learned about the 23-minute recovery time after every interruption. I studied flow states and discovered that they can boost productivity by up to 500%.

And then we discovered Zen.

Not as a religion, but as a philosophy. The concept of Mushin (無心, "no mind") describes the state of acting without overthinking—pure presence, pure flow. Buddhist monks had understood for 1,000 years what neuroscientists were just now measuring in labs.

I realized the missing piece wasn't another feature. It was a philosophy. A way of relating to my work that honored both ancient wisdom and modern science.

I believe the attention economy is a crisis. Big Tech designs products to fragment your attention because fragmented attention is profitable. Scroll, click, switch, repeat. Every interruption is money in someone's pocket.

I believe deep work is a human right. Not a luxury for monks or billionaires, but a daily practice available to anyone willing to protect their time.

I believe in slow productivity. Not doing more, but doing what matters. Not efficiency for its own sake, but effectiveness in service of meaningful work.

That's why I built Mushin. Not to add another tool to your fragmented stack, but to create a sanctuary where your best work can emerge—naturally, calmly, powerfully.