I Built a Focus-Killing Productivity Tool in 30 Minutes Because I Can't Focus

The Opportunity I Spotted

I was sitting there trying to plan SloppyBuilder - the blog, the projects, all of it. And like clockwork, my brain did the thing it always does.

"Oh wait, what if we also built..."
"I should write that down before I forget..."
"Where did I put that other idea?"

Ideas everywhere. Google Keep. Random notebooks. Sticky notes. Voice memos. That one email I sent myself at 2am. You know the drill.

The urge to capture the idea mid-work is real. But the second I switch to another app, I've lost focus on what I was actually doing.

And if I DON'T write it down? Gone forever. Add it to the pile of "I had this brilliant idea once but..."

No system. Just chaos. And anxiety that I'm forgetting something important every single day.

Before Building: The Business Case

If this was 6 months ago, here's how this story would have gone:

Spend 2 hours researching "best idea management apps"
Try 5 different productivity tools, hate all of them
Open Figma and start designing the "perfect" idea capture system
Obsess over color schemes and animations
Three days later, give up because it's too complex
Go back to scattered Google Keep notes
Feel like a failure
Repeat next month with different tool

Never actually solving the problem. Just researching and planning solutions until I'm too overwhelmed to build anything.

This time was different. I had a 2-hour time-box. Build something that works. Ship it. No perfection allowed.

What I told myself I was NOT allowed to do:

❌ Research existing apps
❌ Design it in Figma first
❌ Build a mobile version
❌ Add user authentication
❌ Make it look pretty
❌ Plan for future features

Just build the absolute minimum that solves MY problem RIGHT NOW.

What I Actually Built

A stupid-simple tool with three features:

1. Current Task Tracker
Shows what I'm supposed to be working on. Big text. Can't miss it. When I get distracted, it reminds me "hey dumbass, you were doing THIS."

2. Idea Inbox
Quick capture for random ideas that pop up. No categories. No tags. No organization. Just dump it and forget it.

3. Back to Task Button
One click. Clears the noise. Refocuses on the original task. This is the real MVP feature.

That's it. Ugly colors. No animations. Zero design effort. Basic localStorage so it saves between sessions.

And you know what? It works.

Build Time: 30 minutes
Tools Used: HTML, JavaScript, localStorage
Cost: $0

What Worked, What Broke

I shipped it. Used it twice. Captured 12 ideas in the first day. Didn't touch Google Keep once. Victory, right?

The tool works. It solves the problem. I can capture ideas without losing focus. The "Back to Task" button is the killer feature - one click and I'm refocused.

Used it: Twice in the first 24 hours
Ideas captured: 12 that would have been lost
Times I opened Google Keep: 0
Would I rather have this ugly working tool or still be planning a perfect one: This. 100%.

The goal isn't to build the perfect productivity system. The goal is to solve today's problem before lunch.

And you know what? This ugly little tool with the eye-searing colors actually does that.

The Perfectionism Trap (Again)

I shipped it. Used it twice. Captured 12 ideas in the first day. Didn't touch Google Keep once. Victory, right?

Then my brain did the predictable thing:

"This looks terrible though. Can we just make the colors less... eye-burning?"
"What about adding categories?"
"Should we deploy this properly instead of just using it in Claude?"
"How do I actually host this somewhere?"

I was literally asking about deployment when the tool ALREADY WORKED in my browser.

My AI co-founder called me out: "You're 30 minutes into a 2-hour build and asking about deployment. The tool works. You said 'wow this works great.' That's shipped for today's purpose."

Boom. Caught in 4K.

Here's what I'm learning: the trap doesn't disappear, you just catch it faster.

After v1.0: "This looks horrible, I need to fix it"
After v2.0: "Can't we just make it prettier?"
After shipping: "How do I deploy this properly?"

It's the same trap wearing different disguises. Every single time.

The difference now? I recognize it. I ship anyway. I move on.

Should You Actually Build This?

This is my first blog post about SloppyBuilder. I wrote it USING the tool I'm writing about. While building the method that I'm documenting.

It's turtles all the way down and I'm here for it.

If you're sitting on an idea because it's not perfect yet, this is your sign to just build the damn thing.

The goal isn't to build the perfect productivity system. The goal is to solve today's problem before lunch.

Build the ugly version. Ship it. Use it. Then decide if it needs more features. Most of the time, it doesn't.

Bottom Line: The trap doesn't disappear, you just catch it faster. Ship the ugly working version instead of planning the perfect one for three days.