We live in an era of productivity. We’ve been sold the idea that we belong in Life Operating Systems that turn our days into data points. We’re told that to be valuable, we must be efficient. To be useful, we must always be “on”.
Every last minute shaped and squeezed.
What is productivity anyway?
For years, the answer has been systems. More structure. More ways to organise, optimise, and keep up. Don't waste a second. Don't think. Just 'do' it.
And after all that effort to make ourselves like machines, we’re now told that AI will take all our jobs.
Well thanks for that.
As we face that possible outcome, we need to compete - we need to figure out how to outsmart the competition. To do that, we need to stop training ourselves to be better machines. We need to focus on what we do best.
Your thinking cannot be automated away.
In a world of automated shortcuts and algorithmic echoes, the act of sitting with an idea – letting it breathe, evolve, dart from one place to the next and take shape is an almost radical act of self preservation.
Yes, thinking is slow. It’s messy. It needs space to wander. And the world of productivity, the apps we use everyday are not built for it. Thinking doesn't last long among priorities and notifications. It doesn't fall easily into categories or project folders. It needs a place of its own to live and breathe.
It’s time to make thinking our superpower.
Welcome to the thinking app
In a world that’s trying to speed you up, we want to do the opposite.
We’re building the thinking app because we believe the messiest, quietest, most unpolished thoughts are our greatest asset as we contemplate the future ahead.
We’re creating a place to return to yourself. A space where your thoughts don’t have to compete for attention, and where ideas can unfold at their own pace without the pressure to immediately turn into ‘output’.
With the thinking app, we are changing the browser itself. Adding a layer for contemplation and reflection over every single resource and tool you use. A firebreak between your sanity and the world you have to deal with.
We’re here to put your thinking first.
Earnestness is our Edge
Many call this ‘too earnest’ for the modern world. ‘Sounds nice in theory, but no room for it in practice’. Quite literally, they say, ‘no one has the time anymore’.
We’re okay with that.
If people think that being unapologetically obsessed with the sanctity of human thought makes us outliers, then so be it. We want to build something for you, not them. We believe that software should be a friend, not a prison.
Building an app for thinking means we have to put down the rulebook that’s driven software design for two decades. The one that says it’s all about ‘engagement’. The one that’s driven by revenue models with no thought for user experience, except how to squeeze it for profit.
That’s a task worth getting out of bed for. A mission that motivates the best people around us. A future we can live for, where we make the rules ourselves and are prepared to work hard for.
We never said this was going to be easy.
The Invitation
We have a small and dedicated community. Like-minded people who share our thinking and our values. If you have read this far, you are already part of that community. You may have tried our app and it didn’t hit the mark. Maybe you have tried it and gone back to your old ways. But you’re still here, curious about what we’re up to.
In our next blog, we will reveal the secret behind how we’re going to do this. About the people in our community who are thinking about this every day. How they are shaping what we do, what we are building and where we are going.
the thinking app
Just you and your thoughts
Until next time,
Angeline@insite
