Why I'm Building PYNGUP After 17 Failed Apps - My Rebellion Against the Productivity Industry

June 27, 2025 - Day 1 of my public PYNGUP journey | 8 min read

I'm an entrepreneur. I've been running a software company since 2007. You might think: "This guy has his life together."

Bullshit.

I had tried 17 different to-do apps, journaled my goals every morning, and planned each day as optimistically as if I were a robot without bad days. I read everything from Tim Ferriss to Tony Robbins, meditated 20 minutes daily, and tracked my habits like a scientist.

The result? An endless to-do list, constant frustration, and the feeling of being completely controlled by others despite "self-determination."

Until I finally understood: The productivity industry lies. It sells you isolation as a solution and narcissism as success.

That's why I'm building PYNGUP. Not as another app, but as a rebellion against everything the productivity culture does wrong.

My 17-App Odyssey (or: How I Became a Productivity Junkie)

It started innocently. Todoist looked so clean, so professional. "Finally, I'll get my life organized," I thought. Three weeks later, my to-do list was longer than ever.

So I tried Any.do. Then Things 3 (€50 for a to-do app - seriously?). Then Notion, because all the startup bros swore by it. Then TickTick, Asana, Trello, Microsoft To Do...

The list grew longer: OmniFocus, 2Do, Clear, Remember the Milk, Wunderlist (RIP), Forest, Habitica, Sunsama, Motion...

After 17 apps and an estimated €487 in subscription fees, I was less productive than ever. But hey, I had the perfect app for every life situation!

The problem: I collected productivity apps like others collect stamps. Each new one promised to change my life. None did.

The Moment of Truth

It was a Wednesday evening in March 2023. I sat in front of my laptop, staring at my perfectly categorized Notion database with 23 unfinished tasks, and felt... empty.

My phone rang. Sarah, a friend who was just starting her own business: "I'm not making progress. I have so much to do but can't get anything done. You're an experienced entrepreneur – got any tips?"

Automatically, I wanted to send her a Tim Ferriss link. But then something else happened. I said: "Let's do a video call. Not as a coach, but because I know the problem."

45 minutes later, she had completed all her important tasks for the first time in weeks. Not because of an app or technique. But because we had gone through her chaotic list together. Because I had told her how I also struggled with procrastination. Because I had helped her instead of selling her a product.

After that conversation, I felt truly good for the first time in years.

That was the moment I understood: The solution doesn't lie within you. It lies between you and other people.

The Problem with the Productivity Industry

The productivity industry sells you a dangerous lie: "You just need to find the right system, then everything will work."

But humans aren't machines. We're social beings. For 10,000 years we've survived in groups, helping each other, learning from one another. And now we're suddenly supposed to sit alone in front of our apps and get "optimized"?

That's evolutionary bullshit.

My 17 apps all did the same thing: They isolated me. Instead of talking to others, I talked to my to-do list. Instead of asking for help, I bought the next app. Instead of sharing problems, I collected productivity hacks.

I became a functioning narcissist.

While I meditated at 5 AM, the rest of the world was sleeping. While I tracked my habits, my apps ignored WhatsApp messages from friends. While I worked on my mindset, I built a wall between myself and all other people.

What is PYNGUP? (Spoiler: Not Another App)

PYNGUP? The name simply comes from "ping" - pinging others with a task, pinging them into your projects, involving them. Sounds cool and describes exactly what happens.

If you absolutely need a fancy acronym (because you're not quite healed from the productivity industry yet): "Put Yourself in New Group-Universal Purpose". But honestly? That's bullshit. You ping others instead of fighting alone. That's it.

PYNGUP transforms lonely tasks into social commitments.

Instead of "redesign website" → "Show Tim my new website and ask for feedback"

Instead of "write business plan" → "Tell my sister about my business idea"

Instead of "work out" → "Go jogging with Sarah"

The secret: Your brain is evolutionarily programmed to keep social commitments. For thousands of years, what others thought of you was crucial for survival. You can use this evolution to your advantage.

Why PYNGs Work (And Apps Don't)

The difference between a task and a PYNG:

• Task: "Prepare presentation" → You disappoint yourself if you don't do it
• PYNG: "Show colleague Tom the presentation" → You disappoint a real person

People keep social commitments 4x more often than personal goals. That's not my opinion, that's neuroscience.

When I tell Sarah "I'll show you my website tomorrow," then Sarah is waiting for it. That created a natural obligation that was stronger than any willpower or app notification.

The Three Types of PYNGs

1. Do for others - You help someone directly

• "I'll explain to Lisa how accounting works for freelancers"
• Immediate motivation because someone is counting on you

2. Do with others - Joint projects

• "Marc and I work together on our websites"
• Shared energy, less procrastination

3. Do for yourself with witnesses - Personal goals, but others watch

• "I'll tell the mastermind group about my progress with the book"
• Social accountability without direct dependency

Why I'm Building This Publicly

I could develop PYNGUP in secret, perfect it for a year, and then launch with a marketing budget. That would be the opposite of everything PYNGUP stands for.

Instead, I'm building it publicly. Here, on this blog. Because:

1. It's a PYNG itself - I told you I'm building it. Now I have to deliver.
2. You are my accountability partners - Your comments and messages keep me on track.
3. Community beats perfection - Better to create something imperfect together than something "perfect" alone.

The Anti-Productivity Revolution

PYNGUP is more than an app. It's a rebellion against:

• Guru culture - No "experts," just people helping each other
• Optimization madness - Less "getting better," more "staying human"
• Isolation tools - Technology that connects instead of separates
• Perfection obsession - "Good enough and together" beats "perfect and alone"

We're building the world's first anti-productivity app.

The Next Step (And Why I Need Your Help)

Over the next few weeks, I'm building the first beta version of PYNGUP. Not perfect, not polished, but functional enough to test the concept.

But here's the thing: I can't do this alone. That would be the same isolation I'm rebelling against.

That's why I need you.

If you:

• Are also sick of apps that don't work
• Are tired of productivity gurus and their "solutions"
• Believe people are better together than alone
• Are ready to test an imperfect system instead of buying a perfect one

Then become a beta tester for PYNGUP.

Send me an email or comment below. Tell me about your own app odyssey. Which of the 17 apps have you also tried? What didn't work?

Let's prove together that productivity can be human.

What's Coming Next

Over the next few weeks, I'll write regularly about the development process here. Not the sugar-coated "Everything is awesome" updates, but honest reports about progress, setbacks, and insights.

You'll see:

• How I learn from 17 failed apps
• Which features are really important (and which are just productivity porn)
• How community features emerge
• Why some ideas completely flop

This isn't marketing. This is rebellion.

---

P.S.: If you're wondering which of the 17 apps was the worst... I'll tell you in the next post. Spoiler: It wasn't the one you think.

Are you ready for the anti-productivity revolution? Comments are open. 👇