Why I built HyperTuneIn: procrastination, perfectionism, and sound that helps me start
I'm Lu, a software engineer, and I built HyperTuneIn for myself first. I have slight ADHD, I'm on the over-achieving side, and I carry the anxiety that comes with it: the fear of not doing things perfectly. This is the honest version of why the app exists.
Procrastination: the late start
A typical bad day: I slept late, so I wake up around 9. I sit down at the computer, and instead of work, YouTube opens. Suddenly it's 10:30, sometimes 11, before I actually begin.
Then the shame arrives. Half the day feels wasted, which makes the afternoon heavier, not lighter. A lot of my work now runs alongside AI coding agents, so there are little gaps while they work. Gaps are exactly where YouTube gets back in, and coming back to deep focus after a video is hard.
Perfectionism
It shows up as over-polishing, optimizing too early, and comparing. I look at a competitor's app and think they're doing the same thing, better. A new model comes out and I think I'm already late to the party. None of that gets the work done. It just makes starting feel bigger.
The sleep loop
Some nights I can't stop thinking about work. Other nights I try to make up for the lost morning by working late, so I wake up late again, and the loop starts over. Sometimes I dream about work, wake up in the night, and then the worry kicks in: I didn't sleep well, so tomorrow will be bad.
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. I think it's a very common pattern for people who care a lot about their work.
Why sound, and why a swing?
I noticed that sound changes my mood and focus, but music often costs me focus: songs have words and hooks that pull me away. So I built a small toy project, ambient sound that slowly swings between my left and right ear. It helped. I'm more focused with it on.
Could that be placebo? Honestly, yes. I wrote a whole post about what we do and don't know. But it helped enough that I wanted to make it into a proper tool.
Spaces, and my favourite one
The idea behind HyperTuneIn is a feeling more than a study. Think of hygge: a blizzard outside while you're warm inside by the fire. The storm makes the warmth feel safer. I wanted anyone to be able to build their own version of that, a safe little place for their brain. In the app that's called a space.
This one is mine:
A snowy cabin window, a campfire up close, and a slow, soft beat underneath, gently moving between the ears. The blizzard stays still in both ears, like the storm outside. The swing uses a shape I sketched that became the app's default, dwell: it glides to one ear, rests, and glides across to the other. Everything in it is free, so you can open it and listen without an account.
Has it worked?
For me, yes. It has genuinely helped while I work on a big project with a huge scope, the kind that feeds perfectionism and procrastination.
What I can't tell you is how much is the sound and how much is the ritual of putting it on. I still have late mornings. HyperTuneIn doesn't fix sleep, ADHD or anxiety, and it's no replacement for a doctor or therapist. It's one tool that makes the hardest part of my day a little easier.
What's next
More ways to make a space feel like yours: generated music and sound effects, so you can describe a sound and get one made for your space, and later some small focus games. The goal stays the same: a calm, safe place for your brain, described honestly.