30 Days to Launch Mushin 無心

The Challenge

Ok, so... I gave myself 30 days to launch Mushin, my first indie product as a solo developer.

Goal: Dec 1, Launch with a delightful product
Promise: Building in public every day
Hashtag: #ShipMushin30

Why am I doing this publicly? Three reasons:

1. Accountability: Public commitment = 10x more likely to finish and launch it 💪
2. Learning: Document the journey for other devs with day jobs + families who need to prioritize their time well
3. Network: Connect with other indie hackers who are also building in public

The Reality

Spoiler: The first 5 days were absolute chaos.

I changed the roadmap twice. Postponed the launch after realizing I really shouldn't rush to launch just for the sake of launching. Discovered 3 critical blockers for the version I want to ship. Already have users giving me early feedback, almost started falling into feature creep.

But I also launched a waitlist and validated that building in public works (immediate engagement on the first X post).

Here's the complete recap.

Day 1 (Saturday, Nov 1)

Time invested: ~8-10h
Energy: 8/10

I spent hours refining the matching algorithm and intelligence after creating user quick tasks. Was it worth it? Yes - now it has a 100% success rate. This was super important for Mushin, as it's part of the Core model that's running when users send their tasks. We finally got all the pieces working and tested the happy paths and some edge cases that showed we're on the right track, fine-tuning the details that matter so that what happens during work time impacts when you review later.

Day 2 (Sunday, Nov 2)

Time invested: ~3h (strategic work only)
Energy: 3/10 → 6/10

I woke up with a headache. Energy 3/10. I had planned to work 8-10h that day integrating Paddle + Mailgun + legal pages.

Energy recovered to 6/10 in the afternoon. Got productive strategic work done without forcing it.

Health first ALWAYS.

As a dev with a family, I can't afford burnout. One day of rest = better output next week.

This is NOT being "weak". It's being strategic. My speed must be sustainable 🔥

Day 3 (Monday, Nov 3)

Time invested: ~4h (strategic + planning)
Energy: 10/10 (recovered!)

I had a 3-hour session redefining what Mushin really is and what it should minimally include, some critical revelations. Mushin is NOT a TimeManagement technique selector - while that's where users will spend most of their time, Mushin is everything that happens behind the scenes without you noticing. An AI Manager that works for you without you realizing it, supporting and organizing you while you're working.

The promise I set for myself: 95% time working, 5% organizing. Change the paradigm we're used to where we invest too much time organizing and organizing project tasks,instead of investing that time in moving forward.

Because of this, roadmap modified again and time allocation adjusted to deliver on this promise from day 1.

Clarity on WHAT to build > how long it takes.

Better to invest 30h in a delightful product than 18h in something mediocre that won't really be useful to anyone.

Day 4 (Tuesday, Nov 4) - POWER DAY 🔥

Time invested: ~6h (including night session)
Energy: 10/10 sustained

What I shipped

This was a BEAST of a day. Among all the activities I had during the day, we got to the night session to make progress, already decided we're executing the Challenge and launching Dec 1st. I shipped:

• ✅ Mushin Waitlist LIVE @ mushin.work (backend + frontend + deploy)

Two critical insights:

1. Strategic nutrition works:
Dinner before session: Asparagus + chicken + avocado + rice = sustained energy for 3.5h

2. NO late-night coffee = sleep quality preserved:
I could have had coffee for the temporary slump at 22:43. I DIDN'T. Slept better. Woke up fresh.

Right trade-off: Preserve sleep quality > short-term energy boost.

Day 5 (Today, Wednesday Nov 5)

Time invested: ~2h (strategic)
Energy: 7/10

What I discovered

Three critical things:

1. Blockers identified:

• Vercel migration (need speed + auto-deploy + staging)
• Security audit (RLS policies, auth, vulnerabilities - BEFORE accepting payments)
• Daily email system (landing promises "you see the results" - must deliver it Day 1)

2. First user feedback:
Waitlist user suggested:

• Speech-to-text input (mic button)
• Audio notifications with TTS

My instinct: "Yes! Let's add that!"

My reality after thinking: Feature creep alert.

Decision: Capture in backlog. Validate with 10+ users. DON'T change roadmap for 1 user.

3. Roadmap iteration #2:

• Week 1: Infrastructure (Vercel, Security, Email system) + visibility
• Week 2: Core Intelligence (estimation, dependencies, prioritization)
• Dec 1: Launch (STILL on track)

What's Coming

Nov 6-10:

• Supabase security audit
• Vercel migration
• Daily notification system development (Mailgun + templates + cron)

Nov 11-17:

• Core AI intelligence
• Testing

The Format

Starting tomorrow, daily updates:

• Blog: Brief post (200-300 words) every day
• X/Twitter: Daily post with #ShipMushin30
• Transparent: Wins AND struggles. Real shit, no marketing fluff.

Why daily? Momentum beats perfection.

Follow Along

If you want to follow the journey of building Mushin in 30 days:

• 無心 Product: mushin.work - Join waitlist
• 🐦 X: @zeroblack - Daily updates
• 📧 Early access: Grandfathered pricing $8/mo forever for first 100

Founding Members (100 spots):

• $8/mo locked forever
• Directly influence the roadmap
• Profile badge
• First to try features

Final Reflection

5 days. 2 roadmap iterations. 1 postponed launch. 1 power day. 1 live waitlist.

Was it worth doing this publicly?

Absolutely.

The first post got engagement in 2 minutes, even if they were bots 🤣. The public commitment forces me not to quit.

And documenting this helps other devs like me: 41 years old, 2 daughters, day job, 20-30h/week.

You don't need to be a full-time nomad in Bali to be an indie hacker 🤣, though I want to do it from Tokyo 🗼in the future.

You can build from home, with your family, in your limited time.

You just need:

1. Clarity on WHAT to build (not everything, just the essential)
2. Discipline to not fall into feature creep
3. Health first (burnout = game over)
4. Ship > perfection

See you Day 6 🚀

Dioni