At Sunsama, we spend a lot of time thinking about what it means to work with intention. Most productivity advice answers that question with more. More tools, more tactics, more complexity. Our entire existence is based on clarity, not the pursuit of more. Every so often, someone uses Sunsama in a way that we never planned or expected, and gives us a new way of answering that question of working with intention. Recently, one of our users showed us a side project that gave us a new, physical way to work with intention. Meet: the Sunsamagotchi, built by Marin Benke.
Focus is hard to hold onto these days. AI is distracting. Alerts, emails, endless scrolling pulls us away before our brains even notice the impact. Marin’s response wasn’t to just quit or give in. Instead, he chose to build a physical device that does almost nothing (in the very best way). The Sunsamagotchi shows you your priorities for the day, and that’s it. No notifications, no extra features or potential for more distraction. Just the things that matter, that’s it.
What struck us about what he built wasn’t the gadget itself, but the thinking behind it. It echoes something that we believe at Sunsama: clarity beats complexity. Instead of adding another tab to your day, it pulls one task into the physical world and asks you to deal with it. It gives you less to manage, not more.
Productivity Made Physical
If you can’t imagine what using this device might be like, picture this: a small device resting on your desk or tucked in your bag. No alerts buzzing for your attention, no apps competing for clicks—just your priorities for the day, presented in the simplest and most tactile way possible. That’s the Sunsamagotchi. It takes your task list from the screen and places it into your hands, freeing you from the mental clutter that often comes with productivity tools.
This simplicity plays a powerful role in not only how you work, but how you think. Productivity tools often live in the digital realm, giving us endless options to iterate, customize, and get stuck. The Sunsamagotchi reclaims focus by removing these options entirely, creating an experience rooted in the physical world where each task feels deliberate.
The idea even manifests in the device’s minimalist design:
- CoreInk Model: A monochrome e-paper display, always visible, even when powered down. Quiet and unobtrusive, it’s built to anchor your attention without demanding it.
- M5StickC Plus Model: A portable design with a colorful TFT display that travels wherever your work takes you. It’s playful yet purposeful, a reminder that focus can follow you anywhere.
Both of these models embody the same core principle: clear priorities made physical, nothing more.
A Moment to Rethink How We Work
Looking at this device didn’t just get us excited by Marin’s creativity and enthusiasm, it sparked a question: What does focus actually feel like?
Is it the rush to knock out tasks or the calm that comes from tackling the right ones? Most productivity tools straddle the line between helpful and overwhelming. They pile up features under the guise of efficiency—features that often end up demanding even more of our attention. Most of the users who love Sunsama, often are disappointed to find out we don’t just copy/paste the typical features you might find in other task management tools. That is, in fact, by design. We, like The Sunsamagotchi, always do our best to deliver something that isn’t about doing more, and instead is focused on doing better.
When using the Sunsamagotchi, tasks sync seamlessly from Sunsama, but interactions are minimal by design. A single button lets you check off tasks or start timers. Everything about the device quietly reinforces intentionality. It doesn’t demand focus; it invites it.
The engineering behind it reflects this same logic. Built using Sunsama’s MCP (Model Context Protocol), the device skips flashy AI integrations in favor of simplicity. It’s modular, straightforward, and designed to help you stay connected to what matters most.
Lessons in Simplicity
As AI continues to alter the way we work, there’s an important lesson we’ve taken away from this fun little product: sometimes, the best way to move through a day is with fewer options, not more. Marking tasks off in a physical, tactile way feels like a small but profound act of mindfulness. It encourages us to pause—not rush—to recognize what we’ve accomplished before moving forward.
More broadly, this project reminds us that simplicity beats complexity. Whether you’re developing a new product, or revitalizing an old one, the best products are defined not by what they choose to include, but what they choose to omit. When product builders step back, when they serve the user instead of competing for attention, they create space for meaningful work and connection. That’s what we’ll always strive for with Sunsama, and it’s the quiet brilliance of the Sunsamagotchi.
An Invitation to Create
Marin didn’t start with a roadmap from Sunsama. He started with a real problem that he experience, and his creativity led him to build something new. The whole thing is open source: the firmware's on GitHub, and there's a browser-based flasher at sunsamagotchi.marinbenke.dev if you want to build your own.
He ended his writeup with a note: "If you work at Sunsama and you're reading this — hi." Hi, Marin, and thank you. This is exactly the kind of thing we hoped people would make.
And to everyone else, if you've built something with Sunsama, we'd love to hear from you. So, feel free to say “hi.”
