StreakFocus: Building a Habit Tracker That Actually Works for ADHD

I have ADHD. And like a lot of high-achieving people with ADHD, I'm really good at starting things. New projects? Love them. Big ideas? Absolutely. Getting dopamine from the possibility of doing something? Every time. Actually finishing the boring-but-important stuff? That's where it all falls apart.

I've tried every productivity app. They all did the same thing: gave me a giant list, let me feel productive for approximately 48 hours, then left me staring at 47 overdue tasks wondering why I can't just be normal. The problem wasn't me. The problem was that these apps were built for neurotypical brains that can look at a long list and not immediately shut down.

So I built something different. Something stupid simple. Something that my brain couldn't overthink or game or abandon after the novelty wore off. Three tasks. That's it. Every morning, I write down three small things I want to do. Not "launch the new website" or "become a better person," just three achievable, specific tasks.

Things like:

• Respond to that email I've been avoiding
• Work on the thing for 30 minutes
• Take an actual lunch break

No more overwhelming lists, just three things I can actually finish. Then I check them off as I go. When I hit all three? The streak goes up. Tiny dopamine hit. Feels good. Do it again tomorrow. When I miss a day? The streak resets. No guilt trip. No passive-aggressive notification. Just: "Hey, try again."

I didn't add onboarding screens or tutorial modals because if I would immediately close them, you probably would too. The app just opens. You see the streak counter. You see three empty boxes. You get it. No gamification. No cartoon trophies. No toxic positivity telling me I'm a "productivity champion" when I'm just trying to remember to eat lunch. Just a quiet tool that helps me show up, even when my brain doesn't want to.

If you also have a brain that gets overwhelmed by todo lists, try this: pick three tiny things. Check them off. See how it feels. I built this for me. But if it helps you too, that's the whole point.

The Build: Simple, Not Simplistic

I built StreakFocus as an iOS app using React, TypeScript and Capacitor. No backend, no user accounts, no data collection. Everything stays on your device, and the only copy that leaves is a backup you export yourself. I designed it mobile-first because if I'm going to check off my tasks, it's going to be on my phone while I'm standing in line or sitting at my desk procrastinating.

Every design decision was about reducing friction. No categories or priority levels because those just give my brain more ways to overthink. A minimal settings dropdown for when I need a fresh start: clear today's tasks, reset my streak, or wipe everything. No overwhelming preferences to configure.

The hardest part was figuring out which features actually help versus which ones just add noise. I kept wanting to add more, but I forced myself to ask: does this remove friction or create it?

I added recent task suggestions so I don't have to retype "respond to emails" every single day. I added a 7-day visual history so I can see my momentum at a glance without digging through data. I included simple milestone badges at 7, 30, and 100 days to acknowledge consistency. No points systems, no achievement trees, just quiet recognition that you showed up.

Complete all three and you get a little confetti celebration. Nothing guilt-trippy about it. Just a quiet sign that the day is done. It's enough dopamine to feel good without turning the whole thing into a game.

StreakFocus isn't about being the most minimal app. It's about being the most usable app for ADHD brains. Sometimes that means a smart autocomplete feature. Sometimes that means a little celebration confetti. The key is that nothing adds cognitive load. It all just makes it easier to show up.

What This Experiment Is Testing

StreakFocus is a constraint experiment. The hypothesis is simple: if you remove excess choice, streak consistency increases.

I am validating whether daily use sustains momentum without adding cognitive load. If it does, the constraint holds. If not, the model changes.

What Changed, August 2026

I wrote this the day before the first commit. Nine months later I deleted about half the app, so some of what's above isn't true anymore, and I'd rather say that than quietly edit it.

The seven-day history strip is gone. So are the recent-task suggestions and the autocomplete I was proud of. So is the second screen they lived on.

Every feature I removed, I'd added for a reason I still believe. The history strip let you see momentum without digging. The suggestions saved you retyping “respond to emails” for the fortieth time. Neither was a bad idea. Together they'd turned the app into a small dashboard, which is the exact thing this article opens by complaining about.

I didn't see it for nine months. That's the ADHD part, and it's not the flattering version. I'm good at adding, and adding always comes with a story about why it's necessary. Removing doesn't get a story. It just leaves a hole where a feature was, and you have to sit with whether the hole is better.

It's better. The app opens on one task now instead of three empty boxes. Finish all three and it lists them back to you, which the old completion screen never did. It told you that you were done without telling you what you'd done.

Two corrections while I'm here. Milestones are 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 50, 75 and 100 days now, not the 7, 30 and 100 above, and they're quiet toasts rather than badges.

StreakFocus is available now on the App Store. Download it here.