I'm one of you.
I have ADHD and dyslexia. I learned early that my brain doesn't deal with information the way others do.
My issue isn't the scattered attention people assume. It's hyperfocus — getting so locked into something interesting that the rest of the world just... drops away. Great for learning things I love. Terrible for everything else life requires.
When I entered the professional world, managers taught me calendaring and scheduling techniques. I'd try them. I'd believe in them. And within a week, I'd abandon them completely. Every time. The overwhelm would hit, and even doing the "simple" techniques felt like too much.
What I actually needed was someone — an assistant — to organize things for me and tell me what to focus on next. When I finally built my own company, I could afford to hire that person. But most people can't. Kids can't. Teenagers can't.
My mother was a successful businesswoman. Yellow legal pads. Giant lists. Organize, prioritize, execute. It worked brilliantly for her. When she tried to teach me her system, it caused me genuine stress. I'd start, then abandon it. Her constant reminders to stay on track just made me feel... stupid.
Here's what would happen: I'd build a beautiful list. Start with energy and focus. Then something interesting would catch my attention and I'd hyperfocus on that instead. Hours later, the actual task still wasn't done, and someone was upset with me. I'd be genuinely confused about how it happened. Again.
Even keeping my house or office organized felt like an enormous effort. I'd try minimalism. That wouldn't last either.
Then I noticed something: AI can finally be that assistant. The personal helper that used to require hiring someone. The patient voice that understands you just need to dictate your thoughts and have a system figure out the rest.
So I researched why every task manager and productivity app fails the ADHD mind. And I built something different. Something that works with our brains instead of demanding we act neurotypical.
That's Gadfly. Built by someone who gets it, because I've lived it.