A floating reminder that stays where you are working

Why a reminder has to be in front of you

Russell Barkley describes ADHD as a problem of doing what you know, not of knowing what to do. His advice is to put help at the point of performance: the place and moment where the task actually happens.^{1 2}

For most desk work, that place is the browser tab you are in right now. A task list that lives in a different tab, a different app or a notebook is somewhere else. Adults with ADHD also tend to have weaker working memory than adults without it, so "I will remember to check my list" is the part that fails.³

The bubble removes the checking step. You do not have to remember that a list exists, because the one thing you picked is already on the screen.

How it works in NoRush

• It is on every normal website. That includes tabs that were already open when you installed NoRush. Browsers do not allow any extension on their own settings pages or on the extension store, so it cannot appear there.
• It shows one task, not a list. The task name, its icon, and the time left on your timer.
• It glows instead of popping up. When a reminder is due, the bubble glows slowly. It never jumps over what you are reading.
• It asks at the right moment. When a timer ends, the bubble opens by itself and asks "Did you finish?". That is the moment people usually drift.
• You decide where it sits. Drag it anywhere. It snaps to the nearest side and remembers the spot.
• It leaves when you want. Press × to hide it for 30 minutes, hide it on one site, or turn it off. Settings turns it back on.

Getting the most from it

• Park it on the side of the screen you look at least, so it is visible without being in the way.
• If one site needs your full screen, such as a design tool, hide the bubble on that site only.
• Pair it with a timer. A task name alone is a reminder. A task name with time shrinking next to it is a pull.

What it does not do

The bubble does not read the pages you visit, and it does not block anything. It stays off meeting pages by default, so a task never shows up in a screen share. See Meeting Mode.

Who uses it most

Software developers, Designers, Marketers, Managers. Each of those pages shows where floating bubble fits into a working day.