NoRush
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NoRush feature

Rewards that arrive right away, and never punish

Finish a task and a card flips open at once. There are levels to climb and things to collect, and nothing you earn is ever lost.

By Yasoob, founder of NoRush Updated How we write and check this

In short

Each task you finish becomes a card with its icon, color, number and date. Cards are Common, Rare, Epic or Legendary. Effort raises the odds of a rarer card, and a little luck means any task can surprise you. There are 100 levels, a weekly goal and 52 achievements.

Why immediate rewards matter with ADHD

People with ADHD lean more strongly toward small rewards now over larger rewards later. A meta-analysis of the research confirms this, and experiments point to a real dislike of waiting.1 2 "You will feel good when the project ships in March" does very little today.

Brain imaging studies also link ADHD to differences in the dopamine reward pathway, which is involved in reward and motivation.3 A reward that arrives the second a task is done fits how that system works.

Shame is the thing to avoid. Adults with ADHD report lower self-compassion than other adults, and it is linked to worse mental health.4 So NoRush never takes anything away, never shows a broken streak, and never says "overdue".

How it works in NoRush

  • Instant. The card flips open the moment you finish. It is not saved up for later.
  • Effort plus luck. Finishing every step, focusing, big or demanding tasks, finishing something you were stuck on, and the first win of the day all raise the odds.
  • A long journey in short steps. 100 levels, 50 cards apart, across ten realms from Seed to Cosmos. The next level is always close.
  • A soft weekly goal. Reach it for a golden Weekly card. Missing it costs nothing.
  • 52 achievements. They reward healthy habits such as planning, closing the day and getting unstuck. One is called "Welcome back", for returning after a week away.
  • It gets out of the way. After 66 days of showing up, NoRush offers to make rewards quieter. That is about how long a routine takes to feel automatic, on average.5

Getting the most from it

  • Set the weekly goal a little above your real pace. NoRush suggests a number from your last two weeks.
  • Add your own reward to a task, such as "a coffee". Small and soon beats big and later.
  • If the animations distract you, turn off the card flip or choose quieter rewards in Settings.

What it does not do

Rewards are a boost, not a cure for motivation. Research on gamification in learning shows real but modest effects, and results vary with design.6 Confetti is off by default.

Who uses it most

College students, Freelancers, Entrepreneurs. Each of those pages shows where cards and levels fits into a working day.

Try cards and levels on your own tasks

NoRush is free for 7 days with every feature included. No sign-up and no card.

Add to Chrome, free for 7 days

Questions people ask

Can I lose cards, levels or streaks?

No. Cards and levels are never lost. The day counter counts days you show up, and they do not need to be in a row.

Can I turn rewards off?

Yes. You can turn off the card flip and choose quieter rewards in Settings.

Is gamification good for ADHD?

It can help with starting, and it can also become noise. We cover both sides in is gamification good for ADHD?

Sources

  1. Marx I, Hacker T, Yu X, Cortese S, Sonuga-Barke E (2021). ADHD and the choice of small immediate over larger delayed rewards: a comparative meta-analysis of performance on simple choice-delay and temporal discounting paradigms. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(2).
  2. Marco R, Miranda A, Schlotz W, et al. (2009). Delay and reward choice in ADHD: an experimental test of the role of delay aversion. Neuropsychology, 23(3).
  3. Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Kollins SH, et al. (2009). Evaluating dopamine reward pathway in ADHD: clinical implications. JAMA, 302(10).
  4. Beaton DM, Sirois F, Milne E (2022). The role of self-compassion in the mental health of adults with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 78(12).
  5. Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J (2010). How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6).
  6. Sailer M, Homner L (2020). The gamification of learning: a meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 32.

Keep reading

  • Task breakdownSplit a big task into 3 chunks, a few steps, or tiny steps for hard days.
  • Plan and close the dayA 2-minute plan in the morning and a clear, gentle end in the evening.
  • ShuffleCannot decide? See one task at a time until one feels doable.

Try NoRush free for a week

It starts by itself the first time you open a new tab. No account, no card, and your tasks stay yours whatever you decide.

Add to Chrome, free for 7 days See pricing
  • No sign-up
  • No card
  • Every feature included

Works in Chrome and Edge on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebooks.