An ADHD task manager for designers

Why design work is hard with ADHD

Design tasks are open-ended, which means the stopping point has to come from you. If you do not feel time passing well,¹ an hour on a button radius is easy to do.

Design is also a common place for hyperfocus. Adults with more ADHD symptoms report it more often, in hobbies, screen time and study.² That is where great work comes from, and also where the afternoon goes.

Where it gets hard

• Endless polish. The last 5 percent takes as long as the first 95.
• Inspiration browsing. Ten minutes of references becomes ninety.
• Feedback whiplash. Five comments, five directions, no obvious next step.
• Vague briefs. "Make it pop" is not a task.

A day with NoRush

One possible day, as an example.

1. 9:30 AMNew tab: "Onboarding screens, first pass". Next step: "sketch three layouts, ugly".
2. 9:35 AMA 45 minute session. The bubble sits in the corner of Figma in your browser.
3. 10:18 AMTwo-minute heads-up. You stop adjusting spacing and export what you have.
4. 10:20 AM"Did you finish?" Yes, for a first pass. A card flips.
5. 1:00 PMClient feedback arrives as a long thread. You break it down into 4 to 6 steps and start with the first.
6. 3:30 PMA reference site is too interesting. Since a focus session is running, a calm pause offers the way back.

The features that matter most for designers

• The visual timer puts a limit on polish that you can see approaching.
• Breakdown turns a wall of feedback into ordered steps.
• The bubble can be dragged out of the way or hidden on one site.
• Meeting Mode for design reviews with a shared screen.

Three things that help, with or without NoRush

• Define "done" before you open the file. "Three layouts, no color" is a finish line. "Work on onboarding" is not.
• Time-box reference hunting. Fifteen minutes, timer on, then close the tabs.
• Turn feedback into a checklist first. Do not start changing things until each comment is one line with a verb.

Where NoRush is not the right tool

The bubble appears in browser-based design tools. In desktop apps such as the Figma desktop app, Photoshop or Sketch, it will not show, though the new tab, timer and reminders still work. If the bubble covers part of your canvas, hide it for that site.