You should be able to illuminate post-its with a color LED and get them to change color. White or metallic gel pen might make an interesting visual too.
They also have those glass signboards that you write on with regular or phosphorescent ink.
> Hi, I made it change every minute, instead of every 10 minutes. Please refresh to see the changes.
Shouldn't that be configurable? It seems like "catches your attention very frequently like a distraction" is actually not the right behavior for this. Seems like the goal should be to call attention to itself just enough so the notes aren't forgotten and are brought to mind to be started during a distracted moment.
I like the idea, but probably won't use it because it's not a desktop app. Some random ideas:
1. Color changing is a good idea. Kinda skeptical about the font mattering much.
2. Moving location is probably a good idea.
3. Probably should pop itself up occasionally to be in front of the active window.
4. Probably should avoid popping up in front of "work apps" (e.g. an IDE, Excel) and pop up more frequently in front of "distraction apps" (e.g. web browser).
5. Steer users towards one thing per note.
6. Occasionally in specific situations (e.g. long time with browser active), the pop up should be unclosable for a short time.
Agreed, I would need it to change about once per day. I don't use notes to remind myself of things constantly throughout the day, but to remind myself to do something after my current tasks are done.
I know how you feel, and it took such a long time for me to recognize that the way my mind works is not necessarily the way everyone's works, and that I'm not inferior to anyone else because of it.
But you gotta admit sometimes it's a really fascinating place in there.
I'd be super interested in seeing the science behind this. My working memory is essentially non-existent -- as soon as a look away from something I can no longer remember what was there. Are the changing colors supposed to help with that?
I got 100% with mean reaction time 0.721, despite pretty severe ADHD. This test doesn't feel like a representative scenario. But I'm also a designer so I have unfair experience visually diffing images.
Not sure how immediately effective this is. But interest seems to prove there is a hugely underserved community of people with ADHD who could probably benefit from software tools to help deal with executive function deficits. But the best people to make the tools are those with adhd. And they tend to procrastinate making...
I've got quite a few of the symptoms, though not a full diagnosis yet. Am making TeaRounder.com which on the surface is about ordering drinks, but to me it's largely about ending an awkward part of normal life for me - forgetting lists in social moments that most people would be able to remember. I do wonder sometimes if it would be worth me just pursuing the ADHD and "chronically forgetful" side of it.
I think procrastination from ADHD effects is a really tiny part of it. Reasons for me not making ADHD tools or for my general symptoms so far in life:
1)I get tonnes of ideas to work on, far more than I could ever create. 99% of them aren't obviously anything to do with symptoms or ADHD at all. The projects that could help with ADHD have to compete for my time with ideas that solve some other thing I think of solving.
1b) there have been some problems that with hindsight where magnified because of poor working memory or other symptoms, but since I hadn't realised that's why they bothered me so much, I'd talk about them to other people and the ideas would be shot down or tweaked for mass-market usage. Since I want to solve problems, and get paid for it at some point, if I'm told "yeah that's just you, nobody else has that problem" it's easy to think "okay then, I'll move on to my next favourite idea even though I really want this one to exist".
2) it's hard to get non-adhd people to get excited by products that solve ADHD issues (needed if you want to do any kind of funding, even family and friends round). For starters ADHD is really badly misunderstood by the general population. Many symptoms look like we're not trying hard enough in some area of self care or organisation plus the acronym is straight up a terrible representation of the condition - it highlights only the most noticeable traits it shows as in young patients - not the areas that negatively effect people in working life. Also lots of big pain points for ADHD sufferers are felt to a much lesser extent by non-adhd, and so there are tools that are able to solve it for non-adhd but don't quite work for us. A quick look or even a bit of usage can make a tool look like it solves the problem when it really doesn't for us
Probably more reasons but this is getting long and I need to end this comment at some point
This is a really interesting idea, but I'm skeptical this specific implementation will be particularly effective.
Not sure how to articulate this, but to get my attention when I'm forgetting about or ignoring something, I would need to see an unexpected change -- it's not enough for something to just change colors inside of the box, because my brain can still just filter on the concept of "box". What breaks into my brain is surprise and irregularity, and a color just doesn't trigger that. I don't even notice the fonts if I'm not looking at it. I almost feel like the 10 minute window would have been better, because then at least I wouldn't be getting used to it constantly changing color.
Not to mention that for this to be used as a sticky note, I'd need to have it as a window on top of my screen. Typically when I create a sticky note, it's because I can't do the task right now. So to have the task just on top of everything else, animating... even if it is annoying enough to get my attention, then that kind of guarantees I'm not going to get much else done in the meantime because it'll be distracting me.
The idea behind a sticky note for me is that it's a reminder. It's not meant to be omnipresent, it should just show up every once and while like a recurring alarm -- in a perfect world, it would only show up when it's actually time for me to do the task, so it doesn't risk breaking my concentration if I'm doing something else that's productive.
Good idea, and maybe it's something that'll work better for other people. But I can't see myself getting use out of it in its current form.
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[ 4.5 ms ] story [ 71.8 ms ] threadhttps://github.com/CrazyPython/adhd-resistant-sticky-notes
I'm still not quiet sure what to do with it.
They also have those glass signboards that you write on with regular or phosphorescent ink.
I also started a new medication a week ago. So right now I’m near my worst.
Concept is interesting.
Page doesn’t seem to do anything after typing stuff in.
The washer is going at moment. About 3 cycles per second.
Cars are driving by at about 1 every 10 seconds. 2 cars at a time catch my interest everything.
Grey dog outside.
Shoes are on the floor.
I have many doodles going on the note book next to me.
I have gotten some work to day. But it’s scattered.
——-
My mind is annoying. Like 3 year old at toys r us, and your supposed to finish math assignment in the LEGO aisle.
This page still hasn’t done anything
Shouldn't that be configurable? It seems like "catches your attention very frequently like a distraction" is actually not the right behavior for this. Seems like the goal should be to call attention to itself just enough so the notes aren't forgotten and are brought to mind to be started during a distracted moment.
I like the idea, but probably won't use it because it's not a desktop app. Some random ideas:
1. Color changing is a good idea. Kinda skeptical about the font mattering much.
2. Moving location is probably a good idea.
3. Probably should pop itself up occasionally to be in front of the active window.
4. Probably should avoid popping up in front of "work apps" (e.g. an IDE, Excel) and pop up more frequently in front of "distraction apps" (e.g. web browser).
5. Steer users towards one thing per note.
6. Occasionally in specific situations (e.g. long time with browser active), the pop up should be unclosable for a short time.
But you gotta admit sometimes it's a really fascinating place in there.
My score varies a to based on several health issues. I sometimes used it to track how treatments are affecting me.
1)I get tonnes of ideas to work on, far more than I could ever create. 99% of them aren't obviously anything to do with symptoms or ADHD at all. The projects that could help with ADHD have to compete for my time with ideas that solve some other thing I think of solving. 1b) there have been some problems that with hindsight where magnified because of poor working memory or other symptoms, but since I hadn't realised that's why they bothered me so much, I'd talk about them to other people and the ideas would be shot down or tweaked for mass-market usage. Since I want to solve problems, and get paid for it at some point, if I'm told "yeah that's just you, nobody else has that problem" it's easy to think "okay then, I'll move on to my next favourite idea even though I really want this one to exist". 2) it's hard to get non-adhd people to get excited by products that solve ADHD issues (needed if you want to do any kind of funding, even family and friends round). For starters ADHD is really badly misunderstood by the general population. Many symptoms look like we're not trying hard enough in some area of self care or organisation plus the acronym is straight up a terrible representation of the condition - it highlights only the most noticeable traits it shows as in young patients - not the areas that negatively effect people in working life. Also lots of big pain points for ADHD sufferers are felt to a much lesser extent by non-adhd, and so there are tools that are able to solve it for non-adhd but don't quite work for us. A quick look or even a bit of usage can make a tool look like it solves the problem when it really doesn't for us
Probably more reasons but this is getting long and I need to end this comment at some point
Not sure how to articulate this, but to get my attention when I'm forgetting about or ignoring something, I would need to see an unexpected change -- it's not enough for something to just change colors inside of the box, because my brain can still just filter on the concept of "box". What breaks into my brain is surprise and irregularity, and a color just doesn't trigger that. I don't even notice the fonts if I'm not looking at it. I almost feel like the 10 minute window would have been better, because then at least I wouldn't be getting used to it constantly changing color.
Not to mention that for this to be used as a sticky note, I'd need to have it as a window on top of my screen. Typically when I create a sticky note, it's because I can't do the task right now. So to have the task just on top of everything else, animating... even if it is annoying enough to get my attention, then that kind of guarantees I'm not going to get much else done in the meantime because it'll be distracting me.
The idea behind a sticky note for me is that it's a reminder. It's not meant to be omnipresent, it should just show up every once and while like a recurring alarm -- in a perfect world, it would only show up when it's actually time for me to do the task, so it doesn't risk breaking my concentration if I'm doing something else that's productive.
Good idea, and maybe it's something that'll work better for other people. But I can't see myself getting use out of it in its current form.