I have ADHD and I kept abandoning every planner app, so I built my own

Source: Dev.to

My experience with planner apps

I have ADHD. I’ve tried dozens of planner and task‑management apps, and most of them made things worse. Not because the apps were bad, but because they were built for a brain that can sit down, sort dozens of tasks into folders, assign priorities, and follow a rigid daily schedule. That’s not my brain.

What kept happening

• I’d spend 20 minutes setting up a system instead of doing the task.
• I’d miss one day of a streak and feel like the whole system was broken.
• Reminders would stack up and become background noise I felt guilty about.
• The app would assume I had the energy to organize before I could even start.

Introducing TidalTask

TidalTask is a planner app specifically for ADHD. It focuses on three things:

Quick capture

One tap, type the task, done. No folder selection, no priority matrix, no tagging. Get it out of your head before it disappears.

Flexible routines

Recurring tasks stay visible without streak counters. Miss a day? Nothing breaks. No shame UI. No broken‑chain graphic.

Gentle reminders

Nudges that help you re‑enter your day, not ones that pile up and make your phone feel hostile.

What TidalTask doesn’t do

• No Gantt charts.
• No Eisenhower matrices.
• No nested sub‑task trees.
• No AI auto‑scheduling your entire week.

If you need deep project management, this isn’t the tool. TidalTask is a planning layer, not a full‑blown productivity suite.

Technology stack

• Swift / SwiftUI – iOS, iPadOS, visionOS
• Next.js + TailwindCSS – web dashboard and marketing site
• Cross‑platform sync – phone, iPad, desktop web, and visionOS

No paywall, no trial timer, no premium tier

I built this through my small web agency, Ottegi. It’s not VC‑backed, and there’s no growth team optimizing for engagement metrics. It’s just an app I needed that didn’t exist.

Feedback welcome

If you have ADHD (or suspect you do), I’d genuinely appreciate feedback on what works, what doesn’t, and what friction you still hit when planning your day.

• Website: https://tidaltask.app
• App Store: [Link to App Store]
• Desktop Dashboard: [Link to Dashboard]