Productiveness apps failed me once I wanted them most

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I’ve joked earlier than that within the conflict between me and productiveness, I preserve successful. However behind the humor is real anxiousness about not getting sufficient finished each day and failing to realize my targets.

Over the previous few years, I’ve more and more turned to productiveness apps to assist me take care of duties, deadlines, and issues I typically overlook. Nevertheless, my expertise has left me largely skeptical of the outcomes they promise.

Which of those points do you run into when utilizing productiveness apps? 12 votes

A cluttered interface.

8%

Too many options or a steep studying curve.

33%

Unhelpful notifications.

8%

Overpromising and underdelivering.

17%

The app requires an excessive amount of time to take care of.

17%

One thing else (Tell us within the feedback).

0%

I've no points when utilizing productiveness apps.

17%

My productiveness feels prefer it has been underneath siege

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My life has been outlined by intervals of excessive achievement, but additionally excessive burnout. Whereas I often managed to rally prior to now, this final 12 months has been notably difficult.

My power migraines received considerably worse, affecting my capability to finish duties. In the meantime, the medicine used to deal with my migraines and fibromyalgia intensified my present govt dysfunction and fatigue. Whereas my ADHD has all the time affected my consideration and reminiscence, I discovered myself forgetting easy issues extra typically.

Attributable to well being challenges, I had hassle protecting observe of duties — whereas needing to deal with extra on my own due to a dwindling price range.

On the similar time, working for a number of websites meant that I had extra duties throughout completely different workspaces. Because of my dwindling price range, I needed to tackle all of my chores and backyard work, in addition to meal preparation, regardless of my well being challenges. Deliveries for groceries and different orders additionally turned unaffordable, which meant I additionally needed to do extra errands myself.

I wanted to do greater than ever earlier than, whereas having much less power and feeling consistently burned out. So I attempted to reinforce my productiveness programs to maintain observe of issues and assist me handle.

Productiveness apps made guarantees, however didn’t ship

<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Notion app on smartphone next to other office products" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Notion app on smartphone next to other office products" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Notion-app-on-smartphone-next-to-other-office-products.jpg"/> Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

The system I had been utilizing for years concerned TickTick, Asana, Google Preserve, and Google Calendar. Beneath elevated pressure, although, this method began to falter.

TickTick grouped my overdue duties collectively in a each day notification, which led to me avoiding the app totally. In the meantime, Google Preserve’s simplistic categorization made it tough to seek out the notes and checklists I really wanted. Apart from push notifications, Asana despatched a number of emails and summaries per day, making it tough to truly see what duties associated to me and have been due that day.

I began to have a look at different apps that would presumably assist me, together with Notion and Obsidian. Notion promised zero busywork and an infinitely versatile workspace, however I discovered myself feeling consistently overwhelmed.

Studying the platform’s varied options felt like a second job. I efficiently arrange some helpful templates, however my use fell away due to points with cell responsiveness. Even when Notion lastly rolled out an offline mode, it wasn’t computerized or intuitive.

As my present productiveness system failed, I attempted different apps and options, however stored encountering different challenges.

With Obsidian, plugins play a core position in unlocking extra performance. However since they're community-developed, many are not maintained, which leads to damaged options. Obsidian’s local-first method additionally didn’t work effectively for me, and making an attempt to make use of a free syncing answer like Syncthing rapidly resulted in model conflicts.

I loved Amplenote’s Job Rating system, however I wasn’t keen on its rigid workflow. Todoist had some attention-grabbing options, however its most helpful settings have been buried. Nevertheless, it was the app’s incessant emails that put me off the service fully.

<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Todoist projects" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-1000w-562h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Todoist projects" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Todoist-projects-scaled.jpg"/> Mitja Rutnik / Android Authority

In the meantime, social media algorithms honed in on my dilemma. The identical means that Google searches for plus-size clothes used to end in weight reduction adverts throughout completely different platforms, focused promoting rapidly cottoned onto my grownup ADHD analysis (possible from my Reddit and YouTube historical past).

As skeptical as I'm about focused adverts, I used to be hopeful that productiveness apps geared toward neurodivergent folks would work higher for me. A number of my challenges, resembling process paralysis, power procrastination, and reminiscence points, immediately relate to my ADHD and autism.

However in actuality, I didn’t discover these apps meaningfully completely different once I tried them. Firstly, there was a big development of process apps aiming themselves at folks with ADHD, even when they weren’t initially constructed with these folks in thoughts.

Apps that particularly goal folks with ADHD are sometimes not meaningfully completely different — or worse, they could be a full waste of time.

Even TickTick has guides geared toward ADHD customers and promotes a few of its options for us. It's on no account a foul app, and for a few years it labored effectively for me. However as my wants turned extra complicated, it made my process paralysis worse, not higher. I additionally assume it has nice options, however its cluttered UI makes it tough to make use of at instances. Even when new helpful options roll out, I typically miss them fully as a result of they're hidden in some particular setting or menu.

Many of those apps additionally counsel routines and utilizing Pomodoro timers. Despite the fact that routine is vital to handle my autism, I can’t inform you what number of instances I’ve arrange a schedule and didn't preserve it. Anticipating anybody to stay to a strict schedule isn’t sensible as a result of life doesn’t happen in neat little two-hour chunks. But it surely’s notably unrealistic to attempt to do that with somebody who has problem protecting observe of time and regulating consideration.

In the meantime, Pomodoro timers are disruptive in the case of one in every of my most helpful technique of getting issues finished — hyperfocus. Job switching can also be tough for each folks with ADHD and autism, so telling them to take a break each 25 minutes might be extremely disruptive.

Breaking apart duties into smaller chunks will help. For instance, I typically sort out an article in chunks relatively than in a single session. For my tax filings, I unfold out completely different sections over completely different days. However needing to maintain observe of all these sub-tasks may create overwhelm. Once I take a look at a wall of textual content with all the things I have to do, I really feel dread within the pit of my abdomen.

<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="editing a task in the vikunja app" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-1000w-562h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="editing a task in the vikunja app" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/editing-a-task-in-the-vikunja-app-scaled.jpg"/> Megan Ellis / Android Authority

This implies there must be a steadiness in apps geared toward folks with govt dysfunction. The UI ought to be uncluttered in order that it’s simpler to navigate, since govt dysfunction could make it tough to recollect what you have been doing, even for one thing so simple as including a process or checking a calendar. Notifications ought to be optionally available and customizable — reminding you of vital duties it's possible you'll overlook, however not creating anxiousness or extra distraction. Nevertheless, I’ve but to seek out an app with this sort of steadiness.

Some AI instruments additionally promote themselves as good for neurodivergent folks. That is what satisfied me to obtain Neurolist. Nevertheless, once I opened the app, I noticed it’s one more so-called ‘free’ app that’s really premium. I nonetheless tried to create a process to see how its AI labored, although, and was met with an amazing checklist. For a single process — writing an article — it recommended 12 sub-tasks. You possibly can take away sure recommended duties, however this turns into a time sink by itself.

Fabulous is one more productiveness app that has made its means onto my feed. It even contains phrases like “power procrastination,” “process paralysis,” and “govt dysfunction” in its promoting. This promoting squarely targets it at neurodivergent folks.

The app piqued my curiosity sufficient that I visited its web site, particularly since I hoped that its creators understood the mechanisms behind procrastination and process paralysis in neurodevelopmental circumstances. As a result of regardless that I perceive the science, I nonetheless really feel disgrace once I don’t obtain as a lot as my friends.

I used to be disenchanted when the app’s web site mentioned its intention is to “allow you to grow to be a greater particular person.” This made me skeptical that it took a special method to productiveness in any respect.

<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="a journey in the clarify app" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-1000w-562h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="a journey in the clarify app" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/a-journey-in-the-clarify-app-scaled.jpg"/> Megan Ellis / Android Authority

I nonetheless downloaded it anyway, regardless of the unfavorable evaluations I’d noticed. Each its basic productiveness app (that was linked in adverts focused to folks with ADHD), and its ADHD-focused one (Make clear), require you to finish surveys. None of those questions appear to truly tailor the app to your wants. Solely after finishing the survey, filling in your e mail handle, and enabling notifications do the apps greet you with a paywall.

You possibly can really get previous this by exiting the a number of screens making an attempt to get you to subscribe for a free trial (which requires cost particulars). Fabulous then greets you along with your first, non-customizable purpose. Consuming water. It additionally bombarded me with notifications to improve to a paid plan.

In the meantime, Make clear places you on a prescribed journey that entails studying affirming, however time-consuming letters. It additionally posits that ADHD is a superpower, which is an unhelpful oversimplification of neurodiversity. And regardless of the app’s title on the Play Retailer describing it as an “ADHD planner,” the precise capability to create duties was so buried that it took me some time to seek out it.

That’s once I gave up on on the lookout for an answer that truly understood my wants. However I didn’t surrender on discovering methods to be extra productive.

The issues I modified that truly helped

<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="the jotty page app on an android phone" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-1920w-1080h.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="the jotty page app on an android phone" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/the-jotty-page-app-on-an-android-phone-scaled.jpg"/> Megan Ellis / Android Authority

A typical development I discovered throughout apps I attempted was a one-size-fits-all method to productiveness. There have been slight deviations relying on the precise philosophy they used. However focus instruments have been basically all Pomodoro timers. Planner options might be useful, however are often tough to make use of once you’re exhausted and burned out.

Many instruments additionally approached motivation by way of gamification (like app streaks) or persistent notifications. The nods to neurodiversity have been typically surface-level and at instances, downright patronizing.

I noticed that I understood my wants, so I wanted to belief my instincts relatively than making an attempt to drive myself to make use of a workflow that didn’t assist me. I began giving myself some grace, even when that meant really not finishing duties. This meant leaving sure chores previous their scheduled date. Reasonably than speeding by way of work once I wasn’t feeling effectively, I let editors know when a submission can be late.

The very first thing I did was give myself some compassion, which gave me readability round what I actually wanted assist with.

Giving myself grace additionally gave me the area to establish what labored and what didn’t. Stress and anxiousness worsened my process paralysis. So I began splitting my duties between apps. This meant that I may preserve time-sensitive duties restricted to TickTick, with different basic duties listed in apps that I checked often.

Having these duties written down helped me bear in mind them, however with out due dates and litter, they felt much less overwhelming. I additionally used a self-hosted app, Jotty Web page, to switch Google Preserve, since I discovered its UI extra organized.

I began figuring out what I favored about sure apps and the way I may use these options in my workflow. For instance, Tremendous Productiveness’s inbox function permits me to only dump duties in with out a reminder or date. I may set sure duties to recur. The principle disadvantage is that I can’t full these duties prior to now — as a result of sure, forgetting to mark a process as finished is one other factor I do.

For invoice reminders and plant watering, I arrange Subby and Planta. For apps like Donetick, the flexibility to finish duties prior to now and arrange automated scheduling helped take the cognitive load out of future chores.

I’ve additionally accepted that, regardless of their guarantees, some issues are merely out of the scope of apps. There are some which can be actually useful, but additionally a lot that make ensures they will’t ship.

It factors to a misunderstanding about productiveness — that it’s merely a matter of willpower. The truth is much more complicated and intersects along with your well being, tasks, assist programs, psychological well being, stressors, and monetary state of affairs.

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<img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="9.375rem" title="google preferred source badge light@2x" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png 676w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x-64w-20h.png 64w" alt="google preferred source badge light@2x" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_light@2x.png"/><img class="e_Gh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="9.375rem" title="google preferred source badge dark@2x" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png 676w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x-64w-20h.png 64w" alt="google preferred source badge dark@2x" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/google_preferred_source_badge_dark@2x.png"/> I nonetheless wish to check out completely different productiveness instruments, particularly if I believe that they may very well be helpful to others. I’m additionally simply curious concerning the apps on the market. On the similar time, I believe that it’s time for vital conversations available about how useful a few of these options actually are.

Whereas I’ve arrange workflows that work higher for me, my migraines nonetheless considerably have an effect on my productiveness (although new medicine has decreased their frequency). But it surely’s solely by way of ditching the hustle-and-grind mentality and giving myself some compassion that I may discover the area to determine what works finest for me.