My adhd brain refuses to start tasks so I built a hype man in my pocket to help!

For most of my life it wasn’t just procrastination, it was self doubt. I’d open my laptop, stare at what I needed to do, and instantly hear that voice like, “What if you mess this up? What if it is not good enough?” I knew exactly what to do, but I felt like I needed someone to validate me first, to say “you’ve got this, just start here,” before my brain would let me move.

I tried meditation, breathwork, journaling. They are all great in theory, but when I am already overwhelmed and doubting myself, I am not going to open a 10 minute practice. I needed something that would give me confidence in the first 60 seconds, before I talked myself out of even trying.

So I built a tiny app as a hype man for my ADHD brain. It is called Dialed. When I am stuck, I open it, type a couple messy sentences about what is going on, and it gives me a 60 second cinematic pep talk with music and a voice that feels like a mix of coach and hype friend. It reminds me of my reasons, breaks things down, and gives me that “you can actually do this” energy I was always waiting for from other people. The more I use it, the better it gets at knowing what hits for me.

It is not a 30 day program or deep self help homework. It is for that tiny moment between “I am doubting myself” and “forget it, I am checking out.” It has helped me send scary emails, apply for jobs, work on startup stuff, all the things I used to freeze on.

Sharing this in case anyone else sometimes needs some encouragement to start. If you want to try it, search “Dialed” on the App Store (red and orange flame logo).