Building an "anti-productivity" app for my ADHD (no broken streaks)
Standard productivity apps make my ADHD worse. They just demand more.
More streaks (that break if I miss one day).
More tracking.
More guilt.
So I'm building the opposite.
It tracks "Total Active Days" instead of streaks.
Show up today? +1 to your total.
Miss a day? Total stays the same. No resets. No shame.
The Pivot:
I just killed the "Streak 🔥" logic and replaced it with "Total Days 🌱".
(See the confetti in the screenshot attached).
Roast me:
- Does "Total Days" actually feel better than a streak?
- Is "anti-productivity" a good angle or just confusing?
- Does the design look legit?
Link: https://gentlequest.app/
Trending on Indie Hackers
I love this, ADHD here too also thinking a lot about tools for people like me. Total days is cool, Ladder app for fitness has that in the form of badges and I find it very encouraging (though they have streaks too).
Anti-productivity angle is nice, I don't think it's confusing. Would you consider adding more "rest" metrics/recommendations?
Design is not my forte but I think your notifications bar could be more delightful with a lighter colour theme, and the main "quick check in" up top could be a card, feels a bit nothing atm.
The pairing of 'runs locally' + 'no API keys' is undervalued positioning. It speaks to the technical buyer who has already been burned by SaaS tools that changed pricing, added rate limits, or went down at the wrong moment.
The one-time purchase model makes sense when the tool does a defined job well. What's the job this tool does?
Your biggest issue is the page is too thin. You have a headline, three feature cards, and a download CTA. That's it. For an app asking me to trust it with my mental health journey, there's not enough substance to make that decision. I need to see what the app actually looks like before I'll download anything.
"Progress Without Pressure" is a nice tagline but it's generic — could be a meditation app, a fitness tracker, or a project management tool. The subhead "gamified daily quests" does more work. Lead with specificity: "Daily micro-quests designed for ADHD brains that don't punish you for missing a day" tells me exactly what this is and who it's for.
"Meet Alex" — your AI companion — gets one sentence and zero demonstration. If Alex is your differentiator, show Alex working. A conversation screenshot, a sample quest, something that demonstrates the personality you're promising.
"Science-Backed — Built on CBT & DBT principles" is a strong trust signal, but you're not backing it up. Which principles? How are they applied? Mental health apps live and die on credibility.
The "No Guilt Streaks" card is your most compelling differentiator and it's buried as one of three equal-weight cards. That concept — we don't shame you for missing days — is what separates you from every habit tracker. It should be your hero message.
No screenshots, no testimonials, no social proof. You have iOS and Android apps live. Even one quote from someone who felt understood by the app would convert better than all the feature descriptions combined.
Biggest win: add 2-3 app screenshots showing actual quests and the Alex companion in action.
I do deeper teardowns with prioritized action plans as a service — search "Aiden Vale Roast My Landing Page" on Gumroad. Would love to hear if this resonates.
Hi Aiden, this level of feedback is exactly what I'm looking for right now. I'm 50+ days into building Wheel of Founders—a daily system for founders to track decisions and catch burnout patterns—and I'd love to get your eyes on it.
The app is functional but early. I'm not looking for validation. I'm looking for someone who will tell me:
· Where you got confused
· Where you almost quit
· What felt like it was missing
If you're open to trying it and giving that kind of honest breakdown, I'd be incredibly grateful. No pressure either way—but if you are, DM me and I'll send you the link
I'm hanging out here for the next hour. Hit me with your worst roast. I can take it.