I have ADHD. I built the focus tool I couldn't find.
TLDR: I built a desktop focus 'buddy' to solve my own ADHD time-blindness, and last week, total strangers actually started paying for it. Here is how I layered seven established coping mechanisms into a simple floating note.
Background:
I'm going to be honest with you guys…I've downloaded probably 30 productivity apps in my life. I used to take pride in the fact that I tried them all - I felt like a hyper-curious early adopter. But none of them stuck. Not because they were bad. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 30, and spent months reading everything I could about the disorder. I learned that my core challenges were sustained attention and time blindness. What does that mean? That means if my task(s) aren’t visible, they’re not real and when I do lock into a task, hours can pass before I notice.
What I Built:
I started building what I called at the time, a browser based smart sticky note/timer. But like most startups, it evolved…into “the desktop focus buddy for busy brains.”
Here's the thing I didn't realize until after I built it. I thought I was just making a timer that stays on screen. But when I started digging into why it actually worked for me, I found something deeper.
ADHD isn't a focus problem. It's an executive function problem. Executive function is your brain's internal project manager: it handles starting tasks, holding information in your head, managing your emotions, tracking time, and knowing when you've drifted off course. When that system is underpowered, every productivity tool that relies on your brain doing that work quietly in the background is going to fail.
So without really planning to, I ended up layering seven established ADHD coping mechanisms into one tool:
Body doubling: The app stays visible on your screen at all times. It's the accountability partner that never cancels. There's research showing that simply having another presence while you work helps ADHD brains stay on task. Focana is a digital body double that routinely checks-in to ensure you’re on task.
Externalized working memory: Your current task stays written on screen so your brain doesn't have to hold it. Instead of relying on your internal working memory (which ADHD brains notoriously struggle with), Focana holds the answer to "what am I supposed to be doing right now?"
Thought offloading: With ADHD, every thought can feel like an emergency, and derail your focus. The parking lot gives users a space to write it down so their brain can release it and get back to the main task…and presents it back to them at the end of the session so they don’t have to remember.
Self-monitoring: Gentle visual animations and check-ins ask "Still focused?" because most people with ADHD don't notice they've drifted until 40 minutes later. Focana does the metacognitive work your brain skips.
Context continuity: ADHD brains pay a massive tax on task switching. You get pulled away, come back, and can't remember where you were. This process takes significant mental energy. Focana's Session History preserves your context so you can pick up exactly where you left off. No re-initiation cost. No lost momentum.
Time blindness support: A visible, always-present timer makes the passage of time something you can actually see. Time blindness is one of the most debilitating ADHD symptoms, and most tools hide the clock behind a tab you'll never look at.
Dopamine-positive design: ADHD brains are dopamine-seeking, and most productivity tools are built on deficit framing. Focana manufactures small wins instead. Check-ins have built-in positive and supportive messaging, and when you finish a session, Focana celebrates it. No streak shaming, no "you only did 2 of 5 tasks" guilt.
I didn't design these on a whiteboard. I built what I needed, and then realized science backed up every instinct. That's when I knew this wasn't just another productivity app.
Where I'm at
I launched quietly about a week ago. Real numbers:
2 sales at $29 lifetime pricing (for founding members)
5 active users putting in real focus sessions
10% CTA click rate on the landing page
4% purchase conversion from strangers
Zero ad spend. Fully bootstrapped. Solo founder.
These are small numbers. But strangers are finding the site, paying for the app and using it!
What surprised me
The addressable market is larger than I initially thought. The people reaching out aren't just ADHD folks. The "out of sight, out of mind" problem is way bigger than ADHD. But ADHD is where I started because that's my life.
Also, shipping a desktop app is significantly harder than a web tool. Between OS permissions and window-level "always on top" logic, the technical friction was a hurdle I didn't fully anticipate, but if it was easy, it’d already exist.
What's next
Building my top of funnel, Collecting feedback, and shipping improvements. Windows is also on the roadmap. If you've ever lost 40 minutes to a tab spiral when you sat down to do one thing, Focana was built for that exact moment.
You can check it out at https://focana.app. Happy to answer anything about the build, the stack, the decisions, whatever. First product I've ever shipped and I'm learning everything out loud. I'm debating on the next features to ship: a queue feature that will allow you to group tasks together into a time blocked sprint, or productivity tool integration (Asana, notion, etc).
