📱 Apps for Neurodiverse Living
Apps can be a real lifeline for neurodivergent and ADHD living — whether it’s structuring the day, reducing overwhelm, or supporting focus and emotional regulation.
🔹 Time & Task Management
Staying on top of daily tasks can feel overwhelming — these apps make planning and routines more visual, structured, and ADHD-friendly.
Todoist
Simple, distraction-free task manager that breaks big tasks into smaller steps.
Thruday
This visual daily planning app is made for "brains wired differently," including those with ADHD and autism. It focuses on visual scheduling, to-do lists, and mood tracking, with the goal of reducing executive dysfunction and time-blindness.
Tiimo
A visual daily planner app designed with neurodivergence in mind, using icons, timers, and gentle reminders.
Google Calendar
A simple yet highly effective tool. Many neurodivergent people find its visual layout and integration with other Google services to be a powerful way to manage their schedule. The ability to colour-code events and set multiple reminders is particularly useful.
Structured
A calendar-meets-to-do list app that lays out the day in a clean timeline view.
Goblin Tools
This AI-powered app is designed to help with task breakdown. The "Magic To-Do" feature can take a complex task, like "clean the kitchen," and break it down into a manageable, step-by-step list.
🔹 Focus & Productivity
Whether you need to block distractions or boost concentration, these tools are designed to help you stay in flow.
Forest
Gamifies focus by growing a virtual tree while you stay off your phone.
RescueTime
This app runs in the background of your devices, tracking where you spend your time. It helps you identify your biggest distractions and can be used to set goals and block time-wasting websites, helping you become more aware of your habits and stay on track.
Focus@Will
Provides ADHD-friendly background music designed to improve concentration.
Pomodoro Timer App
The Pomodoro Technique involves breaking down work into focused intervals, typically 25 minutes, separated by short breaks. Apps based on this technique can be very effective for people who struggle with sustained attention or who get lost in hyperfocus.
Brain.fm
Uses AI-generated soundscapes scientifically proven to support focus and flow.
Notion
A highly customisable and versatile app that combines note-taking, task management, and databases. Its adaptability allows users to create a system that perfectly fits their unique way of thinking and working, whether that involves visual boards or detailed lists.
🔹 Emotional Regulation & Mindfulness
Managing emotions is just as important as managing tasks — these apps provide calm, grounding, and support when life feels too much.
Headspace
Guided meditation and short breathing exercises for stress, sleep, and focus.
Molehills Mountain
Created by the UK charity Autistica, this free app is specifically designed to help autistic people understand and self-manage anxiety. It helps users track their worries and the situations that trigger anxiety.
Calm Harm
An app to help manage impulses with grounding and distraction techniques.
Buddhify
This app is designed for mindfulness on the go. It offers guided meditations for specific activities like walking, working, or even being online. Its "wheel" of activities can make it easy to find a quick, relevant session without feeling overwhelmed.
Insight Timer
Free mindfulness app with thousands of guided meditations and calming sounds.
Worry Dolls
This app, based on the scientific practice of "unloading" worries, allows users to metaphorically transfer their anxieties to virtual worry dolls. The app guides you to write down what's bothering you, providing a tangible way to process and set aside difficult emotions.
🔹 Memory & Routine Building
Building consistent routines doesn’t have to be hard — these apps use gentle reminders and gamification to keep you on track.
Pill Reminder – Meds Alarm
Simple medication tracking with custom reminders.
Remember the Milk
A classic to-do list app that is particularly effective for people who feel overwhelmed by a long list of tasks. Its powerful tagging, smart lists, and reminder features make it easy to organise, prioritise, and remember everything you need to do.
Habitica
Turns habits and routines into a role-playing game (RPG), rewarding consistency.
Evernote
A versatile note-taking app that acts as a digital brain. It's excellent for capturing and organising stray thoughts, to-do lists, and important information. Its search function is a lifesaver, making it easy to find anything you've saved, even if your organisation is not perfect.
Alarmy
A creative alarm app that requires problem-solving or physical movement to turn it off (great for ADHD mornings).
Due
An app for persistent reminders. Due "gently nags" you until you complete a task, which can be invaluable for people who struggle with forgetfulness and task initiation. It ensures you don't miss important deadlines or appointments.
🔹 Learning & Cognitive Support
From note-taking to text-to-speech, these apps offer smart ways to support memory, learning, and communication.
Otter.ai
AI transcription app for lectures, meetings, or note-taking.
Elevate
An award-winning "brain trainer" app with games and exercises designed to improve cognitive skills like memory, focus, and processing speed. It creates a personalised daily workout that adjusts to your performance over time.
Speechify
Text-to-speech reader that turns articles, books, and notes into spoken words.
MindNode
A mind-mapping app that helps visual thinkers organise and connect ideas. It's a great tool for brainstorming, planning projects, and structuring complex thoughts in a way that is intuitive and easy to follow.
Grammarly
Helps with spelling, grammar, and clarity when writing.
Lumosity
A popular brain training app designed by neuroscientists. It offers a variety of games that target different cognitive skills, including memory, problem-solving, and attention, providing a fun way to exercise your brain.