Like most kids diagnosed with ADHD in the 1990s, my condition wasn’t well understood. Life at home and at school was an endless battle. While I knew I loved working with computers, staying focused was a constant struggle for me. I spent years trying to harness my passion for tech and my ADHD brain to reach my full potential. Society’s understanding of neurodivergence has evolved a lot since then but attempting to maintain focus remains a huge challenge in my life.
After 20+ years as a coder and designer, I’ve tried every productivity tool and hack out there: the Pomodoro technique, RescueTime, to-do lists, and countless productivity apps. And while medication helps me to focus, it doesn’t always help me focus on the right thing at the right time.
The Web Browser: An ADHDer's Nemesis
Through trial-and-error, I realised my biggest productivity hurdle was where I spent the majority of my time: the web browser. Traditional browsers just aren’t designed for ADHD brains. Switching between tabs and hitting the back button creates a constant state of ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ which is kryptonite for anyone living with an attention deficit disorder.
Every update to Safari, my old browser of choice, had me hoping for a change that would finally solve the issue. But it never came. Browser design remains fundamentally unchanged since my 90s’ childhood.
Creating Horse Browser: A Tool for ADHD Minds
And that’s why I developed Horse Browser, a tool designed to work with the ADHD brain, not against it.
With Horse Browser, tabs are finally replaced with a unique, new navigation method, named Trails. There’s no more ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Each link click opens up a new, nested page on the ‘Trail’, merging tabs, bookmarks, and history into one easy-to-read vertical layout. Task management and note-taking are directly integrated into the browsing experience, keeping users on track and productive.
ADHD brains already struggle with so much internal chatter and mental effort that I was determined to lighten the load. Horse Browser is designed to be intuitive, making life easier and effortless for those of us with ADHD.
Why Staying Focused Online Matters for ADHDers
Anyone with ADHD already knows the importance of staying focused online. Our distractibility leads to daily fallout. Switching between tabs relies on working memory and rapid context-switching, which is problematic for ADHDers [1, 2]. On average, it takes 9.5 minutes to regain focus after switching tasks [3] and interrupted workflows have been shown to lead to stress, frustration, and time pressure [4]. For those of us living with ADHD, these challenges are even more pronounced.
The ‘out of sight, out of mind’ design flaw found in regular browsers leads us to constantly lose important sites and information, resulting in missed appointments and forgotten tasks. In frustration, many ADHDers leave browser tabs open as visual reminders, sometimes hundreds of tabs at a time. But this tactic creates visual clutter, leading to overwhelm and even more distractibility.
There’s also the overlooked issue of online spending. Web browsers bombard us with daily ads, leading to impulsive purchases and forgotten packages arriving at our doorsteps – all a direct result of getting distracted online.
How Horse Browser Helps ADHDers Stay Focused
Our growing community of users, which includes many ADHDers, regularly comment on the feelings of calm that Horse Browser produces and how it’s given them a much-needed boost to their productivity. Here are some unique features of Horse Browser that lessen the mental load of living with ADHD:
Turns Web Searches into To-Do Lists
Horse Browser’s Trails feature creates to-do lists organically, as you browse. Each search and visited page becomes part of your task list. Your trails of thought are always visible in the sidebar, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks and you know exactly how you reached a particular page. You can easily jump between tasks without losing context. And when you close or update Horse Browser, all your pages are ready and waiting for you.
No Visual Clutter
For ADHDers, a cluttered interface is overwhelming. Instead of a jumble of open tabs, Horse Browser organizes your internet journeys into a visual list. You can drag-and-drop webpages, give them unique names, and customize your browser with pretty icons and folders (giving you a little dopamine hit along the way!). Sorting trails into defined ‘areas’ like work, home, or school helps you to focus on one project at a time. Plus, Horse Browser comes with a powerful in-built ad blocker to block those pesky online ads.
Built-In Notes for Quick Thoughts
Horse Browser includes a simple note-taking feature, perfect for capturing fleeting thoughts and those special ‘a-ha!’ moments. These notes are tied directly to your Trails, ensuring you always have the right context at your fingertips.
Freedom to Import and Export
Horse Browser makes it easy to import and export your Trails as nested markdown lists. You can drag and drop these lists into other applications, ensuring your information is never trapped in one place. This is useful for collaboration and integrating Horse Browser into any existing productivity setups you might already work with.
A New Approach to Productivity
Traditional productivity advice often falls short for those with ADHD. We really need tools that embrace our unique way of thinking. Horse Browser is designed to do just that.
It takes a totally fresh approach to navigating and using the web. I advise new users to give themselves time to adjust, experiment with Horse Browser’s features, customise their view, and let the browser become an extension of their mind. You may find, as I did, that Horse Browser unlocks a new level of productivity and focus. By providing a visual, intuitive way to manage your digital life, it frees you from the constant battle against forgetfulness and distraction.
If you have ADHD and struggle to stay on task online, give Horse Browser a chance. It just might transform the way you work – and think.
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Footnotes
- Saline, S. (2022) ‘Working Memory vs. Short-term Memory: What’s the difference?’, ADDitude. Available at: https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-working-memory-vs-short-term/ (Accessed: 06 August 2024).
- Mahan, B. (2023) Why Task Switching is Difficult for ADHD Brains - and 7 Ways to Smooth Transitions, ADDitude. Available at: https://www.additudemag.com/task-switching-adhd-difficulty-transitions-teens/ (Accessed: 06 August 2024).
- Research Into Culture, Mindset, And Productivity for the Modern Work Era (2021) Workgeist Report ’21. Available at: https://assets.qatalog.com/language.work/qatalog-2021-workgeist-report.pdf (Accessed: 2024).
- Mark, G., Gudith, D. and Klocke, U. (no date) The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress. Available at: https://ics.uci.edu/~gmark/chi08-mark.pdf (Accessed: 06 August 2024).
