The Off Switch is a simple card and app that helps ADHD brains protect focus, time, and energy, without losing the parts of your phone you actually rely on.
On this page, you will see how it works, example routines you can copy, and what people with ADHD usually notice after a week.
The Off Switch
× Adults with ADHD
What you’re trying to do
If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
1. Start a task and stay with it long enough to finish, or at least make real progress.
2. Protect deep work blocks, life admin, and chores from the “one tap leads to twenty minutes” trap.
3. Wind down at night without email, LinkedIn, news, or scrolling pulling you back into alert mode.
4. Feel less scattered across the day, with fewer context switches and fewer half-finished loops.
5. Build phone boundaries that work with your ADHD brain, instead of shaming it.
Where it starts to go wrong
Research suggests that people with higher ADHD traits are more likely to slip into problematic smartphone use and feel more pulled by their devices.
1. You sit down to work. You unlock your phone to check one thing. Forty minutes later, you’re scrolling, and you don’t even remember the moment you drifted.
2. You’re in bed trying to wind down. Your brain pulls you back into email, LinkedIn, or the news. Ten minutes becomes a late night spiral.
3. You open your phone to reply to one message. You bounce between chats, notifications, and apps. The reply still doesn’t get sent.
4. You try to “be good” all day. A stressful moment hits and your brain reaches for the fastest reward on your home screen.
5. You end up with phone shame and another plan to “do better tomorrow,” even though the environment hasn’t changed.
How The Off Switch helps
Think better
ADHD brains are wired for immediate rewards. The extra physical tap creates a pause, so your executive function has time to choose, not just react. Your phone can still do what you need it to do, but it stops dragging you into every app that wants your attention. That means fewer accidental spirals, fewer context switches, and more of your thinking power going to the thing you actually sat down to do.
Live easier
You set up Off Mode once, then you make it a small ritual. Tap in at the moment you want to protect, like sitting at your desk, closing your laptop, or getting into bed. Tap out when you’re done. If it doesn’t stick, you tweak the setup, not yourself. You move the card, shorten the Off Mode, or change what goes quiet. We also keep it privacy-first. Core features don’t need an account, and we don’t track usage for core features.
Feel calmer
When your phone stops hijacking the moments you care about, your day feels less tense. You get fewer “how did I end up here” moments and more clean transitions between focus, rest, and connection. If you override, that isn’t failure. It’s information. It tells you when your brain is seeking stimulation, so you can adjust the routine with kindness and keep going.
Routines that work well for adults with ADHD
Deep work block
When: writing, studying, life admin, focus blocks.
Apps off: social media, news, shopping, games, video.
What stays on: notes, calendar, timers, music, essential work tools.
Do it with: keep the card by your laptop. Tap as you sit down, set a short timer, and start before you negotiate with yourself.
Evening wind-down
When: Any time screens keep you awake.
Apps off: email, work chat, social media, news, “just checking” apps.
What stays on: alarms, calls from key contacts, sleep audio, music.
Do it with: keep the card on your bedside table. Tap when you plug your phone in, so sleep has a head start.
“Just a quick break” guardrail
When: You want to break the “I’ll only look for a second” loop.
Apps off: social media, shopping, games, news, video.
What stays on: calls, maps, camera, banking, messages from favourites.
Do it with: keep the card where quick checks happen, like by the kettle or on your desk. Tap before you unlock, not after you drift.
Weekend reset
When: before the weekend or chore day.
Apps off: work email, work chat, LinkedIn, social media, news.
What stays on: music, timers, lists, family calls, maps.
Do it with: keep the card in the kitchen or hallway. Tap at the start of one reset block, then tap out when you’re done.
Common questions
Will I stop using it after a week?
That fear makes sense. The Off Switch works best when you start with one routine in one place. Pick a single moment, like “when I sit at my desk,” and make the tap the start signal. If you fall off, you restart the ritual. You don’t need a perfect streak.
What if I override it constantly?
Overriding your ritual isn’t a character flaw. It’s a clue. If you override at the same time every day, shorten the block, change which apps stay on, or move the card so it catches you earlier. We treat this as a design problem, not a personal failure.
Does it track me?
No. We don’t frame distraction as a moral failing, and we didn’t build a surveillance tool. Core features don’t require an account, and we don’t track usage for core features.
Can I keep essentials available?
Yes. Most people keep calls, maps, alarms, and music available, then quiet the apps that pull them into spirals. Being reachable isn’t the same as being interrupted.
What about teams and employers?
The Off Switch can work as part of a neuroinclusive workplace toolkit. A simple approach is a four to six-week pilot with one team, a shared set of focus and after-hours routines, and a check-in on what people notice. It supports boundaries and focus without turning into monitoring, which matters for trust.