ADHDay: a software idea
I'm having a bit of a brainstorming session on a calendar application for people with ADHD and/or Dyscalculia (i.e., me).
Here's what I need it to do:
1) It should be able to work with the Task Scheduler to open and run particular software items at different times of the day.
2) It should not just be able to open my music player, but to start particular playlists, and not just access the internet, but open particular web pages based on what I tell it.
3) It should help me define goals and break these goals down into smaller tasks. Similar to one of the ADHD Nanny features.
4) It should be able to help me break common tasks down into smaller, more manageable tasks, which it should help me put in my task lists (see 5 below).
5) It should be able to keep up with both events (things scheduled for a particular time where I have to be) and tasks which (and this is the important part) IT will schedule based on when I get up and tell it I'm ready to start.
Example: I need to 1) do my morning pages for 1 hr 2) spend 1 hr on the internet 3) spend 30 minutes on the dishes 4)spend 30 minutes playing Gauntlet 5) spend an hour reading the database management textbook, etc, etc, and I need to be at my Mom's house at 5:00 to do laundry and help her with the internet. If I get on the computer and start the calendar app at 6:30, it should automagically start Open Office right then, open the internet at 7:30, turn on some dish doing music at 8:30 (ask me if I'm still doing dishes at 8:45--see mindfulness alarms at number 10 below), shut off the music and say "Time for Gauntlet, Yo!" or some such at 9:00, and start Open Office at 9:30 (to take notes whild I'm reading the textbook) with an alarm sound so I'll get off the PS2. And then it should remind me to get ready to go to Mom's with an alarm at 4:30 or a get laundry together task playlist.
6) Actually, it should let me chose between me ordering the tasks (simple numbering system 1,2,3, etc. no matter what kind of activity it is) or it ordering the tasks by allowing me to set tasks as numbered priorities and break activities. It would then put my first priority first and then give me a break activity and then set up my second priority and then give me a break activity, etc. In other words it should help me think about how you plan my day if I need help with that.
7) It should be able to easily reschedule these tasks for later times if I have an emergency or even if I need a few extra minutes for, say, reading an internet article or finishing a Gauntlet level or whatever. Let's say Internet takes me 1hr and 5 minutes instead of an hour. It should be able to move the whole schedule forward 5 minutes. Let's say I had to go to Walmart with Mom because she asked me to. It should be able to pick the schedule right back up where I left off, moving everything forward by the amount of time I was gone.
8) It should have an option for scheduling my meals as a different kind of task (sometimes I forget to eat when I'm all up into something), or simply pausing the task lists for meals when I'm hungry, much like the rescheduling task above.
9) It should be able to roll over uncompleted tasks to the next day and also to note how many uncompleted tasks I have for the day. If it's a lot (need to define a lot) it needs to ask me if I'm being a bit demanding of myself.
10) It should have mindfulness alarms similar to the features on ADHD Nanny's clock. In other words, it should ask me if I'm still on task when I am cleaning a room or doing dishes or some such. It should ask "Are you still doing ________? __Yes __No" If my answer is Yes then it should say "Keep going, good job." If my answer is No then it should ask if I am done. If my answer is Yes, then it should give me the option of free time or to move my task times backwards. If my answer is No, it should ask me if I'm worn out/exhausted. If my answer is No, it should tell me to get back to work (options for friendly or sarcastic reminders according to taste). If my answer is Yes, it should give me options for A)taking a break and restarting the task later B)splitting this task up into smaller tasks with more breaks today and in the future or, if near the end of the day (say 15 hours after day start) it should C)roll over uncompleted tasks to the next day and possibly ask me to consider whether or not I might have made my day too task intensive.
10) It should automagically set my last task of the day as considering and setting up tomorrow's tasks. If there is a late night event (and I should be able to define late night), it should set this task up as the last task before getting ready for the night-time event.
11) And actually really important. It should be super easy to use and have a well designed user interface. I would really like it to have drag and drop interactivity with the rest of my computer apps if possible.
I don't want much, eh?
Here's what I need it to do:
1) It should be able to work with the Task Scheduler to open and run particular software items at different times of the day.
2) It should not just be able to open my music player, but to start particular playlists, and not just access the internet, but open particular web pages based on what I tell it.
3) It should help me define goals and break these goals down into smaller tasks. Similar to one of the ADHD Nanny features.
4) It should be able to help me break common tasks down into smaller, more manageable tasks, which it should help me put in my task lists (see 5 below).
5) It should be able to keep up with both events (things scheduled for a particular time where I have to be) and tasks which (and this is the important part) IT will schedule based on when I get up and tell it I'm ready to start.
Example: I need to 1) do my morning pages for 1 hr 2) spend 1 hr on the internet 3) spend 30 minutes on the dishes 4)spend 30 minutes playing Gauntlet 5) spend an hour reading the database management textbook, etc, etc, and I need to be at my Mom's house at 5:00 to do laundry and help her with the internet. If I get on the computer and start the calendar app at 6:30, it should automagically start Open Office right then, open the internet at 7:30, turn on some dish doing music at 8:30 (ask me if I'm still doing dishes at 8:45--see mindfulness alarms at number 10 below), shut off the music and say "Time for Gauntlet, Yo!" or some such at 9:00, and start Open Office at 9:30 (to take notes whild I'm reading the textbook) with an alarm sound so I'll get off the PS2. And then it should remind me to get ready to go to Mom's with an alarm at 4:30 or a get laundry together task playlist.
6) Actually, it should let me chose between me ordering the tasks (simple numbering system 1,2,3, etc. no matter what kind of activity it is) or it ordering the tasks by allowing me to set tasks as numbered priorities and break activities. It would then put my first priority first and then give me a break activity and then set up my second priority and then give me a break activity, etc. In other words it should help me think about how you plan my day if I need help with that.
7) It should be able to easily reschedule these tasks for later times if I have an emergency or even if I need a few extra minutes for, say, reading an internet article or finishing a Gauntlet level or whatever. Let's say Internet takes me 1hr and 5 minutes instead of an hour. It should be able to move the whole schedule forward 5 minutes. Let's say I had to go to Walmart with Mom because she asked me to. It should be able to pick the schedule right back up where I left off, moving everything forward by the amount of time I was gone.
8) It should have an option for scheduling my meals as a different kind of task (sometimes I forget to eat when I'm all up into something), or simply pausing the task lists for meals when I'm hungry, much like the rescheduling task above.
9) It should be able to roll over uncompleted tasks to the next day and also to note how many uncompleted tasks I have for the day. If it's a lot (need to define a lot) it needs to ask me if I'm being a bit demanding of myself.
10) It should have mindfulness alarms similar to the features on ADHD Nanny's clock. In other words, it should ask me if I'm still on task when I am cleaning a room or doing dishes or some such. It should ask "Are you still doing ________? __Yes __No" If my answer is Yes then it should say "Keep going, good job." If my answer is No then it should ask if I am done. If my answer is Yes, then it should give me the option of free time or to move my task times backwards. If my answer is No, it should ask me if I'm worn out/exhausted. If my answer is No, it should tell me to get back to work (options for friendly or sarcastic reminders according to taste). If my answer is Yes, it should give me options for A)taking a break and restarting the task later B)splitting this task up into smaller tasks with more breaks today and in the future or, if near the end of the day (say 15 hours after day start) it should C)roll over uncompleted tasks to the next day and possibly ask me to consider whether or not I might have made my day too task intensive.
10) It should automagically set my last task of the day as considering and setting up tomorrow's tasks. If there is a late night event (and I should be able to define late night), it should set this task up as the last task before getting ready for the night-time event.
11) And actually really important. It should be super easy to use and have a well designed user interface. I would really like it to have drag and drop interactivity with the rest of my computer apps if possible.
I don't want much, eh?