ADHD Toolbox FAQ

Seven shelves of things that help with ADHD: videos, apps, communities, articles, books, courses and practical techniques, plus a fifteen-question self-check. Each entry has a short note on why it is there, and techniques are explained on their own pages in plain words.

The FocusCrew team picks every entry by hand and writes its description. We look for things that are clear, practical and from reliable sources — researchers, clinicians, established organisations and people who live with ADHD.

It is free and needs no account. Every list, technique page and the self-check are open to anyone. Some of the things it links to cost money, such as certain books, apps and courses; their own sites show the price.

No. An entry is there because people with ADHD have found it useful in everyday life, not because it is a treatment. What works differs from person to person, and decisions about medication or therapy belong with a doctor or qualified clinician.

Yes, please do. Send it through the contact form with a line on why it helped you. The team reads suggestions, and the ones that fit are added after we have tried or read them ourselves.

ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, activity levels and impulse control. It shows up differently in different people, and it is not a matter of effort, intelligence or character.

Yes. ADHD starts in childhood, but for many people it continues into adult life, and plenty are first recognised as adults. In adults it often looks less like running around and more like restlessness, losing track of time and trouble starting or finishing things.

No. Besides attention, ADHD can affect planning, remembering what you meant to do, sensing how much time has passed, managing emotions and switching between tasks. Many people also notice they can focus intensely on things that interest them.

Usually by speaking to a GP or family doctor first, who can refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist. The assessment looks at your history since childhood and how things affect your life today, and rules out other explanations. Waiting times vary a lot by country.

Body doubling means working while someone else is present and working too, in person or online. Many people with ADHD find that another person’s presence makes starting easier and drifting off less likely, even when nobody is checking on them or talking.

Many people with ADHD find them helpful. A timer makes time visible, a short session feels easier to start than an open-ended task, and a planned break makes stopping part of the plan. It is a technique to try, not a fix, so adjust the length until it suits you.

Pick one small thing rather than a whole system. Try a single technique for a week, such as breaking one task into its first step or working for ten minutes with a timer. If it helps, keep it; if not, try another without counting it as failing.

FocusCrew is a productivity app that puts several of these techniques together: a plan you can see, short timed focus sessions, habits and crews of people working alongside you. The toolbox is a free resource from the same team and lists many tools that are not ours.

About three minutes. It has fifteen short statements, and for each one you choose how often it is true for you, from never to very often. Your result appears as soon as you finish, with a note on whether talking to a professional is worth it.

Adults who wonder whether ADHD might explain some of what they find hard. It is written for your own experience, not for judging somebody else, and it is not suitable for checking a child, which needs a specialist who works with children.

Yes, as often as you like. It runs in your browser, so each attempt starts fresh. If you are signed in you can choose to keep a score in your Focus Profile and delete it again whenever you want.