Guide

ADHD Task Starter App — Just Start. That's the Whole App.

The freeze response when a task feels too big. The dopamine deficiency at task onset. LaunchPad solves exactly this: type any task, get 30-second micro-steps, one screen at a time, haptic celebrations. No organization. No dates. No projects. Just start.

The ADHD freeze at task onset

You want to do the thing. You know how to do the thing. But your brain won't send the "go" signal. This is the dopamine deficiency at task onset — the ADHD brain doesn't get the anticipation reward that neurotypical brains get. The task feels like a wall.

Traditional solutions (to-do lists, planners, timers) don't fix the onset problem. They organize the wall. LaunchPad puts a door in it.

How the task starter works

1. Type it however it sounds — "Clean my room", "Start taxes", "Reply to that email", "Do the thing"
2. Get step one — "Pick up every piece of clothing off the floor. Only clothing. Ignore everything else."
3. One screen — Step 1 fills the screen. The other 5 steps don't exist yet.
4. Done → haptic tap — 14ms vibration. Your brain gets the reward signal it was missing.
5. Step two appears — "Clean ones in a pile on the bed. Dirty ones in the basket. Do not fold."
6. Repeat — Forward momentum. No looking back at the mountain.

What makes it a "task starter" not a "task manager"

Task starter vs Task manager

Task Starter (LaunchPad)	Task Manager (Todoist, Things, etc.)
Shows one micro-step	Shows all tasks
No projects, no labels, no dates	Projects, labels, due dates, filters
Haptic celebration every step	Checkmark in a list
Skip button (no guilt)	Overdue badges (guilt)
No streaks, no daily quotas	Streaks, karma, daily goals
Works offline (templates)	Cloud-dependent
Free: 5 launches to start, then 1 free launch every day after	Free: limited projects

The dopamine engineering

Every "Done →" gives a 14ms haptic tap. Subtle sound. On task completion: triple haptic (14ms, 60ms, 26ms) + confetti. This isn't gamification — it's replacing the missing dopamine signal at task onset and completion.

The ADHD brain doesn't get the "anticipation dopamine" when starting a task. LaunchPad gives "completion dopamine" on every micro-step. 6 completions per task = 6 dopamine hits. The wall becomes a staircase.

25+ templates = instant dopamine

Common tasks have pre-written sequences. Zero AI wait. Zero internet needed.

• Clean room → 6 steps, starts with clothing
• Do dishes → 7 steps, starts with tap on
• Laundry → 5 steps, starts with basket carry
• Email → 6 steps, starts with "open inbox, don't read"
• Shower → 6 steps, starts with "stand up"
• ...and 20 more

What Reddit says about ADHD task starters

On r/ADHD, r/ADHDwomen, r/executivedysfunction, r/ADHDthriving: "I don't need a planner. I need something that tells me the first move." "The haptics are the dopamine I've been missing." "Finally an app with no streak guilt." LaunchPad is built for exactly these voices.