Pomodoro for ADHD
If you've ever set a Pomodoro, burned the whole block staring at the wall, felt worse at minute 25 than minute zero, and concluded "productivity apps don't work for me," this page is about why it wasn't your fault, and what to change.
The Pomodoro technique was invented in the late 1980s by Francesco Cirillo, who timed his study sessions with a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro is Italian for tomato). The original rule is 25 minutes on, five off, in strict blocks. It works well for neurotypical brains on a stable-energy day.
ADHD does not have a stable-energy day. Working memory fluctuates, novelty matters more than willpower, interest-based attention beats time-based attention, and any rigid externally-imposed structure feels like a fight on the days you don't want one. The 25-minute block is treated like a law you break when you're "bad at focus," when actually you're just in the wrong mood for it.
Research on Pomodoro with ADHD converges on a few principles: flexible intervals that match energy state, interest-based framing that makes the content feel voluntary, immediate rewards at the end of each block, and permission to abandon a session without shame if the mood was wrong. Put together, the new rule is less "focus for 25 minutes" and more "focus for however long feels right, and end the session with something you're glad you got."
Four design choices sit directly on the research.
Two separate modes with their own default durations, UI, and coin math. Deep for writing, coding, studying. Shallow for inbox, errands, admin. You pick based on what you can actually do today, not what you wish you could do.
25 minutes is the default because it's the recognizable Pomodoro length. A scroll wheel lets you dial anywhere from 25 to 120 minutes in 5-minute steps. Every completed session catches one ghost, regardless of length. The timer bends to you.
Finish a session and a ghost joins your collection. Coins added. Streak extended. Finish and you end richer. Forest grows a tree that dies; we catch ghosts that stay.
Moods
Before a session, pick one of 13 moods. The app uses it to bias which apparition you catch, so the reward matches the shape of the day you are having. Seven are free. Six are Pro. Two are emotional antidotes that meet you where you are and summon the opposite.
Antidote pair
A rough day? The app summons someone to cheer you up. A happy figure walks out of the pixels instead of matching you.
Antidote pair
Feeling shaky? The app summons someone who wasn’t. A courageous figure walks out of the pixels instead of mirroring the fear.
The depth model
The app has two focus modes because focus itself has depths. A day on the beach with a drink is not the same as swimming laps, and neither is the same as diving for a shark with a spear gun. Shallow Focus is the surface swim: inbox, errands, the kind of work you can do while the waves roll through. Deep Focus is the dive: the long, quiet, fully-submerged block where the hard stuff gets done.
ADHD brains don't live at one depth. Some mornings you're on the island. Some afternoons you're at the reef. The right Pomodoro meets you where the water is, rather than insisting you swim the same stretch every time.
Catch the Ghost has a streak system, because loss aversion is real and a gentle stake helps. But streaks are a hook, not the pitch. Lose one, and the worst that happens is a number resets. Nothing dies. No "you failed today" modal. The app assumes you had a reason.
Common questions
Yes, when the timer is flexible. Traditional 25-minute-only Pomodoro ignores the reality of ADHD: working memory fluctuates, energy state shifts within a single hour, and interest matters more than willpower. A timer that lets you pick the interval and the mood performs far better than one that enforces the same block for every task.
Whatever length keeps you in the chair. For low-energy or admin work, stay near 25 minutes. For heavy cognitive work on a good day, push toward 60 to 90, or dial up to 120. The research supports flexible intervals over the rigid 25-minute rule for ADHD brains. Catch the Ghost's scroll wheel spans 25 to 120 minutes in 5-minute steps, so the same app handles a low-energy Monday and a deep-work Thursday.
The feature set was designed with flexible-timer research in mind, not the original 25-minute Cirillo rule. Deep Focus and Shallow Focus modes, 13 moods, variable session lengths, and a reward-first loop that uses neutral language on exit (no dying tree, no "you failed") all map to what works for ADHD. It is not a medical device and is not a substitute for professional treatment.
Streaks are present but optional. If they help you, they help. If they stress you out, you can ignore them without losing anything else about the product. The core loop is focus session catches ghost, and that works with or without a streak.
The ghost escapes and a small coin cost applies (10 coins below a 500-coin balance, 3% above), which is the stake that makes the session feel real. Deep Focus also gives you a 60-second grace window through Live Activity and the Dynamic Island, so stepping away for a moment does not end the run. What does not happen is the shame cycle: no pet dies, no plant wilts, no screen calls you a failure. Start the next session whenever you are ready. ADHD brains do not need another app telling them they failed.
Free to download. Free to use. The core loop works on the Free tier; Pro adds content and overnight multipliers.
