ADHD Cricket: Why I Built an App That Chirps at Me All Day

If you have ADHD, you already know the feeling. You sit down to work. You've got a plan. You know exactly what needs doing. Then twenty minutes later you're reading about the migratory patterns of Arctic Kookaburra and you have no idea how you got there.

That's not laziness. That's your brain doing what ADHD brains do: wandering off without telling you.

I wanted something to pull me back. Not an alarm; not a notification with a message to dismiss; not another app demanding my attention. Just a small, ambient sound that says "Oi. What were you supposed to be doing?"

That's ADHD Cricket.

How it works

The idea is deliberately simple. You set the days you want it to run, the times it should start and stop, and how often it chirps. Then you leave it alone. The app starts automatically on your configured days, runs in the background and chirps at your chosen interval even when your phone is locked. There's nothing to interact with; nothing to dismiss; nothing to distract you further.

The chirp is your cue to glance at your to-do list. That's it. The method works best when you pair it with a simple task list, whether that's on paper, in a spreadsheet or in whatever app you already use. The cricket reminds you to look at it. You check what you should be doing, refocus and carry on.

Why a cricket?

Partly because crickets are a natural background sound. Your brain processes a chirp differently from a phone notification. It doesn't trigger that "something needs my attention" anxiety response. It just nudges you gently back to awareness.

And partly because it made me smile, which matters more than you'd think when you're building something you'll use every single day.

But you can also choose a bird chirp or simple sine-wave if crickets annoy you.

The science behind it

The concept isn't new. Research going back decades has shown that periodic auditory prompts can help people with attention difficulties stay on task. The idea is that the prompt interrupts mind-wandering before it spirals, giving you a chance to self-correct. Most ADHD management apps focus on task lists, timers or gamification. ADHD Cricket takes a different approach: it doesn't try to manage your tasks for you. It just reminds you that you have them.

One feature I'm particularly proud of

The app keeps running. It starts automatically on your configured days without you having to remember to open it. It works with the screen locked. It doesn't drain your battery. For an ADHD tool, the ability to set it and forget it is everything, because if you have to remember to start your reminder app, you've already lost.

It's not just for ADHD task lists

My sister-in-law uses ADHD Cricket to remind herself to drink water throughout the day. She doesn't have ADHD, but the gentle, regular nudge helps her stay hydrated. I've heard from others who use it to remind themselves to take breaks, check their posture or stretch. The chirp is just a prompt. What you do with it is up to you.