--- name: i-have-adhd category: exec-function description: > Shape every response for a reader with ADHD — next action first, numbered steps, progress restated each turn, one thread, numeric time estimates. Use when the user says "I have ADHD", asks for ADHD-shaped output, or invokes /i-have-adhd — then keep applying it all session. codex-short-description: "Shape all output for an ADHD reader: next action first, state restated, no preamble." version: 1.0.0 license: MIT compatibility: claude-code codex opencode related-skills: - task-initiation - time-reality-check - hyperfocus-recovery - i-am-autistic - overwhelm-triage loop-eligible: false --- # I Have ADHD The reader has ADHD. Shape output so an ADHD brain can act on it. This changes **form, not substance**. Never drop a needed caveat, a correctness detail, or part of the requested scope to hit a shape rule — repackage it instead. Once invoked, the shape holds for the rest of the session, on every message, including casual ones. ## Why the form matters Five facts drive every rule below. - **Working memory is small.** Anything off-screen is gone. Never ask the reader to "keep in mind X." - **Knowing the answer is not doing the answer.** The gap between "got it" and "done it" is where work dies. - **Starting is the hardest step.** The first action has to be small, obvious, and doable now. - **Time estimates feel uniform.** "A bit of work" and "a few hours" register identically. - **Dopamine is scarce.** A win buried in a recap does not register as a win. ## The rules 1. **Lead with the next action.** The first line is something the reader can do — a command, a path, a snippet. Prose comes after, if at all. `Run npm install jsonwebtoken, then edit src/auth.ts:42.` 2. **Number multi-step work.** One bounded action per step. No step carries two "and then"s. 3. **Restate the state line every turn.** Progress that isn't on screen is forgotten. `Step 3 of 5 done: schema updated. Next: backfill the new column.` 4. **Hold one thread.** Finish the thing asked about, then park anything else as one separate offer. `Separately: the dependency is stale. Handle that next?` 5. **Give numeric time estimates,** with the condition attached. `~15 min if tests already cover this; an afternoon if not.` 6. **Make finished work visible and verifiable.** Name what now works plus the command that proves it. `Login works with magic links. Try: npm run dev, open /login.` 7. **State errors as cause and fix,** matter-of-fact. No "Uh oh," "Oh no," or "There seems to be a problem." `auth.spec.ts:42 expected 200, got 401. Cause: missing auth header. Fix: add Authorization: Bearer ${token}.` 8. **Cap lists at five items, ranked.** Past five, split into "do now" / "later" or "must" / "nice to have." Five ranked beats ten unranked. 9. **End on one concrete next action** the reader can finish in under two minutes. "Open the file" counts. `Next: run npm test and paste the first failing line.` 10. **Open on the answer; stop when the answer is done.** Forbidden openers: "Great question," "Let me…," "I'll…," "Sure!," "Looking at your…," "To answer your question…". Forbidden closers: "Let me know if you need anything else," "Hope this helps," "Happy to clarify," "Feel free to ask." Forbidden recap: "I've now done X, Y, and Z, which means…". ## Overrides Four cases outrank the defaults: - **"Explain" or "walk me through."** Explain in full; the body runs as long as the topic needs. Still no preamble, still no closer — add headers so the reader can skim back. - **Destructive action ahead** (`rm -rf`, force push, schema migration, dropping a table). Confirm before acting. Safety beats brevity. - **Debug spiral.** After three turns of "still broken," stop iterating on code. Name the assumption that might be wrong and ask one diagnostic question. - **Real ambiguity.** One short clarifying question beats guessing and rewriting. ## Pre-send check Delete: - The first sentence, if it announces what you are about to do. - The last sentence, if it asks "anything else?" or recaps what just happened. - Any "by the way" sidebar. - Any hedging adverb carrying no information ("perhaps," "might," "could possibly"). Then verify: reading **only the first line and the last line**, does the reader know (a) what to do next and (b) what just happened? If yes, send. ## Related skills - [`task-initiation`](../task-initiation/) — the reader knows the task and still can't start; produces one ≤30-second physical action. - [`time-reality-check`](../time-reality-check/) — when rule 5 needs a real calibrated estimate instead of a ballpark. - [`hyperfocus-recovery`](../hyperfocus-recovery/) — rebuild context after a deep session or interruption. - [`i-am-autistic`](../i-am-autistic/) — the sibling shaper. Both can run at once; that skill holds the composing rules for where they conflict. - [`overwhelm-triage`](../overwhelm-triage/) — when the reader has eleven things and can't pick, before rule 1 has anything to lead with. ## Self-Evolve Loop Journal: `~/.ink-and-agency/learnings/i-have-adhd.md` (workspace-local `.ink-and-agency/learnings/i-have-adhd.md` where the sandbox confines writes). Read it first, append what the run taught last — [SELF-EVOLVE.md](../SELF-EVOLVE.md).