So you know that I love trying to find the most ADHD-friendly apps. In all honesty, it’s just as fun for me to do as it is for others to learn about (I’m assuming. I dunno. I can’t read your mind).
Even though I play with these things and often find ones that I adore, I’m always on the hunt for new things to try, and y’all…this time I’ve found a really great one that I think you’re going to adore. You can, as always, watch the video here or listen to it below or at your favorite platform.
Also, so you know, I’m not affiliated with Marvin in any way (I tried, though. I’m too small. Don’t you hate when that happens? Motion of the ocean and all that. Anywhoozles).
So let’s talk about Marvin, shall we? We shall.
What, exactly, is Marvin?
Marvin is a task management app made by Christina Wyvern and her husband, Mark. A self-proclaimed “master procrastinator,” Christina found she really needed something to help her quit procrastinating and feel more productive, and nothing out there was really meeting her needs. So she and Mark got together to make their perfect tool.
And, y’all, I say this without an ounce of hyperbole: it may be the closest to perfect ADHD-friendly app that I’ve found so far.
Why is Marvin great?
The thing that makes Marvin truly unique is the fact that it’s 100% fully customizable. You choose everything from colors to productivity strategies to your own rewards. There are also workflow templates to start with if you don’t want to start from scratch, built off of popular productivity methods like the Eisenhower Matrix or the Pomodoro Technique.
Marvin has worked so beautifully for me specifically, because I’m able to essentially build my ideal to-do list however I like. Seriously. Like, one day I was thinking that I needed to narrow my daily focus to one particular subject, and BAM there the option was: Theming. So now, Monday is a day to focus on business operations, Tuesday is a day to focus on writing, and so on. Removing things you don’t need is just as easy, too.
You’re able to keep track of goals and habits, and reschedule things you don’t get to. Marvin even has a Procrastination Wizard strategy that’ll help you figure out why you’re not able to get started, which obviously isn’t a surefire promise to get you unstuck, but what is?
There are so many ways to look at your most important tasks that you really can’t get bored or go wrong, even with an ADHD brain. You can look at things from a week’s perspective, from the month’s perspective, or simply drag and drop tasks into an hourly version of your schedule, which also integrates with a number of different types of calendars.
The ultimate proof that this app was made with us in mind though: gamification. Marvin’s little mascot, a little Domo – lookin’ dude, fittingly named Marvin, shows up as you finish tasks with little dances and animations that you win as you gain points and level up from finishing tasks. In fact, once I finish this, I’m about to level up and get a little animation of Marvin jumping for joy.
Marvin also has a mobile app that doesn’t boast all of the functionality of the desktop app, but it’s fantastic for adding and removing tasks, which can be the most important thing when you’re pretty much just getting things done on the go.
How could Marvin improve?
Other than the aforementioned limited functionality of the mobile app, I’ll also say that Marvin isn’t the best possible app for working on larger scale projects. It’ll help you keep track of the necessary tasks, and it does have the option to make subtasks and attach documents, but you’re not really able to indicate the progress level of a task, at least not that I’ve seen.
This is also not a team app at all. While it’s beautifully set up for one person, you’re not going to be able to share anything with anyone here. So if you’re looking for something that you and a whole team of people can use, I’d suggest using something else.
In conclusion…
I can’t say enough good things about Marvin, and they’re only working to continue to improve it. An app that you can build around your brain and change according to your needs? That’s literally all we’ve been asking for.
Details
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android
Cost: 30-day free trial and then $12/month or $95.88/yearly, OR $300 for a lifetime
BEST FOR: Busy parents, solopreneurs, and students
NOT GREAT FOR: Teams, anyone who works away from their desk most of the time
