When AI Reduces ADHD Friction Instead of Adding It

What Goblin Tools Gets Right About ADHD

Artificial intelligence seems to be everywhere these days. Depending on who you ask, it's either going to solve all our problems or create entirely new ones.

As an ADHD coach, I'm interested in a much more practical question:

Can AI make everyday life a little easier for people with ADHD?

That was the focus of my recent conversation on ADHDtime on Air with Bram De Buyser, the creator of Goblin Tools, a collection of AI-powered tools now used by nearly 2 million people every month.

This blog and podcast episode are not sponsored. I invited Bram because I genuinely use Goblin Tools myself and regularly recommend it to coaching clients when it's an appropriate fit. The web version is free, and the mobile app is available for a one-time purchase of about $3, with no subscription required.

What is Goblin Tools?

Goblin Tools is a collection of simple AI-powered tools designed to reduce the everyday friction that many neurodivergent people experience. Rather than trying to replace your thinking, the tools help you get started, organize your thoughts, communicate more effectively, and reduce the mental effort involved in everyday tasks.

The current tools include:

• Magic ToDo – Breaks overwhelming tasks into smaller, manageable steps, with adjustable levels of detail.

• Formalizer – Rewrites text to change its tone, making it more professional, friendlier, shorter, or clearer.

• Judge – Estimates how a message might be interpreted emotionally, providing another perspective before you hit Send.

• Professor – Explains unfamiliar concepts in clear language and includes practical examples.

• Consultant – Helps you think through decisions by outlining pros, cons, and possible recommendations.

• Estimator – Predicts approximately how long a task may take.

• Compiler – Turns a brain dump into an organized list of actionable tasks.

• Chef – Suggests recipes based on the ingredients you already have available.

• Taskmaster – Helps you focus on one task at a time instead of becoming overwhelmed by an entire to-do list.

  
  

Reducing friction around executive function

One of the biggest ideas that stayed with me after my conversation with Bram wasn't about artificial intelligence at all. It was about design.

Many of my clients already know exactly what they need to do.

The challenge isn't a lack of knowledge or intelligence. Often, it's getting started, deciding where to begin, organizing their thoughts, estimating how long something will take, or finding the words for an email.

Those are all tasks that rely on executive functions.

What impressed me about Goblin Tools is that it doesn't try to "fix" ADHD. Instead, it reduces some of the friction around tasks that depend on executive functioning. It makes it easier to take the first step.

That distinction matters.

The goal isn't to replace executive functions. The goal is to provide support when executive functions are working overtime.

As a coach, I spend a lot of time helping people build external systems that make life easier. Calendars, reminders, routines, visual cues, accountability, and environmental supports all reduce the demands placed on executive functioning.

I see Goblin Tools in much the same way. It's another external support. It won't solve every challenge, but it can make some of those everyday tasks less effortful and more approachable.

AI doesn't have to be perfect

One idea Bram shared has stayed with me ever since we recorded.

AI doesn't have to be perfect to be useful.

At first, that sounds obvious. But the more I thought about it, the more it reminded me of something I often tell coaching clients about memory.

A strategy doesn't have to work every single time to improve your chances of success.

If writing something down helps you remember 90% of the time instead of relying on memory alone, that's a huge improvement. The same is true here.

Even if AI generates a task list that isn't exactly right, you're no longer starting with a blank page. You're editing instead of creating from scratch. For many people with ADHD, that's the difference between getting started and staying stuck.

Good design matters

Another part of the conversation that really resonated with me was Bram's discussion of activation energy.

Every extra click, every unnecessary screen, and every additional step increases the effort required before someone can actually use a tool.

People with ADHD often feel that cost much more intensely.

That's why Goblin Tools feels different.

Most of the tools are available immediately. No complicated setup. No long onboarding process. You simply open the tool and start using it.

I see this principle play out all the time. The easier it is to begin, the more likely we are to actually get started. Sometimes the smallest barrier is enough to stop us before we even begin.

Technology should support us, not replace us

One concern I hear frequently is:

"If AI does these things for us, won't we stop learning?"

Sometimes that's a reasonable concern. But many of the tasks Goblin Tools supports aren't about learning a new skill. They're about reducing the mental effort required to perform skills people already have.

I know how to change a tire. That doesn't mean I always want to.

Sometimes the value isn't replacing ability.

It's conserving energy.

For many adults with ADHD, that energy is one of their most valuable resources.

Listen to the full conversation

If you're curious about how AI can thoughtfully support executive functioning, I hope you'll listen to my conversation with Bram De Buyser on ADHDtime on Air.

We discuss executive functioning, activation energy, assistive technology, personalization, and why the future of AI may be less about replacing human thinking and more about supporting it.

I'd love to hear from you.

Have you tried Goblin Tools? Is there another AI tool that's become part of your

ADHD toolkit?