The hard part is starting. We call you for that.
A short call at the time you pick asks which task you will start and when. Then your Mac keeps distractions away. For Berkeley students with ADHD.
Concentr8 runs on your laptop. Open this page there.
Email it to me
Windows and Linux are early versions without distraction blocking. Full versions are coming.
Windows and Linux: early versions, full versions coming.
Not sure which Mac? Apple menu, About This Mac. US phone numbers only.
Ready in three minutes.
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Install it
Drag it into Applications. If macOS says it is damaged, run:
xattr -cr /Applications/Concentr8.app -
Add your courses
Paste your bCourses token, or skip it and type any task.
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Turn on the call
In Settings: your number and the time you want the call.
One call. Then your Mac helps you follow through.
The call
At the time you picked: which task, and when? One sentence.
You start
Your session begins at the time you said.
You drift
A gentle warning, then back to your work.
You are stuck
One minute of breathing, then one tiny step.
A break
Take it on purpose. No nudges.
Built on research, not hunches.
Every part of Concentr8 goes back to a study about getting started, several of them with people who have ADHD.
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½ grade
College students with ADHD earned about half a grade less in all four years, and fewer stayed enrolled.
Why we built Concentr8.
DuPaul et al., 2021 · 406 college students -
Since 1997
UC Berkeley researchers have followed girls with ADHD into adulthood. Trouble with school did not simply fade with age.
Why it checks in every day, not once.
Hinshaw lab, UC Berkeley · 228 participants -
94 studies
Deciding exactly when you will start, called an if-then plan, clearly helps people follow through.
So the call asks: which task, and when?
Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006 · meta-analysis -
If → then
If-then plans helped children with ADHD hold back unwanted responses, up to the level of children without ADHD.
The same idea, tested with ADHD.
Gawrilow & Gollwitzer, 2008 -
2 in 3
Adults with ADHD who learned skills like breaking big tasks into small steps: more than 2 in 3 saw symptoms drop by 30% or more, against about 1 in 3 with relaxation training.
So when you are stuck, you get one tiny first step.
Safren et al., JAMA 2010 · randomized trial -
5 min
Five minutes a day of structured breathing, box breathing among them, improved mood over four weeks.
So I'm stuck starts with a minute of box breathing.
Balban et al., Stanford 2023 · 108 adults
These studies are why we designed Concentr8 this way. Concentr8 itself has not been tested in a study, and it is not a medical product.
Claude does the thinking.
Runs the call
Cartesia gives it the phone line and the voice.
Knows your deadlines
The call opens with what is actually due.
Finds a first step
Small enough to start in five minutes.
Checks unclear pages
Only the title and address, during a session. Never your screen.
Questions
macOS says the app is damaged.
It is not, it is just not signed by Apple yet. Run this once in Terminal:
xattr -cr /Applications/Concentr8.appWindows says it protected my PC.
Click More info, then Run anyway.
How do I start the Linux version?
Make it runnable, then double-click it. Newer Ubuntu may need libfuse2.
chmod +x Concentr8-x64.AppImageDo I get the newest version?
Yes. The app tells you when a new one is out.
What do you store?
Your phone number, call time and assignment titles with due dates. Your bCourses token stays on your computer. Deleting your account removes everything.
Why does it need permissions on the Mac?
To see which app you are in and bring you back to your work. You can turn it off in System Settings.
How do I stop the calls?
Say "stop calling me", or turn the call off in the app.