CEO
Stéphane Patteux
Strategy, business development, marketing, and everything public-facing — the website, social channels, and how we show up in the ADHD community. Stéphane makes sure we grow without losing the plot.
About us
Built for neurodivergent brains — honestly, in the open.
If you have ADHD, you already know the story. You bought the planner. You downloaded the app with the streaks and the badges. You built the perfect Notion dashboard at 2am in a burst of hyperfocus — and never opened it again. It's not that the tools were bad. It's that they were built for a brain you don't have.
Traditional productivity tools make a quiet assumption: that seeing a task is enough to start it. For most people, that's roughly true. For an ADHD brain, the gap between knowing what to do and startingit can be a canyon. A task like “sort out insurance” isn't one item — it's an unmapped wilderness, and the brain responds the way brains respond to wilderness: it freezes. Then the overdue labels turn red, the guilt arrives, and the app becomes another thing you're failing at. So it gets deleted. We've deleted them all too.
The name Herding Chickens comes from what managing attention can feel like: chasing a flock of panicked chickens around a yard. You can't herd them all at once. But you can pick up one. That's the philosophy behind the product. We don't try to turn you into a linear, neurotypical planner — we want to meet your brain where it is. Pick one key thing. Stay on it with kind nudges. Break the scary thing into a step so small it feels silly when you need to. And when a day goes sideways — because some days will — no red ink and no judgment.
We're in early development. The marketing site is live; the app is being built separately. Some features on this site are planned, not finished. We'd rather say that plainly than imply everything already exists.
Meet the team
The people behind herding chickens
A two-person founding team — product and engineering — building the tool we wished existed on hard days.
CTO
Leonid Chindelevitch
Product vision and engineering. Leonid shapes what Herding Chickens becomes and builds the app — the daily loop, gentle check-ins, and executive-function support that actually ships.
The product direction starts with a daily loop — capture, one key thing, gentle check-ins, a forgiving streak, and balance across four life areas (work & admin, family & friends, health, personal) so nothing quietly gets ignored. Optional AI breakdown helps when a task feels too big. Fuller day-shapes, scheduling, and timers are on the roadmap.
One chicken at a time. That's how the flock gets herded.
Who it's for
Made for brains that freeze, drift, and guilt-spiral
Herding Chickens is for people who want to get things done without being scolded into it. You don't need an official diagnosis to belong here — but you do need to want a productivity tool, not medical care.
ADHD & executive dysfunction
Diagnosed, self-identified, or still figuring it out. If initiation, planning, or follow-through is the hard part — not motivation — this is built with you in mind.
Task paralysis
You know what to do. You stare at the list. Nothing moves. You need help breaking the first wall, not another lecture about discipline.
Time blindness
"Five minutes" disappears. Deadlines sneak up. You want time to feel more visible — without a punishing countdown or shame when you're late.
Burnt by productivity apps
Punishing streaks, red overdue text, and setup marathons that never get finished. If guilt-based tools made things worse, you're not alone.
Students & working adults
Essays, admin, life maintenance, side projects — real tasks in a messy week. Not a fantasy CEO schedule; just getting through Tuesday.
Autistic & AuDHD folks
Overlapping executive-function challenges. Clear steps, predictable flows, and less sensory overload from nagging notifications.
Probably not the right fit if…
- You need therapy, ADHD coaching, or crisis support — please talk to a qualified professional.
- You want a dead-simple list with zero structure — we add a daily main, gentle check-ins, and optional AI breakdown on purpose.
- You want someone else to complete tasks for you — we help you start, not outsource your life.
- You want a guaranteed fix — some days will still be hard; we aim to make starting easier, not effortless.
What Herding Chickens is and is not
This is for you if…
- Gentle accountability in chat — dump tasks, pick today's one key thing, and get kind check-ins that nudge without nagging.
- Built for ADHD brains: task paralysis, executive dysfunction, drift, and the guilt that comes from traditional apps.
- Launching Telegram-first for low-friction capture — with web and mobile planned next.
- Optional AI breakdown when a task feels too big — small steps as a helper, not the whole product.
- A guilt-free planner in the roadmap — missed tasks should flow forward with no red text or overdue shame.
- A tool for real life — laundry, taxes, emails, admin — not a fantasy of becoming a different person.
This is not…
- Medical treatment, therapy, or ADHD coaching. We don't diagnose, prescribe, or replace professional care.
- A substitute for medication or a clinician. If you need clinical support, please talk to someone qualified.
- Another shame-based to-do list. No overdue red badges, no punishment for empty days — momentum, not scolding.
- Hustle culture in app form. We won't tell you to wake up at 5am or "just try harder."
- A robot that does your tasks for you. We help you pick up one chicken — you still do the step.
- A miracle cure. Some days will still be hard. We're here to make the starting part less impossible.
Herding Chickens is software to help with everyday task initiation and planning. It is not a medical device. If you are in crisis or need clinical support, please contact a qualified professional or your local emergency services.
What we believe
Guilt-free by design
Shame is not a productivity strategy. The product is designed not to scold you, redden at you, or count your failures.
Science, not hustle
We aim to build on executive-function research — task initiation, dopamine, time perception — not motivational posters.
Community-shaped
We want the ADHD community to shape the roadmap. If a feature doesn't help a real neurodivergent brain, it shouldn't ship.
Come herd with us
The app is coming soon — register interest and we'll email you when early access opens. We'll be honest about what works and what doesn't.
The product is coming soon — Telegram first, then web and mobile. Features, pricing, and timelines may change. We'd rather tell you that now than surprise you later.