CTO
Leonid's story
Ever since I was old enough to become self-aware, I've felt terrified of being bored. Not because I disliked the discomfort, but because I was anxious about what my brain might do to me if I was left alone with it, with nothing to distract me from my own thoughts. To avoid boredom, I tended to overload myself in any way I could, with studies, sports, extra-curricular activities, or anything that could take my mind off... well, itself. Being constantly busy came at a price - not only was I consistently late for everything, but I also tended to engage with things only superficially. This was true for everything with one exception, mathematics. I could lose myself in it for hours on end, and focusing on it gave me a sense of peace.
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I was fortunate enough to turn this tendency into academic success, getting a doctoral degree the day before my 24th birthday. My PhD advisor introduced my defense like this: Leonid has been involved with [long list of my extracurricular activities], he has been very helpful to the group, and he can really get some good work done... when he focuses. It was not until my early 30s when, following a suggestion from someone who knows me well, I took an assessment which found that I had attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (or ADHD for short). I approached the diagnosis with skepticism - it did not fit with my preconceived notions - but decided to try the stimulant medication regardless. It made a huge difference, and for the first time it felt like my brain could rest even when I was not doing mathematics.
But old habits die hard. Despite the medication being helpful, especially with driving, I was still overloading myself and letting people down in the process - not just colleagues and trainees, but also my loved ones. I used to jokingly tell my trainees that the difference between being a postdoc and a professor is that when you become a professor, you get to pick the person you disappoint next. I tried system after system for productivity, organising my life, but none of them ever stuck. When LLMs first appeared I also felt skeptical, but eventually realised their benefits for research, which are by now undeniable. However, the shift to agentic AI opened up the possibility of not only carrying out some of my tasks for me, but also setting up my own "chief-of-staff", an agent that could help me manage my commitments, energy levels, and keep track of my successes and failures. After the medication, this was the change with the greatest effect on my life. In the first two months, I went from having lists spread across multiple Notes, voice memos, scraps of paper strewn around my office, and my overloaded brain, to having a single system to contain it all, triage it, process it, and keep track of it so that I could finally achieve the flow state I so desperately craved.
I discussed this project with my friend Stephane, and we decided that it might be helpful for other professionals with ADHD. That is how Herding Chickens was born. My personal version has more features, which we hope to be able to bring to our users over time, but we decided to start with a core version to make sure these benefits do generalise. We're building Herding Chickens first on Telegram, then we'll bring it to other platforms. Join the waitlist and we'll tell you when early access opens. The design principles are simple: capture everything that matters, group it into categories, pick one key item to focus on for the day, get gentle reminders and if needed, AI assistance to split tasks (the difference between silently ruminating for an hour and taking a small step forward). It is my hope that you will also find this app beneficial, and would love to get your feedback. We are a small team, but we read every message, in whatever form you send it.