After a break, I can spend about 20 minutes rereading my own code before I remember what I was doing. That is my experience, not a measured average for developers with ADHD. I built a tool to give me a first line to follow back into the work—a small cue for recovering the task, not a claim that ADHD or coding breaks work the same way for everyone.
Why returning to code can take longer than expected
Coming back to a paused task can mean rebuilding several pieces of context at once: the goal, what I just tried, and where the relevant code fits. If those details are no longer active in my mind, rereading the file may be the first step toward reconstructing them. The “20 minutes” describes how long that process can feel for me; I have not established it as a measured or universal figure.
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There is a useful distinction between reading code and recovering intent. The code shows what is there, but may not make the next action obvious. A cue that points toward a next step can help bridge that gap.
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What the first-line cue is meant to do
The tool I built hands me a first line when I return: a starting point that can act like a breadcrumb into the task. Its purpose, as I describe it here, is to reduce the blank-page feeling of reopening work and wondering where to begin. The evidence available about other tools cannot establish how this one selects or displays a line, how accurate it is, or which editors it supports.
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A cue can be useful without remembering everything. Even a brief reminder of the next action, a relevant code snippet, or recent activity may give me somewhere concrete to start. The practical test is whether it helps me re-enter my actual task, rather than merely producing more information to read.
What research says about resuming programming tasks
Task interruption and resumption have been studied in programming. In a CHI 2010 study, Robert DeLine and Chris Parnin surveyed 371 programmers about interruptions, suspending work, and getting back to it. Participants relied heavily on notes in several media. In a controlled lab study, the researchers compared note-taking with two automated cues. The Microsoft Research summary reports that participants using either cue completed tasks with twice the success rate of those using notes alone. The cues presented activity differently; participants preferred the chronological code-snippet cue.
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That is a result from the study’s particular lab tasks and cue designs, not a general productivity guarantee and not an evaluation of my tool. It does, however, make a strong case for treating resumption context as something worth preserving rather than assuming I will reconstruct it effortlessly later. Read the Microsoft Research summary of DeLine and Parnin’s study.
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A 2013 study indexed by PubMed tested 37 adults—21 with ADHD and 16 comparison participants—on phonological and visuospatial working-memory tasks. It reported group deficits and disproportionately fewer recalled items as set size increased. This is relevant context for why external cues may be helpful to some people, but the study did not examine coding, returning from breaks, or my 20-minute estimate. Group findings do not define every person with ADHD or explain an individual experience. See the study record at PubMed.
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Software-engineering-specific evidence is also emerging. A 2023 exploratory case study by Liebel, Langlois, and Gama draws on interviews with 19 software engineers with ADHD and discussions with four experienced managers. It describes varied experiences involving task organization and estimation, attention, and interpersonal aspects, alongside strengths. The authors caution that the reported challenges are not established as unique to ADHD. These interviews offer context, not prevalence estimates or clinical proof. Read the case study.
Leaving a useful cue before stepping away
A resumption cue does not need to be elaborate. Before I step away, I can leave a short note or other marker that answers the question I am likely to have on return: “What should I do first?” A notebook is one option; a digital note is just as plausible. The programming study found note-taking across several media, not that paper is superior.
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- Next action: Name the smallest concrete step, such as “check why this function returns an empty list.”
- Relevant code: Point to a snippet, function, or file that anchors the task.
- Recent activity: Record what changed or what you tested, so you do not repeat work without meaning to.
- Return point: Make the cue quick to create and easy to find in the workflow you actually use.
These are practical choices, not experimentally ranked methods. A cue that takes too long to write—or is buried when I return—can become another task rather than a help.
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What a “first line” tool should make clear
Tools that preserve coding context raise useful questions beyond whether they can produce a reminder. If software records activity, readers may also want to know what it captures, where that information persists, and how it fits into their editor and privacy expectations. Different presentations can matter: the CHI study’s participants preferred a chronological code-snippet cue over another organization of activity. That preference does not establish a best design for every developer.
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- Smash Your Goals & Prioritize Wellness: 5 Roles & Goals templates for purposeful goal setting. Reading, Bucket lists, & Self Care journal. AM/PM Routines, habit, nutrition, fitness, and health trackers included. Perfect planners 2026-2027 for women and men.
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A September 30, 2026 arXiv preprint describes Tether 2.0, an LLM assistant for software-engineering workflows using structured interaction modes, activity-aware context, and persistent memory. It reports expert feedback and hands-on use with one software engineer with ADHD. This is preliminary work, not validation of my tool or evidence of broad effectiveness. Read the Tether 2.0 preprint.
The point is to make re-entry easier, not perfect
I built the first-line cue because returning to code can mean spending precious attention rediscovering the path I was on. A starting point cannot guarantee focus, eliminate interruptions, or do the thinking for me. It can give me one concrete place to begin—and make the next return feel less like starting from zero.
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