My ADHD Story
by Joe · 48 things on Twos
- How ADHD controlled my life until I started using Twos ✌️
- In my early adolescence and throughout elementary school, it was clear that I struggled with behavioral issues.
- The public school system in Miami would grade students on three things - academics, effort (represented by a number 1–3), and conduct.
- From 1st to 3rd grade, I remember my report cards being LITTERED with B2Cs.
- The B meant I was performing above average academically 📚
- The 2 meant I was doing less-than-most by ways of effort 🙇♂️
- and the C meant I was a regular disturbance in classes 👹
- Parent/teacher conferences were a regular occurrence until my Mom decided it was time to take me in for a psychiatric evaluation.
- The doctor would give me an IQ test, leave the room to observe me from a hidden camera, and watch as I would distract myself with the toys on his desk as soon as the tests were complete. According to my Mom, it did not take them very long to diagnose me with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
- I was prescribed Ritalin and advised to monitor my appetite, mood, and depressive thoughts - I was 11 at the time.
- If you know someone who struggles with ADD or ADHD, you know how brutal the side effects of the drugs can be. Every day, I would come home from school distraught about my mood, lack of energy, and how I did not feel "myself."
- Even at a young age, I knew I needed something else to help me cope with my overactive mind.
- Fast forward to the end of college. I would take meds sparingly for big exams, chore days, and the occasional social event (which never felt right). Despite how bad my meds made me feel; I knew I needed them to graduate.
- Once I graduated and took a position with a real-estate/tech startup in Austin, Texas - I stopped taking my medication entirely. I simply could not deal with the side effects any longer. What I didn't realize is how much impact my ADHD would make on my career advancement (or lack thereof).
- In order to get control of my professional life - I called my Dad who is a workplace psychologist and also diagnosed with adult ADHD.
- I'll never forget what he said on our call…
- "You need to start writing things down"
- It was such simple advice. Start writing down my goals, what I was learning, what I needed to do, and everything in between. He recommended that I buy red and black notebooks on Amazon, a good pen, and get started ASAP, which is exactly what I did.
- Over the next couple of years and 5 red and black notebooks, I found myself writing and remembering more things than ever before. The impact it made on my life was amazing.
- I remembered things I was learning, people I was meeting, things I needed to do, and got promoted multiple times.
- But, the more things I wrote down, the more I noticed inherent problems with my red and black notebooks.
- I was buying new notebooks once every 3 months
- I did not like having to bring it wherever I went
- The information was disorganized and not easily searched
- But I wouldn't discover the solution to these issues until I spoke with my future roommate, co-founder, and best friend, Parker Klein.
- Parker was a software developer at the startup in Austin. He was quiet, pensive, and undoubtedly very smart. Being the outgoing person I am, I would frequently distract Parker with random questions, hypotheticals, and whatever else helped me establish a friendship with a person I found to be very unique.
- When we had both left the company and moved away, I would still regularly call Parker to catch up. It would mostly be about me and the difficulties I was facing in life - but Parker was always there to listen, which I admired more than anything.
- One day, I called Parker with a software developer's favorite words…
- "I have an app idea that I need your help with" (pause for laughter)
- I was scrolling Twitter and noticed how athletes, politicians, and other public figures would use screenshots of the Notes App to make major announcements. I thought, "There must be a better way."
- Lucky for me, Parker was already working on a notes app alternative that went much further than what I had envisioned. It was called "Twos" and he had the goal of building the best place to write *things* down.
- Parker's passion for Twos and my interest in helping him turned into weekly calls, often between 3–4 hours at a time, talking about Twos and how we could improve its experience and design.
- On July 9th, 2020 I created my Twos account (@Joe) and started using it as a replacement for my red and black notebooks.
- I started with a few simple lists like my golf club distances, things I needed for my new apartment, and my favorite quotes. Soon, I realized Twos solved all the problems that I had with notebooks because it was…
- Free to use and never ran out of pages
- Accessible on web and optimized for mobile use
- Organized in a very intelligent way with a powerful search feature
- In January of 2021, I was given an opportunity to work for a private equity firm in Tampa, FL. Parker was working remotely for Google at the time and we would still regularly connect and talk about Twos. It was in December of 2020 that Parker made the decision that would change our lives forever…
- Fri Dec 4, 2020
- Parker wants to move to Tampa with me :)
- #SharedFromTwos ✌️
- Once we arrived in Tampa, it was not long until both Parker and I felt called to work on Twos full-time. Parker left his job with Google in March of 2021 and I followed suit in May.
- Our goal is to help people remember *things* with the best place to write *things* down - especially for people like me who need a quick, easy, and accessible place to capture any *thing* they want to remember.
- We are blessed to have an amazing group of early adopters and continue to make improvements based on their suggestions and our long-term vision for Twos.
- Twos has helped me in many ways and if you're in need of more control, mental clarity, or career advancement, I recommend you start writing things down.
- And if you're just beginning to start writing things down, I'd love for you to give Twos, the BEST place to write *things* down, a try.
- Happy Twosday,
- Joe