Momentum in Micro-Doses A gentle task management system for brains that struggle with executive dysfunction, ADHD, and task initiation paralysis.

• About
• Why It Exists
• The Science
  • Executive Function Support
  • Cognitive Load Theory
  • Dopamine Regulation
  • The Dopamine Menu
  • Object Permanence Support
• Features
• Installation
• How to Use
• The Brand Voice
• Sources
• The Name
• Contributing
• License

NeuroNibble™ was designed to help your brain start tasks it keeps avoiding. Think of it as a gentle nudge system that breaks overwhelming work into tiny, doable "bites", because alliteration is fun, and also because your brain processes small chunks way better than big scary blocks. (Science backs this up. We'll get to that.)

This isn't another productivity tool that yells at you to "just focus." It's built specifically for brains that struggle with executive dysfunction, ADHD, task initiation paralysis, and object permanence issues. In other words, it assists you if you are someone that forgets tasks exist the moment they leave your field of vision.

Here's what we know: You're not lazy. Your brain just works differently.

When you stare at "reply to emails" and can't start, three things are happening in your brain simultaneously:

1. Executive dysfunction is making it hard to sequence the steps
2. Cognitive overload is maxing out your working memory
3. Dopamine dysregulation is killing your motivation

Most productivity tools ignore this. NeuroNibble™ works with your brain, not against it.

Your prefrontal cortex, otherwise known as the brain's "CEO", struggles to activate complex task sequences. Dr. Russell Barkley's ADHD research shows that executive dysfunction isn't about willpower; it's about self-regulation failure.

What NeuroNibble™ does: Breaks "reply to emails" (12 hidden steps) into "open inbox" (1 step, 30 seconds). Your brain can handle that.

Your working memory can only hold roughly 4-7 chunks of information at once. When a "simple" task has too many steps, your brain hits capacity and freezes.

John Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory shows that learning and task execution work best when information is chunked into manageable units.

What NeuroNibble™ does: Reduces cognitive load by showing you one tiny step at a time and not the entire journey at once.

Some neurodivergent brains like with ADHD, have lower baseline dopamine and weaker responses to distant rewards. Research by Salamone & Correa shows dopamine isn't just about pleasure, it's about effort allocation and motivation.

What NeuroNibble™ does: Gives you immediate micro-wins (dopamine hits) in the ways that matter to you, that also fuel momentum. Completing "open inbox" releases dopamine now, which makes the next step ("read one email") feel possible.

Task Shrinking

• Break overwhelming tasks into 2-10 minute "bites"

• One-step-at-a-time progressive disclosure

• Save your progress when you need to stop

  Energy Matching

• Choose tasks based on your current capacity (low/medium/high energy)

• Gentle reminders that adapt to your state

• Permission to stop at any bite

  Dopamine Menu

• Pre-filled activity categories (customize what works for you)

• Random selector to remove decision fatigue

• "When I feel ___" conditional views

Object Permanence Help

• Visual task persistence in your browser

• "Pick up where you left off" bookmarks and resume cards

• Non-intrusive notification system

  Gentle Messaging

• Validating, permission-based language

• No shame, no guilt, no "productivity" pressure

• Celebrates showing up, not just completing

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bree-jeune/neuronibble-extension.git

# Navigate to chrome://extensions in your browser

# Enable "Developer mode" (toggle in top right)

# Click "Load unpacked" and select the extension folder

# Pin NeuroNibble™ to your toolbar for easy access

Note: Chrome Web Store submission coming soon!

1. Click the NeuroNibble™ icon in your toolbar
2. Type what's freezing you (e.g., "reply to emails")
3. Break it into bites (or let us suggest some)
4. Do just the first bite
5. Stop whenever you need to (seriously, it counts)

If you can't even start the "break it down" process:

1. Open your Dopamine Menu
2. Pick an "appetizer" (5 min or less)
3. Come back when you feel slightly less terrible
4. Try one bite. Just one.

The extension will gently ask about your energy level. This helps route you to appropriate tasks:

• Low energy → Dump Zone (brain dump) → Work Beside (body doubling)
• Medium energy → Break It Down → Tiny Thing
• High energy → Weekly Room (a productivity zone flow designed to meet you where you are) → Build Mode

You can always skip this. No judgment.

NeuroNibble™ isn't here to shame you into productivity. We use:

Gentle messages: "Showing up still counts." Validation: "This isn't laziness. It's executive dysfunction." Permission-based language: "You're allowed to leave things unfinished." Progressive disclosure: We show you what you need when you need it, not everything at once.

• Barkley, R.A. (1997). "Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of ADHD." Psychological Bulletin, 121(1), 65-94.
• Barkley, R.A. (2012). Executive Functions: What They Are, How They Work, and Why They Evolved. New York: Guilford Publications.
• Sweller, J. (1988). "Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning." Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257-285.
• Salamone, J.D. & Correa, M. (2012). "The mysterious motivational functions of mesolimbic dopamine." Neuron, 76(3), 470-485.
• Schultz, W. (1998). "Predictive reward signal of dopamine neurons." Journal of Neurophysiology, 80(1), 1-27.