Built by an ADHD brain, for ADHD brains
FlowStateADHD started as a personal tool to solve a personal problem. Then I realised it might help a lot of other people too.
Why I Built This
I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. If you've been through it, you know it is a very specific kind of experience. You spend years thinking you're just lazy, or undisciplined, or not smart enough to keep up. Then someone explains that your brain is wired differently, and suddenly a lifetime of confusion starts to make sense.
One of the things I struggled with most was reading. Not the physical act. I could read fine. But I'd get to the end of a paragraph and have absolutely no idea what I'd just read. My eyes would move across the words but my mind had already drifted somewhere else entirely. I'd re-read the same page four times and still retain nothing. It was exhausting and demoralising.
I tried everything. Audiobooks helped sometimes, but I'd zone out from those too. Speed reading apps felt gimmicky. Physical books with a ruler under each line worked occasionally, but weren't practical for the long articles and documents I needed to read for work.
Then I came across FlowRead, the technique of bolding the first half of each word to give the eyes a consistent visual anchor. I tried a few tools, but they were either expensive, cluttered, or not built with ADHD in mind. They solved the font problem but ignored everything else: the background colour, the line spacing, the coloured overlays that help with visual stress, the line focus mode for when your eyes keep skipping around.
So I built what I actually wanted. A clean, focused, free tool that lets you customise every aspect of your reading experience, treating you like an intelligent adult who knows their own brain.
That's FlowStateADHD.
What FlowStateADHD Does
FlowStateADHD converts any text into FlowRead format, bolding the first half of each word to anchor your eyes and reduce mind-wandering. You can then customise every aspect of your reading experience: font, size, spacing, background colour, coloured overlays, and line focus mode.
Upload .txt, .pdf, or .docx files, or simply paste text directly. Adjust until it feels right, then read. It's that simple.
Who It's For
FlowStateADHD is for anyone who finds reading harder than it should be. Particularly people with ADHD, dyslexia, visual processing differences, or anyone who struggles with attention and retention when reading long-form text.
You don't need a diagnosis to use it. If it helps you read better, that's reason enough.
It's Free
FlowStateADHD is completely free to use. No account required, no paywall, no "premium features". Everything you see is available to everyone.
This tool exists because it should exist. Not to generate revenue. If it helps you, that's the whole point.
Your Privacy
The text you paste into FlowStateADHD never leaves your browser. There's no server, no storage, no data collection. Your reading is entirely private.
The only data we collect is what you voluntarily submit via the feedback form. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
What This Tool Stands For
FlowStateADHD is built on the belief that the right tools can genuinely change how people with ADHD experience the world. Not cure it. Change it. Make things more accessible, more manageable, more enjoyable.
ADHD is not a deficit of intelligence or effort. It's a different way of processing the world, one that comes with real challenges but also real strengths. This tool is designed to reduce the challenges, not define you by them.
If you have feedback, ideas, or just want to share that it helped you, I'd genuinely love to hear from you.