AFM-10 · TOOL-SWITCHING TAX

You've Spent Three Weeks Researching AI Tools, But Haven't Shipped Anything

2 min read 1 EF unit · light

DESKRUNE

For when you come back.

01THE PATTERN

Here's what it looks like.

The pattern: three weeks researching whether Claude or ChatGPT or Gemini is best for your workflow. Twelve YouTube videos. Six free trials. Zero shipped output. You convinced yourself this was 'doing the work.' It was not.

02WHY IT HURTS

The cost isn't the time.

Tool selection scales with options. Options now exceed any individual's capacity to evaluate. For ADHD, novelty bias makes 'try the new one' always feel productive. The result: paralysis dressed up as diligence. The kit costs $25; the indecision costs months.

03THE SIGNALS

Three ways you'll know you're in it.

Hook by hook. If you recognize even one of these in the last week, this is the failure mode that's costing you.

  1. 01I feel a sense of excitement and motivation when using the tool
  2. 02I'm able to focus for extended periods without feeling overwhelmed
  3. 03I'm able to achieve my goals without feeling like I'm fighting the tool
04THE CIRCUIT BREAKER

The protocol that breaks the loop.

DESKRUNE PROTOCOL · AFM-10

The Circuit Breaker protocol involves setting clear goals and criteria for what you want to achieve with the tool, testing the tool for a set period, and evaluating its effectiveness based on your goals and criteria. By following this protocol, you can avoid the Tool-Switching Tax and find a tool that works for you.

06CONNECTED FAILURE MODES

Often shows up with these.

AFMs cluster. If this one hits, the next two probably also do.

07TAKE IT DEEPER

Kits that solve this directly.

See the full library →

99YOUR PATTERN

Log a moment when this hit you.

Most ADHD-AI loops feel random until you can see them next to each other. Log a moment in the form below — intensity, time, AI tool, brief context. After three or more entries, you'll see your own pattern in the recap. Stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.

SIGNAL TRACKER · TOOL-SWITCHING TAX

When did Tool-Switching Tax last happen?

You don't have to be precise. The point is to capture enough that the pattern becomes visible. Future-you reading this in three weeks will have something concrete to work with.

Often hits in the same week as AFM-10

Deskrune. For when you come back.