Why can I plan the work but not start it?

Because planning and starting use different parts of the brain. For ADHD students the binding problem is usually initiation, not knowledge. You can see the assignment and still not be able to get yourself into the chair. Ignition is built for that exact gap. It shrinks the move to one physical first action small enough that starting stops feeling like a decision.

What is an implementation intention, and why does Ignition use one?

It is a plan in the form when X, I will Y, like after dinner, I will open the reading and read one paragraph out loud. Pairing a specific cue with a specific first action is one of the most replicated findings in self-regulation research, and it helps most when starting is the hard part. Ignition writes one for your current move and lets you pick the cue.

Is this just a focus timer or a Pomodoro app?

No. There is no countdown racing over your whole task. Ignition only stays with you for the first few minutes, the activation hump, which is the moment people actually fail. Once you have started, it gets out of your way. It is built around beginning, not timing.

What happens if I start and then stop?

That still counts. Ignition is recovery-first. Starting is the hard part, so any real start earns Proof and a small lift, even if you do not finish. A day you could not begin is never punished. Ignition just offers a smaller step next time.

Do I work alone or with someone?

Your choice. Ignition can drop you into a quiet presence with BRIO or Co-Focus for the first few minutes so you are not starting alone, which is the idea behind body doubling. If you would rather start solo, it gives you the first action and stays out of the way.

Does Ignition work if I am unmedicated?

Yes. Ignition is a scaffolding tool for the moment of starting. It does not replace medication, therapy, or coaching, and it does not require them. It handles the initiation step so that job does not have to live in your working memory.

Ignition: start the one move that protects your grade

Why this matters

You do not have a planning problem. You have a starting problem. The assignment is clear, you know roughly what it needs, and you still cannot get into the chair. Initiation, not planning, is the deficit, and it is the part most tools leave to willpower.

✓Body doubling helps: Body doubling, human or AI, improves task completion speed and perceived sustained attention versus working alone in ADHD populations.
Ara et al., 2025, arXiv preprint 2509.12153 (not yet peer-reviewed)
✓Greatest dropout risk: The combined ADHD profile faces the greatest risk of maladaptive procrastination, ego depletion, and dropout intention among university student ADHD clusters.
Müller, V. & Pikó, B.F., 2026, Scientific Reports

OVR IT is the academic recovery engine for ADHD college students. Ignition is the part that gets you across the start, then mints Proof that you did.

How Ignition works (three small things)

It shrinks the move to one physical first action. Not write the essay. Open a blank doc and type the title and one bad first sentence. Small enough that starting stops feeling like a decision.

It sets a when-then plan in your own words. After dinner tonight, I will open the reading and read one paragraph out loud. You pick the moment, and Ignition holds the plan.

It stays with you for the first few minutes. The hardest part of any task is the start. BRIO is there with you to get across it, then it gets out of your way.

Starting counts

If you start and keep going, that is a win. If you start and stop, that is still a win, because you started. Ignition never punishes a day you could not begin. It offers a smaller step and remembers that you showed up. That is what recovery-first means. If you need it, the task paralysis help and recovery-first planning pages go deeper.

What Ignition is not

It is not a timer counting down on your stress. It is not a streak you will break and feel bad about. It is not another planner. It is the one thing built for the moment you actually begin.

Practice Ignition with built-in timers and tracking.

OVR IT is a recovery-first study tool that helps students start, stay on track, and recover when they fall behind. Free to use, no setup required.

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