How I turned my scattered brain into a productivity powerhouse using AI and some clever automation
TL;DR: I built a custom AI assistant using Claude Code + Obsidian that automatically tracks my work, prioritizes tasks, and generates daily standup reports. It works with ADHD patterns instead of against them - no manual updates, just natural workflow automation that saves me hours of lost context every day.
The Scattered Brain Problem: My Brain vs. Traditional Tools#
Here’s the deal with my scattered brain: it works in patterns that traditional project management tools completely ignore. I’m juggling multiple complex projects, and every PM tool I tried felt like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.
The core issues:
- 🧠 Context switching kills me: Jumping between tools breaks my flow state
- 📝 I forget everything: What was I working on? Why did this matter?
- 🔥 Hyperfocus then chaos: I’ll code for 6 hours straight, then lose track for days
- 📊 Manual updates? Yeah right: If it’s not automatic, it’s not happening
What I needed was basically an AI assistant that could:
- Remember what I was doing and why
- Track my progress without me thinking about it
- Help me prioritize when my brain is all over the place
- Work with my chaotic workflow, not against it
The Solution: An AI Assistant That Actually Gets It#
I built my own AI assistant using Claude Code + Obsidian. Think of it as having a really smart teammate who never sleeps, never forgets context, and actually understands how chaotic brains work.
Why Claude Code + Obsidian Instead of Building an App?#
Claude Code is Anthropic’s AI assistant that can read, write, and execute code directly in your projects. It’s like having a coding pair who understands context across your entire codebase and can automate repetitive tasks.
Obsidian is a powerful note-taking app that treats your notes as an interconnected web of knowledge. It stores everything in plain markdown files, making it future-proof and hackable.
Why not build a custom app? Because flexibility beats perfection every time:
- Obsidian evolves with me: As my workflow changes, I can restructure folders, add new templates, or completely reorganize without touching code
- Claude adapts to my chaos: I can create new slash commands, change task formats, or add automation as my needs grow
- My second brain grows organically: The graph view shows connections I never planned, revealing patterns in my work I wouldn’t have designed into an app
- Zero maintenance overhead: No servers, no deployments, no breaking changes - just files on my machine and an AI that speaks markdown
This isn’t just a productivity system; it’s a living, breathing extension of how I think that grows more useful over time.
Let me walk you through how I built this system, step by step:
The Starting Point: Claude Planning Mode#
The whole system started with one simple request: “I’m starting a new project for Claude to manage all my notes in Obsidian vault, it’s currently empty. I want the best approach to manage it through Claude Code.”
Claude presented a comprehensive 6-point plan covering vault structure, templates, automation scripts, and note management features. I approved the plan, and Claude executed it. That planning session created the foundation you see below - the folder structure came from Claude’s systematic thinking about note management, not from copying some productivity guru’s template.
Step 1: Obsidian as My External Brain#
MyVault/
├── Daily Notes/ # Brain dumps and daily check-ins
├── Projects/ # Multiple work projects
├── Templates/ # Consistent structure
└── scripts/ # Automation magic
The key insight: Structure without rigidity. I can dump thoughts anywhere, and the system helps me organize later.
The magic part? When I ask Claude to create tasks and projects, Obsidian’s graph view automatically shows all the connections between my notes, tasks, and projects. No manual linking required - just ask Claude to organize something, and boom, the visual web of my work appears.
Note: Actual project and task names are hidden for privacy. All examples in this post use dummy data.
Step 2: Claude Code as My AI Sidekick#
This is where the magic happens. I created custom slash commands so my AI assistant can:
/show-tasks - “What should I work on?”
- Sorts everything by urgency and priority
- Shows me what’s actually on fire vs what can wait
- No more staring at endless lists wondering where to start
/daily-check-in - My team communication automation:
- Automatically detects what I did (using git commits!)
- Generates daily standup updates for my team
- Formats accomplished tasks, current work, and blockers
- Creates both detailed and Slack-ready formats for easy sharing
Step 3: The Task Format That Saved My Sanity#
After using the basic system for a while, I found I needed more structured tasks to enable proper querying and sorting by due dates and priorities. I asked Claude to design a structured task format, then updated my CLAUDE.md file to instruct Claude to always maintain this format and ask for any missing parameters.
- [ ] Fix login bug @task-20250810-001 (due:: 2025-08-16) (priority:: P1) (project:: WebApp)
- status:: not-started
- estimate:: 2d
- notes:: Users can't authenticate, breaks entire flow
Why this works for scattered brains:
- Unique IDs: Nothing gets lost in my brain fog
- Machine readable: My AI can sort and prioritize automatically
- Context preserved: I remember WHY things matter
- Enforced completeness: Claude always asks for missing due dates or priorities
Step 4: Git as My Accountability Partner#
The genius move: git commits don’t lie about what I actually did.
git log --since="yesterday" --oneline # Shows real progress
git diff HEAD~1 -- Projects/ # Detects completed tasks
No more guilt about “what did I even do today?” - git remembers everything.
Now that you’ve seen the four core components, let’s look at what this actually looks like in daily practice:
Live Examples: See the System in Action#
Smart Task Creation Demo#
Here’s what happens when I casually mention a new task:
Me: "My manager gave me a new task to build a PoC for a quantum calculator"
Claude: I'll help you create a new task for the quantum calculator PoC.
First, let me check what projects you have and create the appropriate
project structure.
I need to ask you a few questions before creating the task:
1. **Due date:** When does your manager need this quantum calculator
PoC completed?
2. **Priority:** How urgent is this compared to your other work?
(P1=Critical, P2=High, P3=Normal, P4=Low)
3. **Project:** Should this be part of an existing project (EcommerceApp, MobileApp, DataPipeline)
or should I create a new "QuantumCalculator" project for it?
Once you provide these details, I'll create the properly formatted task
using the hybrid format and generate the next available task ID.
Why this is genius: Claude automatically asks for missing critical information (due date, priority, project) instead of creating incomplete tasks. No more “when was this due again?” moments later.
/show-tasks Command Demo#
## 📋 Task Overview
| Status | Project | Task Description | Due Date | Days |
|---------|-----------------|------------------------------|------------|------|
| 🚨🔴 | EcommerceApp | Complete Payment Gateway... | 2025-08-11 | -1 |
| 📆🟡 | MobileApp | Sync with iOS Team about... | 2025-08-16 | 4 |
| 📆🔴 | DataPipeline | Implement Data Encryption... | 2025-08-16 | 4 |
| 📆🟢 | Analytics | Add Dashboard Export... | 2025-08-16 | 4 |
| 📆🟡 | DevOps | Run Database Migration... | 2025-08-16 | 4 |
| 📆🟢 | Portfolio | Deploy Portfolio Website... | 2025-08-17 | 5 |
| 📆🟡 | QuantumCalc | Build PoC for Quantum... | 2025-08-18 | 6 |
**📊 Summary:** 7 total • 🚨 1 overdue • 📆 6 this week
## 🚨 Overdue Tasks
- **EcommerceApp**: Complete Payment Gateway Integration (1 day overdue) 🔴
## 📆 Due This Week
- **MobileApp**: Sync with iOS Team about Push Notifications (4 days) 🟡
- **DataPipeline**: Implement Data Encryption at Rest (4 days) 🔴
- **Analytics**: Add Dashboard Export Feature (4 days) 🟢
- **DevOps**: Run Database Migration Script (4 days) 🟡
- **Portfolio**: Deploy Portfolio Website to Production (5 days) 🟢
- **QuantumCalc**: Build PoC for Quantum Calculator (6 days) 🟡
What I see at a glance: “One thing is on fire 🚨, focus on that first. Everything else can wait until later this week.”
/daily-check-in Command Demo#
## 📋 Daily Check-in
**Since last check-in on 2025-08-09 at 2:30 PM (1 day ago):**
### 📊 Auto-detected progress:
**Recent commits:**
- `a4b7f21` Implement user authentication flow for MobileApp
- `c8d9e34` Add dashboard export feature to Analytics platform
- `f2g5h67` Configure CI/CD pipeline for Portfolio deployment
### ✅ Accomplished
- **EcommerceApp:** Integrated Stripe payment processing with error handling
- **MobileApp:** Completed user authentication with biometric login
- **DevOps:** Finalized database migration scripts with rollback procedures
- **Security:** Resolved 8 critical vulnerabilities from latest scan
### 🎯 Working On Next
- **Priority:** Complete payment gateway testing and deploy to staging
- **Analytics:** Implement export functionality with CSV/PDF support
- **Portfolio:** Prepare production deployment with monitoring
### 🚧 Challenges/Blockers
- **API Limits:** Payment processor imposing stricter rate limits
- **iOS Deps:** Waiting for Apple developer account approval
- **DB Performance:** Migration taking longer than expected on large datasets
### 📋 Slack-Ready Format:
*(Because manually reformatting markdown for Slack is for people who don't have AI assistants 😏)*
**✅ Accomplished**
• EcommerceApp: Integrated Stripe payment processing with error handling
• MobileApp: Completed user authentication with biometric login
• DevOps: Finalized database migration scripts with rollback procedures
**🎯 Working On Next**
• Priority: Complete payment gateway testing and deploy to staging
• Analytics: Implement export functionality with CSV/PDF support
• Portfolio: Prepare production deployment with monitoring
**🚧 Challenges/Blockers**
• API Limits: Payment processor imposing stricter rate limits
• iOS Deps: Waiting for Apple developer account approval
What this gives me:
- Shows I actually DID accomplish things (fights imposter syndrome)
- Reminds me what I was working on (context switching recovery)
- Gives me clear next steps (reduces decision paralysis)
- Ready to share with team (social accountability)
These examples show the system in action, but why does this approach work so well for scattered brains? Let’s dive into the principles behind the design:
How It Actually Works: My Daily Flow#
Morning: “/daily-check-in”#
My AI generates my daily standup update by:
- Analyzing git commits to show what I accomplished yesterday
- Listing what I’m working on today (sorted by priority)
- Capturing any blockers or challenges I’m facing
The output is formatted for easy sharing with my team - no more scrambling to remember what I did when standup starts.
During Work: “/show-tasks”#
When my brain goes “wait, what was I doing?” - I just ask my AI. It shows me everything sorted by urgency, no thinking required.
Evening: Automatic Progress Tracking#
Every commit I make gets tracked. No manual updates, no guilt about forgetting to log progress.
This daily rhythm might seem simple, but it’s built on some key principles that make it work specifically for ADHD brains:
The ADHD-Friendly Workflow#
Brain Dump → Organization → Action#
- Messy thoughts go in daily notes (zero friction)
- AI assistant helps organize when I’m ready
- Smart prioritization tells me what actually matters
- Automatic tracking keeps me accountable
Why This Works for Scattered Brains#
Hyperfocus Mode: When I’m in the zone, I just code. Git tracks everything automatically.
Scattered Mode: When my brain is everywhere, /show-tasks gives me clear direction.
Guilt/Shame Mode: Git history shows I actually did accomplish things, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
What I Learned: ADHD-Friendly Design Principles#
1. Reduce Cognitive Load#
- One place to dump all thoughts
- AI figures out organization later
- Clear visual priorities (red = urgent, green = chill)
2. Automate the Boring Stuff#
- Git commits = automatic progress tracking
- No manual status updates required
- Smart reminders based on actual behavior
3. Work WITH ADHD, Not Against It#
- Hyperfocus: Let me code uninterrupted, track everything automatically
- Scattered: Clear, simple prioritization when I need direction
- Forgetful: Context preservation so I never lose track
So what’s the actual impact been? Here’s what changed:
The Results: My Brain Finally Has A Co-Pilot#
Before: Scattered thoughts, forgotten tasks, constant guilt about productivity
After: Clear priorities, automated tracking, an AI assistant that actually gets my workflow
The Real Impact#
- No more lost context: I can hyperfocus for hours, then instantly remember where I was
- Guilt-free breaks: Git history shows I actually am productive, even when it doesn’t feel like it
- Clear direction: When my brain is scattered,
/show-taskstells me exactly what matters - Automatic accountability: Progress tracking happens in the background
Why This Works#
Traditional productivity advice: “Just use a planner and stick to it!”
Reality: My brain doesn’t work that way.
This system works because it:
- Meets me where I am (scattered, forgetful, hyperfocused)
- Automates the boring stuff (tracking, organizing, prioritizing)
- Preserves context (so I never lose the “why”)
- Provides clear direction (when I need it)
- Gets out of my way (when I don’t)
Want to Build Your Own AI Assistant?#
The magic formula:
- Obsidian (your external brain)
- Claude Code (your AI sidekick)
- Git (your honest accountability partner)
- Custom scripts (your automation layer)
Start simple. Build gradually. Work with your ADHD, not against it.
Built with: Obsidian, Claude Code, Git, way too much vibe coding
Best feature: An AI assistant that remembers what I forgot
Coolest part: Finally having a productivity system that works WITH my ADHD brain instead of against it