It's a text box. That's the whole thing.
AI is not a machine you have to program. It is a box you type into, like texting a patient, well-read friend who never makes you feel slow and never runs out of time for you.
You write what you need in normal words. It writes back. That is the entire skill. Everything else in this guide is just learning to ask in a way that fits how your brain works.
There isn't one "AI." There are two kinds.
This is the part nobody explains. Once you see it, the whole thing gets less confusing. There are all-purpose chat assistants, and there are specialized tools built for one job.
1. The all-purpose assistants
These are the big chat ones. Different companies make them, but to start, they all do the same thing: you type, they help you think, write, plan, organize, and talk things through. Pick one, make a free account, and don't agonize over it. You can switch any time.
Claude
Warm, great for writing, planning, and talking things through. This is the one I use.
ChatGPT
The most well-known. All-purpose, huge community, easy to find help for.
Gemini
All-purpose chat that connects to Gmail, Docs, and the rest of Google.
Copilot
All-purpose chat built into Windows and Office, handy if you live in those.
Each has a free version that is plenty to start. They are close enough that the skill you learn on one carries to all of them.
2. The specialized tools
These do one job extremely well, usually a sensory or physical one. You reach for them for that one thing, alongside an all-purpose assistant for everything else.
| If you need to | Reach for | Who makes it |
|---|---|---|
| Hear the world described (low vision) | Be My Eyes, Seeing AI | Be My Eyes, Microsoft |
| Caption or transcribe speech (deaf, hard of hearing) | Live Captions, Otter | Apple, Google, Otter.ai |
| Talk instead of type (mobility, dyslexia) | Voice typing, dictation | Built into your phone and computer |
| Read any text out loud (dyslexia, low vision) | Read-aloud, Immersive Reader | Microsoft, Apple, Google |
The simple rule. An all-purpose assistant for thinking, writing, planning, and feelings. A specialized tool for seeing, hearing, and speaking. Most people only need one all-purpose assistant to change their whole week.
Want the full breakdown of every company, what each is best for, and the exact settings to turn on? Read the AI Field Guide.
Get into an assistant in under two minutes.
- Pick one from the list above. If you cannot choose, that is the ADHD talking, so just pick Claude or ChatGPT. It does not matter.
- Go to its website or download its app. Make a free account with your email.
- You will see a box at the bottom that says something like "message" or "ask anything." That box is the entire tool.
- Type "hi, can you help me get started" and hit enter. You are now using AI. That was it.
Talk to it like a person, and give it context.
Most people type three cold words and get a useless answer. The trick is to say who you are, what you have, and what you actually want. Compare these:
You are not writing code. You are explaining yourself to a friend. The more honest the context, the better it fits.
Teach it your brain, so every chat fits you by default.
This is the move that changed everything for me. Most assistants have a settings area called something like "personalization," "custom instructions," or "profile." Paste a note about your brain there once, and it shapes every answer from then on, so you stop having to explain yourself each time.
Open your assistant's settings, find custom instructions or profile, and paste something like this. Change it to fit you.
From now on, every chat already knows how to talk to you. That is the difference between AI feeling like one more overwhelming tool and AI feeling like it was built for you.
The exact words to type, for the moments that trip you up.
Copy any of these, fill in the brackets, and paste it into the box. These are the same moves the full curriculum teaches, one for each common ADHD wall.
Don't read more. Do this now.
- Open one assistant and make the free account.
- Paste the brain note from Step three into its settings.
- Pick the one thing stressing you most right now and paste the matching prompt from Step four.
- Do the single step it gives you. That's a win. You just used AI to move something that was stuck.
Where this goes next
This guide gets you in the door. The full curriculum turns these five moves into a real practice, one for every ADHD wall, so using AI becomes second nature instead of a thing you remember to try. See the full curriculum.
What this is, and what it isn't.
Please read this part.
AI is a practical tool for getting through your day. It is not a therapist, a doctor, or a crisis service, and it should sit alongside real human care, never replace it.
If your feelings ever get overwhelming, or you find yourself thinking about harming yourself, please reach out to a doctor, a therapist, or a crisis line in your country. You deserve real support, and you are worth that call.