YouTuber Hank Green’s wholesome productivity app hits #1

Last week, something unexpected happened on the App Store.

ChatGPT, Google, Threads - all toppled from the top spot.

What replaced them?

A cozy productivity app where a tiny bean knits you socks if you manage to focus.

It’s called Focus Friend, and it’s the brainchild of internet educator, author, and longtime YouTuber Hank Green, developed in collaboration with Boba Story creator Bria Sullivan.

Billed as an “ADHD-friendly focus timer,” Focus Friend gamifies attention in a way that feels less like punishment and more like play.

And this idea is resonating across the internet, especially with young, neurodivergent, and overwhelmed users craving relief from the pressures of always-on life.

How it works: no guilt, just knitting

The premise is simple. Set a timer. Don’t touch your phone. Your bean will keep knitting - socks, scarves, you name it. If you cave and check your notifications, the bean drops its needles and loses focus. Just like you.

The app rewards consistent focus by letting users trade finished knit items for room decorations, furniture, or new outfits for their bean.

Think Tamagotchi meets Pomodoro, with a sprinkle of serotonin.

But beyond the game-like appeal, Focus Friend is doing something quietly radical: it’s offering a form of productivity that isn’t shame-based. There are no red Xs. No condescending nudges. No toxic metrics. Just a soft space for people who’ve been made to feel “lazy” or “distracted” all their lives.

Designed for ADHD brains

Hank Green hasn’t publicly claimed an ADHD diagnosis, but he’s spoken candidly about attention struggles in the past.

“People often ask if I have ADHD and, look, I don’t know what I have but, honestly, whatever it is…I think it’s great,” he tweeted in 2021.

In that spirit, Focus Friend isn’t limited to people with formal diagnoses. It’s for anyone who finds it hard to concentrate in a world that demands constant attention... and then sells that attention to the highest bidder.

As Green explained in a TikTok: “The app is about giving people their time back. It’s about letting people be in control of their attention, not selling their attention to someone else.”

No ads. No data collection. No pressure to perform.

Instead, users get a quiet, charming space to practice focus, especially in the age of algorithmic doomscrolling and AI-generated everything.

A wholesome revolution in a time of tech overload

That Focus Friend shot to the top of the App Store, beating giants like ChatGPT, isn’t just a fluke. It’s a signal.

We’re burnt out. We’re overstimulated. And we’re desperate for tech that feels human again.

Amid the noise of hyper-productivity apps and AI-powered everything, Focus Friend offers a different kind of digital experience, one that’s rooted in care, slowness, and softness.

Built on friendship, not extraction

Much like Hank and John Green’s other ventures, from Crash Course to Vlogbrothers to VidCon, this app is powered by community not corporate funding. The app is free to use, with optional in-app purchases that allow users to support ongoing development.

No paywalls. No subscriptions. Just choice.

And for many users, that ethos feels like a breath of fresh air.

In a follow-up TikTok, Green explained that while some suggested ads as a way to make money, he pushed back:

“I didn’t really want to do that... This app is about helping people focus, not distracting them again.”

Why this matters for Neurodivergent and Disabled communities

For many neurodivergent folks, especially those with ADHD or executive functioning challenges, traditional productivity tools can feel hostile or defeating.

Timers that scold. Task lists that judge. Gamified streaks that break with one bad day.

Focus Friend offers a different narrative: you are not broken. Your brain is not the enemy. Focus can be gentle, goofy, and even joyful.

That matters. Especially for young people navigating disability, neurodivergence, or just plain burnout in a post-pandemic, AI-saturated world.

Attention is a precious thing. And Focus Friend reminds us that we deserve to protect it, not just from the noise of tech, but from the voices that tell us we’re not doing enough.