Sensory Budget logoSensory Budget

ADHD-friendly energy tracker

Out of energy by 3pm?

Sensory Budget shows what today will cost you, warns you before you run out and helps you pace yourself.

Download on the App Store Coming soon to Android

For iPhone. 14 days free, then $6.99 a month or $49.99 a year.

A sample day on the budget ring. It starts at 82 in the morning. A commute, a team meeting and a loud lunch each take some, a heads-up suggests a break, the break gives 8 back, and the day ends with about 48 left.

Spoon theory

Your day has a budget. We count it for you.

Spoon theory was named by Christine Miserandino. You start each day with a limited number of spoons, and everything you do spends some: a meeting, a loud shop, a phone call. Rest gives a few back.

Sensory Budget does the counting for you. Your calendar, your sleep and your own answers set the price of each event, rest gives some back, and you see what you'll have left tonight. The ring counts from 0 to 100, so a short call and a long meeting don't cost the same.

Read about spoon theory on Wikipedia

Six spoons stand in a row, one day's supply. Two calendar events take three of them. A break gives one back. The four that are left go into the budget ring, which counts up to 72 out of 100.

What it does

One number, 0 to 100, that learns you.

Each morning starts from your sleep, heart data from Apple Health if you have it, and the last few days. It starts from what is typical and moves toward you every time you answer. It asks about two events a day at most, plus a short evening check-in.

What today will cost

Every event gets a cost and a plain reason.

How long it runs, how many people, how little room around it. "Why this score" explains the number in plain words, and you can correct any of it.

  • "What drains you most" and "What helps you most" come from your own answers, with counts, like "Walks · helped 5 of 6 times".
Heads-ups

A quiet note before a heavy day.

You hear about a demanding event before it starts. Live now tells you when the last two hours cost more than your morning plan expected, like a loud afternoon or a meeting added last minute. Each kind of nudge has its own switch, with quiet hours and a rest day.

Take a break

Breaks that fit the gaps you already have.

Plan finds breaks in your day, picked from what restores you. Start the timer, watch the water, tap "Did it" when you're done. If moving or shortening an event would help, it says so. It never edits your events.

The week ahead

See the heavy days coming.

On Sunday evening, or any time, see which days look heavy and why. Adding something new? Find a lighter day shows days where it would weigh less. You move it. The app never does.

A summary to share

Something to bring to your doctor.

Make a PDF of your last 30 or 90 days for a doctor, therapist or workplace: what costs you most, what helps, and patterns in plain words. It's made on your phone, and only you choose who gets it.

Tell someone you're low

Say it in one tap.

When you're running low, one tap opens a short message you can edit and share, like "I'm running low today. Texts are easier than calls." The app never sends anything itself.

Siri, widgets and Lock Screen

Your number without opening the app.

Ask Siri "What's my budget?", start a quiet hour, log a break or say how today went. Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets show your number and how the day is likely to end. A Focus filter keeps Sensory Budget quiet while a Focus is on.

Works without a wearable. A watch or ring that writes to Apple Health makes the morning number more accurate.

Who it's for

For anyone whose energy runs out partway through the day.

Neurodivergent people

ADHD included. If an ordinary day takes more out of you than it seems to take out of others, this counts it.

Anyone who's done by 3pm

Busy parents, people in burnout, and anyone who is always tired and wants to see why.

People learning to pace

See the heavy days before they arrive, and bring a clear summary to the people helping you.

Private by design

Your health readings stay on your iPhone.

On your iPhone

  • Scoring and learning happen on the phone.
  • Health readings, like sleep, heart rate and noise, and anything you write about yourself stay there.
  • No account needed. You can export or delete everything.

Only if you allow it

  • AI features are optional. Event titles, with names taken out, go through our servers to a third-party AI service to sort your events and word a daily note. AI never sets a number.
  • Sync and analytics are off until you turn them on.

Read the privacy policy

Sensory Budget Pro

14 days free, with everything.

The app's first 14 days are its calibration period, and the trial is the same length, so you never pay before it's done.

Monthly$6.99per month
Yearly$49.99per year, about $4.17 a month
Download on the App Store Coming soon to Android

Paid through your Apple Account when the trial ends. Renews automatically unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the period ends. Cancel any time in Settings.