About — Hyper

Hi, I’m David. I make Hyper from my home in Cascais, Portugal. I built it for myself first. I hope it can help you too.

David on the sofa at home with his dog Bailey and his two cats, Oscar and Bodhi — Me with Bailey, Oscar, and Bodhi. None of them helped with the app.

I’ve never been an organised person. Ask anyone who knows me.

What helped was writing things down the second they popped into my head, before they vanished. First on scraps of paper, then in whichever to-do app I was trying that month.

Last year I found out I have ADHD. That explained a lot: why I could never keep everything in my head, and why things kept getting lost no matter how hard I tried.

Why I built Hyper

I hate being the person who forgets. I once forgot a friend’s 40th. I still hear about it.

For years I juggled three things:

Apple Reminders, for catching things the moment I think of them: “Hey Siri, remind me to…”
Google Calendar, for anything that repeats, like birthdays
A task list for everything else

Each one worked fine on its own. The problem was having to check all three places. So I built Hyper to put them all on one screen.

I also wanted adding a task to be fast, because if it takes more than a few seconds I’ve already forgotten it. There are six ways to add one. My favourite is pulling down anywhere in the app. It has a satisfying, tactile snap to it.

And I wanted to set it up my way, so the lists I use most are one tap away.

On my wrist and on my Mac

In the supermarket I tick things off my shopping list in Hyper on my Apple Watch, without having to get my phone out of my pocket. On my Mac I mostly use keyboard shortcuts. It all stays in sync, and I didn’t have to sign up for yet another account.

Your data stays yours

There’s no Hyper account and nothing to log in to. Your tasks sync through your own iCloud and never touch a server of mine. I don’t want your data, and I’d rather not be responsible for it. Connecting Google Calendar is optional, and it’s only used to show your events next to your tasks.

Systems over motivation

My motivation comes and goes. Some days it’s gone by breakfast. What keeps me on track is a system that works even when I don’t feel like it. That’s what I’ve tried to make Hyper. I hope it helps.

Questions, ideas, or just to say hi: [email protected], or on X at @DaviddeSouza. For help, see Support.