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Why Klarnext doesn't count streaks

2026-09-28 · 3 min read

What streaks do to us

Across seven studies, people who saw an intact streak were more likely to continue than people whose streak had just broken. What mattered was how progress was displayed, not actual behaviour. The effect was stronger when people attributed the break to themselves and weaker when a streak could be repaired (Silverman & Barasch 2023).

Gamification overall – points, badges, streaks – had a small effect in a meta-analysis on physical activity, which shrank further against active comparison groups and over time (Mazeas et al. 2022).

Why this matters with ADHD

Days when nothing goes to plan aren't the exception with ADHD – they're to be expected. On top of that, adults with ADHD experience emotions considerably more intensely and changeably on average (Beheshti et al. 2020). It's plausible – though not directly studied – that a broken streak hits especially hard.

What Klarnext shows instead

• Done today: a number that can only go up during the day.
• Seven dots for the last seven days: on how many did you start a block? Starting counts, “partly” too.
• Done in total: a counter that is never reset.

A missed day simply drops out of the window after a week. There's nothing to catch up on and no streak to lose.

This article provides general information and does not replace medical, psychological or therapeutic advice.