[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":355},["ShallowReactive",2],{"pages-en":3},{"method":4,"about":158,"accessibility":248},{"title":5,"updated":6,"note":7,"blocks":8,"metaTitle":156,"metaDescription":157},"The method behind Mindhog","2026-10-26","By {owner}, {company}",[9,13,18,21,24,28,45,49,52,56,60,64,68,72,76,79,95,98,102,105,112,115,118,122],{"type":10,"key":11,"lead":-1,"text":12,"link":-1,"end":-1},"paragraph","method-0","Overthinking rarely picks a good moment. It starts in the middle of a meeting, on the bus, or right when you’re trying to fall asleep. Telling yourself to just stop thinking about something hardly ever works. Mindhog is built on a technique that tries something else: you don’t push the thought away, you move it to later. It’s called worry time, or worry postponement.",{"type":14,"key":15,"id":16,"text":17},"heading","method-1","worry-time","What is worry time?",{"type":10,"key":19,"lead":-1,"text":20,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-2","Worry time gives your worries a fixed appointment. During the day, when a thought starts spinning, you don’t follow it. You note it down and save it for later. Later is a set time in the early evening, when you look at everything you’ve collected.",{"type":10,"key":22,"lead":-1,"text":23,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-3","Psychologist Thomas Borkovec and his colleagues first described the technique in 1983. It has been studied in a number of trials since, and therapists often use it as part of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).",{"type":14,"key":25,"id":26,"text":27},"method-4","steps","How it works, in four steps",{"type":29,"key":30,"ordered":31,"items":32},"list","method-5",true,[33,36,39,42],{"lead":34,"text":35},"Note it, don’t follow it.","When a worry pops up, write it down in a few words. “Rent due?” is enough. No solving, no essays. Then go back to what you were doing.",{"lead":37,"text":38},"Pick a set time.","The same time every day, and keep it short. In the early studies, it was 30 minutes.",{"lead":40,"text":41},"Make it early evening, not right before bed.","That way, the sorting doesn’t follow you under the covers.",{"lead":43,"text":44},"Sort.","Go through your notes one at a time and ask: Can you do anything about it? If yes, plan one concrete step for a specific day. If not, let it go. A note that felt urgent at noon often looks a lot smaller by evening.",{"type":14,"key":46,"id":47,"text":48},"method-6","research","What the research shows",{"type":10,"key":50,"lead":-1,"text":51,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-7","Worry time has been studied, but it’s no miracle. Here’s the honest version.",{"type":10,"key":53,"lead":54,"text":55,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-8","Small but measurable effects.","A 2024 meta-analysis from Leiden University pooled 7 randomised controlled trials with 999 participants. Compared with just keeping track of their worries, people who postponed them spent less time worrying each day (d ≈ 0.31) and worried slightly less often (d ≈ 0.19). Both are small effects, and there’s hardly any long-term data yet.",{"type":10,"key":57,"lead":58,"text":59,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-9","Less worry, sleep still an open question.","In a 2013 study, 53 people who worry a lot were randomly split into two groups. One group set aside a fixed 30-minute worry period every day for two weeks. Compared with the other group, they reported less worry, less anxiety, fewer negative feelings and fewer sleep problems afterwards. There was no difference in low mood. The study itself calls its results preliminary. A larger 2025 study with 186 participants, however, found no benefit for sleep.",{"type":10,"key":61,"lead":62,"text":63,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-10","Writing it down before bed.","In a 2018 sleep lab study, 57 young adults aged 18 to 30 spent five minutes before bed writing either a to-do list or a list of things they’d already done. The to-do group fell asleep faster, and the more specific their list, the faster they dropped off. Planning a note for a specific day follows a similar idea.",{"type":10,"key":65,"lead":66,"text":67,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-11","Most worries didn’t come true – in one particular group.","In a 2020 study, 29 people in treatment for excessive worry wrote down their worries for ten days and kept track over 30 days of whether they came true. Across all their worries, 91.4 % didn’t. You’ll often see this quoted as “91 % of worries never happen”. That goes too far: it was one small, specific group over a short time. Still, it’s a good reminder that worry makes a poor fortune teller.",{"type":10,"key":69,"lead":70,"text":71,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-12","What we don’t know.","Mindhog itself hasn’t been studied. The app brings a researched technique into your day and doesn’t promise more than the research shows.",{"type":14,"key":73,"id":74,"text":75},"method-13","mindhog","How Mindhog brings worry time into your day",{"type":10,"key":77,"lead":-1,"text":78,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-14","On paper, the hardest part of worry time is sticking with it. Mindhog makes each step small enough to fit between two messages:",{"type":29,"key":80,"ordered":81,"items":82},"method-15",false,[83,86,89,92],{"lead":84,"text":85},"Park it in seconds.","One line, a tap, and the note sticks on the hedgehog. He carries it until evening.",{"lead":87,"text":88},"Sort it tonight.","At your sorting time, Mindhog reminds you. One note at a time: Can you do anything about it?",{"lead":90,"text":91},"Let go or plan it.","Let go, and the note gets shredded. Plan it, and you pick a day. That morning, the note is back on the hedgehog.",{"lead":93,"text":94},"Just for you.","No AI, no account. Your notes stay encrypted on your phone.",{"type":10,"key":96,"lead":-1,"text":97,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-16","You choose your sorting time yourself. We’d suggest the early evening, for the reason above.",{"type":14,"key":99,"id":100,"text":101},"method-17","limits","Where worry time stops",{"type":10,"key":103,"lead":-1,"text":104,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-18","Mindhog is an everyday helper, not therapy, and does not replace medical or psychological advice. Worry time is meant for everyday overthinking. If worrying takes over your days for weeks, keeps you up at night, or gets in the way of work, studies or friendships, talk to a doctor or a psychotherapist.",{"type":10,"key":106,"lead":-1,"text":107,"link":108,"end":111},"method-19","If you’re having thoughts of hurting yourself, please reach out now. You’ll find helplines in your country at",{"label":109,"url":110},"findahelpline.com","https:\u002F\u002Ffindahelpline.com",".",{"type":10,"key":113,"lead":-1,"text":114,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-20","If you’re in immediate danger, call your local emergency number.",{"type":10,"key":116,"lead":-1,"text":117,"link":-1,"end":-1},"method-21","Want to try worry time with a hedgehog? Join the waitlist, and we’ll write to you once, when Mindhog launches.",{"type":14,"key":119,"id":120,"text":121},"method-22","sources","Sources",{"type":123,"key":124,"items":125},"links","method-23",[126,131,136,141,146,151],{"text":127,"link":128},"Borkovec, T. D., Wilkinson, L., Folensbee, R., & Lerman, C. (1983). Stimulus control applications to the treatment of worry. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21(3), 247–251.",{"label":129,"url":130},"doi.org\u002F10.1016\u002F0005-7967(83)90206-1","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002F0005-7967%2883%2990206-1",{"text":132,"link":133},"McGowan, S. K., & Behar, E. (2013). A preliminary investigation of stimulus control training for worry: Effects on anxiety and insomnia. Behavior Modification, 37(1), 90–112.",{"label":134,"url":135},"doi.org\u002F10.1177\u002F0145445512455661","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1177\u002F0145445512455661",{"text":137,"link":138},"Scullin, M. K., Krueger, M. L., Ballard, H. K., Pruett, N., & Bliwise, D. L. (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep: A polysomnographic study comparing to-do lists and completed activity lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 147(1), 139–146.",{"label":139,"url":140},"doi.org\u002F10.1037\u002Fxge0000374","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1037\u002Fxge0000374",{"text":142,"link":143},"LaFreniere, L. S., & Newman, M. G. (2020). Exposing worry’s deceit: Percentage of untrue worries in generalized anxiety disorder treatment. Behavior Therapy, 51(3), 413–423.",{"label":144,"url":145},"doi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.beth.2019.07.003","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.beth.2019.07.003",{"text":147,"link":148},"Dippel, A., Brosschot, J. F., & Verkuil, B. (2024). Effects of worry postponement on daily worry: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 17(1), 160–178.",{"label":149,"url":150},"doi.org\u002F10.1007\u002Fs41811-023-00193-x","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1007\u002Fs41811-023-00193-x",{"text":152,"link":153},"McCarrick, D., Prestwich, A., Ferguson, E., & O’Connor, D. B. (2025). Effects of worry postponement on daily worry and sleep: A randomised controlled trial. Psychology & Health. Advance online publication.",{"label":154,"url":155},"doi.org\u002F10.1080\u002F08870446.2025.2590072","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1080\u002F08870446.2025.2590072","Worry time: how postponing worries works","Worry postponement explained: note a thought in seconds, sort it at a set time in the evening. What research shows, where it stops, and how Mindhog helps.",{"title":159,"updated":6,"note":-1,"blocks":160,"metaTitle":246,"metaDescription":247},"About Mindhog",[161,164,168,171,175,178,183,187,205,209,212,215,217,221,224,228,234,240],{"type":10,"key":162,"lead":-1,"text":163,"link":-1,"end":-1},"about-0","Mindhog is an app for everyday overthinking. During the day, you park your thoughts on a friendly hedgehog in seconds. In the evening, at a set time, you sort them. It’s coming soon for iPhone and Android.",{"type":14,"key":165,"id":166,"text":167},"about-1","who","Who’s behind Mindhog",{"type":10,"key":169,"lead":-1,"text":170,"link":-1,"end":-1},"about-2","Mindhog is made by {company}, the company of {owner} in {city}, Germany.",{"type":14,"key":172,"id":173,"text":174},"about-3","why","Why Mindhog",{"type":10,"key":176,"lead":-1,"text":177,"link":-1,"end":-1},"about-4","For a lot of people, overthinking is just part of the day: the email you might have worded wrong, the rent, that thing you said yesterday. Most of it doesn’t need a big solution. It needs a place to go and a time when you deal with it.",{"type":10,"key":179,"lead":-1,"text":180,"link":181,"end":111},"about-5","There are plenty of apps for meditating and journaling. Mindhog does something smaller. It takes worry time, a technique researchers have studied since 1983, and makes it something you can do in passing: park it now, sort it tonight. How it works and what the studies say is on",{"label":5,"url":182},"\u002Fmethod",{"type":14,"key":184,"id":185,"text":186},"about-6","principles","What we stand for",{"type":29,"key":188,"ordered":81,"items":189},"about-7",[190,193,196,199,202],{"lead":191,"text":192},"No AI.","Mindhog has no AI features. No AI reads your notes.",{"lead":194,"text":195},"No account.","You don’t need an account with us to use the app.",{"lead":197,"text":198},"Your notes stay with you.","Everything is stored encrypted on your phone. Not even the hedgehog peeks.",{"lead":200,"text":201},"A quiet website.","{siteDomain} sets no cookies, has no tracking and no ads, and loads fonts and images from our own server. If you join the waitlist, we’ll write to you once, when Mindhog launches. No newsletter.",{"lead":203,"text":204},"Honest about what it can do.","We describe the research as it is, small effects included, and don’t promise more.",{"type":14,"key":206,"id":207,"text":208},"about-8","not-therapy","Not therapy",{"type":10,"key":210,"lead":-1,"text":211,"link":-1,"end":-1},"about-9","Mindhog is an everyday helper, not therapy, and does not replace medical or psychological advice. If overthinking takes over your days for weeks, keeps you up at night, or gets in the way of work, studies or friendships, talk to a doctor or a psychotherapist.",{"type":10,"key":213,"lead":-1,"text":107,"link":214,"end":111},"about-10",{"label":109,"url":110},{"type":10,"key":216,"lead":-1,"text":114,"link":-1,"end":-1},"about-11",{"type":14,"key":218,"id":219,"text":220},"about-12","content","How our content is made",{"type":10,"key":222,"lead":-1,"text":223,"link":-1,"end":-1},"about-13","Everything we say about research is backed by published studies. We link each one with its DOI, so you can read it yourself. Pages about research show when they were last updated, and we revise them when new research comes in. {owner} is responsible for all content on this site.",{"type":14,"key":225,"id":226,"text":227},"about-14","contact","Contact",{"type":10,"key":229,"lead":-1,"text":230,"link":231,"end":111},"about-15","Questions, ideas, or spotted something we got wrong? Write to",{"label":232,"url":233},"{contactEmail}","mailto:{contactEmail}",{"type":10,"key":235,"lead":-1,"text":236,"link":237,"end":111},"about-16","For press, logos and a fact sheet are in the",{"label":238,"url":239},"press kit","\u002F#press",{"type":10,"key":241,"lead":-1,"text":242,"link":243,"end":111},"about-17","Legal details are in the",{"label":244,"url":245},"imprint","\u002Fimprint","About us","Who makes Mindhog, why it exists and what we stand for: no AI, no account, notes encrypted on your phone. An everyday helper, not therapy.",{"title":249,"updated":6,"note":-1,"blocks":250,"metaTitle":249,"metaDescription":354},"Accessibility statement",[251,254,258,261,264,267,271,274,278,290,294,315,319,336,340,344,347,351],{"type":10,"key":252,"lead":-1,"text":253,"link":-1,"end":-1},"accessibility-0","We want everyone to be able to use {siteDomain}: with a keyboard, with a screen reader, zoomed in or with larger text. This page explains how far we’ve got, how we test, and where things don’t work yet.",{"type":14,"key":255,"id":256,"text":257},"accessibility-1","scope","What this statement covers",{"type":10,"key":259,"lead":-1,"text":260,"link":-1,"end":-1},"accessibility-2","This statement covers all pages of the website {siteDomain}, in every language they’re available in.",{"type":10,"key":262,"lead":-1,"text":263,"link":-1,"end":-1},"accessibility-3","The website introduces the upcoming Mindhog app and lets you join the waitlist. To join, you enter your email address and confirm it with a link we send you, which works for 48 hours. After a short confirmation email, you’ll only hear from us again when Mindhog launches. Every email has a link to unsubscribe.",{"type":10,"key":265,"lead":-1,"text":266,"link":-1,"end":-1},"accessibility-4","The app itself isn’t out yet and isn’t covered by this statement.",{"type":14,"key":268,"id":269,"text":270},"accessibility-5","goal","Our goal",{"type":10,"key":272,"lead":-1,"text":273,"link":-1,"end":-1},"accessibility-6","We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. For websites, the European standard EN 301 549, version V4.1.1, builds on the same requirements. Based on our own testing, {siteDomain} largely meets these requirements. Where it doesn’t yet, we say so below.",{"type":14,"key":275,"id":276,"text":277},"accessibility-7","testing","How we test",{"type":29,"key":279,"ordered":81,"items":280},"accessibility-8",[281,284,287],{"lead":282,"text":283},"Automatically, before every release.","Every change to the website runs through automated tests before it goes live. They include accessibility checks with axe against the WCAG 2.2 AA rules, on the start page in all seven languages, on the legal pages, on the pages about the method and about Mindhog, on this statement and on some of the waitlist pages. If a check fails, the change isn’t published. Automated tests only catch some problems, though.",{"lead":285,"text":286},"Targeted checks, on October 25 and 26, 2026.","Using test scripts, we went through the whole site with only a keyboard, in Chrome and in WebKit, the engine behind Safari. We zoomed to 400 % and narrowed the screen to 320 pixels, tried larger text and wider text spacing, and measured colour contrast. We also checked what a screen reader receives by looking at the browser’s accessibility tree.",{"lead":288,"text":289},"Not done yet.","We haven’t tested with a real screen reader such as VoiceOver or NVDA, on real phones, or with people who use assistive technology every day.",{"type":14,"key":291,"id":292,"text":293},"accessibility-9","what-works","What already works",{"type":29,"key":295,"ordered":81,"items":296},"accessibility-10",[297,299,301,303,305,307,309,311,313],{"text":298},"Everything works with a keyboard, in reading order.",{"text":300},"Text has a contrast of at least 4.5 to 1, large text at least 3 to 1.",{"text":302},"Nothing moves: no animations, no videos, nothing that plays on its own.",{"text":304},"At 400 % zoom or 320 pixels wide, nothing needs scrolling sideways and no text gets cut off.",{"text":306},"Each page has one main heading, a clear heading structure and the right language set.",{"text":308},"Decorative images are hidden from screen readers.",{"text":310},"Buttons and form fields are at least 24 by 24 pixels, most of them 44.",{"text":312},"The waitlist form has a visible label, and its error message tells you how to fix the problem.",{"text":314},"There’s no cookie banner to get past, because the site sets no cookies.",{"type":14,"key":316,"id":317,"text":318},"accessibility-11","limitations","Known limitations",{"type":29,"key":320,"ordered":81,"items":321},"accessibility-12",[322,324,326,328,330,332,334],{"text":323},"If you send the waitlist form before the page has finished loading, nothing happens and you get no message. This window is usually shorter than a tenth of a second, but on a slow connection it can last a few seconds. What you typed stays in the field, and sending it again works.",{"text":325},"Without JavaScript, you can’t join the waitlist, confirm your email address or unsubscribe. Instead of the form or the button, you’ll see a note that says so.",{"text":327},"If you send the form by clicking the button or pressing the space bar on it and the email address isn’t valid, the focus moves into the field. Your screen reader then reads “invalid” and the error message, without a separate announcement. If you’ve turned off hints in your screen reader, you’ll only hear “invalid”.",{"text":329},"The hidden area that announces errors to screen readers is emptied after 7 seconds. The error message itself stays visible at the field.",{"text":331},"In the picture of the app, the blue “Plan it” label has white text on blue with a contrast of 3.8 to 1. That’s only enough for large, bold text, so the label is always bold and at least 18.67 pixels. A test makes sure it stays that way.",{"text":333},"The imprint, the privacy policy, the pages about the method and about Mindhog and this statement are only available in full in English and German. The other languages have a short privacy summary and link to the English versions.",{"text":335},"We’ve tested with automated tests (axe) and with test scripts in Chrome and WebKit that check the accessibility tree, announcements and focus. We haven’t tested with real screen readers such as VoiceOver, NVDA or JAWS, or on real devices, yet. WebKit, the engine behind Safari, doesn’t run in every automated test.",{"type":14,"key":337,"id":338,"text":339},"accessibility-13","feedback","Feedback and contact",{"type":10,"key":341,"lead":-1,"text":342,"link":343,"end":111},"accessibility-14","Found a barrier, or something that’s hard to use? Write to",{"label":232,"url":233},{"type":10,"key":345,"lead":-1,"text":346,"link":-1,"end":-1},"accessibility-15","It helps if you tell us which page it was, what you were trying to do and what you use, for example a screen reader or zoom. We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.",{"type":14,"key":348,"id":349,"text":350},"accessibility-16","about-statement","About this statement",{"type":10,"key":352,"lead":-1,"text":353,"link":-1,"end":-1},"accessibility-17","We wrote this statement on October 25, 2026 and updated it on October 26, 2026, based on our own testing. The website was last checked on October 26, 2026.","How accessible mindhog.app is, how we test it, what doesn’t work yet and how to tell us about a barrier.",1793040370448]