7 Best ADHD Productivity Tools
Let’s be honest. ADHD productivity tools can be a hit or miss. You’re on fire, productive, and efficient when they’re good. Yet when the novelty wears off, unproductivity quickly settles in. And as a member of the ADHD club, I’ve struggled with this exact scenario. However, I’ve created a system that finally works. And now, I have an arsenal of strategies at my disposal. Although, ADHD slipups happen despite my best efforts. I have found that these tools allow me to bounce back and create order from chaos.
#1: Guided Journaling/Planning
Guided journaling has been a lifesaver for me. It’s allowed me to realize and pursue various goals in my daily life. The guided journal of choice for me is the Daily Greatness Journal. It’s part journal and part planner with a quarterly setup. This journal is a beneficial tool that helps create a life of intention and purpose.
Its central theme focuses on personal development and self-growth. You’re encouraged to determine your why and create a personal mission statement. These prompts will guide you into making your Greatness Blueprint.
This represents your dreams, goals, and aspirations, and over 90 days, you’ll break these goals down into actionable steps. Each week you build the habits and complete the actions guiding you to achieve your goals. And you’ll start and end your day reflecting on who you need to be and how to improve to make your goals a reality.
Additionally, the weekly reviews allow you to analyze your progress and observe areas that need improvement and what you’re doing right. Finally, after completing the 90 days, you can see your progress and move forward to repeating the process for the next goal.
Of all my ADHD productivity tools, this is the only one I keep consistently. I may skip a few days, but I always return to it. It’s helped me stay on track and accomplish my goals. Furthermore, it’s improved my self-awareness which I believe is super important when managing a mental health condition.
On the other hand, it’s not a cheap journal. On average, it costs $70, making it an investment. But the Daily Greatness Journal is truly one of my favorite tools, and I can’t recommend it enough.
#2: Digital Planners
After years of living in denial, I’ve finally realized paper planners are not for me. I can’t tell you how much money I’ve invested into them to find them stuffed in a closet somewhere unused, hence why I transitioned to digital planners. They are cost-effective (ranging from $15-$30 on Etsy) and more rewarding, at least for me.
I enjoy using my iPad and pencil for digital planning. The novelty hasn’t worn off after doing so for the past few years. Again, I miss and skip a day or two, mostly weekends, and struggle with consistency. However, I rely on my planner to keep me in line with everything I have going on.
It includes meal planning, budgeting, routine building, project planning, goal setting, and other bonus pages, which I’ve found beneficial since everything is contained in one place, making life easier. And I’m happy to keep this as one of my helpful ADHD productivity tools.
#3: iCal Digital Calendar
In many ways, my digital calendar is an extension of my digital planner. I use it to collect tasks, appointments, develop routines, and essentially brainstorm and prepare for what needs to be done. And it allows me to set a time for appointments, projects, errands, and tasks.
This means I have a visual representation of where my time is going each day. Another benefit is color-coding these things, so I know what is occurring with a glance. For example, appointments, work projects, errands, and personal tasks have a unique color.
Structuring my time this way makes me accountable for what I commit to and teaches me about time management. I’m not as late to appointments because my calendar alerts me when to leave.
Furthermore, grouping similar tasks improve my focus and concentration. Not having to shift gears to unrelated tasks prevents me from running late due to time blindness. Moreover, I organize tasks according to priorities and batch similar tasks together, improving my focus since I’m not switching between unrelated tasks.
Of all my ADHD productivity tools, I appreciate that it provides a visual representation of my time and where it’s going. I can quickly see if I’m over-tasking myself and need to scale back. Another benefit is the ability to identify patterns.
The ability to notice unproductive behaviors allows me to correct them swiftly. If I’m struggling with procrastination breaking the project down into manageable tasks might help. Doing this has increased my ability to complete tasks and projects promptly.
#4: Tick Tick To-Do List
In the past, to-do lists did little to make me accomplish or remember tasks. I would create a forget all I wrote down and never look at it. Additionally, I needed help to organize tasks in a suitable structure.
That was until I found Tick Tick. This digital to-do list lets me create individual lists for different areas of my life and current projects. I add the tasks needed to complete the activity or project within these lists. Additional benefits included prioritizing each task and creating alerts and reminders.
Prioritizing tasks puts the most critical tasks at the top of my list. This way, I can get them done swiftly. Once I’ve prioritized the most essential tasks, I can create alerts to remind me to start working on projects and keep me on track. Or, I can create alerts to remind me of due dates.
And I’m noticing that my discipline and follow-through are improving. Incorporating this as a complement to my digital planner and time-blocking system has proven beneficial. It prevents tasks from being forgotten and slipping through the cracks.
#5: Trello
Trello is another one of my favorite ADHD productivity tools and the second that I utilize consistently. It combines time blocking, to-do lists, digital planning, and timelining projects. And I use this specific productivity tool primarily for work since it’s overkill for daily life.
Its key feature is the Kanban method which increases an efficient workflow. It’s a great visual tool and shows you how you’re progressing toward completing your project. As mentioned, visual tools help me conceptualize my projects, especially for work.
#6: Notes
For most users, the Notes app on iOS is a black hole of no return. Yet, for me, it serves a multitude of purposes. Notes organize my thoughts, hold my writings, and are great for creating vision boards in a pinch.
Another enjoyable feature is the ease of access. I can open my notes and input information that syncs with all my devices. Thus, I can access important info from any device, anywhere, anytime.
And for a forgetful person like me, it’s prevented me from worrying about leaving a paper notebook behind. The notes app’s simplicity makes it a necessary addition to my ADHD productivity tools list.
#7: Pomodoro Method
The last tool I want to share is the Pomodoro method. If you’re unfamiliar, Francesco Cirillo created this technique in the late ’80s, implementing an interval-based work system with set focus and rest blocks. At its conception, it was 25 minutes of work with 5 minutes of rest. And, after four rounds, you’d get a fifteen-minute rest period.
I’ve found this helpful for two reasons. The first prevents me from becoming too sucked into a task or project that I lose track of time. An unhealthy pattern I discovered was that I quickly forgot to eat and care for myself. This pulls me back to reality and reminds me to relax.
A second benefit is when I’m working on a complicated task that feels overwhelming. Or, let’s be honest, tasks I don’t want to do. The Pomodoro method allows me to concentrate and focus with frequent breaks. Consequently, it’s easier to navigate tasks and projects I procrastinate on.
Getting started using the Pomodoro method isn’t expensive, making it more essential. At the same time, there’s the option to purchase a timer from the store.
The timer on your phone can accomplish the same purpose for free. Additionally, there are Pomodoro apps you can download via the App Store for your phone, desktop, or tablet.
Find What Works
Many people would say this is a lot. And, honestly, it is. But this is what productivity looks like for me. Utilizing these strategies has made me responsible and efficient. I’ve discovered that integrating these tools has improved my ability to get things done.
An essential fact to remember to increase productivity with ADHD is finding a system that works for YOU. My system is so effective because I created it for my unique needs to overcome my challenges.
And only you know what your individual needs are. So, consider how your brain processes information, how you learn, and what helps you remember things. Then you can find the ADHD productivity tools for you.
