Apps for ADHD planning

- February 27, 2022

Hello Dear Reader,

One of the biggest things I have learned with ADHD planning is not to just build my planning and tracking around what I want to do in the future but also to record what I actually do. For some things, this is built into future planning. I have a goal to drink more water and I record what I drink even if it's not the goal amount. But if I end up working on the garden because the weather is really good, or I wash the dog because he got into mud and I did not plan to do those things then I will look back at my still full todo list and it will feel like I haven't done anything. Being somewhat scattered and forgetful is par for the course with ADHD so I do my best to outsource the remembering to other things my bullet journal is a big one but my phone is with me nearly 24/7 and I can sync the data I have there with other people in my support system can know what is happening as well which takes "remember to communicate X" off my mental todo list as well.

Health apps

I don't have a particular health app that I recommend I tend to just default to whatever comes with my phone, I have tried a few but none of the free ones wowed me and none of the pay ones looked worth the cost to me, so find one that works for you! I need a place to track what I eat, my activities, and my current period cycle. Activity is mostly auto-tracked through my smartwatch and my phone.

Google calendar

This is such an easy and convenient way to manage the complicated schedules of work, school, and play for friends and loved ones. I can set up a ton of calendars and share them so everyone has access to the information they need about what and when.

Google keep

Any note-taking app with do I like google keep because the notes I make can be shared through google drive like a document which just makes life simpler by reducing steps.

Finch

This app was suggested to me by a friend recently so I have not been using it long but it's one of the few apps that attempt to gamify self-care in a way that works for chronic illness both physical and mental. Its available on both android (1) and apple (2) so if you give it a shot my friend code is ### come same hi to me and my finch Nyi-nyi.

ToDoist (and others like it)

Any app that lets you make projects and lists and share them with others works for this. My whole family shares a grocery list and meal planning list etc. I found if I am ever "The Sole Keeper of Information" things will get dropped. But having others able to add groceries as we need it, or check off chores as they are done makes keeping on top of things so much easier. Here is an article with a bunch of options many are geared towards a corporate environment as most shared workspaces are. (3)

Habit now

This is also a new one for me I found because I was looking for an app that let me do two things. First I wanted something that let me build routine lists that were not bound to particular times as the times I have available to do things can vary from day to day. And secondly, I wanted a widget that I could put on my phone's home screen. This app lets me do both and I have only been using it for a week now as I try a new system but I have found it really useful so far. It is unfortunately only available on android (4) but here are some ios alternatives (5)

Digital wellbeing and parental controls

These are built into my phone I think it's a Samsung app but I imagine most other phones have similar options. I don't set limits on myself I have not found that to ever be helpful but I do have a screen time tracking widget on my home screen that let me tell at a glance what I have been doing with my phone time that day and if something has been particularly distracting.

My current home screen set up to make this all easier for me to use and remember:

I have my apps that I want to access easily in folders by function: games, entertainment, adulting, etc. I have quick access to Google with a widget, my local weather, and a widget for my Finch on the first page. This is more of a "how I use my phone screen" and it gives me quick relatively uncluttered access to the things I need most frequently.

Samsung has a little fly-out option that I keep things I need regularly enough that I want to find them quickly but not so often that I need them as soon as my phone is unlocked. I have my camera as well as my health apps, todoist, and things on this. At the moment, I am considering how I might change up with is there to better suit my current needs. For a long time, this was my setup, I don't like having multiple pages because I will forget them and it can feel overwhelming for me pretty quickly.

However, this week I added a second page that is just widgets for information I want at a glance and at the same time. My calendar, my productivity apps, and my screen time tracker. I goal with this change is to make it so that I have a landing page for my "whats going on?" questions and with fewer steps to get all the information it will simplify it and leave less room for distractions.