A lot of chatter revolves around the idea that ADHDers shouldn’t do things in the same way neurotypicals would. Most of the time, I agree, but I don’t always see a clear explanation of what we should do instead.
There are a ton of things I could talk about in relation to that. But, in this post I want to talk about planners and 3 things that might work for neurotypicals but not the average ADHD’er. Then, I want to explain what would be better.
So, if you are frustrated with many planners, keep reading! I hope you’ll understand why and see another (better!) way.
Yuck #1: The days are arranged in 15 minute intervals.
This seem pointless for the average entrepreneur, never mind and ADHD’er!
Some of you might disagree with me because it helps you to organize your days this way. But if there’s anything true about ADHD it’s that we’re inconsistent.
My point is that feeling tied to that every day of the year for the rest of our lives would probably be overwhelming for most of us!
When you need this sort of layout, use it. If I may be so bold as to say, I really believe you should avoid yearly planners that arrange your days in this way.
So… Use this layout some of the time or create a daily schedule design that you can modify as needed. But don’t waste money on planners arranged in this way. And if you have not been able to stick to any of them, do not worry.
Yuck #2: Separate Section For Priorities And To Do’s
I’ll be honest. There was a time when I felt like my planners didn’t look like a lot of others so I decided to switch them up a bit. In the process, I made things worse rather than better by doing exactly this.
It just creates too many barriers for us.
- If there are questions our brains can turn off. So, trying to figure out the difference between a priority and to do might be a subconcisious off switch.
- Our brains need to see the connections between things. So keeping the top 3 priorities completely separate from to do’s is a total brain-fuck!
Instead….
- put the to do’s related to each priority TOGETHER. This way, there is a direction connection between the specific action and the outcome.
Yuck #3: Lines and Tiny Little Sections With Lines
I cannot stand it when section lines are so short – especially if the space for a to do is only big enough for 3 words.
It makes you have to smush all of your writing together to make it fit which means that the attempt to make a planner that looks neat and tidy ends up making it messier and more confusing.
Instead…
Use planners without lines but still has sections and a clear disctinction between sections. But make sure it’s flexible enough that you don’t have to smush everything in.
What do I do with this info?
Well… take a look at the planners you’ve abandoned quickly vs those you’ve stuck with longer. Does any of what I’m saying in this post seem to be true for you too?
If so, either go with a blank journal and set up in the way that suits you best.
…Or you can grab my ADHD’ers planning and goal setting bundle. I have been totally hyperfocused on this for years so am thinking about this and improving them all the time.
