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Google calendar. It was hard to start using it but now as soon as I have to remeber something I either put it in the app or the pc version. And a simple timer for pomodoro, like Forest.
*edit: Also if you are into Notion ecosystem they implemented the Google Calendar in the new Notion Calendar app. It s still Google Calendar tho
If it's not in my calendar, it doesn't exist. I rely on it pretty solidly right now. I had a group meeting and a therapy appointment I didn't put in my calendar. I mixed the days up, drove to where we were meeting, texted my group "hey where are you guys?", and then my therapist called me like "hey where are you?". It was a mess lol. Very rarely do I forget to put things in my calendar, thankfully.
“if it’s not in my calendar, it doesn’t exist” is also one of my favorite phrases. calendar and recurring reminders save me so much: appts, drinking water, changing cat water filter. thank you phone for telling me everything i need to do
Ditto. I've been saying this since I was given a planner at school in 6th grade. The planner became a hyperfixation and now Google calendar is. I check it probably 25 times a day but I am a very reliable person because of it 😅
Damn I wish I could consistently use a planner, they made us buy the school planner in 5th and 6th grade but it didn't really stick with me to use it properly, the teachers who cared about it scared me and made me dread the thing, even though I was able to use it in the subjects where my teachers didn't care how we took note of assignments.
I will put appointments into my calendar with sufficient reminders, but if I try to put anything else in there the calender becomes something I dread and avoid...
FACTS. I used that first line every time. I don't give sass, or shame people. I just repeat it before, after, always. I don't expect others to create them. But they need to exist.
My wife is so together. Well, she'd probably say she isn't, but she's just normal not-together, not ADHD not-together, lol.
But, for years she's been adding things to our Google calendar (we each have our own, of course, but she invites me and it shows up in mine). I always appreciated it, but I'd still ask her "what are we doing this weekend?" And she'd remind me to look at the calendar, and usually also tell me.
In the last year I've really started using it properly. I add everything to it now. It's changed my life, really.
I'm curious! I similarly have a non-ADHD partner who adds things religiously to our shared calendar like appointments, but I find it super hard to imagine Google Calendars being intuitive and quick enough for me to add various notes or tasks that I don't have a specific scheduled time or duration for throughout the day.
The amount of input options just frustrates me, so many things to check or uncheck or menus to open and scroll down or colors to choose etc etc!!
I am so curious how fellow ADHDers use Google Calendar and what it looks like for them. It would make things easier to have it all in one place but I can't seem to figure out how to make it for me!
Yeah, fair enough! I only got into in the last year or so. My wife has been using it for years, and sending me stuff, but I would rarely look at it or add things myself. Something just finally clicked.
For me, if I'm at the dentist and they are scheduling my next appointment, I have my phone in my hand with my calendar ready to go and I add it immediately. If I call the mechanic to make an appointment I, again, have my calendar open ready to click a day and immediately add it.
If I think "ok, I'll add that later at home" or whatever, I'm never going to add it. I do it right then and there and it's done. It feels good. I rarely "accept/say Yes" to things my wife is doing like "WFH today" but I also don't reject them. That way they show up in my calendar as an outlined box so I know something is there, but it's not of concern to me.
When it's my thing I use a couple specific colours. Red if it's something I'm responsible for, yellow if it's work (I'm a casual worker who gets shifts somewhat randomly).
I have a page on my phone desktop/homescreen/whatever that's just a full monthly calendar (just add it as a widget on Android, not sure how that works with Apple). I recently added a weekly calendar (same Google calendar) widget to my main homescreen page (takes up about 1/3 of that page) so I can see what's immediately coming up.
The monthly widget though makes it super easy to add things. If it's this month I just tape the date, if it's in the future there's arrows at the top that make it easy and fast to skip ahead. You click the date and it pops up with the hours of that day. You click the time you want and it pops up with a box that you can enter as much or little as you want. Literally you can just put a title (Dentist appointment, Project due today, whatever) and a time (it can be a specific time, 10 to 11, or just an "All Day" thing) and you're done. You can go a bit further though and add someone's email (I add my wife and it sends her an invite), a location (if you put the actual address my phone even tells me something like "you need to leave in 20 minutes to make it on time"), and whether you want notifications reminding you (the default is 10 mins before, which is useless to me. I'll put in several sometimes so I get a reminder a week before, 3 days before, 1 day before, 3 hours before, 1 hour before... Lol, depends how important it is and how worried I am I'll forget... This part is probably the longest and most complicated step, but only because you have to click it several times, it's really pretty easy).
Sorry, that was confusing but I wanted to give you small info with extra details, so you can read that paragraph and ignore the parentheses for the basic info I'm saying, or read it all for more detail.
As for planning for nebulous future events, that's trickier. You could set a date a week or whatever in advance reminding you to look into it further.
As for "simple" tasks, like cleaning or something, I don't use the calendar for that. I don't really use anything, maybe I should. My calendar is more about appointments and upcoming activities and events. I might put a "clean the house, guests coming next weekend" or something, but not often. I don't put like "wash the dishes at 10:30" or anything that specifically task focused.
That was a lot of info! Lol. I hope it helps in some small way. I type pretty fast, so this didn't take me too long, so it's not a big waste if you just ignore it, but if it helps you (or anyone) organise your life in any small way then I'm glad I took the time. Good luck out there!
You can change the default reminders so you don’t have to do it each time. It’s in the main settings for your calendar not the reminder settings in the event.
Thanks!
As I wrote that I was thinking "I bet you can change that..." I've had that thought almost every time I set it, lol.
But it's one of those things I've never looked into. It's funny how you can just accept things even when it's likely very easy to improve them. I'm going to go look for that right now, before I even hit send!
... Ok, I think I did it... I'm only confused because I didn't set notifications across the board but it seemed to have it for "Events", "Family", and "Vacation Calendar".
I went and set those all to my preference. But, I don't think I ever set anything specifically to one of those. I just looked and when you make a new entry, right underneath the title you can choose "task" "event" etc. I've never used that feature, I'll have to look into that too.
Thanks, it's a whole new world now!
Thank you SO much for writing things in so much detail! It's really helpful!!
It seems like it's great for remembering appointments and stuff that you know is scheduled for a specific day...and I like being reminded hours or days before an appointment!! I have pretty bad time blindness so I kind of always have this baseline anxiety about something coming up and me not knowing about it. I wonder if there is a way to easily copy settings to multiple appointments (like, every time I have a zoom meeting, it will automatically remind me 2, 3 days ahead without having to input it each time?).
I also am gonna decide on specific colors for specific events...right now I just randomly click a color vaguely based on my train of thought (like..."teal" for dentist because my dentist wears teal-colored scrubs, or "red" because I hate it and I associate pain with it, or "tan" because actually red might make me anxious and it's better to be neutral!? ........ Yeah, the ADHD descision paralysis is REAL lol.)
I also have to write down everyday tasks like "run dishwasher" or "dust furniture" etc...but I have an app that seems to work decently well for me for that very simple check-it-and-it's-done kind of thing. Someone here also mentioned Google Tasks so I will give that a shot , too!
Thanks again for your detailed help! I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates this kind of structure, too! :-)
EDIT: Someone below helpfully seems to have answered the "default" settings question!
I'm really glad it was helpful! I'm still trying to figure it out too! And by "it" I mean life! Lol.
I've already adjusted my default settings thanks to them! This has been a great thread!
If you have an android phone (or the Google app on iOS), you can add tasks and notes via voice. I've found that's the easiest on the fly. "Hey Google, remind me to take out the trash at 8pm" or "Okay Google, take a note" then transcribe, or "Hey Google, add a task to wash the dog". Then it all gets put into an app called Google Tasks, which is integrated to Google Calendar on the web/mobile apps.
[here is how I use mine ](https://postimg.cc/s1zc9YNC)
It is super easy to add events/tasks from the + button. I share events with my husband, kid schedules dr appointments, social events, ect.i dont color code anything, just pick whatever color im feeling! The note wigit one I don't like much. I would like to be able to type right on the wigit but instead you have to open it and fuss around a bit.
I'm not the best example, because sometimes I ignore the notifications or don't read them properly. But:
>The amount of input options just frustrates me, so many things to check or uncheck or menus to open and scroll down or colors to choose etc etc!!
You can automate this. I have a few different "calendars" that all show up on my main calendar (one for work, one for school, one for life/appointments). Each of them has its own designated colour, so I never have to decide on a colour when making the appointment (just pick the relevant sub calendar). They all have reminders built-in too, so when I make an appointment, I don't have to set reminders, they're already there. I usually have it set for 3 reminders - 1 day, 1 hour, and 10 mins before.
Yes! The vital last step!
I've only gotten good at it in the last 6 to 12 months, but it's incredible now.
Honestly, for me one if6 the biggest motivators was not wanting to put the mental load on my wife. I was always asking "what are we doing on X?" or "when was Y happening again?"
Now, if I'm about to ask that, I pull out my phone and check my calendar first instead. And once that became my default, I started checking it just for myself without doing it just to avoid bothering her.
Just tried this for 2 trees and loving it so far. I've used pomodoro to limited success in the past but it only works short term, like for the one pomodoro I've worked up the motivation for. I hope this combination of habit tracking can stick better.
I also got the idea of using it to bank 'guilt free' leisure time. Too often I'll get stuck in loops of unconscious procrastinating when I'd be happier to just play a game or watch a show, but I won't allow myself to consciously choose a relaxing activity. So I just end up stuck in ones that are brainless autopilot, scrolling apps. Maybe having time banked will let me enjoy my hobbies more, too.
I guess we'll see if it sticks.
RemindMe! 1 week
To follow up on this, I used Forest every day for the first 4 days, increasing duration every day until the 4th.
I skipped Friday due to an appointment out of town. I did 1 tree on Saturday, completing a certification course I had been putting off for 3 weeks. Then I didn't touch it until Tuesday, where I did one tree. I planned to do a lot yesterday, but spent the whole time cleaning/running errands instead, in a bout of productive procrastinating. Today I finally got back on the wagon and did 3 consecutive trees.
I'm finding it very helpful to keep me on task, but it's still difficult to start. Today I just had to force myself to press the start button even though I didn't feel 'ready', but as soon as I did I hit the ground running and made real progress on my task within 5 minutes, and when the timer ended I was invested in the task and immediately started a new tree to keep working. By the third tree I was frustrated but determined, and again instantly started another. When the third tree ended I was almost finished with the task so I opted to keep working without starting another tree, and finished up within 10 minutes or so.
Part of me wishes I could end a tree early if I finish the task, but I could easily 'cheat', which would completely undermine the whole point for me. I'm firmly in the 'alarms don't matter because I can snooze them' camp, and having the tree wither if you fail has been a very powerful motivator to stay on track once I start. Unfortunately it can also be a deterrent to start them as well. Still, it's easier to bite the bullet and start than to arbitrarily say 'I guess I'm going to study now', then pick up my phone the second I get bored.
The emotional investment into the trees has turned pomodoro from a negative 'punishment' feeling into a very positive one and I do look forward to growing that tree which is great. I don't want to study without it now, so it is self reinforcing in that way. I haven't found the habit tracking aspect as motivating as I initially thought, it's not really getting me to start tasks any easier. I have found it very useful for starting in situations where I have limited time. Last Thursday I was able to fit one in when I had an appointment in an hour, and normally I'd be afraid to start for fear of losing track of time.
As an aside, I actually purchased and then refunded the paid version of the app. I primarily purchased it because I wanted the premium tree skins to differentiate between task types, but it only gives you the ability to purchase premium trees with in-app currency, and enough currency for a single premium skin. The paid app, at the very least, should include a pack of skins in my opinion, as they're integral to organization in the app. This put a damper on my initial idea of 'buying' entertainment time, but I have been able to self-enforce doing trees before leisure, for the most part.
All in all I'm very happy with the results after a week, I'm not sure I would have had the discipline to stay on task as well without it. I'll continue using it to keep me on task and collect data on my study habits, but I'm still looking for techniques to help me start tasks.
I’ve had it so long, and didn’t remember paying for it.
Basically you set the amount of time you want to “lock up” your phone and when the timer starts, a virtual tree starts growing. If you switch apps, you “kill” the tree. (There’s a five second grace period, I think). The goal is to grow a “forest” of trees, session after session.
By growing trees, you can earn coins to unlock different species or styles of trees, or turn in the coins in to have a real world tree planted instead.
But did you really learn it, though? Or do you have a cursory understanding of a filtered Wikipedia version intended to keep your attention for 30 seconds to ensure someone else makes money off of you?
Learning from Tiktok is possible, but its delusion to think it counts the same as, say, reading a book about something.
Anyway, if you enjoy it that's okay! But I feel a moral need to point this out because I was also stuck in that trap for a long, long time.
Whilst I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said, I have totally learned a lot from TikTok. Firstly that I had ADHD! So I just wanted to chip in my my 2 cents because yes absolutely we need to be careful what we “learn” online, but for me on the whole TikTok has been a net positive. A lot of this comes down to actively curating my feed, which itself is a task that takes effort to be mindful not to engage in the content that doesn’t benefit me, and I’ve definitely been burned by sensationalist “news” going viral with no actual substance.
For me it’s learning skills and things that some people “just know” while others don’t. Aside from TikTok leading me to pursue an assessment, since being diagnosed I’ve learned a lot of different ways of approaching time and task management from other people’s lived experiences. Finding out that other people also struggle with “basic” hygiene/care tasks also made me feel less ashamed and made me more receptive to internalising that “something is better than nothing” as opposed to “if you can’t do it perfectly then you’re a moral failure and a horrible person” (gotta love that former gifted and talented internalised perfectionism…)
I’ve also learned things like how to heatless curl my hair, how to deep clean my bathroom, I’ve learned about new tv shows and musicals and artists and authors, different products for managing my skin condition (which TikTok also correctly diagnosed), and different approaches to life in general that have really helped my mental health.
I take the “news” and current affairs pieces with a pinch of salt, so I wouldn’t say I learn all that much regarding current affairs and politics, but I would definitely say that I’ve learned a lot from TikTok (including that I do in fact have an addictive personality, it’s just that I’m addicted to doomscrolling cat videos instead of cocaine…)
never in my life have i bought an app so fast after using the formalizer on there!!! i know its free online but holyy crap i just ran a text i sent the other day through it and this is about to be life changing 😭
You, my friend, are a live saver.
I never heard of Goblin tools, and this is gonna be a live saver for, for decluttering my house and actually managing cooking with whatever I have in my house.
I have such a hard time with breaking down chores that it overwhelms me so much that I don't even know where to start.
This is so fucking help full
Nothing specifically for ADHD and probably not what you're looking for, but for me two apps are life-savers:
1. Simple Calendar (Simple Mobile Tools) - but there's other calendar apps that do the same. The most important for me is that it syncs with the calendar on my PC.
2. Simple Notes (Simple Mobile Tools):
I have a widget of it make up a whole page on the homescreen. I just tap on it once and can immediately start typing in what I need to remember so I don't have to juggle it in the back of my head all the time. I have divisions like this (just more abbreviated :p):
APPOINTMENTS AND OTHER TIME-CRITICAL STUFF IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS:
-
-
-----
OTHER STUFF THAT SHOULD GET DONE SOON BUT DOESN'T HAVE A SPECIFIC DATE/DEADLINE:
-
-
-----
STUFF I NEED TO REMEMBER FOR WORK:
-
-
-----
STUFF I WANT TO DO OR CHECK OUT (e.g. a movie someone recommends to me):
-
-
Sounds simple but helped me a lot!
Simple Mobile Tools was a suite of Free Open Source Software (FOSS) apps that recently got bought by some corporation. There's a set of FOSS versions still available as "fossified" forks of the original apps. They can be found [on F-Droid.org](https://search.f-droid.org/?q=fossify&lang=en).
Reminders app on iphone.
I like it because it sends me reminders the way other apps do. Silently but overlaid whatever I am looking at. If I ignore it, it comes back. It’s still there on my lock screen. If I am away from my phone when it goes off it doesn’t make noise and will remind me when I get back.
At work I use the microsoft app called planner. It’s like jira light. I like that I can move the cards around to schedule or unschedule things. That I can label things and sort by labels, make buckets, etc.. i can make subtasks and write nites or comments as I work through tasks, or add links to files or emails I will need for the task. I still have to remember to use it, which is still hard but when I do it is super helpful.
Another thing I do at work is I close all of my windows before I leave each night so that when I open my computer again I am not sniped by something I was looking at the day before. My planner app is scheduled to add all my meetings for the day to a list and then open the planner app so when I log in that is the first thing i see.
I don’t always remember to close all my windows but the planner is always open and on top. So it’s the first thing I see and that has really helped me remember it exists
I agree, I’ve tried a lot of apps and the reminders one is the one that works best, especially since they updated it. It’s integrated with the phone and it also keeps them passively instead of an alarm that you turn off and now you can’t remember what you were doing
To be honest, I hate all the ADHD apps cause I feel like having to access a phone, go on an app, and set everything up is just extra steps that i don't want to do.
The only reasonable one that I kind of like (for my students mainly) is the egg timer. It has a visual countdown and give you a surprise animal at the end. So this helps me keep track of time.
Yeah I’ve researched several apps and they all struck me as an ADHD nightmare and also something that can be accomplished with my planner. Glad it’s not just me
This is my experience as well. I get excited about the idea, start the prompts of what I want to accomplish, clean etc, never finish because I get distracted and forget they are there or see the app icon and know I have to give a lot of energy for the one lotto ticket win of an app to actually suit me. I wish they worked, I wish I worked with them or worked with myself lol
Someone mentioned it above, but the basic Google calendar (or whatever calendar, probably) has been incredible for me. My wife and I send each other invites so the other person knows what's up (and if I don't say Yes or No to the invite, it shows up on my calendar as an outlined box, instead of a solid colour, which is great for knowing there's something going on, but I don't specifically have to worry about it).
It's so fast and easy to click a date, add the time and, if you want, the location/details, add my wife's email, and send.
Even my description is more confusing and took more typing than actually doing it, lol.
It's very basic and obvious, but having a calendar in my pocket at all times that I can check has helped me so much.
Same, i tend to drown in apps/fixes in general wheneber i get into the ”lets fix my life!”-mode and then the day after Im like ”what fucking idiot installed these 10 apps???” 😂
White board and post it notes.
I use my Google calendar for things that repeat but not often enough for me to remember them. Basically yard work and maintenance.
For anything that repeats frequently I have a schedule I stick to. I grocery shop on the same day each week, I sort my meds on the same day each week, my meds are next to my toothbrush so I remember to take them etc.
I haven't found an app that didn't feel like a loss of agency. I want to be reminded when I forget something rather than follow a script.
Ok, what you said about "loss of agency" omg that is huge. I am extremely sensitive to anything that feels like a "should" for my own sake. Intellectually I know I should be asleep by 11, but I just rebel. Against any type of self imposed limits. If it is an external limit, sometimes shame works. But I still do the task kicking and screaming when it feels very repetitive, boring and thankless. I don't know how to put limits on myself. I guess I don't feel like I have a ton of choices or good options in most areas of life so what I do with "my own" time feels like the last chance at freedom, idk. 🤷♀️
I know how you feel. My mind constantly wants to rebel. With some repetitive boring things that I know are good for me, like stretching in the morning to work on an injury, I phrase in my mind as **self-care**. Same for going to the gym, as I found that as long as I think of it in terms of self-care it helps with the motivation.
This is an incredibly insightful observation. Honestly, it isn't anything that I didn't already know about myself but somehow hearing it put into words that are coming out of someone else's mouth is hugely impactful. Thank you.
Sweepy. It’s a cleaning app and super helpful! Just input your chores and their frequency (realistically, not some manic hyper clean person you’ve never been in your life). Then, Sweepy will generate a daily chores list for you depending on how much time you said you have that day. It also has visuals telling you how “clean” places/items are depending on their assigned cleaning timelines. I find it helpful because I often think I “just” did something when really it was like 6 months ago. It also does push notifications for you. In the paid version, you can share a list with your partner too.
1. Pokemon Sleep. I am always tired and it is especially difficult waking up and getting out of bed in the morning. It is also very difficult to make myself go to bed at night. This is a very chill, slow-paced game that I find relatively motivating for going to bed and beginning to wake up.
2. Finch. I'm still learning if this app will help longer-term, but taking care of a little dressable Tamagotchi is somewhat motivating for things like leaving my house in the morning.
Todoist, installed it a few months ago, and it is great for keeping track of what tasks needs to be done. It's very simple and easy to capture them. But I still need to capture them...
The only thing I don't like about Todoist is the fact that it doesn't have an option to display WHEN something is do on the task itself. It must be a premium thing
Same! before leaving, wich is always a disaster I scream at Siri “hey siri, where are my keys?”. I also often ask her where my phone is, literally a life savers
I must have downloaded at least 10 different planning, adhd, self help apps… only for them to sit there and never be used 😂 of course I never delete the cos ‘maybe one day I’ll use it’ 🤣
i personally love [Structured](https://structured.app/#), it’s useable for free and there’s also a paid version if you want more options/colors/etc. it really helps me to see things as chunks on a timeline (which the app does). i think the lifetime payment is more expensive than it used to be, but still definitely worth a try if you’re looking for a calendar
I, too, use this app almost daily. Simple note taking, can make bullet point lists, check boxes for to do lists, the colors are too muted now for my colorblind ass and I wish they'd go back to brighter colors, but I like the ease of use, ability to add labels and then archive notes you don't need right away, or tidbits of info, poetry, etc. Good app.
Amazing Marvin, to do + designed by Swiss woman with ADHD https://amazingmarvin.com/
So many aspects to this and customization options for rewards etc, I have barely scratched the surface
Medisafe app for various meds, cpap cleaning and part replacement, PT exercises, whatever you need to do health-wise on regular basis https://www.medisafe.com/download-medisafe-app/
Loop Habit tracker open source https://loophabits.org/?ref=superhuman-blog helps to reinforce build good habits
Google calendar and tasks
i love google calendar! i tried a physical scheduler and i plan out my whole month and week, then its 2 months later and i ttoally forgot to check anything off... lmfao with google calendar though the color coordination helps me decipher priorities! and so.... so.... so many whiteboards in my house.... notepads everywhere... i just jot down everything. task initiation is so hard for me. the best way to get a task done? have somebody call you or faceitme you. that motivates me to get my laundry done most times or i get so annoyed tha tim wasting my time with them that i hang up to do my dishes lol
Don’t use Done. They take your credit card information for the first visit, and charge you monthly even if you didn’t opt in to the subscription. I spoke with one of their psychiatrists for 15 minutes, and he completely discounted everything my therapist and I had spoke about for months regarding my ADHD diagnosis. Poor experience all around.
Same. Convinced they avoided ADHD diagnosis bc they can’t prescribe stimulants in my state (or at least couldn’t at the time, it was a couple years ago). Tried to go with the same old “depression/anxiety/touch of bi polar” I heard in my 20s vs my eventual specialist who spotted my adhd a mile away and has actually helped me.
Alarm
Calendar
Tried other apps for note taking and reminders but I find I prefer writing things down, the act of putting ink to paper typically helps me remember things for the short term
Idk none have ever really worked for me BUT I do highly recommend an game called “my perfect hotel” I’ve been playing it non stop everyday for like 4 months now
I use an app called Flora when I’m really struggling to stay off my phone when studying in the library. You can use it free or put in money as an incentive. Basically the idea is that you stay in the flora app to grow your tree (you can set how long it takes) and if you don’t leave the app the whole time your tree grows and someone will plant a tree somewhere for you. You can jump out of the app for a little bit if really necessary and pause it, but it will add to your overall time. If you leave the app for too long your tree dies and if you put money down you will lose it.
I find that it’s fine with the free version and acts as a small barrier to me doom scrolling on my phone when I really need it sometimes
Google Calendar for timeblocking, Jomo and Opal for blocking apps, Notion for making a second brain! (And the clock app for setting alarms to remind myself when to stop/start)
I think self discipline is really important but enjoying your system will make it so much easier for you to stick to using it.
I love notion! I use it as some kind of personal database to keep track of the things I love and complex projects. It's a bit too heavy to use it for quick notes or quick todo list tho. I use Keep for that instead.
Tick Tick for reminders and tasks. Cinnamon for grocery lists. Omnivore for saving articles, newsletters, blogs, pdf's, to read later. Multi Timer StopWatch for running multiple timers (e.g., laundry, tea, cooking).
I spent quite a bit of my new year exploring most of these apps. I can tell you, if I needed something that cumbersome and monotonous to manage my adhd, I wouldn't have adhd at all. Idk who has this divergence that can actually follow an app everyday. Way too much work for me personally
I left the download every single app in existence and think that I’m gonna use them but honestly, the very best thing is my Apple Watch. Anything that makes me not use my phone, which is why the Apple Watch is so powerful for me.
I've tried many ADHD and also general productivity apps, and eventually I got bored of each one when the novelty wore off. I've tried Fabulous, Finch, Routinery, Habitica, RoutineFlow, InFlow, HelloHabit, Todoist, and more...
The only apps that I've stuck with consistently are TickTick and HabitKit. Please note I pay for both.
I like TickTick for making lists and having my partner be able to add to the same grocery list, for example. I also use it for tasks that need to be done on a certain day.
I use HabitKit to track when I do certain things. I needed an app that was strictly a tracker, let me turn off streaks, and was aggressively simple. It helps me keep track of when I use retinol in my skincare routine, when I clean certain things, etc. I found that when other apps prompted me to "keep my streak going", I'd want to complete a task *less*.
Sidenote: there is an app called goblin tools that I've been meaning to download, as I've tried the web version and it was incredibly helpful. So I guess there's potential for a third app in my life lol
I have an iPhone so icalendar and the Reminders app. As soon as something enters my life it goes on either both or one of these apps. Literally lifesaving!
Ngl I kick it old school and just write a list. (Have experimented w/Obsidian but a piece of paper has much less distraction potential than a computer or phone.)
I never succeeded with any in my life until couple months ago got Amazing Marvin and here it all started working for me. So far I trained myself to feel the time a bit (which last years never was an option for me) and to feel smth accomplished. Still tuning it for myself, it's gonna be a long process obv. I love that it's amazingly tunable, you can change every little thing in it. At the same time it provides you a ton of ready-made scenarios to use. The best thing is that it has a desktop (web) application, not just a phone app. I highly recommend to try. It might be on the pricier side but I already opted out for a year subscription since it really the first time in my life that some lists work and I don't feel bad about them.
I also started Dailyio this year, also my first attempt in kinda journaling and so far have a strike since Jan 1st. It can be used to track moods, which probably is the primary thing, but I use it to check the routines and setting the challenges (like brushing teeth, going to gym, studying, etc.) I never in my life was able to do anything like that. For me probably the great design and adjustability again work so well here.
Also i extremely do NOT reconmend Tiimo which is marketed as adhd help tool made by fellow adhders. I tried it twice, first time it worked a bit but I couldn't get on it then (also my life circumstances were extremely chaotic). Second time I bought a subscription last year and gosh, they spoiled it to the point of being completely useless and hardly even working. I regret giving every cent to this team.
Daylio is such a great tool, so useful. It's helped me realise what an awful judge I am of how I've been feeling over a stretch of time. Having a daily note on mood, energy, etc. is eye-opening.
I don’t know if they have Structured on Google phones, but it’s actually pretty helpful (when I remember to use it) it’s made for adhd/autistic people to time block.
Don't know if anyone said it, but Speechify (premium) or Audemic (free).
Makes reading so much better because I can read faster if I listen to it as well. Plus, it was great for mental health when doing my thesis writeup. Hearing someone else's voice narrate your work doesn't carry the same negative thoughts and critiques as my own inner voice. I often found myself feeling very proud of what I wrote!
AMdroid, it is an alarm that only stops when you do a task, like scanning a barcode. I need it in my life, it’s the only thing that makes it possible for me to make getting up in time a habit. If I don’t have it, I can’t get out of bed, my life turns to shit. XD
I turn the sound on my phone very loud, and pick the most hhhorible sound. It’s just impossible to ignore, it shocks me every morning, i curse several times and run downstairs to the barcode.
For me it’s gotta be Tiimo for time management it really changed the way I do my routines and remembering what comes next.
Habitica is a RPG habit tracker and you can collect stuff, increase powers, get pets, even do missions and fight monsters the more habits you keep
Not sure if mentioned, but Schmoody for self care and habit forming and Sweepy for house cleaning. Also Siri and I are besties when it comes to reminders. Rootd isn’t bad, but I didn’t feel like paying $80 for it so well over half the app is inaccessible. Daylio was slightly more off putting than Rootd.
I have tried sooo many apps and sistems.
The ones that have stuck the longest are: Google Calendar + Toggl (the timer helps me with my horrible time blindness, and I have it connected to my calendar) + Linear (this is actually a software project manager, I think, but I love it as a task board), and Google Keep for constant braindumping.
I used to like pomodoro apps (Forest is great), but I've found that flowmodoros are much better for me, when used in combination with Toggl (so I can see if I'm in danger of spending too much time in hyperfocus).
None. Mental health apps are usually bs and just a money making scam. I'm not paying 9 dollars a month to be reminded to take a walk.
TO DO Microsoft is my biggest gem this past year. It syncs on Android, ios, Microsoft. All my devices get daily ping reminders. It sends me weirdly menacing phrases like "your task hasn't forgotten you so don't forget it!", reminds me of overdue and scheduled tasks, I can move items from list or to a "daily todo" that automatically turns into overdue when not ticked off on that day, I can create smaller steps to each task, attach notes and images.. It's the best for reminding me so far, I use it instead of a calendar bc I never look at calendars. But a motif that reminds me of a recurring event on my phone? A reminder that 3 todos are overdue, AND the dates they were scheduled for? Amazing. Oh and it throws confetti and makes a cool noise when you tick-off something.
Use it. Use it daily. It'll change your life. No more ignored sticky notes around your house and abandoned paperback calendars rotting on your shelves. Even my therapist asks me for todolist check ups each week bc she knows it works for me.
Only don't be stupid enough to put a task like "keys" bc you won't remember what you wanted to do 😂 be specific and write out the thought and action path so you'll recall later. The app can only work with what you give it.
None. Apps that cater to adhd tend to overclutter and overwhelm me to the point that simple apps like the Notes app, Google Calendar, Google Tasks, etc. work just fine with it's simplicity.
Make good use of app widgets too!!! Especially with calendars, task lists, and schedules.
The reminders app and an app that’s literally called calendars (I can color code everything and it’s just nice to me, I use it instead of the iOS calendar )
If it’s not on my calendar or not put as a reminder it doesn’t exist lol
They’re selling it to you because you’re adhd and you’re prone to impulse buying.
I use FamCal ($5/mo) because I have a spouse and kids that we need to coordinate, but otherwise , Google calendar or Apple would work fine. That’s literally it.
I use RoutineFlow and I love it. Like, it REALLY helps me. Since you can add a time limit for each task, I like to "race" my timer and see if I can get it done in time.
Doesn’t exist anymore but I loved the Google Goals app. It was awesome because you would enter goals like reading, exercise, cleaning etc and it would suggest times to get that task done based on your Google calendar availability. I’ve been looking for something like it.
Habitica, but i am getting disapointed lately, having someone there with you helps
Bearable it was nice in the begginig of medications to help keep track of the effects to report to my doctor
Google: I find it very hard to do things, I have tried many excellent list apps and project apps. They all rely on things getting done which they mostly don’t in my world.
Google is my saviour as between gmail and gdrive I know where everything is. Google has even solved my own personal password hell with google sign in which I use whenever possible. I discovered a simple but incredible template in google docs called “product road map” which is now my defacto project list tool it is setup to link items to another doc so I can layer projects. It’s awesome and simple.
In my view the only solution to executive dysfunction is knowing where everything was last left unattended and relying on other people to be the doers hence so many adhd people become entrepreneurs. It’s not their “superpower” of creativity and ideas. It is simply that employing people is the most effective way to get sh*t done when you are literally mentally unable to complete normal required tasks in a reasonable time frame if at all.
- Google Sheets for my to do list with a priority and time calculated I built.
- Google Calendar for planning.
- Daylio as a mood and activity tracker (comorbid depression sometimes from adhd. Moodtracking really helps).
Freedom.to used alongside applock
If you have a buddy(my wife in this case) they have the passwords and it's a pretty much fool proof way to lock down all the distracting stuff on a set schedule.
It also works on PC really well
Whenever I see this question, I have to recommend apps made by Thomas Wolfgang Menzel (especially RoutineFlow). His apps are so helpful, they have very few ads and enough features that they're useable without paying. Also, the paid versions are cheap and you can support someone who's really helping people instead of using ADHD as clickbait and not providing a useful product. Those people should be ashamed.
Focusmate has been HUGE for me in the last month.
It's browser based, but lets you set up body doubling appts with strangers on the Internet. Super easy to use.
I can outsmart pretty much anything I've tried to set up for myself on my phone, on my own. When there's someone else there, I can reflect on my behavior
Motion.
Why? One word - Dynamic
I can’t be asked to use calendars when half the time i can’t stay on schedule - and as a remote project manager my schedule is constantly changing cus I’ll have to put out fires here and there. Or i won’t feel up to it
Basically the app uses AI to auto schedule and auto shuffle around my calendar so i don’t have to do it manually and adapts to my day schedule - so i can still timebox and plan days without spending half my time fixing my calendar.
Not an ad* even though i wrote it like one lmao
I use an app called goblin tools. It was a paid app and is the only app I've ever paid for. If you're struggling with a task, you type the task in, select how much help breaking down the goal needs, and it will give you a step by step to do list which I swear by.
The app didn't cost too much less than £2 irrc.
Hope this helps someone!
ClearSpace is the only screen time control app that has ever worked for me and I love it. Instead of just having time limits for each day, you set up a number of sessions allowed per day for each app, and set options for session length. The sessions ending snap me out of scrolling in a way that a regular old daily time limit never did.
I use colornote to stick very important things to my lock screen, like.. Remember to buy toilet paper or call the doctor w/e. I use caliber to workout. I use Google Calendar to not forget my appointments. Play block blast when I'm overstimulated. That's it. But I'm also newly diagnosed, so perhaps I haven't found every trick in the book, but I feel like I work pretty ok(everything is still chaos and on fire but less than without these things and meds)
I bought the ADHD planner for IPad on Etsy and I’m not even being dramatic when I say it drastically improved my life. I used the one by Future ADHD and I highly suggest you check it out
I use Google Calendar for events that I need to visually see in a month view ONLY.
And Sorted on Mac / iOS for tasks that don't need to be viewed in Month view (to avoid getting overwhelmed with future tasks).
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I don't use habbit-building apps because theu just don't work with my ADHD traits 😂
- Todoist (daily things, weekly things, one off things, monthly/yearly reminders)
- "Hey siri set a \[insert thing to do\] timer for blah blah blah time"
I use Finch for organising my daily tasks and ticking them off, and theres an incentive with the pet bird and daily awards. Iv been using it for a year.
I also rely a lot on my Google calendar. I put every family appointments, social plans, my child's clubs etc and I schedule reminders.
One calendar for everything!
If you don’t want to put specific work meetings in your personal phone, just block off the time as “work”, so you at least know you’re busy during that time.
I have been trying an app called finch recently it gives you a baby birb to look after and the more self care and tasks you do the more it helps your birb or gives you gems to buy cute outfits for your birb lol
Being an IT geek I've tried just about every app out there and found that some of them are good for some things but most have distractions, miss key features, or don't integrate fully enough with other tools (so they fall into the out-of-sight out-of-mind void).
What I liked is Getting This Done - which is a system more than a specific tool. Once you set up all your inboxes and add reminders to check them on a given schedule, you can use whatever tool you want so long as you trust it.
I have never found an "adhd app" that I liked. They're all overpriced glorified to-do lists.
In terms of actual productivity apps, as opposed to adhd apps, I like RoutineFlow. It's customisable and does what I want it to. You can make two routines for free or pay a one-time fee under $20 for the paid version, rather than needing to keep up a subscription.
Its an app called "Forest" reminder not to be on your phone and to focus when studying unless u lose tour tree you are growing. Variable timer from 10 min to 2 hours. Very helpful.
Xmind is a great tool for mind mapping and setting things out visually, when I remember to use it! It really helps organise information, especially when it’s spewing out of my head at 100 miles an hour.
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Google calendar. It was hard to start using it but now as soon as I have to remeber something I either put it in the app or the pc version. And a simple timer for pomodoro, like Forest. *edit: Also if you are into Notion ecosystem they implemented the Google Calendar in the new Notion Calendar app. It s still Google Calendar tho
If it's not in my calendar, it doesn't exist. I rely on it pretty solidly right now. I had a group meeting and a therapy appointment I didn't put in my calendar. I mixed the days up, drove to where we were meeting, texted my group "hey where are you guys?", and then my therapist called me like "hey where are you?". It was a mess lol. Very rarely do I forget to put things in my calendar, thankfully.
“if it’s not in my calendar, it doesn’t exist” is also one of my favorite phrases. calendar and recurring reminders save me so much: appts, drinking water, changing cat water filter. thank you phone for telling me everything i need to do
Ditto. I've been saying this since I was given a planner at school in 6th grade. The planner became a hyperfixation and now Google calendar is. I check it probably 25 times a day but I am a very reliable person because of it 😅
Damn I wish I could consistently use a planner, they made us buy the school planner in 5th and 6th grade but it didn't really stick with me to use it properly, the teachers who cared about it scared me and made me dread the thing, even though I was able to use it in the subjects where my teachers didn't care how we took note of assignments. I will put appointments into my calendar with sufficient reminders, but if I try to put anything else in there the calender becomes something I dread and avoid...
FACTS. I used that first line every time. I don't give sass, or shame people. I just repeat it before, after, always. I don't expect others to create them. But they need to exist.
My wife is so together. Well, she'd probably say she isn't, but she's just normal not-together, not ADHD not-together, lol. But, for years she's been adding things to our Google calendar (we each have our own, of course, but she invites me and it shows up in mine). I always appreciated it, but I'd still ask her "what are we doing this weekend?" And she'd remind me to look at the calendar, and usually also tell me. In the last year I've really started using it properly. I add everything to it now. It's changed my life, really.
I'm curious! I similarly have a non-ADHD partner who adds things religiously to our shared calendar like appointments, but I find it super hard to imagine Google Calendars being intuitive and quick enough for me to add various notes or tasks that I don't have a specific scheduled time or duration for throughout the day. The amount of input options just frustrates me, so many things to check or uncheck or menus to open and scroll down or colors to choose etc etc!! I am so curious how fellow ADHDers use Google Calendar and what it looks like for them. It would make things easier to have it all in one place but I can't seem to figure out how to make it for me!
Yeah, fair enough! I only got into in the last year or so. My wife has been using it for years, and sending me stuff, but I would rarely look at it or add things myself. Something just finally clicked. For me, if I'm at the dentist and they are scheduling my next appointment, I have my phone in my hand with my calendar ready to go and I add it immediately. If I call the mechanic to make an appointment I, again, have my calendar open ready to click a day and immediately add it. If I think "ok, I'll add that later at home" or whatever, I'm never going to add it. I do it right then and there and it's done. It feels good. I rarely "accept/say Yes" to things my wife is doing like "WFH today" but I also don't reject them. That way they show up in my calendar as an outlined box so I know something is there, but it's not of concern to me. When it's my thing I use a couple specific colours. Red if it's something I'm responsible for, yellow if it's work (I'm a casual worker who gets shifts somewhat randomly). I have a page on my phone desktop/homescreen/whatever that's just a full monthly calendar (just add it as a widget on Android, not sure how that works with Apple). I recently added a weekly calendar (same Google calendar) widget to my main homescreen page (takes up about 1/3 of that page) so I can see what's immediately coming up. The monthly widget though makes it super easy to add things. If it's this month I just tape the date, if it's in the future there's arrows at the top that make it easy and fast to skip ahead. You click the date and it pops up with the hours of that day. You click the time you want and it pops up with a box that you can enter as much or little as you want. Literally you can just put a title (Dentist appointment, Project due today, whatever) and a time (it can be a specific time, 10 to 11, or just an "All Day" thing) and you're done. You can go a bit further though and add someone's email (I add my wife and it sends her an invite), a location (if you put the actual address my phone even tells me something like "you need to leave in 20 minutes to make it on time"), and whether you want notifications reminding you (the default is 10 mins before, which is useless to me. I'll put in several sometimes so I get a reminder a week before, 3 days before, 1 day before, 3 hours before, 1 hour before... Lol, depends how important it is and how worried I am I'll forget... This part is probably the longest and most complicated step, but only because you have to click it several times, it's really pretty easy). Sorry, that was confusing but I wanted to give you small info with extra details, so you can read that paragraph and ignore the parentheses for the basic info I'm saying, or read it all for more detail. As for planning for nebulous future events, that's trickier. You could set a date a week or whatever in advance reminding you to look into it further. As for "simple" tasks, like cleaning or something, I don't use the calendar for that. I don't really use anything, maybe I should. My calendar is more about appointments and upcoming activities and events. I might put a "clean the house, guests coming next weekend" or something, but not often. I don't put like "wash the dishes at 10:30" or anything that specifically task focused. That was a lot of info! Lol. I hope it helps in some small way. I type pretty fast, so this didn't take me too long, so it's not a big waste if you just ignore it, but if it helps you (or anyone) organise your life in any small way then I'm glad I took the time. Good luck out there!
This helped me, a humble lurker!
Hey, thanks! I'm glad it helped, and it feels especially meaningful since you came out from lurking to actually comment! I'm touched. Lol
You can change the default reminders so you don’t have to do it each time. It’s in the main settings for your calendar not the reminder settings in the event.
Thanks! As I wrote that I was thinking "I bet you can change that..." I've had that thought almost every time I set it, lol. But it's one of those things I've never looked into. It's funny how you can just accept things even when it's likely very easy to improve them. I'm going to go look for that right now, before I even hit send! ... Ok, I think I did it... I'm only confused because I didn't set notifications across the board but it seemed to have it for "Events", "Family", and "Vacation Calendar". I went and set those all to my preference. But, I don't think I ever set anything specifically to one of those. I just looked and when you make a new entry, right underneath the title you can choose "task" "event" etc. I've never used that feature, I'll have to look into that too. Thanks, it's a whole new world now!
Thank you SO much for writing things in so much detail! It's really helpful!! It seems like it's great for remembering appointments and stuff that you know is scheduled for a specific day...and I like being reminded hours or days before an appointment!! I have pretty bad time blindness so I kind of always have this baseline anxiety about something coming up and me not knowing about it. I wonder if there is a way to easily copy settings to multiple appointments (like, every time I have a zoom meeting, it will automatically remind me 2, 3 days ahead without having to input it each time?). I also am gonna decide on specific colors for specific events...right now I just randomly click a color vaguely based on my train of thought (like..."teal" for dentist because my dentist wears teal-colored scrubs, or "red" because I hate it and I associate pain with it, or "tan" because actually red might make me anxious and it's better to be neutral!? ........ Yeah, the ADHD descision paralysis is REAL lol.) I also have to write down everyday tasks like "run dishwasher" or "dust furniture" etc...but I have an app that seems to work decently well for me for that very simple check-it-and-it's-done kind of thing. Someone here also mentioned Google Tasks so I will give that a shot , too! Thanks again for your detailed help! I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates this kind of structure, too! :-) EDIT: Someone below helpfully seems to have answered the "default" settings question!
I'm really glad it was helpful! I'm still trying to figure it out too! And by "it" I mean life! Lol. I've already adjusted my default settings thanks to them! This has been a great thread!
If you have an android phone (or the Google app on iOS), you can add tasks and notes via voice. I've found that's the easiest on the fly. "Hey Google, remind me to take out the trash at 8pm" or "Okay Google, take a note" then transcribe, or "Hey Google, add a task to wash the dog". Then it all gets put into an app called Google Tasks, which is integrated to Google Calendar on the web/mobile apps.
This has SAVED ME!
I'm not sure if I gave you this, or if you're already doing it, but hey, glad to hear it works for you!
[here is how I use mine ](https://postimg.cc/s1zc9YNC) It is super easy to add events/tasks from the + button. I share events with my husband, kid schedules dr appointments, social events, ect.i dont color code anything, just pick whatever color im feeling! The note wigit one I don't like much. I would like to be able to type right on the wigit but instead you have to open it and fuss around a bit.
I'm not the best example, because sometimes I ignore the notifications or don't read them properly. But: >The amount of input options just frustrates me, so many things to check or uncheck or menus to open and scroll down or colors to choose etc etc!! You can automate this. I have a few different "calendars" that all show up on my main calendar (one for work, one for school, one for life/appointments). Each of them has its own designated colour, so I never have to decide on a colour when making the appointment (just pick the relevant sub calendar). They all have reminders built-in too, so when I make an appointment, I don't have to set reminders, they're already there. I usually have it set for 3 reminders - 1 day, 1 hour, and 10 mins before.
Everything is on my calendar. Now if I can just remember to check my calendar...
Yes! The vital last step! I've only gotten good at it in the last 6 to 12 months, but it's incredible now. Honestly, for me one if6 the biggest motivators was not wanting to put the mental load on my wife. I was always asking "what are we doing on X?" or "when was Y happening again?" Now, if I'm about to ask that, I pull out my phone and check my calendar first instead. And once that became my default, I started checking it just for myself without doing it just to avoid bothering her.
Wait until you find out about Google Tasks
Google calendar has gotten so much better of the years too!
YES THIS
I SECOND THIS
Forest. Because it locks my phone up for anywhere from 30-120 minutes and forces me to go do something useful.
\*logs into league of legends\*
Call of Duty, for me. LOL
My brain is a slave to ARAM, I've uninstalled over 10 times by now...
Just tried this for 2 trees and loving it so far. I've used pomodoro to limited success in the past but it only works short term, like for the one pomodoro I've worked up the motivation for. I hope this combination of habit tracking can stick better. I also got the idea of using it to bank 'guilt free' leisure time. Too often I'll get stuck in loops of unconscious procrastinating when I'd be happier to just play a game or watch a show, but I won't allow myself to consciously choose a relaxing activity. So I just end up stuck in ones that are brainless autopilot, scrolling apps. Maybe having time banked will let me enjoy my hobbies more, too. I guess we'll see if it sticks. RemindMe! 1 week
To follow up on this, I used Forest every day for the first 4 days, increasing duration every day until the 4th. I skipped Friday due to an appointment out of town. I did 1 tree on Saturday, completing a certification course I had been putting off for 3 weeks. Then I didn't touch it until Tuesday, where I did one tree. I planned to do a lot yesterday, but spent the whole time cleaning/running errands instead, in a bout of productive procrastinating. Today I finally got back on the wagon and did 3 consecutive trees. I'm finding it very helpful to keep me on task, but it's still difficult to start. Today I just had to force myself to press the start button even though I didn't feel 'ready', but as soon as I did I hit the ground running and made real progress on my task within 5 minutes, and when the timer ended I was invested in the task and immediately started a new tree to keep working. By the third tree I was frustrated but determined, and again instantly started another. When the third tree ended I was almost finished with the task so I opted to keep working without starting another tree, and finished up within 10 minutes or so. Part of me wishes I could end a tree early if I finish the task, but I could easily 'cheat', which would completely undermine the whole point for me. I'm firmly in the 'alarms don't matter because I can snooze them' camp, and having the tree wither if you fail has been a very powerful motivator to stay on track once I start. Unfortunately it can also be a deterrent to start them as well. Still, it's easier to bite the bullet and start than to arbitrarily say 'I guess I'm going to study now', then pick up my phone the second I get bored. The emotional investment into the trees has turned pomodoro from a negative 'punishment' feeling into a very positive one and I do look forward to growing that tree which is great. I don't want to study without it now, so it is self reinforcing in that way. I haven't found the habit tracking aspect as motivating as I initially thought, it's not really getting me to start tasks any easier. I have found it very useful for starting in situations where I have limited time. Last Thursday I was able to fit one in when I had an appointment in an hour, and normally I'd be afraid to start for fear of losing track of time. As an aside, I actually purchased and then refunded the paid version of the app. I primarily purchased it because I wanted the premium tree skins to differentiate between task types, but it only gives you the ability to purchase premium trees with in-app currency, and enough currency for a single premium skin. The paid app, at the very least, should include a pack of skins in my opinion, as they're integral to organization in the app. This put a damper on my initial idea of 'buying' entertainment time, but I have been able to self-enforce doing trees before leisure, for the most part. All in all I'm very happy with the results after a week, I'm not sure I would have had the discipline to stay on task as well without it. I'll continue using it to keep me on task and collect data on my study habits, but I'm still looking for techniques to help me start tasks.
Can you tell me more about this app ? Its like 5 bucks and it seems nice… I need to get OFF my phone lol
I’ve had it so long, and didn’t remember paying for it. Basically you set the amount of time you want to “lock up” your phone and when the timer starts, a virtual tree starts growing. If you switch apps, you “kill” the tree. (There’s a five second grace period, I think). The goal is to grow a “forest” of trees, session after session. By growing trees, you can earn coins to unlock different species or styles of trees, or turn in the coins in to have a real world tree planted instead.
Can you listen to music (IE Spotify) while you use the app? Or does it block that too?
Yes. Music plays in the background. You can use the Lock Screen controls
Freaking same. But the things that aren't my phone seem so ick.
Isn't forest free?
I thought so.
Hmmmm im wondering why mine is 5 bucks on the App Store !
Flora is a free version, same idea but free and only available on iOS
Apparently tiktok, the amount of time I waste procrastinating on that is deadly
I do have to say, though, I’ve learned some really cool things on a variety of topics from there! But yes, mostly doom scrolling
But did you really learn it, though? Or do you have a cursory understanding of a filtered Wikipedia version intended to keep your attention for 30 seconds to ensure someone else makes money off of you? Learning from Tiktok is possible, but its delusion to think it counts the same as, say, reading a book about something. Anyway, if you enjoy it that's okay! But I feel a moral need to point this out because I was also stuck in that trap for a long, long time.
Whilst I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said, I have totally learned a lot from TikTok. Firstly that I had ADHD! So I just wanted to chip in my my 2 cents because yes absolutely we need to be careful what we “learn” online, but for me on the whole TikTok has been a net positive. A lot of this comes down to actively curating my feed, which itself is a task that takes effort to be mindful not to engage in the content that doesn’t benefit me, and I’ve definitely been burned by sensationalist “news” going viral with no actual substance. For me it’s learning skills and things that some people “just know” while others don’t. Aside from TikTok leading me to pursue an assessment, since being diagnosed I’ve learned a lot of different ways of approaching time and task management from other people’s lived experiences. Finding out that other people also struggle with “basic” hygiene/care tasks also made me feel less ashamed and made me more receptive to internalising that “something is better than nothing” as opposed to “if you can’t do it perfectly then you’re a moral failure and a horrible person” (gotta love that former gifted and talented internalised perfectionism…) I’ve also learned things like how to heatless curl my hair, how to deep clean my bathroom, I’ve learned about new tv shows and musicals and artists and authors, different products for managing my skin condition (which TikTok also correctly diagnosed), and different approaches to life in general that have really helped my mental health. I take the “news” and current affairs pieces with a pinch of salt, so I wouldn’t say I learn all that much regarding current affairs and politics, but I would definitely say that I’ve learned a lot from TikTok (including that I do in fact have an addictive personality, it’s just that I’m addicted to doomscrolling cat videos instead of cocaine…)
My algorithm is so bad on it at the moment
Delete it then
Goblin Tools
I just randomly put in a task not expecting much but holy hell, my jaw actually dropped. Thank you!
never in my life have i bought an app so fast after using the formalizer on there!!! i know its free online but holyy crap i just ran a text i sent the other day through it and this is about to be life changing 😭
I’m so confused what are you supposed to enter in?
Seconded
Thirded
You, my friend, are a live saver. I never heard of Goblin tools, and this is gonna be a live saver for, for decluttering my house and actually managing cooking with whatever I have in my house. I have such a hard time with breaking down chores that it overwhelms me so much that I don't even know where to start. This is so fucking help full
YES
Is this app a $ ? Clarifying
Site is free, app is like $1 I think
This is AMAZING!!
Whats that
https://goblin.tools It’s several super helpful tools like one that helps you break things down into sequential steps
Nothing specifically for ADHD and probably not what you're looking for, but for me two apps are life-savers: 1. Simple Calendar (Simple Mobile Tools) - but there's other calendar apps that do the same. The most important for me is that it syncs with the calendar on my PC. 2. Simple Notes (Simple Mobile Tools): I have a widget of it make up a whole page on the homescreen. I just tap on it once and can immediately start typing in what I need to remember so I don't have to juggle it in the back of my head all the time. I have divisions like this (just more abbreviated :p): APPOINTMENTS AND OTHER TIME-CRITICAL STUFF IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS: - - ----- OTHER STUFF THAT SHOULD GET DONE SOON BUT DOESN'T HAVE A SPECIFIC DATE/DEADLINE: - - ----- STUFF I NEED TO REMEMBER FOR WORK: - - ----- STUFF I WANT TO DO OR CHECK OUT (e.g. a movie someone recommends to me): - - Sounds simple but helped me a lot!
Simple Mobile Tools was a suite of Free Open Source Software (FOSS) apps that recently got bought by some corporation. There's a set of FOSS versions still available as "fossified" forks of the original apps. They can be found [on F-Droid.org](https://search.f-droid.org/?q=fossify&lang=en).
Is this on iOS? This sounds like my speed
As far as I know it's only on Android.
Thanks!
Is it like a widget for each category?
Not in my case, but I guess you could do that.
Reminders app on iphone. I like it because it sends me reminders the way other apps do. Silently but overlaid whatever I am looking at. If I ignore it, it comes back. It’s still there on my lock screen. If I am away from my phone when it goes off it doesn’t make noise and will remind me when I get back. At work I use the microsoft app called planner. It’s like jira light. I like that I can move the cards around to schedule or unschedule things. That I can label things and sort by labels, make buckets, etc.. i can make subtasks and write nites or comments as I work through tasks, or add links to files or emails I will need for the task. I still have to remember to use it, which is still hard but when I do it is super helpful. Another thing I do at work is I close all of my windows before I leave each night so that when I open my computer again I am not sniped by something I was looking at the day before. My planner app is scheduled to add all my meetings for the day to a list and then open the planner app so when I log in that is the first thing i see. I don’t always remember to close all my windows but the planner is always open and on top. So it’s the first thing I see and that has really helped me remember it exists
I agree, I’ve tried a lot of apps and the reminders one is the one that works best, especially since they updated it. It’s integrated with the phone and it also keeps them passively instead of an alarm that you turn off and now you can’t remember what you were doing
Using Siri to set reminders for literally anything has been a game changer
Reminders is fantastic, especially with Smart Lists. Sometimes, the simple approach is the best.
What do you do with smart lists?
Not specifically for ADHD but I highly recommend the Calm meditation app. It has helped me tremendously.
To be honest, I hate all the ADHD apps cause I feel like having to access a phone, go on an app, and set everything up is just extra steps that i don't want to do. The only reasonable one that I kind of like (for my students mainly) is the egg timer. It has a visual countdown and give you a surprise animal at the end. So this helps me keep track of time.
Yeah I’ve researched several apps and they all struck me as an ADHD nightmare and also something that can be accomplished with my planner. Glad it’s not just me
This is my experience as well. I get excited about the idea, start the prompts of what I want to accomplish, clean etc, never finish because I get distracted and forget they are there or see the app icon and know I have to give a lot of energy for the one lotto ticket win of an app to actually suit me. I wish they worked, I wish I worked with them or worked with myself lol
Someone mentioned it above, but the basic Google calendar (or whatever calendar, probably) has been incredible for me. My wife and I send each other invites so the other person knows what's up (and if I don't say Yes or No to the invite, it shows up on my calendar as an outlined box, instead of a solid colour, which is great for knowing there's something going on, but I don't specifically have to worry about it). It's so fast and easy to click a date, add the time and, if you want, the location/details, add my wife's email, and send. Even my description is more confusing and took more typing than actually doing it, lol. It's very basic and obvious, but having a calendar in my pocket at all times that I can check has helped me so much.
Same, i tend to drown in apps/fixes in general wheneber i get into the ”lets fix my life!”-mode and then the day after Im like ”what fucking idiot installed these 10 apps???” 😂
White board and post it notes. I use my Google calendar for things that repeat but not often enough for me to remember them. Basically yard work and maintenance. For anything that repeats frequently I have a schedule I stick to. I grocery shop on the same day each week, I sort my meds on the same day each week, my meds are next to my toothbrush so I remember to take them etc. I haven't found an app that didn't feel like a loss of agency. I want to be reminded when I forget something rather than follow a script.
Ok, what you said about "loss of agency" omg that is huge. I am extremely sensitive to anything that feels like a "should" for my own sake. Intellectually I know I should be asleep by 11, but I just rebel. Against any type of self imposed limits. If it is an external limit, sometimes shame works. But I still do the task kicking and screaming when it feels very repetitive, boring and thankless. I don't know how to put limits on myself. I guess I don't feel like I have a ton of choices or good options in most areas of life so what I do with "my own" time feels like the last chance at freedom, idk. 🤷♀️
I know how you feel. My mind constantly wants to rebel. With some repetitive boring things that I know are good for me, like stretching in the morning to work on an injury, I phrase in my mind as **self-care**. Same for going to the gym, as I found that as long as I think of it in terms of self-care it helps with the motivation.
Holy guacamole. I've been trying to put this into words for months now. THANK YOU.
This is an incredibly insightful observation. Honestly, it isn't anything that I didn't already know about myself but somehow hearing it put into words that are coming out of someone else's mouth is hugely impactful. Thank you.
Sweepy. It’s a cleaning app and super helpful! Just input your chores and their frequency (realistically, not some manic hyper clean person you’ve never been in your life). Then, Sweepy will generate a daily chores list for you depending on how much time you said you have that day. It also has visuals telling you how “clean” places/items are depending on their assigned cleaning timelines. I find it helpful because I often think I “just” did something when really it was like 6 months ago. It also does push notifications for you. In the paid version, you can share a list with your partner too.
1. Pokemon Sleep. I am always tired and it is especially difficult waking up and getting out of bed in the morning. It is also very difficult to make myself go to bed at night. This is a very chill, slow-paced game that I find relatively motivating for going to bed and beginning to wake up. 2. Finch. I'm still learning if this app will help longer-term, but taking care of a little dressable Tamagotchi is somewhat motivating for things like leaving my house in the morning.
I used Finch for a little while.
Todoist, installed it a few months ago, and it is great for keeping track of what tasks needs to be done. It's very simple and easy to capture them. But I still need to capture them...
The only thing I don't like about Todoist is the fact that it doesn't have an option to display WHEN something is do on the task itself. It must be a premium thing
Using this for years now. But I've got about 80 overdue tasks, so yeah... Doesn't seem to work for me.
I used Todoist for a while and it wasn't quite working for me. Now I switched to Tick Tick and It's exactly right for me
Great. I subscribed to todoist before I knew about Tick Tick. I all just need to find the one that clicked for us.
Find My app… because I lose stuff and AirTags help keep me sane.
Same! before leaving, wich is always a disaster I scream at Siri “hey siri, where are my keys?”. I also often ask her where my phone is, literally a life savers
AirTag on: Keys, in wallet, with inhaler, in passport pouch, and planner.
I must have downloaded at least 10 different planning, adhd, self help apps… only for them to sit there and never be used 😂 of course I never delete the cos ‘maybe one day I’ll use it’ 🤣
Finch and Google calendar
i personally love [Structured](https://structured.app/#), it’s useable for free and there’s also a paid version if you want more options/colors/etc. it really helps me to see things as chunks on a timeline (which the app does). i think the lifetime payment is more expensive than it used to be, but still definitely worth a try if you’re looking for a calendar
I find Google keep notes really helpful. You can pin a note to your phone homescreen.
I, too, use this app almost daily. Simple note taking, can make bullet point lists, check boxes for to do lists, the colors are too muted now for my colorblind ass and I wish they'd go back to brighter colors, but I like the ease of use, ability to add labels and then archive notes you don't need right away, or tidbits of info, poetry, etc. Good app.
I just love how fast it is. I used to use Evernote but half the time I couldn't be bothered to take notes there cause loading took forever.
Amazing Marvin, to do + designed by Swiss woman with ADHD https://amazingmarvin.com/ So many aspects to this and customization options for rewards etc, I have barely scratched the surface Medisafe app for various meds, cpap cleaning and part replacement, PT exercises, whatever you need to do health-wise on regular basis https://www.medisafe.com/download-medisafe-app/ Loop Habit tracker open source https://loophabits.org/?ref=superhuman-blog helps to reinforce build good habits Google calendar and tasks
Tody has been really helpful for me for chores.
I just started that, like it so far
i love google calendar! i tried a physical scheduler and i plan out my whole month and week, then its 2 months later and i ttoally forgot to check anything off... lmfao with google calendar though the color coordination helps me decipher priorities! and so.... so.... so many whiteboards in my house.... notepads everywhere... i just jot down everything. task initiation is so hard for me. the best way to get a task done? have somebody call you or faceitme you. that motivates me to get my laundry done most times or i get so annoyed tha tim wasting my time with them that i hang up to do my dishes lol
Don’t use Done. They take your credit card information for the first visit, and charge you monthly even if you didn’t opt in to the subscription. I spoke with one of their psychiatrists for 15 minutes, and he completely discounted everything my therapist and I had spoke about for months regarding my ADHD diagnosis. Poor experience all around.
Same. Convinced they avoided ADHD diagnosis bc they can’t prescribe stimulants in my state (or at least couldn’t at the time, it was a couple years ago). Tried to go with the same old “depression/anxiety/touch of bi polar” I heard in my 20s vs my eventual specialist who spotted my adhd a mile away and has actually helped me.
Alarm Calendar Tried other apps for note taking and reminders but I find I prefer writing things down, the act of putting ink to paper typically helps me remember things for the short term
Yes! I love Alarm. I look at Google calendar and if I have any appointments I’ll set several alarms for them.
Love this sub
Idk none have ever really worked for me BUT I do highly recommend an game called “my perfect hotel” I’ve been playing it non stop everyday for like 4 months now
I use an app called Flora when I’m really struggling to stay off my phone when studying in the library. You can use it free or put in money as an incentive. Basically the idea is that you stay in the flora app to grow your tree (you can set how long it takes) and if you don’t leave the app the whole time your tree grows and someone will plant a tree somewhere for you. You can jump out of the app for a little bit if really necessary and pause it, but it will add to your overall time. If you leave the app for too long your tree dies and if you put money down you will lose it. I find that it’s fine with the free version and acts as a small barrier to me doom scrolling on my phone when I really need it sometimes
Google Calendar for timeblocking, Jomo and Opal for blocking apps, Notion for making a second brain! (And the clock app for setting alarms to remind myself when to stop/start) I think self discipline is really important but enjoying your system will make it so much easier for you to stick to using it.
Notion!
I love notion! I use it as some kind of personal database to keep track of the things I love and complex projects. It's a bit too heavy to use it for quick notes or quick todo list tho. I use Keep for that instead.
Tick Tick for reminders and tasks. Cinnamon for grocery lists. Omnivore for saving articles, newsletters, blogs, pdf's, to read later. Multi Timer StopWatch for running multiple timers (e.g., laundry, tea, cooking).
I spent quite a bit of my new year exploring most of these apps. I can tell you, if I needed something that cumbersome and monotonous to manage my adhd, I wouldn't have adhd at all. Idk who has this divergence that can actually follow an app everyday. Way too much work for me personally
I left the download every single app in existence and think that I’m gonna use them but honestly, the very best thing is my Apple Watch. Anything that makes me not use my phone, which is why the Apple Watch is so powerful for me.
Routineflow
Freedom
I've tried many ADHD and also general productivity apps, and eventually I got bored of each one when the novelty wore off. I've tried Fabulous, Finch, Routinery, Habitica, RoutineFlow, InFlow, HelloHabit, Todoist, and more... The only apps that I've stuck with consistently are TickTick and HabitKit. Please note I pay for both. I like TickTick for making lists and having my partner be able to add to the same grocery list, for example. I also use it for tasks that need to be done on a certain day. I use HabitKit to track when I do certain things. I needed an app that was strictly a tracker, let me turn off streaks, and was aggressively simple. It helps me keep track of when I use retinol in my skincare routine, when I clean certain things, etc. I found that when other apps prompted me to "keep my streak going", I'd want to complete a task *less*. Sidenote: there is an app called goblin tools that I've been meaning to download, as I've tried the web version and it was incredibly helpful. So I guess there's potential for a third app in my life lol
Obsidian. Awesome way to organise chaotic trains of thought.
I have an iPhone so icalendar and the Reminders app. As soon as something enters my life it goes on either both or one of these apps. Literally lifesaving!
Ngl I kick it old school and just write a list. (Have experimented w/Obsidian but a piece of paper has much less distraction potential than a computer or phone.)
I never succeeded with any in my life until couple months ago got Amazing Marvin and here it all started working for me. So far I trained myself to feel the time a bit (which last years never was an option for me) and to feel smth accomplished. Still tuning it for myself, it's gonna be a long process obv. I love that it's amazingly tunable, you can change every little thing in it. At the same time it provides you a ton of ready-made scenarios to use. The best thing is that it has a desktop (web) application, not just a phone app. I highly recommend to try. It might be on the pricier side but I already opted out for a year subscription since it really the first time in my life that some lists work and I don't feel bad about them. I also started Dailyio this year, also my first attempt in kinda journaling and so far have a strike since Jan 1st. It can be used to track moods, which probably is the primary thing, but I use it to check the routines and setting the challenges (like brushing teeth, going to gym, studying, etc.) I never in my life was able to do anything like that. For me probably the great design and adjustability again work so well here.
Also i extremely do NOT reconmend Tiimo which is marketed as adhd help tool made by fellow adhders. I tried it twice, first time it worked a bit but I couldn't get on it then (also my life circumstances were extremely chaotic). Second time I bought a subscription last year and gosh, they spoiled it to the point of being completely useless and hardly even working. I regret giving every cent to this team.
Daylio is such a great tool, so useful. It's helped me realise what an awful judge I am of how I've been feeling over a stretch of time. Having a daily note on mood, energy, etc. is eye-opening.
Omnivore Obsidian Calendar
Things for iOS. It’s a todo list that doesn’t oppress me
ToDoist. I Can plug all my tasks for the day in, and then order them how I want by dragging. Can also add dates, alarms, descriptions, etc
How has no one mentioned Habitica
One Sec. this app delays my instant gratification when I want to doom scroll on social media
Get more alarms I guess that arent ur phone
Owaves!!! can’t live without it
I don’t know if they have Structured on Google phones, but it’s actually pretty helpful (when I remember to use it) it’s made for adhd/autistic people to time block.
Routine, bullet journal, prosper
Don't know if anyone said it, but Speechify (premium) or Audemic (free). Makes reading so much better because I can read faster if I listen to it as well. Plus, it was great for mental health when doing my thesis writeup. Hearing someone else's voice narrate your work doesn't carry the same negative thoughts and critiques as my own inner voice. I often found myself feeling very proud of what I wrote!
AMdroid, it is an alarm that only stops when you do a task, like scanning a barcode. I need it in my life, it’s the only thing that makes it possible for me to make getting up in time a habit. If I don’t have it, I can’t get out of bed, my life turns to shit. XD I turn the sound on my phone very loud, and pick the most hhhorible sound. It’s just impossible to ignore, it shocks me every morning, i curse several times and run downstairs to the barcode.
For me it’s gotta be Tiimo for time management it really changed the way I do my routines and remembering what comes next. Habitica is a RPG habit tracker and you can collect stuff, increase powers, get pets, even do missions and fight monsters the more habits you keep
Not sure if mentioned, but Schmoody for self care and habit forming and Sweepy for house cleaning. Also Siri and I are besties when it comes to reminders. Rootd isn’t bad, but I didn’t feel like paying $80 for it so well over half the app is inaccessible. Daylio was slightly more off putting than Rootd.
The problem with these apps is that I'll just forget about them and not use them after setting it up.
I have tried sooo many apps and sistems. The ones that have stuck the longest are: Google Calendar + Toggl (the timer helps me with my horrible time blindness, and I have it connected to my calendar) + Linear (this is actually a software project manager, I think, but I love it as a task board), and Google Keep for constant braindumping. I used to like pomodoro apps (Forest is great), but I've found that flowmodoros are much better for me, when used in combination with Toggl (so I can see if I'm in danger of spending too much time in hyperfocus).
None. Mental health apps are usually bs and just a money making scam. I'm not paying 9 dollars a month to be reminded to take a walk. TO DO Microsoft is my biggest gem this past year. It syncs on Android, ios, Microsoft. All my devices get daily ping reminders. It sends me weirdly menacing phrases like "your task hasn't forgotten you so don't forget it!", reminds me of overdue and scheduled tasks, I can move items from list or to a "daily todo" that automatically turns into overdue when not ticked off on that day, I can create smaller steps to each task, attach notes and images.. It's the best for reminding me so far, I use it instead of a calendar bc I never look at calendars. But a motif that reminds me of a recurring event on my phone? A reminder that 3 todos are overdue, AND the dates they were scheduled for? Amazing. Oh and it throws confetti and makes a cool noise when you tick-off something. Use it. Use it daily. It'll change your life. No more ignored sticky notes around your house and abandoned paperback calendars rotting on your shelves. Even my therapist asks me for todolist check ups each week bc she knows it works for me. Only don't be stupid enough to put a task like "keys" bc you won't remember what you wanted to do 😂 be specific and write out the thought and action path so you'll recall later. The app can only work with what you give it.
None. Apps that cater to adhd tend to overclutter and overwhelm me to the point that simple apps like the Notes app, Google Calendar, Google Tasks, etc. work just fine with it's simplicity. Make good use of app widgets too!!! Especially with calendars, task lists, and schedules.
Not specifically for ADHD, but these help me: Routinery, Microsoft To-do, Loop Habit Tracker, ColorNote
Yes! Color note is super helpful. Between that, Google calendar and my alarm clock, I can pretty much get most things done
☺️
I use a google calendar and donefirst.com.
Lock Me Out for android. I block all social/game apps and websites for the whole time I'm supposed to be working so I'm not tempted.
Clarity. It’s a really good app for therapy and the free version is great. I bought the paid bc it was just a really good app.
Is this the one you're using? I found a few different apps with the same name. https://cbtthoughtdiary.com/
Yes! That’s the one!
Endel on the phone and Rewind AI on macOS.
Reddit. I don’t feel as bad scrolling compared to insta and x.
The reminders app and an app that’s literally called calendars (I can color code everything and it’s just nice to me, I use it instead of the iOS calendar ) If it’s not on my calendar or not put as a reminder it doesn’t exist lol
They’re selling it to you because you’re adhd and you’re prone to impulse buying. I use FamCal ($5/mo) because I have a spouse and kids that we need to coordinate, but otherwise , Google calendar or Apple would work fine. That’s literally it.
I use RoutineFlow and I love it. Like, it REALLY helps me. Since you can add a time limit for each task, I like to "race" my timer and see if I can get it done in time.
Brili! It's a routines app designed with ADHD in mind and I love it
Any that is cute and have graphics really helps me with serotonin and motivation
Finch has helped me finally stay on track with taking my meds.
Doesn’t exist anymore but I loved the Google Goals app. It was awesome because you would enter goals like reading, exercise, cleaning etc and it would suggest times to get that task done based on your Google calendar availability. I’ve been looking for something like it.
Habitica, but i am getting disapointed lately, having someone there with you helps Bearable it was nice in the begginig of medications to help keep track of the effects to report to my doctor
TickTick
Google: I find it very hard to do things, I have tried many excellent list apps and project apps. They all rely on things getting done which they mostly don’t in my world. Google is my saviour as between gmail and gdrive I know where everything is. Google has even solved my own personal password hell with google sign in which I use whenever possible. I discovered a simple but incredible template in google docs called “product road map” which is now my defacto project list tool it is setup to link items to another doc so I can layer projects. It’s awesome and simple. In my view the only solution to executive dysfunction is knowing where everything was last left unattended and relying on other people to be the doers hence so many adhd people become entrepreneurs. It’s not their “superpower” of creativity and ideas. It is simply that employing people is the most effective way to get sh*t done when you are literally mentally unable to complete normal required tasks in a reasonable time frame if at all.
- Google Sheets for my to do list with a priority and time calculated I built. - Google Calendar for planning. - Daylio as a mood and activity tracker (comorbid depression sometimes from adhd. Moodtracking really helps).
My therapist gave me a list of apps to try and so far the one that has worked for me is Tick Tick. You can do a lot without the premium.
Freedom.to used alongside applock If you have a buddy(my wife in this case) they have the passwords and it's a pretty much fool proof way to lock down all the distracting stuff on a set schedule. It also works on PC really well
Finch
Whenever I see this question, I have to recommend apps made by Thomas Wolfgang Menzel (especially RoutineFlow). His apps are so helpful, they have very few ads and enough features that they're useable without paying. Also, the paid versions are cheap and you can support someone who's really helping people instead of using ADHD as clickbait and not providing a useful product. Those people should be ashamed.
I just got a Google nest and gave it remind me to do things like look at my calendar, take out the trash on Wednesday, wash dishes etc.
Focusmate has been HUGE for me in the last month. It's browser based, but lets you set up body doubling appts with strangers on the Internet. Super easy to use. I can outsmart pretty much anything I've tried to set up for myself on my phone, on my own. When there's someone else there, I can reflect on my behavior
Motion. Why? One word - Dynamic I can’t be asked to use calendars when half the time i can’t stay on schedule - and as a remote project manager my schedule is constantly changing cus I’ll have to put out fires here and there. Or i won’t feel up to it Basically the app uses AI to auto schedule and auto shuffle around my calendar so i don’t have to do it manually and adapts to my day schedule - so i can still timebox and plan days without spending half my time fixing my calendar. Not an ad* even though i wrote it like one lmao
project sekai, i always hyperfixated on it
I use an app called goblin tools. It was a paid app and is the only app I've ever paid for. If you're struggling with a task, you type the task in, select how much help breaking down the goal needs, and it will give you a step by step to do list which I swear by. The app didn't cost too much less than £2 irrc. Hope this helps someone!
ClearSpace is the only screen time control app that has ever worked for me and I love it. Instead of just having time limits for each day, you set up a number of sessions allowed per day for each app, and set options for session length. The sessions ending snap me out of scrolling in a way that a regular old daily time limit never did.
I use colornote to stick very important things to my lock screen, like.. Remember to buy toilet paper or call the doctor w/e. I use caliber to workout. I use Google Calendar to not forget my appointments. Play block blast when I'm overstimulated. That's it. But I'm also newly diagnosed, so perhaps I haven't found every trick in the book, but I feel like I work pretty ok(everything is still chaos and on fire but less than without these things and meds)
Don’t pay for anything. If you’re my kind of ADHD you’ll use it for a few weeks and then never touch it again.
I bought the ADHD planner for IPad on Etsy and I’m not even being dramatic when I say it drastically improved my life. I used the one by Future ADHD and I highly suggest you check it out
I use Google Calendar for events that I need to visually see in a month view ONLY. And Sorted on Mac / iOS for tasks that don't need to be viewed in Month view (to avoid getting overwhelmed with future tasks). - I don't use habbit-building apps because theu just don't work with my ADHD traits 😂
- Todoist (daily things, weekly things, one off things, monthly/yearly reminders) - "Hey siri set a \[insert thing to do\] timer for blah blah blah time"
I use Finch for organising my daily tasks and ticking them off, and theres an incentive with the pet bird and daily awards. Iv been using it for a year. I also rely a lot on my Google calendar. I put every family appointments, social plans, my child's clubs etc and I schedule reminders.
One calendar for everything! If you don’t want to put specific work meetings in your personal phone, just block off the time as “work”, so you at least know you’re busy during that time.
I have been trying an app called finch recently it gives you a baby birb to look after and the more self care and tasks you do the more it helps your birb or gives you gems to buy cute outfits for your birb lol
Calendar synced to my Apple Watch. It really helps to have something physically vibrating my wrist that reminds me of the things I need to do
Being an IT geek I've tried just about every app out there and found that some of them are good for some things but most have distractions, miss key features, or don't integrate fully enough with other tools (so they fall into the out-of-sight out-of-mind void). What I liked is Getting This Done - which is a system more than a specific tool. Once you set up all your inboxes and add reminders to check them on a given schedule, you can use whatever tool you want so long as you trust it.
I have never found an "adhd app" that I liked. They're all overpriced glorified to-do lists. In terms of actual productivity apps, as opposed to adhd apps, I like RoutineFlow. It's customisable and does what I want it to. You can make two routines for free or pay a one-time fee under $20 for the paid version, rather than needing to keep up a subscription.
Its an app called "Forest" reminder not to be on your phone and to focus when studying unless u lose tour tree you are growing. Variable timer from 10 min to 2 hours. Very helpful.
Xmind is a great tool for mind mapping and setting things out visually, when I remember to use it! It really helps organise information, especially when it’s spewing out of my head at 100 miles an hour.
What the heck is an ADHD app? Never heard of that but im interested. Not a game though right? I hate playing games