r/AdultADHDSupportGroup • u/Complete-Repair-8799 • 8d ago
ADVICE & TIPS Hi I would love some input on this!
Hey everyone! I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and, like many of you, I’ve struggled to find a physical planner that actually works for me. Most planners felt overwhelming, too rigid, or just didn’t fit how my brain works. While there are plenty of digital tools, I’ve always found that writing things down helps me focus and remember things better. So, I worked with my therapist to design something simple, intuitive, and truly ADHD-friendly. It’s a physical planner that provides structure without feeling overwhelming, and I’ve found that it actually helps me stay organized in a way that works with my brain, not against it. Now, I’d love to see if others in the ADHD community would find it helpful too! If this sounds like something you’d be interested in trying, I’d love to hear your thoughts. As well as what has been working for you. Thank you for your help!
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u/EarthIsFull_1800 8d ago
Excellent! Would love to hear more, yet I feel like I’ve got a nice rhythm and process now that’s pretty streamlined and also gives me a creative outlet. It’s a simple, single page form I use every week. It’s got 6 boxes with 8 individual checkboxes and lines for text after each. Each box is a weekday and the final is combo Sat/Sun.
Every Monday morning, I take my Rx and have a decaf coffee at my desk (at home) and I draw designs around the border to get my focus locked in. Then I move to adding the days, temperature and weather conditions to to each box. After that, I open my calendar and plan my week by adding a few important things for each day on the lines. As each task is done, ticking the box is a nice little reward.
Along with that, I put a fair amount of post it notes on the wall above my desk too. It’s a good routine I’ve fallen into that works well for me.
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u/Complete-Repair-8799 8d ago
Love that you got a routine that works for you. It’s similar to what I’ve got going too. It’s a physical planner with textured pleather. But the pages are focussed on having one commitment of the day that you have to sign your name beside because it is proven to help people follow through. Then you have your 3 important tasks underneath. But a lot of the planner focuses on taking a second to review what you did that day that seemed to work for you and what didn’t so it constantly stays top of mind what you should avoid doing or continue doing in order to keep your mood and productivity at its highest. Of course I’ve made sure to simplify this all and make it super easy to flow through. I currently have a therapist wanting to use it with his clients and I’d be happy to send you a pdf of some of the pages to get your opinion
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u/EarthIsFull_1800 8d ago
Sounds pretty bad-ass. Curious to check it out, but I’m not sure how file-sharing works on this platform.
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u/picturpoet 7d ago
Colour pens and plain paper works best for me since I always end up feeling that template planners are rigid.
Congrats of the diagnosis. the only constant is the path of us figuring out what works and borrowing ideas from places like this.
So I built a bunch of Apple shortcuts that I now collated and offer as an app called ADHD lifesavers. Do give it a whirl!
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u/mixerlinehan 7d ago
I've found success in having alternate structures / routines, that I can follow depending on how my symptoms are. Some days will be work first, gym second. Some will be gym first, work second.
I crave structure but rebel against rigidity, so my compromise is to have multiple routines that I can impulsively choose, if that makes sense.