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Here’s the hard truth – most productivity planners are not built with the ADHD brain in mind, which is why they have a tendency to not last very long for us. In this post, I’m breaking down exactly what makes a productivity system ADHD-friendly and sharing a recommendation for an ADHD-friendly planner that I think you’re going to love.
Now, I’ll caveat this by saying that every ADHD brain is different, so everyone’s solution will be different. But these qualities are universal for all of us to look for in a system so that we can actually stick with it and be successful.
The 5 Things All ADHDers Should Look for in a Productivity System
1. A System That Calms Your Nervous System
What you don’t want is a system that’s overwhelming with too many bells and whistles or an interface that’s too cluttered for your brain. Instead, look for a design that’s visually appealing and actually makes your brain feel happy when you open your device.
Action step: When you’re trying a new app or system, pay attention to your initial reaction. Does it feel calm and inviting, or does it make you want to close it immediately? Trust that gut reaction.
2. A System That Reduces Decision Fatigue
Avoid creating or using systems with tons of different databases or embedded pages where you’ve got to click a million places to find what you’re looking for. At the same time, you want a system that’s flexible enough that you can put the most important information front and center so you don’t lose or forget about it.
While you don’t want complexity, you do want something flexible enough that you can make it your own.
Action step: Test how many clicks it takes to find your most important information. If it’s more than 2-3 clicks, it’s probably too complicated.
3. A Tool That’s Immediately Intuitive to Your Brain
Let’s be honest. There will be times when you drop the ball on consistency when it comes to planning. You might be away from your planner system for a week or a month, and the last thing you want is to come back to it and feel like you need to relearn the software all over again.
Notion, I am looking at you. 👀
It has to be intuitive to your brain from the get-go.
Action step: If you’ve been using a system for more than a month and still have to look up how to do basic tasks, it’s probably not the right fit for your brain.
4. A Design That Supports Non-Linear Thinking
This is why I don’t like paper planners. They might be cute and pretty, but the boxes are predetermined and the spaces are predetermined, and that might not be how your brain thinks. It certainly isn’t how mine thinks!
I want to be able to have as much space as I need to create context around notes I’m taking or projects I’m planning. Your productivity system has to be designed for the way your brain wants to think, or it’s a non-starter from the get-go.
Action step: Look for tools that allow you to:
- Expand and collapse sections
- Create visual connections between ideas
- Move elements around freely
- Add context wherever you need it
5. A System That Gives You Dopamine
Last but not least—and this one is so important—whatever app you choose, if it’s going to be ADHD-friendly for your brain, it has to feel GOOD when you open it up to use it.
Think about it: ADHDers have lower levels of dopamine to begin with. So anything that gives our dopamine a sustainable boost is a really good thing. When it comes to your productivity planner system, it should absolutely be dopamine-enhancing, because:
- The more dopamine you get when you interact with that tool
- The more likely you are to come back for more dopamine next time
- Which means you’re more likely to follow through on your tasks
- Because you’re actually checking this productivity system regularly
- And that’s going to give you even more dopamine!
So do not sleep on the dopamine effect of the tool you decide to use.
Action step: Personalize your system with colors, images, or themes that make you smile. If looking at your planner feels like a chore, you need to make it more visually appealing.
My Personal Recommendation for an ADHD Planner? xTiles
If you already have a planning system that checks all those boxes, fabulous! Stick with it.
But if you’re looking for a tool that meets all of these criteria and then some, I want to introduce you to xTiles. This system is so ADHD-friendly that I think once you pick it up, you are never going to want to leave it.
What makes xTiles stand out:
- It’s calming: When you open it up, the weekly spread immediately makes sense without overwhelming you.
- It reduces decision fatigue: Everything you need is right in front of you in one solid view.
- It’s intuitive: The interface is so user-friendly that you can take a break and come back without needing to relearn it.
- It supports non-linear thinking: You can organize tasks by day, week, month, or project depending on how your brain is working at the moment.
- It gives you dopamine: You can completely customize it with images, colors, and layouts that make you happy to open it.
I love that xTiles gives my brain the structure it needs to understand my capacity in any given week, yet it also gives me the flexibility to build things out as I need to see them.
There IS an ADHD planner that will work for your brain. You just have to find it.
One that you enjoy using, that feels intuitive, that’s flexible enough to shape to the way your brain thinks, but also gives you some structure so that if you put a task in one place, it will show up somewhere else and you won’t forget about it (because that happens to us a lot).
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