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If I had a dollar for every time an ADHDer told me they found the perfect planner system that worked brilliantly for exactly two weeks before mysteriously falling apart, I’d be rich enough to buy every planner company in existence.
As an ADHD coach who’s actually stuck with the same planning system for four years, I’m here to explain why this happens and share the strategy that’s helped me build a thriving business and grow my YouTube channel to over 130,000 subscribers.
The Real Reason Your Planners Keep Failing
Here’s what’s actually happening when your shiny new planner becomes another abandoned notebook in your drawer.
People with ADHD have interest driven brains. We can do anything all day long as long as it captures our interest. But this system comes with two major problems.
First, interesting doesn’t always equal important. Your brain might find reorganizing your entire bookshelf fascinating, but that doesn’t move you toward your goals.
Second, interest isn’t sustainable for ADHD brains. We get bored easily and crave novelty constantly. That gorgeous planner that felt so promising? You were running on the temporary fuel of novelty, and once that wore off, so did your motivation.
The Secret That Changed Everything for Me
Want to know what actually makes a planning system last for years? It might surprise you.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the planner you choose.
The secret is building the skill around planning, not finding the perfect planner.
Think of it like this: a master carpenter with basic tools will create better results than a beginner with top of the line equipment. The skill trumps the tool every single time.
The Foundation: Getting Clear on What Matters
Before you even think about templates or apps, you need crystal clarity on what’s most important to you in this season of life.
My planning system has helped me build my business, stay consistent with content creation, and launch the ADHD Business Hub community. But when my priorities shift, my planning system needs to evolve too.
The Three Core Skills You Need
Building a sustainable planning practice comes down to developing three essential skills:
Skill #1: Tracking What’s Most Important
Think of your priorities as data that needs to be displayed where your brain can see it every day. If you’re not actually using those vision and values sections, get rid of them. That prime real estate should go to things you’ll reference regularly.
Skill #2: Engaging with Your Structure
Whatever system you create, you need to build the habit of actually using it. This means planning your week in advance with intention, then returning to that plan throughout the week to execute from it.
The more you plan and execute (whether everything goes perfectly or not), the more you start trusting yourself to get things done.
Skill #3: Reflecting and Adjusting
At the end of each week, look back and ask: What went well? What didn’t? What do I need to adjust for next week?
When Your System Gets Stale
Even the best planning system will eventually lose its shine. When that happens, don’t throw everything out and start over.
Instead, think about moving pieces around so your brain thinks it’s new again.
Recently, I found myself skipping my Sunday planning sessions and ignoring my daily check ins. Rather than scrapping everything, I identified what still worked and what needed refreshing.
Small tweaks made a huge difference. I moved my most accessed dashboards to the top, added business metrics tracking, and cleaned up sections I wasn’t actually using.
Your Next Steps
Here’s how to start building a planning system that will last longer than two weeks:
- Start with clarity. Get crystal clear on what you need to track and accomplish in this season of life.
- Choose simplicity over perfection. You don’t need a complex system. You need one that you’ll actually use consistently.
- Focus on building the skills, not finding the perfect planner. The magic happens when you develop the habits of planning, executing, and reflecting.
If you’re ready to build a planning system that actually works with your ADHD brain, check out my Vision to Action planner for personal planning or the Organized Business system if you’re an entrepreneur.
You’re not incapable of planning just because previous planners haven’t stuck. You just needed to learn the skills that nobody taught you. Now you know better, so you can do better.
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