We bought every planner. None of them planned.
Hundreds of dollars of day timers, high-end planners, and calendars later, we found they were glorified list-takers. None of them touched the executive function problem underneath.
A planner that only records tasks asks your weakest skill to do all the work.
Writing the task down was never the hard part. Breaking it up, judging how long it takes, deciding what matters this week, and starting the boring one: that is working memory and executive function, and a blank grid does none of it for you.
"For adults with ADHD, planning the week comes with its unique challenges. Planners, day timers, and calendars do not address the core challenges of executive function and working memory."
Five things an ADHD planner has to do
Use these as a checklist on any planner you are considering, ours included. If it does not do these, it is a notebook.
Chunk big tasks into milestones you can actually start
A decent-sized task feels like a mountain. You do not know where to start, so you end up in another room doing something else. The planner should force the break-down.
Our rule: keep chunking until you are confident you can start and finish the sub-task. Sometimes that is a fifteen-minute job.
Narrow the week to three to five real priorities
When everything feels like it needs to get done, nothing gets chosen. A planner should make you pick what matters this week, for work and for you.
Schedule with realistic durations, not optimistic ones
Most of us know we either wildly overestimate or wildly underestimate what a task will take. A planner should give you a framework for allocating real time to each task.
Hold a master list, kept away from this week
Some tasks are not for this week. They need a home that is not your head and not your weekly page. The master list is the roadmap.
Plan support for the unattractive tasks
The unattractive ones are where motivation fails, because dopamine does not arrive on demand. So the planner should prompt you to ask for help and to book body doubling.
The UForward Planner, an antidote to life's chaos.
Built around the executive function and working memory challenges of adult ADHD, by a neuropsychologist who has them. All five of the things above are structured into the pages, not left to your discipline.
Nobody is born with these skills, so it comes with a video course that teaches them alongside the planner.
A planner is a tool, not the skill
The people who get the most out of it are the ones who learn the method behind it. Three ways in, depending on how much support you want.
Live coaching
Learn chunking, prioritising, and realistic scheduling with a group and a neuropsychologist. Start any week.
See the programs →The book
Getting It Done with ADHD. All the techniques for overwhelm, distraction, and procrastination.
Get the book →Free worksheets
Download printable PDFs for chunking, prioritising, and the weekly plan. Try before you buy.
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