A cartoon version of Zoe sits on top of a brown planner/journal. She has blonde hair, a black and white top and sits on the planner hugging her knees with a smile on her face. To the right of this is a pile of discarded planners and journals. One planner is open and there are only two lines of text - showing that the planner has been used and abandoned. All artwork of people and cats that are posted here and on my Instagram have been made on commission from Instagram account @teabag.cartoon
FYI : This is a system that works best for me, you may find your needs are different to mine!
In the past I would enthusiastically buy journal style planners with the intention to use them, and with the hope it would save me from procrastination. I’d use it for a day or two… or a month or two - but every time I’d find myself ignoring it or forgetting to use it. It took me a really long time to work out that the reason why so many of my planner systems were failing me wasn’t because I was a terrible person - it was just not a system that worked with my ADHD.
_____________________________________
Planners would end up closed on my desk and once it wasn’t in my sight, the inattentive side of my ADHD made it easy to ignore.
I know the obvious response to that is, “so… why not leave it open on your desk then?”
Having the awareness to keep it open, the subconscious pull to check in with it, that is the part that I struggled with. So I brainstormed how to fix this.
Cartoon Zoe (just the head) speaking to a pink smiling cartoon brain. Zoe says to the brain, “I struggle with remembering to check in with my planner”. The cartoon brain responds with “…maybe take the front cover off?”.
I needed to get rid of the front cover which was hiding the information I needed to see. The next thing to address was the overwhelm I felt from weekly planners and seeing so many tasks at once!
I changed to a single sheet of paper on a (brightly coloured) clipboard so I could see what I needed to do in a quick glance.
I ditched the weekly planner idea. A daily planner helped reduce overwhelm & keep me focused on the day ahead. I added it alongside a monthly planner which documented everything I needed to know that was “not now”.
-
Some of the reminders that I put in this space include;
Details on a delivery arriving
Birthdays/Important dates
Phone calls I am waiting on
A big note that I haven’t slept and not sleeping causes me to struggle more with my ADHD.
It’s up to you what you use it for - but you could easily use it to write a quote or word of the day, affirmations or any goals.
-
Sometimes I’ll use them to note down a ‘when all else fails, do this’ task. Other times, I’ll highlight the most important task in that block of time.
Other uses it can have include;
Titles of the task you’re breaking down (see point 4)
Progress bar for water, work, or anything you’re measuring.
A mood check in
Habit tracker
But there are many more options!
-
I think of the day broken into 3 columns; 6am -12pm, 12pm - 6pm, 6pm - midnight. Midnight to 6am is time I’m definitely not scheduling things for!
Sometimes I need structure, so I use a version with times listed. Sometimes I keep it blank with the 3 columns as morning, afternoon and evening to structure my day.
Other ways I’ve used it have been;
Using the 3 highlight boxes to write down 3 main tasks, with space underneath for brainstorming or writing out steps.
Using the first column as a morning routine step by step and the last column as an evening routine with the middle one as my to do list
Keeping it flexible with different options helps me to keep the planner interesting and not have it feel too structured!
-
I need room to make notes & doodle if I need to. Somedays the space helps me to feel less overwhelm from the tasks listed!
-
My "check this out later" space is for any thought / idea that would take me off task!
I’ve found writing the thoughts down means I'm less likely to hyperfixate or 'hold the thought'
As you can see - it’s very simple to draw up, and would require a sheet of paper and a few lines to section of the space.
I don’t think it’s necessary to buy, but I do get requests from people wanting to use my version. If you do want to use the one that I do - I have them in my online shop available as a digital download for $1.99.
-
Buying An Expensive Planner!
There's so much pressure to use it & I don't find this (or the guilt from not using it) very motivational!
Using A Bullet Journal
I think they're great, but I hyper focus decorating them instead of using them! I know that the system is the main point to them, but I can’t help myself!
Using Apps & Digital Planners
I find the notifications and reminders overwhelming!
Digital products aren’t helpful for me because like a journal, it requires me going into an app or program to use it.
-
Working With My Energy Levels
If I haven’t slept, I’ll use the reminder section of my planner to add in a note that usually says,
Tasks will take longer today - you will get more frustrated because you haven’t slept!
Keeping Things Fun & Interesting
Sometimes I use a more structured daily planner with the hours marked out. Other times I keep the loose idea of morning, afternoon and evening with the 3 columns.
I Make My Peace With My Struggles To Measure Time
I can only do so much. My ADHD means that I won’t just struggle with measuring how long things will take, but also with how much to put on my list.
I am more likely to overload my to do list, and get discouraged when I can’t do it all.
Even though it was far too much on my list.
Now I’ll put just the minimum amount so that I’m likely to complete it all on time, and in the rare situations where I finish early I can add more to the list after the win.
Whatever planner system you use, there will be times of inconsistency & feeling discouraged. This is normal! But if you have previous planner shame, this can be discouraging to the point of giving up completely. I’ve been there before many times!
Having people around me who understand & encourage me to be kind to myself in the midst of "failure" has been more helpful than any planner!
Building my confidence and having support from people who get it is the reason I’ve been able to stick with the same system for so long!
If you have any questions please reach out and DM me on Instagram
