People with ADHD face different challenges, which might make regular planners of little use. Methods like sticky notes, a good old to-do list, or a journal often can’t bring the same results that people without the syndrome achieve.
To resolve the problem, you need to concentrate on its specifics. That’s why it’s important to choose a planner that was developed for people with ADHD. Those planners help to organize information, keep track of important dates, reduce stress, manage different tasks, etc., by providing designs and tools that resonate with the ADHD brain.
This article is for people with ADHD and those who want to help their loved ones who have the condition. To maintain the interest of the first group and save time for the second, we’ll present the information in an easy-to-digest way.
Let’s take a closer look at the best xTiles digital planners for people with ADHD.
How does an ADHD brain work?
ADHD is a condition where the main issues arise in executive function areas, including:
- planning
- sustained attention
- remembering instructions
- time management
- ability to multitask, etc.
Basically, ADHD implies a dysfunction in the dopamine system, a neurotransmitter that is fundamental in issues of motivation, reward as well as attention.
ADHD isn’t about being lazy or being unable to achieve something. It’s about the unique way the ADHD brain works. Using the right approach, care, and adjustment measures, people with ADHD can live and work with their brain’s tendencies. This might involve many approaches and strategies, and a proper ADHD planner is only one of them.
Why traditional planners often don’t work for ADHD?
The brains of people with ADHD do not function in the ordinary way, which makes even ordinary planners not very useful. Here’s why:
- Overwhelm
Too many blank spaces might cause mind paralysis.
- Lack of flexibility
Structures do not allow flexibility.
- Poor stimulation
Simple designs often do not stimulate thinking in the ADHD brain. Many people with ADHD are also put off by an environment that lacks color and variation, leading to boredom.
- Ineffective reminders
Paper planners cannot alert you of the next event in your schedule or of an upcoming meeting.
- Time blindness
Users have a hard time predicting the amount of time required to complete tasks. Also, those planners make it difficult to divide the large tasks into manageable sub tasks.
- Out of sight, out of mind
Physical planners can be misplaced or forgotten. Also, there is no kind of integration with the digital devices we use continuously.
- Perfectionism paralysis
Many people worry about either creating a perfect planner or ruining it entirely. That might cause anxiety in writing, which is usually in the wrong section.
- Inconsistent use
People experience frustration when days or weeks are left of empty in their planners.
The good news? Issues of this nature are handled by ADHD-friendly planners that are available in digital form. Let’s examine how digital planners address these issues in the next section.
Best planners for a person with ADHD
More and more adults with ADHD have opted for digital planners in the last few years. Some of the advantages of these apps include the possibility of choosing the layout you like and receiving reminders on all kinds of activities people struggle to remember.
The possibility of having these applications on several devices makes them even more helpful. However, some people like creating their own planner the way they prefer, so they choose to use a paper planner, which might pose another problem – it is hard not to lose your planner when you have ADHD. Thankfully, there is a solution for this, and we’re going to discuss it below.
When looking for the best ADHD planner, look for a planner that will keep you on track. Some key features to look for include:
- Checklists for things to be done for the day
- Space for notes and brain dump
- A system to prioritize tasks
- Reminders for appointments and deadlines
- Progress tracking to log accomplishments
Also, you may consider these features:
- Inspirational quotes to promote concentration
- Ability to embed rich content if you’re a visual thinker
The market is full of options. However, the perfect planner is the one that works for your case, even if it lacks some features others say are important.
Why use a digital ADHD planner?
The idea behind a planner for ADHD is to set up an organizational process that fosters productivity while at the same time managing stress. When a task is diluted into smaller parts and has an integrated alert system, it enables one suffering from ADHD to have structured thinking and minimize forgetfulness of the tasks to be accomplished.
Here is the list of reasons why digital planners are more suitable for people with ADHD:
- The chances of losing your device are much lower than the chances of losing a notebook.
- You can customize the planner’s look, structure, choose color pallets, etc.
- You will have reminders to forget about forgetting things.
- No date pages to make you feel bad about yourself when you have zero tasks done in a day.
- You can simply delete elements you don’t need anymore, keeping your planner pages clean.
- Digital planners can integrate with other apps and tools, creating a more comprehensive system for managing daily life.
Everybody is different, and thus, what may be effective in one situation may not be effective in another. The point is to use a planner that could be applied repeatedly and with which a person remains organized according to the day-to-day tasks, activities, and significant objectives.
Digital ADHD planner features for better productivity
Even apps claiming to be suitable for people with ADHD vary in effectiveness and might not be useful for everyone, just like standard planning apps. This is a list of fundamental features that a planner app designed for ADHD should include:
- The chosen design does not put a lot of pressure on the user. It is friendly and does not intimidate the user.
- Users can use reminders and follow-ups.
- Users can sort and prioritize tasks and data.
- An app should offer a built-in habit tracker to observe and create positive daily habits.
- Versatile configurations for task management, whether it’s daily routines or big plans and goals.
The best xTiles planners for ADHD
xTiles functionality offers a lot of features for people with ADHD. Even if you decide to start without a template, your projects will remind you about important stuff to do, help you turn your big plans into smaller steps, support you through planning and organization challenges, help you explore your neurodivergent brain works and when it works best, etc.
Customization abilities will help you to create a workspace you like to return to every time you need something. You can choose colors that don’t make you dizzy, choose a cover to personalize your planner, move elements with simple drag-and-drop to arrange everything the way you prefer, etc.
By creating page groups, nested tiles, and extended blocks, you can keep your planner looking nice while they can store all kinds of information. This ability won’t cause you to be mentally overwhelmed the moment you open the planner.
Quick-start guide for getting started with xTiles
One of the best parts about xTiles is that a user can start using it 10 minutes after logging in, whether they choose to use a template or set up everything on their own. Here is a step-by-step guide to show you how quick and easy the process is:
- Log in to xTiles. You can easily create an account using your email or Apple ID if you don’t have one yet.
- Voila! You’re on your home page.
- Now, you need to choose whether you want to purchase one of our ADHD templates (more about them in the next sections), some of the basic free templates, or make your best planner on your own.
- If you want a specialized ADHD planner, choose it on our Template Marketplace.
- If you want to use a basic template, choose one on our Template Gallery or choose from the templates you can see on the top of the page.
- If you want to do everything on your own, create a new project and start adding pages, whether blank ones or page templates.
The intuitive design will guide you naturally from adding one element to setting the other one. Rich content, embeds, color pallets, tile designs, etc., will help you build your own perfect planner.
xTiles ADHD Planner Basic
This is a basic ADHD planner for managing daily responsibilities along with building new habits, tracking mood changes, learning something new, and learning how to better understand the way your brain functions. It is perfect for those with ADHD who have only started planning and organization.
The planner has designed pages for different aspects of planning, learning, and managing information flow.
xTiles ADHD Planner Basic structure
Key features:
- Weekly Planner
- Covers all aspects of daily life
- Includes schedule, priorities, reflections, and brain dump
- Add new pages for future days
- Review previous days easily
- Priority Matrix
- Avoid task overwhelm
- Columns: Must do, Should do, Could do, If I have time
- Extra column for unsorted tasks
- Insights Page
- Collect ADHD management techniques
- Save interesting information for later use
- Brain Dump
- Separate columns for different life aspects (personal, work, etc.)
- Capture fleeting ideas quickly
- Organize thoughts for later use
- Habit Tracker
- Build consistent routines
- Implement helpful practices into daily life
- Symptom Tracker
- Calendar format
- Monitor your mental health
Remember: This planner is a great tool for all kinds of tasks due to its flexibility! Use it when you’re short on time or need to manage your day efficiently.
xTiles Ultimate ADHD Planner
The ADHD planner is a great option for those who want to get all the organization and planning they can. The planner offers thoroughly designed pages for:
xTiles Ultimate ADHD Planner structure
Key features:
- Daily pages
- All your daily info in one place
- Helps you stay interested and motivated
- Realistic time evaluation sections
- Bookmarks page
- Save all kinds of information
- Organize bookmarks, courses, movies, etc.
- Plan your future reading/watching/studying
- Big plans & priorities
- Track your aspirations and dreams
- Review and adjust priorities easily
- Example: Create a watchlist for quick access
- Habit tracker
- Build better routines
- Stay consistent weekly
- Learn how to make habits stick
- Brain dump
- Capture ideas and thoughts
- Separate sections for work, personal life, etc.
- Customize to fit your thinking style
- Yearly retrospective
- Analyze your year’s experiences
- Stay motivated
- Acknowledge your accomplishments
Remember: This planner is flexible and customizable to fit your unique ADHD brain!
xTiles ADHD Digital Life Planner
The xTiles ADHD Digital Life Planner is a tool for managing all aspects of your life, including daily tasks and priorities, meals, budget, etc. This version of our ADHD planner is for “technical” aspects of everyday life that sometimes are quite hard to handle, even for those who don’t have to deal with ADHD symptoms.
xTiles ADHD Digital Life Planner structure
Key features:
- Index page
- Quick access to important sections
- Saves time on navigation
- Helps you find everything as your planner grows
- Daily focus pages
- Track your schedule
- Record completed tasks
- Set priorities
- Monitor emotional state
- Long-term planning
- Weekly pages for extended planning
- Monthly overview for 30-day retrospective
- Meal planning & grocery list
- Combined for easy meal prep
- Group of pages to support your cooking journey
- Goal setting
- Set priorities with or without deadlines
- Flexible to match your motivation style
- Budget management
- Control expenses based on income
- Built-in calculator
- All-in-one page to maintain focus
- Resource collection
- Save and categorize useful information
- Card-based design for neat organization
- Detailed view available for each card
Remember: This planner helps you tackle life’s “technical” aspects with ease!
xTiles ADHD planners comparison for easier decision
A few tips on how to use your xTiles ADHD planner even more effectively
ADHD brain tends to get amazing ideas all the time but also tends to lose focus and forget. Who knows, if we beat this drawback, the world would be a much better place. That’s why xTiles presents you with the mobile app synchronized with your desktop version. Note your ideas the moment they cross your mind, no matter how crazy or brittle it is, and then work on them when you have time to focus properly.
All your notes will be gathered in an Inbox, which is accessible from any point in xTiles. Take the note you need, and place it where it is supposed to be using drag-and-drop.
xTiles Web Clipper is a browser extension that helps you surf the internet and not miss a single bit of information that may be useful. The pages or elements you save will be stored in your Inbox until you have time to work with them later.
Summing up
ADHD affects one’s lifestyle and daily functioning in specific ways, but it is for this reason that one can shift those aspects into benefits. xTiles ADHD planners are created to help individuals think rather than hinder them. Whether you’re just starting your organization journey or looking for a comprehensive life management system, there’s an xTiles planner perfect for you:
- xTiles ADHD Planner Basic: Ideal for beginners
- xTiles Ultimate ADHD Planner: For those seeking maximum organization
- xTiles ADHD Digital Life Planner: To master the technical aspects of daily life
Each planner offers features tailored to ADHD needs, from intuitive interfaces to customizable layouts, all designed to keep you focused, motivated, and on track.
Don’t let ADHD hold you back any longer. Take control of your life today with xTiles!
FAQ
What planner should I choose if I have ADHD?
You may choose planners designed specifically to handle ADHD symptoms or use basic planning templates if excessive features make you feel overwhelmed.
Will a planner enhance my planning abilities if I have ADHD?
The answer depends on the planner itself. If chosen without considering your unique way of planning and thinking, a planner might even worsen your standard planning abilities.
What makes digital ADHD planners better than paper ones?
Digital ADHD planners offer features like reminders, easy rescheduling, and syncing across devices, which can help with forgetfulness and organization. They also reduce clutter and the risk of losing important information, unlike paper planners, which can be misplaced or damaged.
