Best Planner For ADHD
Lunatask is built with ADHD brains in mind.
What is ADHD?
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting person's executive functions like attention, working memory, and the ability to self-regulate. It is estimated that 5% of the world population lives with ADHD.
You could see us as clumsy, forgetful, restless, socially awkward, and sometimes all over the place. And yes, we sometimes are all of that, no denying. But, we tend to be also passionate, intuitive, creative, and in general warmhearted and friendly people. We get excited easily, that's part of the trait. Our brains are just wired differently.
Usually, people are born with this disorder and, unlike believed in the past, if you have it you will have it for the rest of your life. Similar to autism, another neurodevelopmental disorder, there is no cure for ADHD. However, there are plenty of coping mechanisms and ways how to improve the quality of life for those with ADHD.
If you have been diagnosed with ADHD, you understand how it affects every area of your life and how you have been experiencing these issues for as long as you remember. Yet, you see the world the very same way as those without ADHD as ADHD is not a sensory disorder.
How ADHD impacts productivity?
People with ADHD have problems in many crucial areas of their lives. We tend to have poor organization skills, issues with motivation, memory, time management, and completing everyday tasks. It just feels harder for us to fulfill all life's demands.
We enjoy doing a lot of things, but usually not those we really ought to. Our tendency is to pick easy tasks instead of those that are important. And when there is a lot on our plate, we are easily overwhelmed.
Many people with ADHD are very smart, yet even when we try hard and hard we try indeed, we still feel like we're working far below what we could or would like to be doing. We often have great difficulty with getting started on a task despite repeated prodding and reminding.
People with ADHD often live with the embarrassment and shame of their disorganization or compulsive attempts to appear organized. ADHD person may be disorganized, chronically rushed, and overly dependent on external deadlines and time crunches to stay on track.
The disorganization contributes to our level of stress. And we know stress is not good for our well-being. Yet, we rely on stress to push us to complete tasks at the very last moment.
How Lunatask can help?
Productivity apps often feel like designed for robots, so we wanted to make one for humans, especially those with ADHD.
Externalize memory
Write down everything that needs to be done. People with ADHD have a below-average mental capacity to keep stuff in their heads. Lunatask, or any other to-do list, remembers everything for you.
Leave prioritization to us
Lunatask remembers everything and knows what is important to you, how much time each task will take, what state it is in, or how old it is. It'll take the mental overhead of prioritizing tasks all the time off your shoulders.
We created a simple framework based on Personal Kanban methodology to make sure no task is left behind. Lunatask nudges you to finish already started tasks before taking on new work, older tasks before newer ones, etc. Together with tools like the work-and-progress limit and notifications for scheduled tasks and habits, we try to keep you on the right track so everything gets done in a timely fashion.
Grouping tasks in different groups based on if they're Must, Should, or Want can help as well. It fits some ADHD brains better than other methods and Lunatask comes with native support for it.
Observe and reflect
Lunatask comes with native support for journaling, mood and energy level tracking. Journaling is the practice of keeping a diary or journal which explores your thoughts and emotions you experience in your life. Keeping a journal is a way to express yourself without any judgment or rules.
Journaling has many benefits on the journey towards your goals. It helps process emotions in a positive way and can improve awareness of anxiety and depression by clearing your mental clutter, focusing your mind, and building awareness of your thoughts and feelings. It also reduces intrusion and avoidance symptoms post-trauma.
All-in-one
Lunatask is not just a to-do list. It's also a habit tracker, calendar, mood tracker, daily journal, pomodoro timer, and a powerful note-taking app. With its holistic approach, you can consolidate everything in one app to ease the load on your ADHD brain. Plus, there're many productivity techniques included for you to find out which one works for you the best.
Integrated
How many times have you got excited about using a habit tracker, installed an app, and the next day forgot it's there? Exactly, we have been there before as well. So we made sure the same does not happen here.
Looking at your tasks all day and forgetting about your habits? We brought the habits right next to your tasks. No need to keep reminding yourself to switch somewhere else to check them off. You can even drag them onto the very same calendar you have your tasks and events in to plan them into your day.
It's the little things that make all the difference at the end of the day.
Make everything visual
Whether it is the habit tracker being filled with color throughout the day, or the task list bubbling the most important tasks on the top.
Hide distractions
Distractions must be easy to hide out of sight. Choose what you want to work on next and hide everything else.
Distracted by your personal tasks while at work? Not with Lunatask. You can even collapse any group of tasks so they don't distract you. Not using the calendar? Simply hide it. Don't like the bottom toolbar below your tasks being always visible even when you don't use it? Turn on auto-hiding in settings.
Got an idea how to make Lunatask even more ADHD-friendly? Let us know on our Idea Voting Portal or send us a message.
Other tips for ADHD
- Many adults with ADHD equate their personal value, their intelligence, their general skill levels with their ability to organize. Don't do that, you're much more than your ADHD.
- Prefer not to be the one who organizes more complicated projects. Don't try it push it through just to prove to others you can do it, especially in the workplace. It's okay to ask for help and you don't have to prove anything to anyone.
- Under-promise and over-deliver
- Break down your tasks into tiny subtasks. It's easier to get started on smaller tasks because they seem less intimidating.
- Make your work environment more ADHD supportive and educate the people around you about ADHD
- Education is a super-power. Read a book or two about ADHD. We've read a dozen books on the topic and hundreds of stories of people like us. Depending on how far you're on your ADHD journey, this alone can profoundly change how you see yourself and the world around you. If books and scientific papers are not for you, try How to ADHD channel on YouTube.
- Remember that the goal is not to get over it, it's about learning a way how to live with it
- If you have ADHD, your ADHD is a very important part of who you are. We would not trade it in order to be "normal", it makes us who we are. Without it, we would be very different people.
- ADHD can be a super-power too! Jessica has a great video about it over there on her YouTube channel.
- Don't hesitate to get help if you need it. Also, look up your local support groups, join an online one on Facebook or visit r/ADHD on Reddit. You're not alone, there are millions of people all over the world just like you.
Where can I learn more about ADHD?
There're many great resources on ADHD on the internet. Just be aware popular websites might oversimplify and take a less scientific approach. We recommend checking out this video, this fact sheet, this article, this website, or How to ADHD on YouTube.