“Planners don’t work with people who have ADHD.”

“I wish neurotypicals would stop recommending planners. They don’t work!”

“I have so many unused planners lying around.”

Planning With ADHD

Hi, I’m Kat of Planners By Kat, and I’m neurodivergent in so many terrific ways. LOL. I have it all. And I use planners. I may switch out of them a little quicker than a neurotypical, but I usually use them for at least six months. Not all the time.

Planners can work for people with ADHD. It’s true! I know that sounds counter-intuitive. But, as constantly distracted and with memory problems, I rely on planners. As a result, I’ve reorganized my entire life around planning.

I’m not going to tell you that planners are the only option. I use a whiteboard too. When I’m tired at night, I throw the most significant thing I must do up on the whiteboard. I don’t want to get hit with the ADHD tax. I like the whiteboards by Thrive (pictured below), but if you are on a budget like me, Walmart & Amazon have budget-friendly whiteboards that do the same thing.

I’m going to talk about other things other than planners in many blogs in the future. But today, I’m talking planners.

If you are neurodivergent, I know you’ve heard that a planner can change your life. A planner is all you need. Well, I won’t tell you that because it is not true.

How many planners have you tried? Hundreds. Or are you more of a collector, so you have attempted thousands?

You like the idea of a planner, but using one hasn’t worked for you.

Here’s the thing: A planner isn’t for everyone. Neurotypical or neurodivergent. It doesn’t matter. Some people don’t need to write things down – not even their goals!

Everyone is different. I need to write things down. A planner works for me, but so does my whiteboard. Sometimes I go weeks without using my planner, but I always return to it when needed.

Some people like pen and paper. Some people will also use a planner or calendar if it is digital. Or maybe you use both. (Hi, that’s me!) Some people still think planners are crap. I get it. Why keep trying something because everyone tells you that a planner is THE answer? You try, and you feel like you’ve failed even though you haven’t, so now have a planner motto – “Say no to planners.”

You may be a person a planner will never work for. This is because your brain doesn’t work that way. And I’m here to tell you that that is okay. You’re fine.

I will offer one tip: If your issues with planners are out of sight or out of mind, try a whiteboard or wall calendar before altogether opting out. Getting a whiteboard is the best advice someone gave me.

What Science Says About Planning with ADHD

In a 2014 study, only a few people diagnosed with ADHD had difficulty planning. The people who had difficulty planning needed multiple types of planning and “less structured and neurocognitive measures of planning.” (source) There haven’t been many studies done on this topic recently. If you prefer to keep things flexible and go with the flow, then less structured planning might be the way to go. That could mean anything from not writing down anything to simply using a monthly calendar for the most important events.

Free Printable ADHD Planner

However, if you are interested in trying a planner but are unsure what type may work for you, I have a free planner. It’s not dated. And it’s a mix match of pages. It’s a neurodivergent planner pack.

This planner pack includes daily pages, weekly pages, and monthly pages. You can try each out and see if it works for you. It is meant to be printed, but you can use it digitally with Goodnotes, Notability, and similar apps.

Read more about the planner pages here.

I will be back to talk more about planners, neurodiversity, organization, journaling, mental health, and more.

In the meantime, look at some of the pages in the neurodivergent planner pack.

Planners can help you to organize your thoughts, set goals, and keep track of your progress. If you struggle with ADHD or memory problems, I encourage you to try these planner pages.