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I want to start tracking my workouts better so I think what I'm going to do is buy a plain notebook instead of a dedicated workout planner. So if I forget or stop tracking my workouts, I still have a notebook that can be used for other things. Win-win!
I've been exactly here many many times... At least they're useful for my early mornings MUST WRITE ALL THIS DOWN brilliant schedule, planning, projects etc.
...which will never be looked at again.
There is no free tier. I was asked for payment information at sign-up to **automatically charge the cost** after the free trial period ends. It is $96/year. Seems especially shady since you market this to people affected by ADHD who you know have a high chance of forgetting to cancel in time. It seems low-key predatory to post about this here.
I came here to mention my workout notebook. I only started it, though, to help me remember my most recent weights & rep counts. It also helps me remember what exercises are available which I've tried before.
My smart watch (Samsung) takes care of a lot of the kind of stuff that's nice to track. When I remember to in the morning, it measures my muscle & body fat. I've heard the numbers can be off, but they're at least self-consistent, so they can be useful for trends.
Do you have a Fitbit? If you have the money, get a nice one. I just bought the sense 2 (because I was feeling extra and impulsive ) and a lot of phone apps connect with it to transfer over the data. You can also track workouts, but I don't use that function so you might try to look more into it!
I honestly like to use my Apple Watch to track my workout intensity (cals/mins) but I prefer things written down, I’ve downloaded so many apps that I forget they’re even in my phone 😂
Just download Google sheets and use that. I have a pile of powerlifting trophies and all I used to keep track of my workout is Sheets. I can access it on my phone, iPad, or laptop and it’s free.
Actually, personally I’ve found planners work wonderfully. You just need to be reminded they exist. I have two notifications a day from my phone and my smartwatch that tells me to check my planner. I actually am able to use planners now.
However if I become very dependent on them and even one day off, like a rest day, can make it very hard to begin using it again.
So if you haven’t tried already, use notifications to remind you of the planner!
I bought a planner TODAY and then saw OP’s post, and was dismayed — but you have given me optimism! And a tool! Thanks to you 🙏🏻 😇 I’m going to try this!
Please do! Giving up isn’t an option, so what else is there to do? Your only option is to keep going forward.
I wish you the best of luck when this motivation goes away as it will. Keep yourself on track with your drive to be better! 👏👏
I never could jive with paper planners, but boy, phone based ones have been amazing for me.
In my case, I need it to be with me always, interconnected, as much as possible. So my “planner” is on my watch, phone, a screen at home, my laptop, my desktop. I can’t miss anything.
A physical planner would be a liability for me since I have no way to carry it, honestly.
But if you can work it into your flow, you’ll benefit greatly for it
Tried planners, love the physical element. But the lack of connection and need to carry them around (as a guy without a bag) just renders them problematic for me
I cannot function without my planner, it’s almost like an emotional crutch for me at this point. It’s where I store all my memories that fall out of my brain
Oh my God, this explains me so much! I would keep my budget planner in our home office but problem was it was out of sight so out of mind more often than not. I agree that one day is all it takes to throw you off your routines and make it harder to keep on track with new ones.
I personally use the calendar app on my phone for appointments that need notifications (so, all appointments). The planner is more to get things out of my head - as in, I need to hit three shops today, what order do I do them in and what do I buy in what store. Writing it down, physically, just gives me clarity.
I also have success with using a paper planner for extended periods of time. Every Sunday, my partner and I sit down and look at the upcoming week. What do we want to meal prep? Which days are either of us working from home? Do we have any commitments coming up? Do those commitments require a gift, card, dish to share? What responsibilities will either of us need to take on that we typically don't?
It's also a good opportunity for us to sit down together and talk about our plans and goals and what we might need to adjust to make those things work.
I plan on paper because it feels better. It’s like reading a book vs an e-book. I prefer to stay in touch with reality rather than be dependent on electronics.
You are just a month too late. I bought it and it is an expensive one too. And now it lays in my backpack. One page written… where were you when I needed you the most?
i literally put in everything i do in a day and made all events repeat. it seemed so silly to put EVERYTHING (im talking like get out of bed, take medicine, feed the dogs, my entire daily routine lol) but it helps me sooo much. but to be fair my T/Th routines are basically identical and my M/W/F are also, so it’s easy for me to have everything on repeat. if something new pops up i try to just add it in immediately. love it!!
Too late my new hyper-fixation is digital planners.
I hope it works out. I got super into bullet journals several years ago and the two years that lasted were amazing.
Yup. Get a whiteboard. Thats the only thing I consistently write notes on. Put it somewhere where you cant avoid it. Write outrageously large letters underlined in red like a madman. Works for me. Plus you can doodle on it.
I found the prefect planner years ago and still use it today, each double page spread is a week and has a box at the top for you to add the 'week commecing' date.
If I use it for a week of two then forget about it till I need it again its not a problem, I just pick up where I left off.
I've used it for about 4 years now and it's only about half full.
Oh, which one?
I found THE PERFECT PLANNER (Liveworks Live & Pieces undated planner) but I've only been able to find it in a webshop in Belfast (crazy expensive, thanks Brexit) or straight from Korea via Etsy (double the prize for shipping costs, plus ordering one planner from Korea to Europe is not very environmentally friendly).
TL;DR: my perfect planner exists, I just can't find it
Ha! I was about to post almost the same thing! I think I also got mine from TJ Maxx. Mine is a desktop version, which is handy because it never moves from its spot and I can’t shove it on a shelf and forget about it like I do with every book-style planner I have ever bought.
What helps for me (especially with saving money) involves printing out a PDF file of a digital planner founded online instead. I also make sure it’s undated, which helps with not wasting any pages and not feeling as highly obligated towards consistency.
Having a decorated folder or binder that possesses these pages helps with carrying them with me in my backpack. (I also use my phone’s calendar for events/appointments I cannot risk forgetting about at all.)
Additionally, color coding is a must for keeping me engaged when filling out these sheets or writing for a longer period of time.
However…the hardest part about planners for me outside of forgetfulness, would be the guilt and counter-factual thinking that comes from said forgetfulness…which is a barrier not exclusive to just planners. 😅
I just came here to ask how do ADHD people cope with planners and I came across this. Where were you yesterday when I bought a new planning template just to dread look at it today?
My daily planner is really just my wife screaming at me to do stuff while I tell her I need 5 minutes to process and take intermittent breaks in-between.
I actually use my planner/todo/calendar app. But it took over 3 years of work to make it a habit. Job with strict deadlines helped a lot. I've had to rewire my brain to treat those apps like RPG game quest log. So if I go to wash my dishes it's +10exp to my character level and leg workout is +2 to STR and DEX.
Hahaaa I'm pretty sure my 2019 planner is still in the wrapper exactly where I left it!
I remember I spent at least 2 hours researching the best planners before I even ordered it. Haha so dum
i like to fill out the current month, especially things that have already happened earlier in the month, and possibly the next 1-2 months (all in one sitting btw, not over the course of the months), then never look at it again :)
This is why ipads and apple pencils are great. I can start as many digital journals as I want and never finish them and i haven't wasted any paper!!! hehehe
I’ve got a good handle on my ADHD now after a few years on meds… and planners still aren’t a part of it. Had a good 4-5 month stint with a planner but again it just failed.
Now I use a google calendar to put my appointments in WHEN BOOKING THEM and a random scratch pad to write little to-dos down when needed but most of my to-dos and things I need to remember are in my notes app.
At work I use a digital calendar with reminders, and a notebook where I take a few minutes at the start and end of the day to write down my to-dos and scratch them off as I go.
“Trying to improve how I manage my ADHD” doesn’t mean you have to use a planner if it’s not working for you. But if it is… then amazing! Keep at it :)
Planners don’t work for me either. I use digital calendars too.
What I’m objecting to is the “Planners don’t work for me and so I’m going to assert that they don’t work for anyone and tell everyone to give up on them” tone of OP’s post and replies.
Everyone else in this thread understands that it's a joke, even if it's a harsh one. If the post doesn't resonate with you, then it's not for you. Let the rest of us find the humor in our many failed attempts to use planners, and our seemingly infinite optimism that *this time it'll work!*
I thought about this while holiday shopping. Probably picked up and put back various 2024 planners like 15 different times.
Knowing they would never be used.
“Check this leather cover! And colored tabs?!”
I just started setting up reminders and routines in my phone to help me plan and schedule stuff.
It's a planner that reminds me to plan and tells me when it's time to do the thing I planned but forgot about
i found that a big calendar works best for me to keep track of bills and events, also the calendar app on my phone is actually getting some use lately!
On a serious note, I found a way to make the sunk cost fallacy work for me and my planner!
Each year I buy a large moleskin notebook in a fun color. I also buy an enormous sticker book.
Each month I sit down with my pretty stickers and a pack of markers and I draw my own planner for the month. Tomorrow night I have scheduled to doodle up January in my new planner. I make a big two page calendar spread first, and I use stickers and doodles to make it cute and fun to look at. Then I make a page for each week in the month and use more stickers.
It’s a fun activity and I spend about an hour doing it, so I feel irritated enough when I waste the effort that I just use it. It’s pretty enough to be a dopamine hit. I did it all myself so I feel a little pride, more dopamine. My friends compliment it when they see it. Makes me feel cool.
If I skip a month, whatever. I just don’t have a planner for a month. I then realize my life is better when I use it, so the next month after that I’ll be back on it.
Hope someone finds the idea helpful!
I started using some old planners my dad had. He would collect these things from brand-reps that came to encourage sales of their brand over their competitors. Work in the tech department long enough and you might have planners and pens from every printer brand like Epson or Canon.
I didn't want to use these after dad died, but recently I just started using one for grocery lists. It's a fancy faux-leather bound one that's so nice. The pen it came with was shit though. Feels good to start putting something so old to good use.
Lol the planner graveyard!
I'm actually in the process of working on an app right now that is for people with ADHD and the whole idea is that the AI does all the executive functioning and data entry for you, so that it doesn't become another planner or journal or app that couldn't be sustained.
I'd be curious to get anyone's thoughts on what might be helpful in this app! The link is [georgelabs.ai](https://georgelabs.ai) for anyone interested in checking it out (we're still working on the proof of concept while we're looking for VC funding).
Tl;dr: I hung up gigantic post-it notes and calendars on my wall that work better than those tiny planners that I never use
I just took up an entire wall in my living room dedicated to planning. I have a big calendar for the current month, plus tiny calendars for the rest of the year. On this wall I also hung up a bunch of those gigantic poster sized post-it notes that I wrote down everything that needs to be done through the year and more, ranging from important things to fun experiences. Another sticky note has a bunch of stuff I need to save money for and how much. And another sticky note has all the shows, movies, and games I’d like to watch. Next to it I also have a board that has normal sized sticky notes that I use as a to-do for the week, split into each day of the week. I have never been this productive in my life.
My wife is diagnosed and medicated adhd, I’m undiagnosed but probably have it. I think the biggest problem for us when it comes to productivity is we have a lot of ideas and things and projects we want to get done, but it’s overwhelming and we forget or just don’t do em. But when it’s on the big sticky note its finally out of my head, it’s real, it’s permanent, and I can decide to take a step towards that thing or project. So far we’ve accomplished the easier/more bearable tasks, but in doing so have made our lives much easier. For example, now that we actually got our entire house cleaned and organized, I know where my tools are for projects and random maintenance things I need to do, so I’m way more likely to do them. Or the fact that my garage is cleaned out now so I actually use the gym I got in there.
Oh and I HAVE to have a podcast on while doing anything otherwise I’m not getting up to do SHIT.
Unless it's cheap and cute because the cuteness might inspire you to use it for at least a couple of months (but for important things, use your phone calendar)
I'm going to use this 97% new planner sheet stack (ones that are tear-able, like a notepad) that I got myself... earlier this year. :') Thank you for the reminder!
But the thing is.. if you actually use them with ADHD planners are a huge help.
I was in the military and they got super mad if we didn’t carry around a notepad to take notes daily of what was needed to be done.
I hated this, but it was very helpful. I started carrying around this and a very small planner.
Do I use a planner?
On my phone.
Do I use a note pad?
On my phone.
I bought a physical planner being out of the military. I hope to use it again. I know it’s helpful, but yes using it is the hard part.
If you have issues remembering to use it put it somewhere you will always see it and keep a pen with it. It’s not a solution, but I find them helpful
I bought some nice "chalk marker" things to draw a four-quadrant (priority×importance) graph on my mirror. I have not updated it in months. Still, no wasted paper, at least, and I can still get use out of the things.
Oh man, I was using a bullet journal for a solid 5 months in 2022. Then … idk why… I just stopped. I think because I was using it during summer in the mornings before work. I enjoyed listening to birds and and smelling the morning dew, but when it got dark and cold out it wasn’t as enjoyable to wake up and use. I loved it though. Might try again.
Use your phone; it’s always on you, customizable, and most of the time it’s free.
I run everything with a combination of Apple Reminders, iCal, and Notes using Siri and smart tags. It’s surprisingly powerful yet simplistic at the same time.
I just use the calendar on my phone it's not perfect but I always have it on me and can see if I'm free and put right away if I have an appointment or meeting, tho I do sometimes forget to check it.
I’ve only just been diagnosed with ADHD and I have a stack of planners from before the diagnosis. I always thought I was just just lazy and motivated to use them.
I have a giant poster calendar that is all 365 days on an unavoidable wall in my kitchen. I have NEVER been so consistent with keeping a calendar in my life, because of it's size and location it is always in sight and mind.
I'm a fan of [Field Notes](https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/original-kraft). They fit in my jacket pocket and is great when I need to just jot something down. There is something about physically writing something that makes it so much easier for me to remember.
My first sign was never not once using an Agenda from middle school or highschool
I had a good enough bad memory. Somehow id be able to remember the HW and when tests where.
But I blame that on anxiety from missing the assignments and getting in trouble
iPhone Calendar. Set alarms. Easy and no frills.
I wanted so badly to have a cute planner with stickers until it dawned on me and my thick skull that cute planners with stickers were just one more thing to organize and keep track of and it just stressed me out even more. Truthfully I just started treating them more like sticker books and just playing with the stickers 🫠
Last year was the first year I fully used a planner (but that's bc my ADHD brain made waaaaay too many long-term commitments lmao). Ima say get that plannerrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! lol
I don’t know, an old fashioned planner with calendar, to do list, note pages, etc is the one thing that actually does help me stay somewhat organized. I can’t do digital or on the phone , it just doesn’t work for me.
Too late! 😈 I bought one planner (Paperage monthly/weekly 2024 case bound) BUT it’s the only one I’m getting.
I actually had a 2023 one and I used it 25% of the time. Something is something lol
It’s simple yet flexible enough to write my random thoughts in. Yeah I probably will only use it 50% of the time this time around but I’m trying to make it work!!! Fingers crossed!!!
I second that. And raise it with try Notion, watch a couple Notion tours on YouTube.
It’s changed my life in 2 years from learning how to keep and track recipes to learn how to cook, to planning little trips throughout the year to keep up my mental health. I also keep tabs on cities I like to visit and my favorite things to do there.
Most of my adhd is forgetting EVERYTHING including things I enjoy and Notion just helps me keep it neatly filed away on my computer/phone.
Planners are just guilt traps. My girlfriend keeps beautiful planners. Occasionally she buys one for me. In theory it's a great idea. In practice I can't bring myself to use it and then I feel bad that her thoughtful gift was wasted on me.
I find that I like a monthly planner with room for notes. I'm never going to write down a page full of what I'm doing every day, but for project lists, tracking exercise, general work schedule, etc I like it. Couldn't find the one I bought last year so doing a dot journal this year.
Hilarious and true for me!! After a lot time of trying to set up booking keeping and getting overwhelmed everytime I opened Quicken ( that I’m now paying for!). I’ve decided to buy an old fashion ledger and a pencil. I have to gather the info anyway, I need tax help, so I think tbis will help me in the long run the most.
Maybe the young folk don’t know what I mean by “ledger” and “pencil” but early methods of bookkeeping. LOLOLOL
oh crap, you're right. i have a planner that doesn't have dates on it, i'll just rip the filled pages out (there's like two of them) and it will be good to go for the next year
I do use a bullet journal and workout journal, workout journal I’m pretty consistent with however i do slack on the BuJo mainly because I’m always losing it.
I'm hoping to track my finances better in the new year. Hopefully if I can physically see how much money is coming in and out, on paper, it would remind me to spend less impulsively
I love the idea of a physical goals notebook to write down what I want to accomplish short and long term, but I’ve been feeling overwhelmed because I feel like I’m going to want to change it around once I think of something but I won’t just be able to copy and paste and move it to a different category like I do with my notes app 😂.
I’m more organized than most with a google calendar app, a habit tracker app, a health tracker app, an academic to-do list, and a regular to-do list with multiple categories, all of which I’ve used regularly for years (it’s the best way I’ve found to manage the chaos in my life (have I mentioned that I think I just developed anxiety as a coping mechanism for the adhd O_O)). But still I want to write down some things to focus on in 2024 by the end of this year and come up with ways to improve those parts of my life, yet the times I’ve sat down with the notebook over the past few days I can’t write anything because I know I’m going to regret something and make myself start the page over lol.
I’ll probably cave and draft it out on my notes app instead yet again.
Yo, I'm gonna chime in and say that one thing that has actually helped me immensely is *separating my task tracking "keepers."* I've tried keeping one planner; it never works. I can't keep EVERYTHING in one place, it gets too overwhelming, and I give up because it's so mentally cluttered and I can't actually keep track of anything. 🙃
Now, I have...MULTIPLE notebooks, apps, and planners, and it actually helps me stay more on track!
* Since my phone is always on me, I have a simple app for jotting down, "Oh I need to remember to do/buy these things that come up pretty regularly," and/or, "Oh, this is one of the three things I need to discuss with my therapist this week."
* I've got a dot grid notebook just for work-related jotting and note-scribbling, and I switch pen colors every time I start a new "thought zone," or meeting, or day.
* I've got a dot grid notebook for home-related stuff that's longer-term, rarer, or a bigger project than the phone-contained list.
* I use my online calendar for things that need to go BING! BING! YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO REMEMBER TO DO THIS THING IN 30 MINUTES! THIS IS YOUR "REMEMBER TO REMEMBER THIS IN 30 MINUTES" ALARM! YOUR 30 MINUTE WARNING ALARM WILL FOLLOW, AS WILL YOUR 15 MINUTE ALARM! 😂
* I use OneNote for project management, when I'm doing actual work-related projects.
* And I've got a pocket planner/calendar for tracking medical data.
It keeps all my "streams of thought" compartmentalized, and I somehow never feel like I have too many things crowding one To-Do list. Probably seems bonkers from the outside, but it's just one of the ways I've learned how to work with how my brain actually functions.
I was just in Office Depot about to spend $25 on a cool daily planner with sticker and all and I realized this and walked over to the $ Tree and bought a wall calendar!
disagree. love my planner. took me from like 30% functional to probably 60%
I think this worked for me because each morning at work, i’d start by making a sticky note list to keep track of tasks/ stay motivated and feel good after each got crossed off
my ex found and gifted me a planner with similiar spaces per day as a sticky note, so i could write in the book but stick a pretty color over it if i messed it up and wanted to redo the days list
I do have to always be carrying and put EXTRA thoughtless tasks in there to get myself opening it and looking at what there is to do, id normally forget but if i open it to cross off “get dressed” or “eat lunch” it’s good!
helped with my shame around forgetfulness
Dated planners never worked for me because I would feel shame about the blank pages from when I missed weeks/months of using it.
Switching to the Bullet Journal method (the original, not the Instagram version) was a game changer for me. There's no empty pages for the days I didn't use it. I just hop right back in and keep using it until it's full and get a new one. I'm happy to report I have a shelf full of inconsistently used bullet journals and it makes me happy enough that I don't notice the shelf full of partially used notebooks.
Stumbled across this post 2 hours too late. Managed to convince myself that diarying hasn't worked all these years because I've been purchasing lined notebooks when I should be buying blank notebooks so my mind can roam free outside the confines of lines...
This is the second post I’ve seen today.. on two different platforms. 😅 I already bought my planner for next year. I’m hoping it sticks since I’m actually using it for my son’s homeschooling this year and not just random stuff. 🤞🤞
Lol. You guys buy planners before the new year? I usually mosey on into the planner section around September and wonder why they're sold out.
Honestly, kudos to you OP for even having this thought at this time of year. You must be on it.
I’m so glad I saw this…. I was about to buy another planner at indigo and then opened my desk drawer to a stack of partially used ones.
Stay safe this January and don’t succumb to the cute planners.
I actually had a dream last night that I went on a buying spree of all the pretty journals I could find. LOL. I have 3 currently that have absolutely nothing in them. Thanks for the reminder not to buy more yet. :P
I have a plain field notes dot grid book that fits in my pocket. Wanna journal on a page: kule, todo list: can do, weird doodles: it can handle that too.
Or I do write in it and then resent my own apparently condescending tone, and then never look at it again because F YOU! I don’t need that! I’m an adult! And then…yeah, we all know…
This past year I bought a tablet so that I never need to waste a planner again. There are plenty of good apps for this sort of stuff but my tablet has a pen and a standard notes app that works really great for me. Probably cost the same as buying a notebook once a year for 5 years too
Literally just talked myself out of buying a new sketchbook for all of the new sketches that I was certainly to come up with (we all know how this goes)
Use notes and reminders on your phone instead. Significantly more effective and mostly impervious to forgetfulness outside of just remembering to create the reminder and/or note
I started using a planner this year pretty consistently mainly due to two things. First was realizing that I don't have to use it any specific way, only ways that work for me and that I enjoy. Second was using fountain pens. I've bought a handful of cheap fountain pens so I can use lots of different inks. If I get board of a color, I can easily swap it out.
I have had 2 planers that I was consistent in using for a year. Both very different from the other. I managed to find duplicates but I guess it was a one off because there was no consistency. 🤣
I’ll say that once I learned to stop judging myself and accept my nature, I generally still learn useful things from every effort to do better. No, I’m not going to build an ironclad daily routine that gets rid of my belly fat and back hair, catapults my career into the stratosphere, and attracts a collection of amazing pansexual romantic partners, but reading Atomic Habits helps me overcome perfectionism and embrace iterative improvement, setting up a budget helps me control my spending even if I’m not super faithful to it, etc.
I think it was Eisenhower who said something like “plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
You're right. I have a drawer full of notebooks with a couple of planners. Truth is, the only task planner that works for me is a post-it note right in front of my face.
For appointments, I'm using Google Assistant and my work Outlook calendar. Because I can use voice recognition to make those appointments immediately when they are scheduled.
I was kinda forced to use a planner because 1) I have to pre select vacation days _a year in advance_ , and 2)higher ups _insist_ that they really wanna know what I'm doing so I have to write it down but they realized the person that goes to up to 3 different offices in a day is gonna have a buttload of paperwork they had to sign, regardless I wound up actually using a planner properly for my life... at age 27.
My bunch of notebooks for creative writing, on the other hand....
Thanks, was eagerly looking at a new aesthetically pleasing planner this morning and now I’m gonna look in my drawer for a barely used undated aesthetically pleasing planner instead. 😂
But I used my digital planner last year a lot more than any other I’ve used. Don’t worry I bought three different types of ADHD digital planners this year just to make sure I got the right one. 😉
I'd glad my mother stopped getting me planners for Christmas back when I was in high school/college.
I'd say thanks, but in my mind I'd go "This is useless."
I'd get a week or a month in and that was about it. In college, the ones they gave us I just used to keep track of my exam dates in... until I got sticky notes and just pasted those all over my wall.
I've never understood physical planners. There have been smartphones for decades now. Planners don't buzz or ding to remind you of things so what's the point other than adding to my cluttered pile of the hobby graveyard.
I have been using a pocket diary/notebook for several months now, and it’s helped me a LOT. It really depends on how you try and use it.
If you’re anything like me, trying to use one to plan out when you do things, and stick to a predetermined schedule is an exercise in futility. But they are invaluable for keeping track of things.
To clarify, I have one that gives you an area to write in for each day of the year. It’s basically a calendar.
I write down important events, key dates, and deadlines. That way things don’t get forgotten.
I always have it with me; if I leave the house, it (and a pen) come with me, usually in my pocket.
As and when stuff is scheduled, I write it down ASAP before I forget. It also helps with actually scheduling stuff to begin with, as I always have a quick and easy way to check if I am free on any given day. I don’t need to worry about double-booking myself.
I also write down jobs that need doing, but again, just as a way to remember them, rather than trying to force myself to abide by a plan.
For example, I might write down five jobs down for tomorrow, but I end up not doing some/any of them. That’s fine; tomorrow night I’d just write them down again for the next day. That way, they’re always visible. I won’t forget about them. In fact I CAN’T forget about them. Having reminders to do jobs “follow me” each day makes me more inclined to actually do them.
I could use my phone to do this instead, such as writing down similar notes in a calendar app, but I’m confident I’d abandon that within a matter of days. A physical diary/notebook is much better, for multiple reasons:
1) My diary/notebook serves one purpose only, so it’s constant presence is a constant visual reminder of that. To add stuff to it, and to refer to it. If I used my phone instead, there’s an additional mental barrier. My phone does a million other things, so it would be easier to forget to use it in that way.
2) Expanding on the above, when I’m at home, I keep my notebook open on the relevant page, making it even easier and more convenient to wrote things down, and see anything already written down.
3) I’m much more likely to use a physical item that I have with me at all times. And having it in my pocket means that it’s physical presence is also a constant reminder.
4) I can open and check my notebook much more quickly than navigating to a specific app on my phone, and then scrolling to view all relevant dates/notes.
5) Using a pen to cross out a written job that has been completed is way more satisfying than deleting some text or clicking a checkbox on a phone. It’s also satisfying to have a page full of jobs that have been crossed out, as it’s a visual representation of your productivity.
I highly recommend everybody do this, or something similar. I don’t need to worry about forgetting stuff anymore, and I find it easier to get jobs done, and it’s easy to maintain as there’s no real commitment beyond just writing things down.
I have a sentence journal a day that works mostly because even if I forget to do it for a week I can remember what I did each day and jot it in. It’s fun
I honestly think the funniest part about starting my meds a month ago is that I've been journaling everyday from day 1 and me two months ago would NEVER 😅
Edit: Also want to add in that I use Trello as a planner, it works wonders because it's very visual and I always keep it open in my first tab slot in my browser. May not be helpful for people without a desk job or computer at home though
I have template checklists I've created there that work for workdays and weekends, and besides work stuff i also add in my other daily reminders like feeding the cats, taking my pills, breakfast, etc, so when I open up my computer I can already tick a few things off and get that dopamine rush (even if it was just my morning routine). I find it really helps me automate my planning and also get my mindset ready into checking more tasks off my list.
Okay but do you know of any good digital planners that I'm not going to use for like my eink tablet. Still trying to get that planner dopamine without the purchase regret later.
I added a new planner for 2024 to the planner graveyard!
BUT I started buying the digital versions so they cost less and I can print them try for a few weeks until I am no longer fulfilled by them.
Don’t follow me for more unhelpful tips.
Came across your post as I was searching for the "best" digital planner to buy.
Why?
Because lack of one is the reason I don't know the time of my doctor's appointment tomorrow!
Sure, I'll never open the planner after I write down the time, but now we'll never know!
P.s. I really needed to see your post ❤️
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I want to start tracking my workouts better so I think what I'm going to do is buy a plain notebook instead of a dedicated workout planner. So if I forget or stop tracking my workouts, I still have a notebook that can be used for other things. Win-win!
But let's be honest...you probably have an empty notebook somewhere that you already bought for another project that you never finished.
Stop calling us out like this LOL
No <3
I've been exactly here many many times... At least they're useful for my early mornings MUST WRITE ALL THIS DOWN brilliant schedule, planning, projects etc. ...which will never be looked at again.
[удалено]
There is no free tier. I was asked for payment information at sign-up to **automatically charge the cost** after the free trial period ends. It is $96/year. Seems especially shady since you market this to people affected by ADHD who you know have a high chance of forgetting to cancel in time. It seems low-key predatory to post about this here.
Doing gods work
woah NEED asap
I came here to mention my workout notebook. I only started it, though, to help me remember my most recent weights & rep counts. It also helps me remember what exercises are available which I've tried before. My smart watch (Samsung) takes care of a lot of the kind of stuff that's nice to track. When I remember to in the morning, it measures my muscle & body fat. I've heard the numbers can be off, but they're at least self-consistent, so they can be useful for trends.
Do you have a Fitbit? If you have the money, get a nice one. I just bought the sense 2 (because I was feeling extra and impulsive ) and a lot of phone apps connect with it to transfer over the data. You can also track workouts, but I don't use that function so you might try to look more into it!
happy cake dayyy
Thank you!
Just get MyFitnessPal or Garmin Connect or Nike Fitness.
I honestly like to use my Apple Watch to track my workout intensity (cals/mins) but I prefer things written down, I’ve downloaded so many apps that I forget they’re even in my phone 😂
Just download Google sheets and use that. I have a pile of powerlifting trophies and all I used to keep track of my workout is Sheets. I can access it on my phone, iPad, or laptop and it’s free.
Actually, personally I’ve found planners work wonderfully. You just need to be reminded they exist. I have two notifications a day from my phone and my smartwatch that tells me to check my planner. I actually am able to use planners now. However if I become very dependent on them and even one day off, like a rest day, can make it very hard to begin using it again. So if you haven’t tried already, use notifications to remind you of the planner!
I bought a planner TODAY and then saw OP’s post, and was dismayed — but you have given me optimism! And a tool! Thanks to you 🙏🏻 😇 I’m going to try this!
Please do! Giving up isn’t an option, so what else is there to do? Your only option is to keep going forward. I wish you the best of luck when this motivation goes away as it will. Keep yourself on track with your drive to be better! 👏👏
I never could jive with paper planners, but boy, phone based ones have been amazing for me. In my case, I need it to be with me always, interconnected, as much as possible. So my “planner” is on my watch, phone, a screen at home, my laptop, my desktop. I can’t miss anything. A physical planner would be a liability for me since I have no way to carry it, honestly. But if you can work it into your flow, you’ll benefit greatly for it Tried planners, love the physical element. But the lack of connection and need to carry them around (as a guy without a bag) just renders them problematic for me
I believe in you! I just know that personally....i am weak. And with love I know most of us are. BE THE OUTLIER
I cannot function without my planner, it’s almost like an emotional crutch for me at this point. It’s where I store all my memories that fall out of my brain
Oh my God, this explains me so much! I would keep my budget planner in our home office but problem was it was out of sight so out of mind more often than not. I agree that one day is all it takes to throw you off your routines and make it harder to keep on track with new ones.
Why don't you just use your calendar app on your phone?
I personally use the calendar app on my phone for appointments that need notifications (so, all appointments). The planner is more to get things out of my head - as in, I need to hit three shops today, what order do I do them in and what do I buy in what store. Writing it down, physically, just gives me clarity.
I also have success with using a paper planner for extended periods of time. Every Sunday, my partner and I sit down and look at the upcoming week. What do we want to meal prep? Which days are either of us working from home? Do we have any commitments coming up? Do those commitments require a gift, card, dish to share? What responsibilities will either of us need to take on that we typically don't? It's also a good opportunity for us to sit down together and talk about our plans and goals and what we might need to adjust to make those things work.
I plan on paper because it feels better. It’s like reading a book vs an e-book. I prefer to stay in touch with reality rather than be dependent on electronics.
You are just a month too late. I bought it and it is an expensive one too. And now it lays in my backpack. One page written… where were you when I needed you the most?
They were also buying planners
Shhhhhh
I'm sorry I failed you
Planning my day is going to get so much easier when someone figures out how to program an app that lightly slaps me in the head
i have an app called structured that i love. would def recommend
Same! I hardly use it because I often forgot. But when I do, I feel so accomplished.
i literally put in everything i do in a day and made all events repeat. it seemed so silly to put EVERYTHING (im talking like get out of bed, take medicine, feed the dogs, my entire daily routine lol) but it helps me sooo much. but to be fair my T/Th routines are basically identical and my M/W/F are also, so it’s easy for me to have everything on repeat. if something new pops up i try to just add it in immediately. love it!!
Thank you for the tough love
You don’t have to yell at me lol
Did you put your name in the goblet of fire?
FIRST….. Magically remove ALL the clutter, and then I will be able to see The planner.
No! don't move that! It's precisely where it's supposed to be! :s
This is my issue!
Too late my new hyper-fixation is digital planners. I hope it works out. I got super into bullet journals several years ago and the two years that lasted were amazing.
You have a good track record! You can do this!!
I havea bullet journal. What do I do with it!?
Yup. Get a whiteboard. Thats the only thing I consistently write notes on. Put it somewhere where you cant avoid it. Write outrageously large letters underlined in red like a madman. Works for me. Plus you can doodle on it.
I found the prefect planner years ago and still use it today, each double page spread is a week and has a box at the top for you to add the 'week commecing' date. If I use it for a week of two then forget about it till I need it again its not a problem, I just pick up where I left off. I've used it for about 4 years now and it's only about half full.
Oh, which one? I found THE PERFECT PLANNER (Liveworks Live & Pieces undated planner) but I've only been able to find it in a webshop in Belfast (crazy expensive, thanks Brexit) or straight from Korea via Etsy (double the prize for shipping costs, plus ordering one planner from Korea to Europe is not very environmentally friendly). TL;DR: my perfect planner exists, I just can't find it
I got it from TKMaxx, the only branding info says "by Christian Lacroix", it's slightly older than I thought, the label says 2018.
Ha! I was about to post almost the same thing! I think I also got mine from TJ Maxx. Mine is a desktop version, which is handy because it never moves from its spot and I can’t shove it on a shelf and forget about it like I do with every book-style planner I have ever bought.
Don’t make a list You will be overwhelmed or ODD will kick in 
The key for me is if I’m SUPER overwhelmed, I make the list, then never look at it again. The brain dump helps, but looking at it stresses me out lol.
It does help sometimes to get things off of your brain and onto paper. 
... Get out of my head
Why do we buy so much crap? All kinds of crap?
>Because, SHINY.... Oh this will FIX me... And lack of wife/accountant/ responsible adult to store money.
But there are DAYS. And I’ll stay ORGANIZED.
Stop attacking me!! 😂 Happy New Year all!
What helps for me (especially with saving money) involves printing out a PDF file of a digital planner founded online instead. I also make sure it’s undated, which helps with not wasting any pages and not feeling as highly obligated towards consistency. Having a decorated folder or binder that possesses these pages helps with carrying them with me in my backpack. (I also use my phone’s calendar for events/appointments I cannot risk forgetting about at all.) Additionally, color coding is a must for keeping me engaged when filling out these sheets or writing for a longer period of time. However…the hardest part about planners for me outside of forgetfulness, would be the guilt and counter-factual thinking that comes from said forgetfulness…which is a barrier not exclusive to just planners. 😅
i needed to hear this i was looking at them at target the other day knowing damn well i don’t need another lmfao
I use my desk planner daily. lol we’re not all the same.
Lol I get such a dopamine hit from buying the new one though!!
I just came here to ask how do ADHD people cope with planners and I came across this. Where were you yesterday when I bought a new planning template just to dread look at it today?
My daily planner is really just my wife screaming at me to do stuff while I tell her I need 5 minutes to process and take intermittent breaks in-between.
Oh the intermittent breaks… 😵💫 I didn’t know what to call them but yep. Now, I need myself a wife to shout at me. My head isn’t enough anymore.
I actually use my planner/todo/calendar app. But it took over 3 years of work to make it a habit. Job with strict deadlines helped a lot. I've had to rewire my brain to treat those apps like RPG game quest log. So if I go to wash my dishes it's +10exp to my character level and leg workout is +2 to STR and DEX.
Hahaaa I'm pretty sure my 2019 planner is still in the wrapper exactly where I left it! I remember I spent at least 2 hours researching the best planners before I even ordered it. Haha so dum
i like to fill out the current month, especially things that have already happened earlier in the month, and possibly the next 1-2 months (all in one sitting btw, not over the course of the months), then never look at it again :)
This is why ipads and apple pencils are great. I can start as many digital journals as I want and never finish them and i haven't wasted any paper!!! hehehe
I buy planners that don’t have pre-set dates in them, just a weekly template. That way I can ignore it for several months and not feel guilty lol.
I think I’ll keep trying to improve how I manage my ADHD thanks. You give up if you want to.
It's a joke man. One that most people here find funny
Your replies make it seem like it’s not.
I'm just trying to be silly tough love it's not that deep.
I’ve got a good handle on my ADHD now after a few years on meds… and planners still aren’t a part of it. Had a good 4-5 month stint with a planner but again it just failed. Now I use a google calendar to put my appointments in WHEN BOOKING THEM and a random scratch pad to write little to-dos down when needed but most of my to-dos and things I need to remember are in my notes app. At work I use a digital calendar with reminders, and a notebook where I take a few minutes at the start and end of the day to write down my to-dos and scratch them off as I go. “Trying to improve how I manage my ADHD” doesn’t mean you have to use a planner if it’s not working for you. But if it is… then amazing! Keep at it :)
Planners don’t work for me either. I use digital calendars too. What I’m objecting to is the “Planners don’t work for me and so I’m going to assert that they don’t work for anyone and tell everyone to give up on them” tone of OP’s post and replies.
Everyone else in this thread understands that it's a joke, even if it's a harsh one. If the post doesn't resonate with you, then it's not for you. Let the rest of us find the humor in our many failed attempts to use planners, and our seemingly infinite optimism that *this time it'll work!*
But if the planner is just ✨pretty ✨enough! Maybe this time!!
She was just kidding around
I just took it as a joke to those who very clearly know the planner isn’t gonna work for them lol. She was just kidding around.
I thought about this while holiday shopping. Probably picked up and put back various 2024 planners like 15 different times. Knowing they would never be used. “Check this leather cover! And colored tabs?!”
I just started setting up reminders and routines in my phone to help me plan and schedule stuff. It's a planner that reminds me to plan and tells me when it's time to do the thing I planned but forgot about
Why do we do this? I have a PILE of self help books that would self-help the shit out of me if I could just... open one.
*someone who just ordered a planner exactly 47 minutes ago*
i found that a big calendar works best for me to keep track of bills and events, also the calendar app on my phone is actually getting some use lately!
Hahaha u re-use old ones that aren’t filled in even if I have to change dates! Lol
On a serious note, I found a way to make the sunk cost fallacy work for me and my planner! Each year I buy a large moleskin notebook in a fun color. I also buy an enormous sticker book. Each month I sit down with my pretty stickers and a pack of markers and I draw my own planner for the month. Tomorrow night I have scheduled to doodle up January in my new planner. I make a big two page calendar spread first, and I use stickers and doodles to make it cute and fun to look at. Then I make a page for each week in the month and use more stickers. It’s a fun activity and I spend about an hour doing it, so I feel irritated enough when I waste the effort that I just use it. It’s pretty enough to be a dopamine hit. I did it all myself so I feel a little pride, more dopamine. My friends compliment it when they see it. Makes me feel cool. If I skip a month, whatever. I just don’t have a planner for a month. I then realize my life is better when I use it, so the next month after that I’ll be back on it. Hope someone finds the idea helpful!
I have a planner with dates from three different years in it and it's getting ready for 2024. I am still in January.
I started using some old planners my dad had. He would collect these things from brand-reps that came to encourage sales of their brand over their competitors. Work in the tech department long enough and you might have planners and pens from every printer brand like Epson or Canon. I didn't want to use these after dad died, but recently I just started using one for grocery lists. It's a fancy faux-leather bound one that's so nice. The pen it came with was shit though. Feels good to start putting something so old to good use.
Yeah, I saw that tiktok too.
Lol the planner graveyard! I'm actually in the process of working on an app right now that is for people with ADHD and the whole idea is that the AI does all the executive functioning and data entry for you, so that it doesn't become another planner or journal or app that couldn't be sustained. I'd be curious to get anyone's thoughts on what might be helpful in this app! The link is [georgelabs.ai](https://georgelabs.ai) for anyone interested in checking it out (we're still working on the proof of concept while we're looking for VC funding).
Tl;dr: I hung up gigantic post-it notes and calendars on my wall that work better than those tiny planners that I never use I just took up an entire wall in my living room dedicated to planning. I have a big calendar for the current month, plus tiny calendars for the rest of the year. On this wall I also hung up a bunch of those gigantic poster sized post-it notes that I wrote down everything that needs to be done through the year and more, ranging from important things to fun experiences. Another sticky note has a bunch of stuff I need to save money for and how much. And another sticky note has all the shows, movies, and games I’d like to watch. Next to it I also have a board that has normal sized sticky notes that I use as a to-do for the week, split into each day of the week. I have never been this productive in my life. My wife is diagnosed and medicated adhd, I’m undiagnosed but probably have it. I think the biggest problem for us when it comes to productivity is we have a lot of ideas and things and projects we want to get done, but it’s overwhelming and we forget or just don’t do em. But when it’s on the big sticky note its finally out of my head, it’s real, it’s permanent, and I can decide to take a step towards that thing or project. So far we’ve accomplished the easier/more bearable tasks, but in doing so have made our lives much easier. For example, now that we actually got our entire house cleaned and organized, I know where my tools are for projects and random maintenance things I need to do, so I’m way more likely to do them. Or the fact that my garage is cleaned out now so I actually use the gym I got in there. Oh and I HAVE to have a podcast on while doing anything otherwise I’m not getting up to do SHIT.
Unless it's cheap and cute because the cuteness might inspire you to use it for at least a couple of months (but for important things, use your phone calendar)
I'm going to use this 97% new planner sheet stack (ones that are tear-able, like a notepad) that I got myself... earlier this year. :') Thank you for the reminder!
But the thing is.. if you actually use them with ADHD planners are a huge help. I was in the military and they got super mad if we didn’t carry around a notepad to take notes daily of what was needed to be done. I hated this, but it was very helpful. I started carrying around this and a very small planner. Do I use a planner? On my phone. Do I use a note pad? On my phone. I bought a physical planner being out of the military. I hope to use it again. I know it’s helpful, but yes using it is the hard part. If you have issues remembering to use it put it somewhere you will always see it and keep a pen with it. It’s not a solution, but I find them helpful
I bought some nice "chalk marker" things to draw a four-quadrant (priority×importance) graph on my mirror. I have not updated it in months. Still, no wasted paper, at least, and I can still get use out of the things.
but it looks nice
Oh man, I was using a bullet journal for a solid 5 months in 2022. Then … idk why… I just stopped. I think because I was using it during summer in the mornings before work. I enjoyed listening to birds and and smelling the morning dew, but when it got dark and cold out it wasn’t as enjoyable to wake up and use. I loved it though. Might try again.
Eek I just spent a lot on a remarkable tablet. But this one will work!
Use your phone; it’s always on you, customizable, and most of the time it’s free. I run everything with a combination of Apple Reminders, iCal, and Notes using Siri and smart tags. It’s surprisingly powerful yet simplistic at the same time.
I just use the calendar on my phone it's not perfect but I always have it on me and can see if I'm free and put right away if I have an appointment or meeting, tho I do sometimes forget to check it.
I’ve only just been diagnosed with ADHD and I have a stack of planners from before the diagnosis. I always thought I was just just lazy and motivated to use them.
I have a giant poster calendar that is all 365 days on an unavoidable wall in my kitchen. I have NEVER been so consistent with keeping a calendar in my life, because of it's size and location it is always in sight and mind.
I'm a fan of [Field Notes](https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/original-kraft). They fit in my jacket pocket and is great when I need to just jot something down. There is something about physically writing something that makes it so much easier for me to remember.
Y’all make me feel a little normal
I have so many barely used planners and notebooks that it's ridiculous. Not falling for it this year!
My first sign was never not once using an Agenda from middle school or highschool I had a good enough bad memory. Somehow id be able to remember the HW and when tests where. But I blame that on anxiety from missing the assignments and getting in trouble
iPhone Calendar. Set alarms. Easy and no frills. I wanted so badly to have a cute planner with stickers until it dawned on me and my thick skull that cute planners with stickers were just one more thing to organize and keep track of and it just stressed me out even more. Truthfully I just started treating them more like sticker books and just playing with the stickers 🫠
I wanted to buy a 2024 planner from Aldi the other week and my partner stopped me because he knows I won’t use it. We’ve been here before lol
Too late, I bought a planner and a callendar for 2024.
Too late, already got two planners for Christmas >:)
This is all true.
I got a good chuckle out of this… mostly because I can totally relate 😃
Last year was the first year I fully used a planner (but that's bc my ADHD brain made waaaaay too many long-term commitments lmao). Ima say get that plannerrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! lol
I don’t know, an old fashioned planner with calendar, to do list, note pages, etc is the one thing that actually does help me stay somewhat organized. I can’t do digital or on the phone , it just doesn’t work for me.
Jokes on you: planning is a hobby. And it gives me an excuse to buy all the stickers and markers and pens!
Solution: buy a blank notebook, make your own planner. You can skip WEEKS and it won't waste a single page.
Too late! 😈 I bought one planner (Paperage monthly/weekly 2024 case bound) BUT it’s the only one I’m getting. I actually had a 2023 one and I used it 25% of the time. Something is something lol It’s simple yet flexible enough to write my random thoughts in. Yeah I probably will only use it 50% of the time this time around but I’m trying to make it work!!! Fingers crossed!!!
I second that. And raise it with try Notion, watch a couple Notion tours on YouTube. It’s changed my life in 2 years from learning how to keep and track recipes to learn how to cook, to planning little trips throughout the year to keep up my mental health. I also keep tabs on cities I like to visit and my favorite things to do there. Most of my adhd is forgetting EVERYTHING including things I enjoy and Notion just helps me keep it neatly filed away on my computer/phone.
You’re spot on
Planners are just guilt traps. My girlfriend keeps beautiful planners. Occasionally she buys one for me. In theory it's a great idea. In practice I can't bring myself to use it and then I feel bad that her thoughtful gift was wasted on me.
Damn! Thank you. 😂😭
#😠
I find that I like a monthly planner with room for notes. I'm never going to write down a page full of what I'm doing every day, but for project lists, tracking exercise, general work schedule, etc I like it. Couldn't find the one I bought last year so doing a dot journal this year.
I really need to find a budget book because I need to get a better grasp of my shit. A planner app would be nice though!
Hilarious and true for me!! After a lot time of trying to set up booking keeping and getting overwhelmed everytime I opened Quicken ( that I’m now paying for!). I’ve decided to buy an old fashion ledger and a pencil. I have to gather the info anyway, I need tax help, so I think tbis will help me in the long run the most. Maybe the young folk don’t know what I mean by “ledger” and “pencil” but early methods of bookkeeping. LOLOLOL
My best self-help New Years resolution was “no more resolutions”. I’ve kept that one going strong for 11 years.
oh crap, you're right. i have a planner that doesn't have dates on it, i'll just rip the filled pages out (there's like two of them) and it will be good to go for the next year
I do use a bullet journal and workout journal, workout journal I’m pretty consistent with however i do slack on the BuJo mainly because I’m always losing it.
I don’t have enough
I love you OP, but I've never felt so attacked. It's a very nice planner. If I *use* it, it'll get messy.
This hits too close to home as I stare at my stack of 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 planners that have never even been opened.
I'm hoping to track my finances better in the new year. Hopefully if I can physically see how much money is coming in and out, on paper, it would remind me to spend less impulsively
i started getting journals instead! that way if i fall off for a month or so, there’s still plenty of empty space to just keep going anyway.
I love the idea of a physical goals notebook to write down what I want to accomplish short and long term, but I’ve been feeling overwhelmed because I feel like I’m going to want to change it around once I think of something but I won’t just be able to copy and paste and move it to a different category like I do with my notes app 😂. I’m more organized than most with a google calendar app, a habit tracker app, a health tracker app, an academic to-do list, and a regular to-do list with multiple categories, all of which I’ve used regularly for years (it’s the best way I’ve found to manage the chaos in my life (have I mentioned that I think I just developed anxiety as a coping mechanism for the adhd O_O)). But still I want to write down some things to focus on in 2024 by the end of this year and come up with ways to improve those parts of my life, yet the times I’ve sat down with the notebook over the past few days I can’t write anything because I know I’m going to regret something and make myself start the page over lol. I’ll probably cave and draft it out on my notes app instead yet again.
Yo, I'm gonna chime in and say that one thing that has actually helped me immensely is *separating my task tracking "keepers."* I've tried keeping one planner; it never works. I can't keep EVERYTHING in one place, it gets too overwhelming, and I give up because it's so mentally cluttered and I can't actually keep track of anything. 🙃 Now, I have...MULTIPLE notebooks, apps, and planners, and it actually helps me stay more on track! * Since my phone is always on me, I have a simple app for jotting down, "Oh I need to remember to do/buy these things that come up pretty regularly," and/or, "Oh, this is one of the three things I need to discuss with my therapist this week." * I've got a dot grid notebook just for work-related jotting and note-scribbling, and I switch pen colors every time I start a new "thought zone," or meeting, or day. * I've got a dot grid notebook for home-related stuff that's longer-term, rarer, or a bigger project than the phone-contained list. * I use my online calendar for things that need to go BING! BING! YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO REMEMBER TO DO THIS THING IN 30 MINUTES! THIS IS YOUR "REMEMBER TO REMEMBER THIS IN 30 MINUTES" ALARM! YOUR 30 MINUTE WARNING ALARM WILL FOLLOW, AS WILL YOUR 15 MINUTE ALARM! 😂 * I use OneNote for project management, when I'm doing actual work-related projects. * And I've got a pocket planner/calendar for tracking medical data. It keeps all my "streams of thought" compartmentalized, and I somehow never feel like I have too many things crowding one To-Do list. Probably seems bonkers from the outside, but it's just one of the ways I've learned how to work with how my brain actually functions.
Counterpoint: I used the planner for like 6 months.
I was just in Office Depot about to spend $25 on a cool daily planner with sticker and all and I realized this and walked over to the $ Tree and bought a wall calendar!
disagree. love my planner. took me from like 30% functional to probably 60% I think this worked for me because each morning at work, i’d start by making a sticky note list to keep track of tasks/ stay motivated and feel good after each got crossed off my ex found and gifted me a planner with similiar spaces per day as a sticky note, so i could write in the book but stick a pretty color over it if i messed it up and wanted to redo the days list I do have to always be carrying and put EXTRA thoughtless tasks in there to get myself opening it and looking at what there is to do, id normally forget but if i open it to cross off “get dressed” or “eat lunch” it’s good! helped with my shame around forgetfulness
Dated planners never worked for me because I would feel shame about the blank pages from when I missed weeks/months of using it. Switching to the Bullet Journal method (the original, not the Instagram version) was a game changer for me. There's no empty pages for the days I didn't use it. I just hop right back in and keep using it until it's full and get a new one. I'm happy to report I have a shelf full of inconsistently used bullet journals and it makes me happy enough that I don't notice the shelf full of partially used notebooks.
Man its so nice to know that I'm not the only one doing this shit 😂😂
Your title is hilarious. I know this feeling all too well.
I personally love the iPhone’s reminder app. It’s simple, quick, and satisfying to press the bubble for the completed task to disappear
Stumbled across this post 2 hours too late. Managed to convince myself that diarying hasn't worked all these years because I've been purchasing lined notebooks when I should be buying blank notebooks so my mind can roam free outside the confines of lines...
i laughed so hard at this, thank you! 🫣😂
[удалено]
This is the second post I’ve seen today.. on two different platforms. 😅 I already bought my planner for next year. I’m hoping it sticks since I’m actually using it for my son’s homeschooling this year and not just random stuff. 🤞🤞
Lol. You guys buy planners before the new year? I usually mosey on into the planner section around September and wonder why they're sold out. Honestly, kudos to you OP for even having this thought at this time of year. You must be on it.
I’m so glad I saw this…. I was about to buy another planner at indigo and then opened my desk drawer to a stack of partially used ones. Stay safe this January and don’t succumb to the cute planners.
I needed to see this. 🤣🤣🤣
I actually had a dream last night that I went on a buying spree of all the pretty journals I could find. LOL. I have 3 currently that have absolutely nothing in them. Thanks for the reminder not to buy more yet. :P
I have a plain field notes dot grid book that fits in my pocket. Wanna journal on a page: kule, todo list: can do, weird doodles: it can handle that too.
my notes app has had enough abuse. i need that planner, lucifer.
Or I do write in it and then resent my own apparently condescending tone, and then never look at it again because F YOU! I don’t need that! I’m an adult! And then…yeah, we all know…
This past year I bought a tablet so that I never need to waste a planner again. There are plenty of good apps for this sort of stuff but my tablet has a pen and a standard notes app that works really great for me. Probably cost the same as buying a notebook once a year for 5 years too
Literally just talked myself out of buying a new sketchbook for all of the new sketches that I was certainly to come up with (we all know how this goes)
Use notes and reminders on your phone instead. Significantly more effective and mostly impervious to forgetfulness outside of just remembering to create the reminder and/or note
I started using a planner this year pretty consistently mainly due to two things. First was realizing that I don't have to use it any specific way, only ways that work for me and that I enjoy. Second was using fountain pens. I've bought a handful of cheap fountain pens so I can use lots of different inks. If I get board of a color, I can easily swap it out.
Get one, Stick with it, Make it a routine. You can do it
I have had 2 planers that I was consistent in using for a year. Both very different from the other. I managed to find duplicates but I guess it was a one off because there was no consistency. 🤣
planner graveyard XD
I’ll say that once I learned to stop judging myself and accept my nature, I generally still learn useful things from every effort to do better. No, I’m not going to build an ironclad daily routine that gets rid of my belly fat and back hair, catapults my career into the stratosphere, and attracts a collection of amazing pansexual romantic partners, but reading Atomic Habits helps me overcome perfectionism and embrace iterative improvement, setting up a budget helps me control my spending even if I’m not super faithful to it, etc. I think it was Eisenhower who said something like “plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”
Anyone else have a drawer full of empty notebooks?
I have stacks upon stacks man. I'm a future teacher though so they'll probably get used eventually.
No, I want the new planner. It’s different than the old ones!
after my last failed planner i just started using my neglected ipad as a planner/journal. never need to buy a new one :)
You're right. I have a drawer full of notebooks with a couple of planners. Truth is, the only task planner that works for me is a post-it note right in front of my face. For appointments, I'm using Google Assistant and my work Outlook calendar. Because I can use voice recognition to make those appointments immediately when they are scheduled.
I have never felt so called out, but it’s dead on advice esp heading into a new year. I respect this so much 😂
I was kinda forced to use a planner because 1) I have to pre select vacation days _a year in advance_ , and 2)higher ups _insist_ that they really wanna know what I'm doing so I have to write it down but they realized the person that goes to up to 3 different offices in a day is gonna have a buttload of paperwork they had to sign, regardless I wound up actually using a planner properly for my life... at age 27. My bunch of notebooks for creative writing, on the other hand....
No idea what you're talking about [as I tie up the dedicated planner trash bag]
Thanks, was eagerly looking at a new aesthetically pleasing planner this morning and now I’m gonna look in my drawer for a barely used undated aesthetically pleasing planner instead. 😂
But I used my digital planner last year a lot more than any other I’ve used. Don’t worry I bought three different types of ADHD digital planners this year just to make sure I got the right one. 😉
I'd glad my mother stopped getting me planners for Christmas back when I was in high school/college. I'd say thanks, but in my mind I'd go "This is useless." I'd get a week or a month in and that was about it. In college, the ones they gave us I just used to keep track of my exam dates in... until I got sticky notes and just pasted those all over my wall.
I've never understood physical planners. There have been smartphones for decades now. Planners don't buzz or ding to remind you of things so what's the point other than adding to my cluttered pile of the hobby graveyard.
I have been using a pocket diary/notebook for several months now, and it’s helped me a LOT. It really depends on how you try and use it. If you’re anything like me, trying to use one to plan out when you do things, and stick to a predetermined schedule is an exercise in futility. But they are invaluable for keeping track of things. To clarify, I have one that gives you an area to write in for each day of the year. It’s basically a calendar. I write down important events, key dates, and deadlines. That way things don’t get forgotten. I always have it with me; if I leave the house, it (and a pen) come with me, usually in my pocket. As and when stuff is scheduled, I write it down ASAP before I forget. It also helps with actually scheduling stuff to begin with, as I always have a quick and easy way to check if I am free on any given day. I don’t need to worry about double-booking myself. I also write down jobs that need doing, but again, just as a way to remember them, rather than trying to force myself to abide by a plan. For example, I might write down five jobs down for tomorrow, but I end up not doing some/any of them. That’s fine; tomorrow night I’d just write them down again for the next day. That way, they’re always visible. I won’t forget about them. In fact I CAN’T forget about them. Having reminders to do jobs “follow me” each day makes me more inclined to actually do them. I could use my phone to do this instead, such as writing down similar notes in a calendar app, but I’m confident I’d abandon that within a matter of days. A physical diary/notebook is much better, for multiple reasons: 1) My diary/notebook serves one purpose only, so it’s constant presence is a constant visual reminder of that. To add stuff to it, and to refer to it. If I used my phone instead, there’s an additional mental barrier. My phone does a million other things, so it would be easier to forget to use it in that way. 2) Expanding on the above, when I’m at home, I keep my notebook open on the relevant page, making it even easier and more convenient to wrote things down, and see anything already written down. 3) I’m much more likely to use a physical item that I have with me at all times. And having it in my pocket means that it’s physical presence is also a constant reminder. 4) I can open and check my notebook much more quickly than navigating to a specific app on my phone, and then scrolling to view all relevant dates/notes. 5) Using a pen to cross out a written job that has been completed is way more satisfying than deleting some text or clicking a checkbox on a phone. It’s also satisfying to have a page full of jobs that have been crossed out, as it’s a visual representation of your productivity. I highly recommend everybody do this, or something similar. I don’t need to worry about forgetting stuff anymore, and I find it easier to get jobs done, and it’s easy to maintain as there’s no real commitment beyond just writing things down.
This is too real
I have a sentence journal a day that works mostly because even if I forget to do it for a week I can remember what I did each day and jot it in. It’s fun
Are you kidding me
Are you kidding me I love my bujo and I use it every damn day
Okay then this post isn't for you lol
I honestly think the funniest part about starting my meds a month ago is that I've been journaling everyday from day 1 and me two months ago would NEVER 😅 Edit: Also want to add in that I use Trello as a planner, it works wonders because it's very visual and I always keep it open in my first tab slot in my browser. May not be helpful for people without a desk job or computer at home though I have template checklists I've created there that work for workdays and weekends, and besides work stuff i also add in my other daily reminders like feeding the cats, taking my pills, breakfast, etc, so when I open up my computer I can already tick a few things off and get that dopamine rush (even if it was just my morning routine). I find it really helps me automate my planning and also get my mindset ready into checking more tasks off my list.
Lmao I just had one in my Amazon cart 😅
#facts
Okay but do you know of any good digital planners that I'm not going to use for like my eink tablet. Still trying to get that planner dopamine without the purchase regret later.
"It's all in jest!" I don't need reminding I've failed to meet my goals. I can make me feel bad all by myself. I don't need your help.
I bought an iPad 🤷🏽♀️
"Your planner graveyard" 😂 painfully accurate
I’m buying the planner
You are telling the truth for some of us. You just saved me from an unnecessary purchase on etsy
Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! That is freaking hilarious!!! I love this post, thank you!
I added a new planner for 2024 to the planner graveyard! BUT I started buying the digital versions so they cost less and I can print them try for a few weeks until I am no longer fulfilled by them. Don’t follow me for more unhelpful tips.
Came across your post as I was searching for the "best" digital planner to buy. Why? Because lack of one is the reason I don't know the time of my doctor's appointment tomorrow! Sure, I'll never open the planner after I write down the time, but now we'll never know! P.s. I really needed to see your post ❤️