Create With Carla

Tag: ADHD planner

  • How to Use the ADHD I’m Stuck Planner on Low-Energy Days

    Some days, you have the energy to make a plan, run the errands, and finally deal with that mysterious pile on the counter.

    Other days, opening the planner feels like an accomplishment all by itself.

    That is where the ADHD I’m Stuck Planner gives you a simple starting point. You do not have to fill in every section. You can choose the page that fits what you need today and leave the rest for another time.

    Want a look inside? This PDF planner includes Start Here, Today, Reset, and Money pages, among other sections. Below, I’ll show you how you might use a few of them on a day when your energy is limited.

    See The ADHD Planner Here

    Start Here: Choose What You Need Right Now

    The Start Here page says, “Choose one doorway. You do not need to use the whole planner.”

    It offers four starting points:

    • I need to get moving: Go to Today and pick one tiny task.
    • My brain is too loud: Go to Calm and unload it.
    • I forgot everything: Go to Reset for a quick life check.
    • I need encouragement: Go to Affirmations.

    Instead of deciding how to organize your entire week, you can begin by asking which description fits right now.

    Perhaps you need to check an appointment. Perhaps you just need somewhere to put the thoughts competing for your attention. Choose that starting point. The other pages can wait their turn.

    Today: One Must-Do, With Room for More

    The Today page separates “My ONE must-do” from “If I have more energy…”

    That second box is optional. It is not a sneaky assignment wearing a friendly hat.

    For example, your one must-do might be checking when the electric bill is due. If you have more energy afterward, you could gather the rest of the week’s bills. You do not have to turn one quick check into an afternoon of paperwork.

    There are also tiny-task checkboxes for a five-minute task, a quick message or call, and one thing to put away.

    You might choose one of those as your starting point. Sending the message you have been putting off is a specific action. “Get my whole life together” is rather a lot to ask of a Tuesday.

    Give Extra Thoughts Somewhere to Land

    At the bottom of the Today page is a Notes / brain dump section.

    You can use that space for the things that pop into your head while you are trying to do something else: buy batteries, return a call, find the permission slip, figure out why there are three opened jars of mustard.

    Writing something here does not have to mean doing it today. It gives you a place to record it and come back to it.

    Your brain dump does not need neat handwriting, matching colors, or a committee meeting. A few words can be enough to remind you what you meant.

    Reset: Pick Just One Check

    The Reset page begins with permission to pick just one item if that is all you have energy for.

    Its prompts include checking your calendar, reviewing bills and due dates, checking upcoming appointments, or clearing one small surface. There is also space to answer, “What would make this week easier?”

    On a low-energy day, you could choose to check tomorrow’s appointment time and stop there. You have used the page without completing every checkbox.

    And if you choose to clear a small surface, one corner of the counter counts. The planner did not secretly say “renovate the kitchen.”

    A Simple Example to Try

    Here is one way to use the planner without making a big project of it:

    1. Open Start Here and choose “I need to get moving.”
    2. On Today, write one specific action in My ONE must-do.
    3. Record any unrelated reminders in Notes / brain dump.
    4. Leave If I have more energy blank unless you want to add something.

    That is a complete way to begin. You can explore the other sections when they are useful to you.

    💡 Tech Tip: Download the PDF before filling it in. Open it in a PDF reader that supports fillable forms, and save your changes. Close and reopen your saved copy to check that your entries are still there.

    Take a Look Before You Decide

    If you would like to see more, take a look at the ADHD I’m Stuck Planner and decide whether its layout fits the way you prefer to plan. It is an organizational tool with space for one priority, extra thoughts, and everyday checks.

    Explore the ADHD I’m Stuck Planner.

    For more simple planning ideas, read ADHD Planning: When Your Brain Has 27 Tabs Open.

    You do not have to fill every box. Start with the part that is useful today.

  • ADHD Planning: When Your Brain Has 27 Tabs Open

    ADHD Planning: When Your Brain Has 27 Tabs Open

    ADHD planning can feel like trying to organize your day while your brain opens 27 extra tabs. You sit down to make a plan, remember the laundry, go looking for a pen, notice a plant needs water, and somehow end up sorting a kitchen drawer.

    The plan? Still waiting patiently.

    If that sounds familiar, welcome. Let’s make room for a little humor—and a way to start that doesn’t require organizing your entire life before lunch.

    ADHD Planning Starts With One Thing—Yes, Just One

    A long to-do list can turn into a staring contest. You look at it. It looks at you. Nobody folds the towels.

    For a gentler approach to ADHD planning, choose one thing you want to begin.

    It might be paying a bill, answering an email, or making an appointment. Write it where you can see it and give yourself a clear starting point.

    That’s actually why I created my ADHD I’m Stuck Planner. I wanted something simple that would help me focus on one step at a time instead of staring at a mile-long to-do list.

    It’s an interactive digital planner with clickable calendars and fillable pages, designed to make planning feel a little less overwhelming.

    Take a peek at my ADHD I’m Stuck Planner on Etsy — $14.99.

    You can choose the next task later. It does not need to stand behind you tapping its foot.

    Make the First Step Small Enough to Try

    “Clean the kitchen” sounds like a whole afternoon.

    “Put five dishes in the dishwasher” gives you somewhere to start.

    Try turning a broad task into one specific action:

    • Instead of “organize paperwork,” gather the papers into one pile.
    • Instead of “work on my business,” open the draft you want to finish.
    • Instead of “sort out appointments,” find the phone number for one office.

    If you keep putting off a task, ask yourself: “What is the first action I could take?”

    Make that your plan for now.

    Give Wandering Thoughts a Parking Place

    Sometimes you remember something unrelated right in the middle of a task.

    You are answering an email when your brain announces, “We need batteries!”

    Useful information. Interesting timing.

    Keep a piece of paper or a notes app nearby. Jot down the thought so you can return to it later, then come back to what you were doing.

    Your reminder has a parking space. It does not need to drive the whole day.

    Plan Around the Day You Actually Have

    A calendar can look wonderfully spacious until you add meals, errands, caregiving, appointments, and the time it takes to find your shoes.

    Before adding tasks, write down the commitments already on your calendar. Then choose what reasonably fits around them.

    Leave a little breathing room. Some tasks take longer than expected, and interruptions do not usually make reservations.

    On a busy day, one useful task may be enough. Your plan can reflect your life as it is today.

    Keep Your ADHD Planning Routine Simple

    You do not have to build an elaborate system to begin.

    Try keeping appointments and plans in one main place. Choose a regular moment to look at them—perhaps after breakfast or before you settle down for the evening.

    Ask yourself:

    • Is there an appointment or deadline I need to remember?
    • What matters most today?
    • What is one small step I can take next?

    Use colors or reminders if you enjoy them. If decorating your planner becomes its own three-hour project, you are allowed to put down the stickers and write the appointment.

    The planner can wear its fancy outfit another day.

    Missed a Day? Come Back Today

    An unused planner page is not a report card.

    You do not have to fill in every missed day before using your planner again. Open it to where you are now and write down what you need next.

    Plans change. Routines get interrupted. You can adjust without declaring the entire system a disaster.

    A helpful question is: “What would make today a little easier?”

    Start there.

    The ADHD I’m Stuck Planner shown on a phone, laptop, and tablet, with monthly calendar and daily notebook pages.

    A Simple Place to Begin

    If you would like a place to keep your plans together, take a look at my ADHD One-Step Planner. Its interactive monthly calendar gives you a place to record appointments and plans, then return to them as your month unfolds.

    You can also find my ADHD I’m Stuck Planner in my Etsy shop.

    It is an organizational tool, and you can decide whether its layout suits the way you like to plan.

    Whether you use a planner, a notebook, or a piece of paper, try beginning with one clear step.

    Your brain may still have 27 tabs open. For now, you only need to choose the one you want to work on.