Personally I’d like hear some of your experiences with different types of organizational software, no matter if it runs on a PC, phone or the cloud:

  • What are you using and in what ways does it help you with the troubles you are facing with your ADHD?

  • Do you use different tools for different use cases (e.g. one to organize and track bigger projects, one just for reminders or one as a knowledge base etc.)?

  • Is there any software you would specifically avoid and how so (e.g. cause it is distracting, pricey or you due to lack of data privacy)?

  • Or is there things you’d really recommend to try out, because it helped you immensely in a way?

To start it off: Personally I got diagnosed as an adult rather recently. I somehow have haphazardly kept my life together without meds and ADHD-Therapy/Counseling/Coaching so far, but got no idea how. I made use of all sorts of organization methods and tools without it ever occurring to me that I could have ADHD.

Looking back it became painfully clear, I never consciously took my brain being different into account at any point. Therefore I failed very often and very spectacularly with my organization. I still do, especially at work.

Personally I use synched calendars (Thunderbird & Fairmail synched over Nextcloud) on my phone and PC at the moment. I also found I use ToDoList-Apps a lot (currently TickTick) to put at least some structure to my chaos. I am really awful with reminders though: I have too many and not enough at the same time. There is no structure to the types of reminders I have and I geht them from too many different sources. And sometimes they are too distracting or worse yet, sometimes not noticeable enough (Looking at you there, Outlook).

What have your experiences been like?

  • @SwearingRobinEnglish
    1•1 month ago

    I use ticktick for medium and long term stuff like

    • monthly payments I can’t automate
    • maintenance tasks (clean filters, check car)
    • fill in taxes

    I like its natural language input, it’s easy enough to just remember something and type it in and get back into what I was doing.

    For short term stuff I use my smartwatch and voice assistents reminders. It leaves my wrist for charging and not much else. (I use Bixby because it integrates well with a Samsung phone, has persistent annoying reminders that don’t go away. Also Google can’t keep their shit straight and just keep a system for two years without killing it). Some examples of that I use my smartwatch for:

    • do laundry in a few days when I just saw its going to be sunny
    • timers for the oven or laundry
    • take non routine medications

    I keep a notebook at my desk for brain dumps and generally as a working memory replacement. I bullet journal on and off every few months, I like it when I’m using it, but as soon as something disrupts my routine it’s gone.