5 Game-Changing Productivity Apps For ADHD

These are the five productivity tools that work for my ADHD brain, and I bet at least one will be a game changer for you! These apps help turn chaos into something manageable, and some are just plain fun to use. Ready to level up your productivity? Let’s dive in!

The apps featured in this video:
Checklists: I was using the Reminder app that came preinstalled on my iPhone.

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[PocketDrummer]

Quick critique, if you can't do everything you'd like to do with the free tiers of these apps, every one of them are SaaS (software as a service). A lot of people are starting to get tired of being nickel and dimed by every single product they use. If there are alternatives to these that you can just buy once and own or even open source or free options, I'd be way more interested in that.

[spffygrl]

Something I REALLY love about how you describe all these tools is by showing real use-cases, not just a bunch of blank boxes that say example example example. I can not only understand how these tools are helpful, but how they might work into my flow. Thank you!!

[CavatinaProductions]

I personally use the Finch app for tasks and productivity, when it's just a simple to-do list. Having a little finch bird that grows up and discovers the things of the world as you accomplish your goals just makes me wanna _do_ things.

[introvertedgal]

I’m posting this comment before watching to the end of the video to recommend Goblin tools! It costs 0.99 cents, but there’s NO in app purchases and it honestly helps me a LOT. It’s mainly a list app, but it can also help you break down tasks to make them simpler, rewrite thoughts and ideas, and it generates recipes based on what you have in your fridge!

[iunderscoream]

After decades of living with ADHD, I’ve finally admitted to myself that I do best with paper. I use a notebook to keep everything in one place and a paper calendar. I’ve started printing things out and keeping projects organized in their own binders. The visual organization makes so much more sense to my brain than any virtual system. Out of sight, out of mind.

[henryviiifake]

*Timestamps:*
05:55 ‐ Mind Mapping (Ayoa)
03:34 ‐ Second Brain (xTiles)
06:14 - Planning your week (Sunsama)
08:13 - Distraction Blocker (Opal)
10:20 - Checklists (e.g. Location-based Phone reminders)

[seabrookel]

I was kinda hoping this list would include an app that takes your motivation to start tasks and gamifies it. Like, when you get trapped on the couch scrolling it’ll help you get up before two hours pass, or if you need to sit down and pay bills and instead you’re dawdling in the kitchen making tea and tidying the silverware drawer, it’ll reward you for just getting on with the bills. This is really what I need the most help with, since as a late-diagnosed 40-something I already have systems in place for my other ADHD challenges like weekly planning. I wonder how hard it is to make an app yourself….. (that’s such an ADHD thought 😂).

[malindarayallen]

FINCH!!! Best ADHD friendly app I've ever used. 🐦❣️

[joelhollingsworth]

Regarding sleep, I think it's worth looking at recent findings that the timing of a meal or snack can have a strong influence on circadian rhythm. Not everyone can eat to a schedule, but when I was traveling long distances for work, I found that adjusting the time I ate gave me more traction in the fight against jet lag than trying to force my sleep schedule to shift.

[kimberlybega]

For the distraction blocker, as far as I can tell Android phones have this capability inherently in their "Digital Wellbeing" tools and I have had people tell me iPhones do as well. On Android it's called Focus Mode and you can choose which apps you want to block during which times, which repeats daily. I started using it as a way to curb how much I was checking social media apps and it's been great! Like the app you described, there are ways to manually override it but it takes some steps. (You can either turn off focus mode completely or take short breaks for 5, 15, or 30 minutes.) You can also set daily limits for apps as far as amount of time to use them, which disables the app for the rest of the day once you hit uour time limit. (This is a separate feature under Digital Wellbeing but I forget what it is called.) From what I can tell once you hit the time there is no way to override it and have to wait until the next day. I've described these as like having parental controls for yourself!
Just some tips for folks who might not want to buy or download more apps. 😊

[LilFeralGangrel]

my biggest frustration with this subject is how many of these use subscriptions and like i understand that's kind of just how the market is now for a variety of reasons! but... i just miss being able to buy software and not have to worry about my situation.

[missyface]

Content idea for you: making a budget. I have never made one (we won't mention how old I am LOL) but there are so many pieces to organize (along with self judgement to deal with) that my brain just runs from it.

[gilashroot]

❤❤❤ getting lost in XTiles, then realising you are ACTUALLY making a video, and switch back to video making 😂😂😂. You are seriously incredible! ❤❤❤

[CallmeSam]

So the thing is this: It would actually be really nice to have software support me in some of the usual daily challenges. However, it is very tedious to separate the good from the bad. There are a bunch of companies agressively pushing their apps at ADHD content viewers, and on top of that, ADHD content creators also get sponsored by some of these apps every now and then. To me, it feels too frustrating and tedious to filter through this mess and maybe find something that is worth being integrated into my routines. I wonder if other people feel similarly.

[ashleycapdeboscq]

Re: making lists new and shiny, ice discovered the cheat code that if you like stationery, just use different pens when you start getting bored! It seriously feels broken with how useful it is. For example, I've been using a planner for THE ENTIRETY OF 2024 just by choosing 5-8 different pens per week as my "theme" and this is forreal bonkers for me to have managed. Also, taking notes for meetings, I'll often use one color for planning the meeting, another color for notes during the meeting, another for notes after the meeting, and another for writing v important tasks. It's killer y'all, would recommend

[milotheobald]

App rec: Due, it's a to-do list that keeps reminding you. eg I have it remind me to take meds at 8am, if i dismiss it, it will remind me again in 1 or 5 min intervals until I actively choose to delay it with options, or just take the damn meds.

[RvLeshrac]

My only problem with mind mapping is that I often spend more time trying to arrange the diagrams than I do putting information into the diagrams.

[BARBLEFT]

hell yeah 30 tabs in the browser because you know you'll never find them again but refuse to commit to a bookmark

[radioscottshady]

I recently started taking therapy and my third session in, he said he noticed my ADHD on day 1 but kept watching and now he's sending me to another doc to get on ADHD medicine and was surprised I have lived all these years without it. At my session yesterday he sent me one of your videos and it blew my mind how many things you said connected with me. I always knew I had ADHD but I never really knew what to do about it except masking - which I didn't know that is what I did all my life, I just tried to adjust to the world around me the best I could and much later in life found tiny little tips to help myself. Still to this day, I have not a single supportive person or even anyone trying to understand ADHD other than my therapist, but I'm trying to learn ways to not seek their support .

I am going to start watching your backlog of videos so I can find ways to help me. Thank you for putting these videos together!

[sofiayorio]

opal and sunsama have improved my life so much i can't even put into words. thank you.