Your Guide to ADHD-Friendly Productivity Tools and Tips
Being a business owner with ADHD means you’ve probably got some fantastic strengths on your side, like creativity, hyperfocus, and adaptability. These traits can be incredibly valuable in business and in life. However, there are also some all-too-familiar challenges especially around executive functions. These mental processes help us manage ourselves and our goals and they are vital for everything from day-to-day tasks through to long-term business strategy.
For those of us with ADHD, recognising where executive functions trip us up can be key to finding workarounds that actually work.
Planning, Prioritising and Time Management
Planning ahead, setting priorities, and managing time effectively are not often seen as an ADHD brain’s strongest skills. Maybe you’ve missed a deadline, arrived late to meetings, or underestimated how long a task will take you to do. You are not alone in this as this is not unusual for us with ADHD. It’s hard though right? And if you are running a business too it can feel extra daunting and frustrating. For those of you reading this thinking, that’s not me I’ve got this nailed or those who have hacks to overcome these challenges – well done. We’re all different and if you’ve cracked this bit acknowledge that win. Also feel free to share your tools and tricks with us – we always love to hear new coping strategies.
Those of us with ADHD will know that our brains find it very easy to focus when something is genuinely interesting. This can lead to some pretty intense and productive periods of hyperfocus in areas you’re passionate about. This is why so many of us with ADHD are thriving as entrepreneurs. If only we could find a way to switch the hyperfocus on when we need it. The challenge is finding ways to balance that hyperfocus with planning and time-management strategies that feel natural and unforced.
So how might we tackle the challenge that is planning and prioritising?
Play to your strengths and weaknesses:
Are you more focused in the morning or later in the day? Structure your work time to suit your body and mind’s natural rhythm when you can.
Use hyperfocus when you can:
For those of us with ADHD, it’s useful to intentionally schedule time for tasks that tend to absorb your attention. Recognising when you’re most focused and aiming to work on your most critical tasks during this time ensures you use your energy and focus when it really counts. It might also help to create a simple checklist or note with a few items that you know help to redirect focus back to priority tasks when you get sidetracked.
Prioritise with visuals:
Are you a visual learner/processor? If so, kanban systems can be really beneficial and the beauty of these is they can be as simple as post-it notes on a desk or as techy as you want and everything in between. BEWARE you can lose days down this creative rabbit hole if you aren’t careful! We use Trello here at FFT HQ (we even offer basic and advanced training on this if you ever want to explore what it could do for you).
A kanban board in its simplest form allows us to list all the tasks we need to undertake in a to do list and then visually move them into a doing list and finally a done list giving a home to all the tasks and letting us see progress. You can read more about kanban principles by clicking here: https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/agile/agile-project-management/agile-project-management-course/kanban-principles
Break tasks into chunks to avoid overwhelm:
Clients often approach us feeling completely overwhelmed by all the tasks on their to do list. Overwhelm generally leads to inaction and task paralysis or focusing on the wrong areas. Very often when I look at a client’s task list it’s actually a list of goals – very top level. When I work through each step with them, they’re able to quickly see the much smaller individual tasks needed to complete the bigger jobs.
If you aren’t sure what I mean, think about something simple like putting on a clothes wash – this might be considered one quick job, however to the ADHD brain this is several tasks.
Let me show you – collect the dirty washing from all rooms, sort into darks and lights, load the washing machine, remember to add the washing liquid, turn on and set the programme, close the door, and press start. Remember that you put the washing on (in 30-180 minutes time), empty the washing machine, put clothes in the dryer or hang on the line …… That’s a much bigger list than the one quick job we started with, right? Look at your to-do list and see if you can break those tasks down further. If this still isn’t clear to you, you might not have difficulty breaking your tasks down or you might find it useful to work with a coach or body double who can work alongside you to help you work through this challenge.
Self-care:
Mmanaging an ADHD brain uses lots of energy. Sleep, mindfulness and exercise help. If that seems an impossible challenge for now, then just practice consciously stepping away and taking some deep breaths occasionally. It might help to schedule breaks in your diary like you would a task. Both to remember it needs to happen – but also to give yourself permission to take the break. Self-care isn’t optional, it’s essential – find what works for you.
I know it’s hard to put yourself first, I know it’s hard to come back from burnout. Remember, plans are good, but they need flexibility. It’s normal to feel resistant to sticking rigidly to a schedule. The ADHD brain needs routine, but it doesn’t like it so there’s a balancing act to be had. Have a plan, sure, but keep it loose, so it works for you, not against you.
Tips for Managing Time:
The dictionary definition of time management typically reads as:
Time Management (noun): The ability to use one’s time effectively or productively, especially at work.
Time management for ADHD often means making it easy for us to get started and then stay on track with tasks. This has always been a challenge for Anita here at FFT HQ – there is time blindness and side quests a plenty here, we asked Anita to share some ideas that might help:
Time blocking with a twist:
Breaking tasks down into chunks of time, then blocking that time in the diary to spread tasks out through the day works for some. However, it can sometimes feel too restrictive to take this approach and with the changes in our energy and focus levels it doesn’t always work for the ADHD brain. But give it a go and see how you get on. If it doesn’t work, then try chunking the items down into blocks but not specifying a specific time, just the day. This will allow you the flexibility to complete the tasks as they align with your energy and focus through the day. This works well in Trello and with each task scribbled on a post-it note on your desk. If your brain wants a little freedom from routine and wants to think it can pick and choose when tasks are completed, let it – but within boundaries that work for you.
Set timers and alarms:
We find that timers work well for some, but for others, they feel interruptive. You could try visual timers (like a Time Timer) or soundless digital timers with progress bars. Pomodoro might be a useful approach, but if that doesn’t work, experiment with longer work times or break up your day with natural “flow” periods instead of fixed intervals.
Celebrate the wins:
Motivation can be an issue for those of us with ADHD, we can beat ourselves up all day long. We aren’t very good at celebrating the small wins though. Work on giving yourself credit for even the smallest accomplishments. Some people find success with reward systems (like a treat or short fun activity after a task) to give each small win an immediate sense of reward.
Creating routines and visual reminders for ADHD:
Building structure with daily routines is helpful, but adding variety keeps it ADHD-friendly. Try a rotating routine (e.g., different tasks or order each day) to avoid feeling boxed in. Visual aids can help too, whether they’re colourful sticky notes or symbols for task and/or date reminders on a whiteboard.
Using apps that are ADHD friendly:
Tech tools can make a big difference. Just be careful that you don’t go chasing every new app to the market because we know we love a nice ‘shiny object’ Find the apps that have a genuine purpose for you. Some ADHD-friendly apps to try.
Task management apps: Notion, ClickUp, or Trello (for visual layouts).
Habit tracking: Streaks or Habitica (gamifies habit tracking).
Routine reminders:
Alarmy (more creative alarms), or Todoist (easy task organisation).
Knowing your strengths and struggles is the first step in building strategies that work for you. An ADHD coach like me can help you create approaches that work for you and your brain. Don’t be afraid to find the skills and systems that work best for you as an individual, and please try to remember you already have many strengths to offer.
We offer a rane of support and training, read more here.
If you’re ready to learn how to control your ADHD strengths and tackle those executive function challenges head-on, reach out for support. With the right tools and strategies, you too can turn more of your unique thinking and processing into your greatest assets.