ADHD Apps and Tools
Technology can make home, work and life easier to manage. There’s happy apps and tools to keep you from being overwhelmed with paper, feeling anxious about time management, and taking care of yourself. It’s especially helpful to have easy ways to keep notes, be financially savvy, keep up with dates, and manage time better. Check out these simple to use apps in different categories.
To keep a note
Evernote is the most popular of all apps to keep information. Create “notebooks” to categorize your information and “tag” it to find it later.
More than a list, Toodledo is the place to write notes, customize lists, and create recurring events.
Love paper? There’s nothing better than the Arc notebook available at Staples. The unusual, customizable design makes this the place to write notes, organize your thoughts, or keep a list. It’s available in sizes and designs that make you smile too.
The most important part of writing stuff down is that you no longer have to take energy from doing a project to remember other stuff.
To keep a budget
Mint helps you pull all your financial information together. It helps you create a budget and know how you are spending your money.
EveryDollar is a free budget tool recommended by Dave Ramsey.
Getting in touch with your money is a very powerful feeling.
To keep dates
BlueSky Week at a glance calendars help you organized your year. A week at a glance view creates a streamlined week to plan and execute what needs to be done.
Planner pad calendar consolidates your lists and your appointments. You can categorize lists, prioritize tasks and pull together details of your life.
Cozi is a simple, effective online tools for calendars and tasks. Manage tasks, keep appointments, and create a calendar that brings everything and everyone together.
Having a trusted tool for dates makes it easy to keep from double booking or feeling stressed to remember dates.
To keep information
Dropbox is a service that keeps your files safe, synced, and easy to share. Bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and never lose a file again. It’s the best way to work on information on different devices at different locations. It’s also a great way to share photos with family and friends or collaborate on a project with colleagues.
Google Docs is an easy way to share documents, spreadsheets and other information on multiple devices and with others. Part of google, it’s powerful enough to keep information backed up too while collaborating with others.
Never feel like you have lost a file again!
To manage time
TimeTimer is for everyone who wants to manage time better. It shows the passage of time and helps you assess how much time you have to complete a task. It helps you get tasks complete.
Analog clock or watch is easier for our brain to connect to the movement and duration of time.
Time is on your side when you manage time.
To maintain wellness
Fitbit tracks your activities, sleep and weight to help keep you accountable. How much you rest and how much you exercise are contributing factors in wellness. There are wrist and body fitbits for your needs.
Pandora is your personal radio where you set stations. If you are motivated by music to get things done, you will enjoy having different stations for different types of activities including organizing!
Wellness is key to all of our lives.
What apps do you use? I have my own list of favorites, as well as student apps and financial apps. I’d love to learn what works for you! These ADHD apps and tools make the most of using technology wisely and help us all live well.
I love TimeTimer. I keep telling my husband that he needs to figure out how long it takes to do tasks. He assumes everything takes an hour, when it really doesn’t. I will share this one with him. Thanks for sharing.
I like OneNote (similar to Evernote) but for some things I prefer a paper notebook, so I appreciate learning about products like the Arc system.
Sabrina – laughing at “He assumes everything takes an hour, when it really doesn’t.” I can relate!
I love tools, and I find the ones that work best are the ones I trust! I’m like Janet and still adore paper… I just like the way it feels and doesn’t require wifi:)
Thanks everyone for sharing what works for you!
I will always love paper and tell my clients to embrace what works for you. It’s not about high tech – it’s about what works.
Great list of tools. Evernote is on my list to incorporate into my business. Thanks for the recommendations.
Thanks Regina! It’s an easy tool to use in all sorts of ways!
I love todoist! I can enter tasks, such as recurring. I receive notifications by text message. I love that I can use it on the web and mobile app.
Thanks for sharing. I hear todoist is a real tool for getting stuff done and it’s easy to use.
Dear Ellen,
Much appreciate the ADHD apps you listed here! Thank you for taking the time to write and post the article along with the list, too. The Toodledo and Arc notebook apps are new ones to us that we plan to try soon—excellent!
Some of your readers might also be interested in knowing about another app for UNFOCUSED or OVERWHELMED readers with ADHD.
The Reading Focus Cards desktop app (Patent 8,360,779) for Macs & Win PCs, is a very helpful productivity app for reading digital media—whether online or offline. The virtual reading card and reading filter are completely CUSTOMIZABLE to individual readers’ needs. When used, the virtual card w/ filter FLOAT on top AND STAY on top of other underlying desktop applications—whether online or offline.
To access:
Macs: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-and-focus/id920617853?mt=12
Windows PCs: https://gumroad.com/l/ReadingFocusCards
This Reading Focus Cards app is helpful for children, teens and adults, too, with a variety of reading challenges. For more info about this innovative desktop app, please visit http://www.FocusandRead.com/page/488513590.
Thanks again for the wonderful article here—AND for ALL you do daily to help so many challenged readers with ADHD!
Happy Reading—Everyone!
Joan M. Brennan
Thanks @Joan for sharing this resource!