Category: ADHD

Will the Simple Elephant Planner Work for ADHD?

Posted on by Jenna

They say an elephant never forgets. Is it because they use the Simple Elephant Planner?

simple elephant planner

I found the Simple Elephant Planner on a list of planners for ADHD and found it on Amazon. It’s currently available for $7.75 to $9.99, depending on color choice. This is a great price point and not a huge investment if you want to give it a try. 

All links are Amazon Associate links. I may earn a commission. 

What’s Included

  • About Page
  • Small sheet of icon stickers
  • Black elastic closure and pen loop
  • Vegan leather cover with stamped elephant imprint
  • Back cover pocket
  • 3 ribbon bookmarks
  • 110 gsm, off-white paper

The first four pages are your prep pages. You have a two-page spread titled “My Focus”. The left side has space for affirmations and gratitude, while the right-hand side has a place for five goals. You could also use the space for goals in five areas of life. You also get a mindmap and vision board spread.

simple elephant planner

Next, we move into the 12 monthly spreads. Yes, the 12 months are all at the front of the planner. Across the top, you can fill in the date and year and have one line for goals. I guess you have to pick just one for a monthly focus. There is a nice lined notes column, perfect for monthly tasks or action steps. 

The month’s pages start on Sunday. You only get five rows or weeks, so you may not always have room for the last one or two days of the month. 

After the monthly spreads, you have 52 horizontal weekly spreads. At the top, you have room for weekly goals. It’s larger than the monthly one, so you can put a few in there. Monday through Wednesday are below the goals. On the next side, you have a box for success and what I can do better, followed by the rest of the week. Saturday and Sunday split the space. 

There are a few things I don’t like about the weekly spread. I tend to have more tasks on Saturdays and Sundays, so I hate when planners give them less space. I would have preferred the success and do better boxes to be at the bottom of the second page. 

The what can I do better wording is negative. I’d like to see something more positive, like adjustments or changes. It’s a minor thing, but I think the connotations of words can have a big impact on if we continue to use something. 

The weekly spreads randomly place an elephant in the corner to remind you to check that you are on track to complete your goals. I looked for the first four elephants, which were randomly placed at four weeks, five weeks, six weeks, and three weeks. 

At the back of the planner, you have 56 note pages. These are great for keeping all your notes and plans together. You can use one for each week and track whatever you need. Maybe the first week you need to write out your shopping list, then the next week you have a lot of action steps for goal work to keep track of, and then after that, you are planning for a big birthday party and need the space for planning. 

What do we think about the Simple Elephant planner?

You cannot beat the price point. For under $10, you can have a simple, portable planner. It’s simple and straightforward, with no bells and whistles or a lot of extras you don’t need. You also get three ribbon bookmarks, which are great for keeping in the current month, week, and note section. 

The off-white paper may not be your jam, and the planner spreads could be improved.

Will it work for someone with ADHD?

It’s not for me, but others may consider it a great planner. The simple design can help you focus, while the little elephant can be a great reminder to go back and look at those goals you set! You basically get a notebook in the back and can make those whatever you need them to be. And if you try it and it’s not for you, you are only out $10 or less!

What do you think of the Simple Elephant Planner? Would you pick it up?

hero's planner

Will the Hero’s Planner work for someone with ADHD?

Posted on by Jenna

The newest product from the Hero’s Journal, the Hero’s Planner, is available in perfect or spiral bound for $79.99. While it may seem a bit on the pricey side, I assure you that the value it provides will outweigh the higher price point. 

hero's planner box

So, what exactly does the Hero’s Planner offer? Designed with the needs of individuals with ADHD in mind, it provides a comprehensive system to help you manage your time, tasks, and goals effectively. And you also get:

  • Stick on pen loop
  • Four (4) sticker sheets – 3 functional, 1 decorative
  • Elastic band closure
  • Folder in back
  • Ribbon bookmark

I do wish it came with two ribbon bookmarks. I like being able to mark the current month and week. It’s a minor thing in the long run, as I can also use clips or magnetic page markers. I like the included sticker sheets. They are bright and fun and would make me want to keep looking at my planner. 

If you’ve been around a while, you may remember the Hero’s Journal, which is a daily goals-focused version. It comes in different versions: space, magic, and fantasy/dragon. The Hero’s Planner is the weekly version with a dinosaur theme! Also, the pages are white, unlike the cream/yellow in the Hero’s Journal. 

Personally, I hate the cream/yellow and am super excited to see the white pages in the weekly planner!

As with many planners like this, there’s an intro section with instructions, and you get the story’s start, which will be carried through the planner. 

hero's planner

Now, we move into the planning parts and start with a year at a glance. On the left-hand side, you have seven boxes, and on the right, six, for a total of 13. You can set up each box as a month in the year and put in birthdays, appointments, or other future dates. You can also use them to set goals or track habits. With the page being mostly blank, you have a lot of freedom in setting up and using these boxes.

We have a pre-monthly checklist followed by our monthly calendar. I absolutely LOVE that the calendar has six rows, so you will never have to double updates until the end of the month. You get a few lines along the bottom and a dot grid side column. 

hero's planner

Moving into the weekly spreads, you get two pages per week. You get four weekly spreads. The left-hand side is a horizontal weekly spread with Monday through Sunday. There is room for a headline each day and five lines underneath. At the top is a habit’s icon key. You get five icons and a line. You can assign a habit to each icon, and then, on each day of the week, you can color in the icon as you complete the habit. 

The bottom has a fun drawing you can color in on the right-hand side, while the top is split into two columns. The first column has space to write in your main quest for the week and your to-dos and sidequests. You also get a quote. The other side has a dot grids notes section for whatever your heart desires!

Each month, the weekly spreads change just enough to keep it interesting and help you keep using it—after all, what will next month look like?!

After three months, you will have your quarterly check-in, and at the end of the year, you have a yearly inventory. I really like this idea and would probably bookmark this page to refer to throughout the year. You can track your books, music/podcasts, movies/shows, milestones, and quotes. You also get three puzzles and many blank pages (26).

I believe the Hero’s Planner would make a great weekly planner for someone with ADHD. It offers a fun story to follow, a way to gamify your habits, and changes throughout to keep you interested. There are minor things I would change, like adding a second ribbon bookmark, but those things wouldn’t stop me from buying or using this.

Tell me: Would you use the Hero’s Planner? What would you use the year at a glance page for?

Watch video version of review:

Will the Passion Planner work for the ADHD brain?

Posted on by Jenna

In our quest to find the perfect planner for your ADHD brain, we will look at the Passion Planner today.

I grabbed this one because I loved the rainbow ombre cover. It is a soft, faux leather cover that is nice to the touch. The Passion Planner logo on the front and the quote on the back are holographic foil.

I ordered the medium (approximately 7×10). It is also available in small (approximately 6×8) and large (approximately 8×11). I like the medium size because it’s small enough to carry with you but large enough to write in. I sometimes feel the smaller ones are hard for my handwriting. The medium, undated planner is $52.99.

You can check it out here.

It has a pink elastic strap, one green ribbon bookmark, and a pocket in the back. Unlike most pockets, the pocket is fabric, not paper. There is no pen loop. In the pocket are two large, round stickers and five sticker sheets. Only one sticker sheet is functional; the rest are decorative. The paper is 120 gsm and should hold up to your usual pens and highlighters. The paper is quite smooth to the touch, so some dry time may be needed. 

I also ordered monthly tabs and date stickers. These would both be helpful with an undated planner. 

Now, to dig into the planning pages!

As with all planners, we start without a nameplate. Passion Planner also includes a line for your email and reward. Does anyone ever write a reward there? If so, have you ever had to pay someone when you’ve lost your planner? I don’t usually take my planner places, so this has never been an issue. 

Next, we have a how you will benefit and a welcome page. Following that is a how to use page. I appreciate that this is a “simple 4-step guide”. This is much more palatable than the booklet and many instruction pages with the Law of Attraction planner. Turning the page, we have the passion roadmap where you can dream big and plan your goals.

This undated version comes with mini calendars for 2023 to 2026. There isn’t room to write any future plans. You could highlight or use transparent dots to mark dates. There’s not a lot of room for a key, but you could add it around the years above the calendar sections.  

We start with the monthly calendars. As you can see, I went with the undated Monday start. You can also get it as a Sunday start. On the left hand side bar, you can write in your personal and work focus, people to see, places to go, and things to learn. Similar to the Law of Attraction, the page is split with the bottom third having personal and work projects and a blank space for a mindmap. You could use that for notes or any other important info you want to have at hand. 

The month view has six rows, so you won’t need to wonder if all the days will fit. I appreciate it when undated planners have six rows instead of five. The rectangles for the month are about 1.5 inches wide by 1 inch tall. After the monthly calendar, we have two pages of monthly reflection. There are seven questions to answer, and then you can rate your month on a scale of 1-10. There is also an end-of-the-month checklist. 

The undated Passion Planner frontloads all 12 months. After six months, there is a mid-year roadmap. This way, you can make sure you are still on track for those big dreams and goals. After the 12th month, you have your monthly reflection plus one for the year. 

After the months, we get into the weeks. The lefthand column of ther weekly has this week’s focus and good things that happened. There is also a quote and a little challenge you can do for the week. The bottom third has a personal and work to-do list and a “space of infinite possibility”. 

The columns for each day are about 1.5 inches lacrosse and about 5.5 inches tall. Under each day header as a spot for the day’s focus. The columns start at 6 am and go through 10:30 am. There is a line for every half hour. Unlike the Law of Attraction, you can use the last hourly spot. They didn’t put a random water tracker there. 

After the weekly pages, you get blank and dot grid pages. There are 20 blank and 23 dot grid pages. There is plenty of space for notes, goal planning, trackers, or whatever you need. 

Overall, I think the Passion Planner could work for the ADHD brain. It isn’t overwhelming in terms of setup and pre-planning pages. Plenty of room exists to add notes and items to the monthly and weekly pages. The one thing I don’t like is having all the monthly pages at the front. I prefer to have month, week, reflection, repeat. I also prefer a paper with a bit more tooth to it over the smoothness of this paper. 

If you don’t mind all the months together and smooth paper, this might be your planner!

Would or do, you use the Passion Planner? What do you think about the setup and layouts?

Is the Law of Attraction Planner Too Much?

Posted on by Jenna

Will the Law of Attraction Planner be the elusive unicorn for those with ADHD?

Law of Attraction Planner $39.05 (Amazon Associate link –  I earn from qualifying purchases)
B5 size, 100 gsm paper

The short answer? No.

The longer answer? The planner part isn’t bad and would probably work well, but the system and prep pages are overwhelming just flipping through them. I could barely get through it to do the review! 

The longest answer?

The Law of Attraction is a 12-month “journey to creating a dream life” through its eight steps. Inside, you get several 10% off coupons, a 15% off code, a postcard with a “handwritten” message on it, including info for two free gifts, a bookmark with two ribbons on top, more free gifts on one side, and a manifestation routine on the other, six sticker sheets (a mix of functional and decorative, and a booklet with instructions on using the planner (and more free gifts and coupons). The planner also has two ribbon bookmarks, an elastic closure, pen loop, and a large pocket in the back.

Yes, there is a lot of free stuff, and don’t worry—there is more in the planner. It feels desperate. 

When you open the planner, the first section is a blank index, which feels odd since there are no blank pages. All the pages have already been pre-printed. A pre-made index would make more sense and be helpful to find things in this book. 

The first section is a flip-out with questions, emotions, affirmations, action steps, and energy-level ideas. Then, we dig into the pre-work, with plenty of questions to answer. Next, it moves into goal setting with space for 50 (!) goals. Who is setting 50 goals? I’m overwhelmed just thinking about that many.

We move into another flip-out that starts with “My Journey,” and this page is actually helpful. It has three columns: where I am now, where I am going, and how I get there. You would fill these in for seven different areas of your life. This might be something I would use in my journal. The rest of the flip-out is for planning how you will achieve your goals and for making space for what you love and are grateful for. 

There are a couple of pages for skills, habits, and people (which reads like Skills I Habits I People on the header). And lastly, mind mapping for breaking down goals and daily action plans. 

And finally! We get to the planner!

The planner has a monthly spread, five weeks, two pages for reflection, and two dot grid pages before starting the next month. At the end, you can reflect on your year. There are also several dot grid pages, some of which are perforated for easy tear-out.

The monthly and weekly spreads remind me of Passion Planner or other similar planners. The monthly page is split in half, with the top having a column on the left for your goal of the month, reward, intention, and skills/habits to learn, followed by your monthly calendar. The bottom half has three desired goals for the month and the top action steps to take to reach those goals. Then, there is a large dot grid rectangle to use however you need. 

The weekly spread has a column on the left side with the goal of the week and priorities, broken down into top priority, priority, and errands and tasks to delegate. A to-do list and a positive habit maker (a habit tracker) are at the bottom. Each day has space for the day’s goal, the top three priorities, and a line for every half hour from 5 am to 9:30 pm. Technically, they have 10 pm but used that place to put a daily water tracker. There is also a small dot grid rectangle for any notes or thoughts you may have during the week. 

The planner part of this could help plan your month and week, especially if you’re focusing on a couple of goals. 

The monthly and yearly reflection pages would be good. The yearly reflection has space for events, books, or movies that impacted me the most, and I wish that had been included on the monthly instead of the box with hours of exercise, total expenses, money saved, self-help, etc. I love the Top 10 achievements, What did I learn this month, and other spots on these pages. 

What do I think of the Law of Attraction Planner? The pre-planning stuff is overwhelming, and there is no need for 18367485 coupons. Would I recommend this to someone with ADHD? No. Too much is going on, and it would be easy to give up and never return. 

What do you think? Would you use the Law of Attraction Planner? Why or why not?

Watch here:

The Power Of Planning: ADHD Edition – Why It’s Essential!

Posted on by Jenna

Do you ever feel like planning just isn’t for you, and why should you even bother?  Let’s look at why planning matters, especially for someone with ADHD.

Before I was diagnosed, I would joke that my planners, calendars, and sticky notes were my second brain.

I wasn’t wrong. 

Planning and planners become executive functions many of us struggle with. Writing things down can help you remember better, and you can always refer to your planner to ensure you haven’t forgotten something. You can add as much information to your planning system as you need, and your planner won’t forget any of it. 

Plus, writing down things can free up your brain so you can focus on other important things, like your job.

You can use planning to create action plans and manage your time. Imagine you have a to do list that is a mile long; it’s not hard to do, huh? You can look at your planner to see what you have going on today or this week and see where you can slot in your different to do. You can also see what tasks may need to be rolled to next week, delegated, or maybe even dropped.

Not sure how long a task will take?

Your planning system can help with that, too! You can track when you start and end a task. For example, you need to give the dog a bath and think it will take only a few minutes. But does it really? Mark down the time, then gather the supplies, start the water, get the dog, wash the dog, clean up, and groom the dog. When you are done, note the time. Now, you have a baseline for how long your task actually takes. 

I know time management can be tricky. I’ve struggled with it—I still do, actually. But I’ve gotten much better since taking HB90 and using Pomodoro-type techniques. 

It’s hard, but it does help!

You can also use your planning system to create balance and learn when you need to say no. Pretend someone asks you if you can help them move this weekend. You check your calendar, and you have your niece’s birthday that afternoon. You could help move in the morning, but do you really have the time and energy to do both? When you put everything on your calendar, you can easily see what you have going on each day and make an informed decision. 

The last two reasons go together. Planning can help reduce overwhelm, stress, and anxiety and give you a sense of control over your time and life. 

Have you ever felt like a million thoughts are zooming around your brain? You can’t focus on any one thing because there are so many thoughts. Well, writing down all those thoughts, sorting them, and adding to dos and events into your planning system can help stop the overwhelming, anxiety-inducing thoughts.

You have now set those thoughts free and can go about your day. 

Getting all those to dos out of your brain gives you back control. You can decide what you need to do with each thought and when you will do it. Now that you’ve booted all those stressful, zooming thoughts, you can also find time in your schedule to relax. 

Why do you plan? Let me know in the comments. 

Remember, every to-do list needs a caffeine boost, so grab your coffee and get planning!

How to Leverage ADHD for Better Productivity

Posted on by Jenna

Have you ever wondered how you can use ADHD to your advantage and be more productive? Let’s look at some strengths and weaknesses of ADHD and how you can use them to turn your to do list into a ta-da list!

Disclosure: I’m not a doctor or a professional. Just a person with ADHD trying to get stuff done. Please remember ADHD is a spectrum, and no two people will have the same experience. Use what works and leave the rest!

First, what are some weaknesses in tackling our to do lists?

  • Focus: like the meme I saw today, we are squirrels trying to cross a road
  • Impulsivity: sometimes, we just gotta do a project!
  • Procrastination: we put off things because they are boring.
  • Time blindness: we think everything will take 10 minutes.

And what are some strengths for getting stuff done?

  • Creativity/problem-solving: we can come up with lots of ways to do things! 
  • Hyperfocus/flow: we can get into the zone when we love a task.
  • Enthusiasm: when we LOVE something, we get super excited to work on it.

How do we take those strengths and weaknesses and use them to our advantage and get stuff done?

  • Use hyperfocus.
    • Don’t fight it; use it to your advantage, get in that hyperfocus mode, and finish the project (but don’t forget to eat and drink water!)
  • Break it down.
    • Take those large, overwhelming tasks and projects and break them down into smaller, easier-to-manage tasks. 
  • Start with the easiest or most enjoyable.
    • Knock something easy off your list and pat yourself on the back! Use that motivation to tackle the next item on your list.
  • Timers or power hours
    • Set a timer or schedule a power hour where you know you will work for a solid 25 to 60 minutes. 
  • Reminders.
    • Use tech to your advantage and set up Google/Alexa reminders when it’s time to do a task.
  • Create visual time blocks.
    • It might help to visualize how much time you have. Or you can block off a set time for whatever you need to get done that day.
  • Estimate how long tasks take.
    • Start estimating how long you think something will take, and give yourself more time than you think. Then, you can gamify it and race against the clock to get it done!
  • Leave room in your schedule.
    • You know you will impulsively want to do something. Make sure you have some cushion in your schedule to tackle those tasks!
  • Tackle urgent tasks.
    • Use that impulse to take care of items as they come up. But make sure you have a list or post-it with where you left off before you run off to do that impulse task.
  • Reward yourself.
    • If you’ve finished a tough task, give yourself a small reward like a coffee break or 15 minutes to scroll social media. Soon, you’ll start connecting that task with that reward and will get excited to do the thing!
  • Pair tasks with something you enjoy.
    • Only listen to your favorite podcast while doing the dreaded deed. Or create some productivity playlists you only listen to while doing some of those tasks you dislike.
  • Turn off distractions.
    • We all know how tempting social media can be. Put your phone on airplane mode or do not disturb while you take care of business!

At the end of the day, these are only some suggestions. You need to find what works for you through experimenting or combining some ideas. Don’t be afraid to change it if something stops working for you. We often need newness. 

Lastly, recognize there will be setbacks. It happens to us all. You need to acknowledge it and keep moving forward.

What tips and tricks do you use to leverage your ADHD strengths? I’d love to hear them, so be sure to drop them in the comments!

ADHD and the Anti-Planner: A Match Made in Chaos?

Posted on by Jenna

Could using the Anti-Planner be your key to managing ADHD?

We are looking at The Anti-Planner by Dani Donovan to see if it will work for someone with ADHD. Remember, even though we all have ADHD, different things will work for some of us. What works for me may not be for you, and that’s okay. This series will give you a closer look to help determine if it would work for you.

Looking at the actual book, it has an o-ring coil. These are not my favorite type of coil. I find it hard to turn the cover and pages, often having it get stuck. The front and back covers are quite heavy-duty and will probably hold up well over time. The material on the cover is very soft to the touch, maybe vegan leather, with The Anti-Planner printed to stand out. It does have an elastic closure, but it seems a bit thin for this chonky boy. I’d be worried it won’t hold up. 

Opening it up, the paper is very smooth. I would be worried about some pens on it, but Donovan recommends using a pencil to use the pages repeatedly. There are cardstock dividers with tabs. I wish the tabs were laminated. They are just cardstock, meaning they will get dinged up and maybe even rip sooner than if laminated.

These minor complaints can be mitigated by not shoving your copy places or tossing it in the corner. You know, actually taking care of your stuff.

The book starts with a note from Donovan, followed by one of her comics. Then we have a forward and an introduction with instructions. The book is divided into five sections: Stuck, Overwhelmed, Unmotivated, Disorganized, and Discouraged. An index for each section is broken down by how you feel with a list of activities. 

Now, we get into the actual activities!

Each section starts with your tabbed page that says “I’m feeling ______” and the four areas/feelings in the section. The back of the tab page is titled “How are You Feeling?” and has a section for each of the four feelings. There are several statements to help you narrow down where to start. 

The opposite page has some information, advice, and a checklist of what being ____ looks like. Next, we move into the first of four areas of each section. There is more information on the specific feeling, the contents, and other activities you may like. Then, we move into the activities. 

I like that there are many ways to help you figure out your feelings and needs. 

Overall, I love the idea of the Anti-Planner. It will be helpful to identify why you aren’t getting stuff done. The hard part will be actually doing the activities. I think it’s a great tool for those with ADHD, but like anything else, we have to commit to using it for it to work. 

Which can be difficult. 

Let me know if you would use the Anti-Planner? If so, what do you think is the most helpful part? If not, why not?

Shop the Anti-Planner, now available in original (with swears), clean version, and PDF bundle with 30 activities. The PDF bundle would be great if you want to do some of the activities multiple times.

Watch the video review here:

Beyond the To-Do List: Unlocking Planning with ADHD

Posted on by Jenna

Does your to-do list feel like a bottomless pit, constantly overflowing with unachieved goals and mounting anxiety? 

Then my new series is what you are looking for!  In my new ADHD series, Beyond the To Do List – Unlocking Planning with ADHD, we will look at the secrets to focus, productivity, and conquering that mile-long to do list! 

First, I’m bringing back my review series “Will this planner work for someone with ADHD?” I’ve revamped it to make it shorter. The goal is to get each review to 10 minutes or less. It’s gonna be hard because I could talk planners for hours! And if I do go on too long, feel free to use 1.5 speed. That’s how I watch all videos. 

The last Sunday of each month will feature a different planner! I will review The Anti-Planner, which technically isn’t a planner, but whatevs. It’s fine. Look for that to be live on January 28th. 

The second Sunday of each month will be another video focusing on ADHD and exploring strategies, tools, and mindset shifts to help you transform your planning game from frustrating frenzy to focused flow. We may have to work harder, but we can still be productive!

The series aims to give tips and methods to help you build your toolkit. Take what works for you; leave the rest.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments: what do you need in planning, productivity, and organization? Are there any methods for time management that you want to see tested and reviewed? 

Remember, every to-do list needs a caffeine boost. See you next time, my planneristas!

Watch the video version:

https://youtu.be/tRSZERRIDzQ