Is your planner not working? Does this sound familiar?
You buy a new planner. You’re excited to use it. You set it up with colored pens, maybe add some stickers, fill in all the important dates and think:
This is it. This is THE planner!
And for a while, you actually use it. Then you miss a day. Then a few days. Before you realize it, a couple of weeks have gone by and your planner is sitting somewhere unopened. And you start thinking…
I think I need a new planner.
If you have ADHD, it can be easy to assume that your planner stopped working because you chose the wrong one.
But before you buy another planner, there’s something else worth trying:
Fix the planning system you already have.
My “Planner Addiction”
Before I knew I had ADHD, I jokingly diagnosed myself with a “planner addiction.” At the mere mention of a new planner, I ordered it. Different layouts. Different sizes. Different systems. Different ways to organize my day. Each time, I thought maybe this would finally be the perfect planner.
After trying more 50+ planners, I learned something important: There is no perfect planner.
The problem wasn’t necessarily the planner itself.
I needed to learn how to create a planning system that worked with my ADHD brain and how to adjust that system when it stopped working.
Why Does My ADHD Planner Stop Working?
Here’s something I have shared with clients and ADHD-Friendly members:
We have good systems…until we don’t.
A planning system can work beautifully for weeks or months and then suddenly you aren’t using it anymore. That doesn’t necessarily mean the system failed. Something may have changed.
Maybe:
- Your schedule changed.
- The planner ended up somewhere you don’t see it.
- Your planning routine became too complicated.
- You’re trying to track too much information.
- The time you used to check your planner no longer works.
- One annoying step has created enough friction that you’ve started avoiding the whole thing.
Instead of immediately replacing your planner, get curious about why you’re no longer using it.
Use These 4 Questions to Fix Your Planning System
When one of my systems stops working, I like to use four simple questions.
They help me figure out whether I really need a new system or whether the one I already have just needs a small adjustment.
1. What Is Your Planning System Supposed to Help You Do?
Before you decide whether your planner is working, you need to know what you actually need it to do.
Your planner might help you:
- Remember appointments.
- See what is coming up this week.
- Decide when you have time to exercise or socialize.
- Keep track of deadlines.
- Figure out what needs your attention today.
- Stop trying to hold everything in your head.
Your planner doesn’t have to do everything. In fact, trying to make one tool do too much can make it harder to use.
Explore by asking yourself:
What do I actually need my planning system to help me remember, see, decide, or do?
That gives you something much more useful than asking, “Am I using my planner consistently?”
2. How Is Your Planning System Working Now?
This is where it’s important to stay curious without judgment.
Instead of: Why can’t I ever stick with a planner?
Try: What’s working and what’s not working?
Maybe you like:
- The size.
- The weekly layout.
- Having your whole week visible at once.
- The prompts.
- The amount of writing space.
- Using paper instead of another app.
Don’t overlook the parts that are already working.
If 80% of your planning system works well and 20% is creating friction, focus on the 20% to remove the friction.
3. What’s Creating Friction?
Now look for the part that makes using your planner harder than it needs to be.
Maybe your planner is:
- Too complicated.
You created so many categories, colors and steps that updating it feels like a project.
- Too bulky.
You planned to carry it everywhere, but it’s heavy, so it stays home.
- Out of sight.
You put it away because you wanted your desk to look tidy…and promptly forgot it existed.
- In the wrong place.
You need information from your planner in the kitchen, but your planner lives in your office.
- Connected to the wrong routine.
You planned to check it every morning, but mornings are already rushed.
These are system problems, not reasons to decide you’re incapable of using a planner. System problems can often be adjusted.
4. What’s ONE Tiny Change That Could Help?
This is the step we often skip. Once something stops working, it’s tempting to start over. New planner. New app. New routine. New system.
Instead, ask: What’s the smallest change I could make that might reduce the friction?
Maybe you:
- Leave your planner open on your desk.
- Set a reminder to look at it.
- Move it to the kitchen.
- Use colored pens so important information is easier to spot.
- Stop tracking something you don’t actually need.
- Remove one step from your planning routine.
- Change your weekly planning time.
- Put the planner somewhere you naturally see it.
Then try that change.
You don’t have to redesign your entire planning system to find out whether moving your planner from a drawer to your desk makes it easier to use.
Make Your Planner ADHD-Friendly
The goal is to create a planning system that is:
Easy Enough
How many steps does it take to use your planner? Every extra step creates another opportunity for friction. Look for ways to make opening, updating and checking your planner easier.
Visible Enough
If you don’t see your planner, will you remember to use it? For many ADHD brains, visibility matters. Think about where your planner lives when you aren’t actively using it. Sometimes simply changing its location can make a surprisingly big difference.
Flexible Enough
Your life changes. Your energy changes. Your responsibilities change. So your planning system needs permission to change too.
A system can evolve and still be your system.
Before You Buy Your Next Planner…
If your current planner has been sitting untouched for a few weeks, resist the urge to immediately replace it.
Pull it out. Open it.
And ask the 4 questions:
- What is this supposed to help me do?
- How is it working now?
- What’s creating friction?
- What’s ONE tiny change that could help?
Then experiment with that change before you start over.
After more than 50 planners, here’s what I’ve learned: There is NO SUCH THING as a perfect planner.
Create a planning system that is easy enough, visible enough and flexible enough that your brain doesn’t resist coming back to it.
And when it stops working…
Return to the 4 questions, tweak it, and begin again.
