The best ADHD Planners out there.
- Alyce Anderson
- Jan 6
- 11 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
January 2026 thing of the month.
In the past 15 years, and to my relief, admitting you have ADHD has become trendy—not that I'm ADHD because it's trendy, but because it's actually safe to admit that, yes, I have ADHD and my brain is a delicious, creative, spontaneous wad of spaghetti. This isn't groundbreaking stuff. In high school, I had a keychain that said "keys I haven't lost yet", ironically one of the only things I didn't lose... for a couple years. Throughout my scholastic journey, pieces and parts of lists would dangle from bags or books, or hide beneath the driver's seat of my car to be discovered a year after they were relevant. No, I'm not void of these experiences now, but I'm pleased to say, thanks to science, research, and really great ADHD experts, I'm double the productivity and half the anxiety of someone just raw-dogging a spaghetti brain.
When I worked at Holder, one of my mentors took a good look at me, my two planners, two notebooks, three inboxes, and 500 lists and said, "You'll never get organized with all this." Thanks be to Scott. So, here beith the evolution of one of the many tools I've evolved since being formally diagnosed at 30. The beloved planner. It's taken a while, and I've kissed frogs. Had some flings. Got in a few serious relationships, even. But in the world of ADHD, less is more. One planner, Alyce. You need only one. And by golly, I found it.
Before diving into the planner life, let me divulge what goes in the planner, what doesn't, and when I view it.
What goes in a planner:
Trips / vacations
Big picture of my month and week
To-do lists for home and work
Weather forecast
Outfits / meals (this is a 50/50 commitment… not a priority, but something I enjoy when the time presents itself)
Doodles
Inspirational floor plan concepts for my future mansion
Random words said in meetings that felt fun to squiggle on the page
What doesn't go into the planner:
Contacts: that's in my phone / Outlook
Hour-to-hour meetings: that's in my work calendar. I put work and life appointments in my work calendar.
Flight and travel details and confirmations: that's in my inbox / calendar
I look at my planner every day, but always on Sundays to prep for my week. It's how I start my morning and recap my day in prep for the next one.
And now, a description of each planner in the order I used them over the years:
The TUL System
★★★☆☆
Used: for 3 years
I really liked the TUL brand and system and for a long time. It's a disc-bound system at Office Depot, and you can use their small planners, large ones, and notebooks, moving documents around easily with the binding. You can find their planners and notebooks here.
Staples also has a system that would work with these and they've recruited the beloved Lady Martha Stewart to design their system. Gah bless that woman.
It's all customizable. Rip pages out and put them elsewhere. Get the T-hole punch, and you can punch and insert any page of your choice. I used this system to get me through my Creative Writing program at SMU and work. The issue? Too many options, brah. At the time I was unmedicated and sort of shrugging off the concept of ADHD as a real issue. Did it get me through? Yeah, sure. But atop my desk was a pile of discarded or neglected notebooks to be used for "new hobbies". Nobody needs 15 hobbies. Or a notebook for learning crochet.
Best for: Those without ADHD who need to review a lot of printed papers (itineraries, agendas, shopping lists, agreements, contracts, etc.). If you have ADHD, I recommend it only if you're medicated and not easily sucked into buying all the shiny objects floating through the TUL world (me).
Microsoft Office Suite (including notes, teams, calendar, etc.)
★★★☆☆
Used: for 8 months
I tried. I was all digital on Microsoft Outlook and tried to flex the inner techy. As a gal with excellent penmanship and an affinity for rainbow themed pages, I was left with a bit of an identity crisis when typing out… everything. I felt too Silicon Valley, not enough Jane Austen writing by candlelight. And to be honest, I retain things a lot better if I can see it laid out big picture and have to hand write things. While experiencing this void, I'm pretty sure I collected 50+ random notebooks in an attempt to get my scribbly fix. Whoops.
Pros:
Nothing to tote around
You’re already using your phone
Cons:
Easy to avoid and hard to remember things if you don’t write them down
Unfulfilling for those of us who prefer the vintage lifestyle of a scribe
You may die a little inside
Best for: ADHD folks with meh penmanship (or little desire to handwrite anything), especially those who don't get sucked into scrolling or other shiny digital spaces (unless you have a brick). Also, best for extreme minimalists.
There are no photos for this planning system. I'm not here to make you anxious about moving your mouse to turn on the green light.
Ink and Volt Dashboard
★★★★☆
Used: for 1 year
I used the dashboard system and the potential was there. Amazon has cheap brands of this style, but I highly recommend Ink and Volt. I loved a few things from this system that would stick with me in the future:
Pros:
The habit tracker
Topics for lists
Snapshot of the week
Ink and Volt is a cool name
Cons:
I wanted a little more room to doodle and note
There was just something… missing…
In the end, it wasn't Ink and Volt, it was me. This system just left me jonesing for more. Which brings me to the next system I tried. The brand has come out with other planners that may be worth looking into, but I haven't the time at the moment.
Best for: Most people I know, to be honest. Minimal, but effective for an ADHDer. Have a good digital system to support the dashboard, like Microsoft Office or Google. It's nice for someone who doesn't care about paper and pen to doodle or scribble thoughts and notes, and for someone who likes this thing open and in front of them at all times. I loved that. Not to sound sexist—but a lot of the ADHD men in my life enjoy this system.
Creator’s Friend
★★☆☆☆
Used: for a couple weeks
One time, two floors above my phone, I whispered "I may get a new planner" to my husband. An hour later, every other ad on Instagram directed me to the ADHD planner of the century—all 500 of them. Of course the one that pulled me in and courted me with beautiful colors and whimsical ideas was Creators Friend, an Australian-made (gah, I just love Aussies) planner system for spaghetti brain.
So, I ordered. And gleefully awaited.
I should have managed my expectations. Yes, this system is very pretty. You receive a small planner for each month, which the idea of giving each month a pretty color sounds divine. But the quality of the covers left much to be desired and the booklet was too stiff to stay open. I used it for two weeks, lost the will to go on, then retired the other 11 books I so enthusiastically purchased.
Cons:
The stitched binding is stiff, so it doesn't stay open
The covers are stock paper… I was hoping for something a little nicer
The different templates were disorienting and some were better than others
Pros:
The colors! So pretty and I love the idea of having a different color each month
The planners are very small and take up very little space
The brand has great accessories
Best for: If you're an artist or creative hellbent on the exploration process, by all means give this a go. It's a really cool concept. Just order the three-pack to see if it fits your needs. Or message me because I have 11.
Bullet Journal
★★★★☆
Used for: 2 years
Ah, pre-baby days. When the world was my oyster and time was infinite. Every 4-6 months, I would purchase a bullet journal from Michaels and draw my own beautiful planner and corresponding doodles and lists. My collection of 1314893 colored pens stems from my former bullet journaling self. It took a full, meditative, glorious, pretty pen-filled day to set up a new planner and I would turn on music, pour some wine, and bullet journal. I followed bloggers and YouTubers who organized their planners in fun ways. While this was not a sustainable process for new mommy and bidnis lady me, it was an affordable one and one that taught me what I do and don't use in a planner. I could easily evolve my preferences with each new one.
I highly recommend Artist's Loft brand journal from Michaels. Splurge $2 whole dollars on the nicer one with the pages numbered. It's worth it. It also holds a pen (though the pen holder has been known to break). It's a $8 planner. Buy it here.
Pros:
Totally custom
Toss what you don't use, keep what you do
Cheap
Gets you a little influencer fix
Cons:
Time-consuming
You can get caught up and overwhelmed by the options of this thing
Best for: If you're childless and your hobbies are creative, I highly recommend the bullet journal. It was a really fun system that worked.
Great inspirational bullet journal influencers:
Full Focus Planner
★★★★★ for the general public, executives, and, methinks, your disciplined CrossFit enthusiast
★★★★☆ for me and similar working parents with sleep deprivation and little room for extras
Used for: 2 years
Ah, so close. I had a business therapist who recommended Full Focus. Their planners run in 12-week increments and align with the book The 12 Week Year. I liked the book and still take a lot of those strategies with me into my current planner system, but with a newborn, it required more time than my ADHD postpartum brain could allow. I may return to it one day because the whole Full Focus brand is impressive, and it works. It's most beloved by large executives. Be warned, this brand is culty. I could see it sponsoring American Gladiator or megachurch business rallies (I'm just assuming that's a thing). But hey, cults are in right now.
Honestly, this is the planner I recommend to most leaders and C-suite folks. It's exceptional and forces you into great habits, plus the Full Focus brand is very "be your best business self." They even put clever little "you can do it” quotes on each spread. To really flex my millennial business owner muscles, I bought their board game to play and identify my "personal brand." It's still sitting on a shelf wrapped in plastic.
The ultimate tip: on Sundays, plan and strategize your week using this thing. There's a spread to prep and debrief each week, so if you have the time and availability on Sundays, it's worth it.
Best for: ADHDers would benefit from this system if they have a partner or team also using the system and keeping them accountable. The website has a lot of resources there. If you have an ADHD coach or work coach, this could be a great supplement to those sessions. And just to show you how committed the Hyatt family (owners) is to being the top business planner resource, they have shmancy training courses. Now you, too, can planner like a rich Silicone Valley dirtbag. Or me at one point, I guess.
Pros:
Pretty easy to customize
Forces good habits and strategic goals
Polished and professional—you look smart just holding this thing
Cons:
Requires commitment
I wish it had more space for notes and doodles
It's worth noting, they have special edition planners so you can try one catered more towards your needs. There's a wellness planner and a minimalist one, which I may prefer in the future.
Laurel Denise Planners
★★★★★
Used for: 2 years
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the planner for me. Laurel Denise planners market to a female audience, but their planners are great for everyone. They're classic and beautiful, and functional and organized in such a smart way. Plus, the Laurel Denise community is fun. There are tutorials on their site and tips and tricks to use the system. Plus, they feature case studies. You can see how someone with your career or goals uses their planner. The Laurel Denise community is pretty glitter and rainbows, but if that doesn't strike your fancy and you buy one of their planners, do not skip out on the tutorials and case studies. It's macho to effectively use highlighters and Post-its, kay?
What this system brings given my experience with the others:
Like TUL, Laurel Denise offers pages you can rip out and place into other sections. They're sold separately, but worth the purchase.
Like Ink and Volt, I can view my week all at once and this one even lets me see my month.
The Laurel Denise brand has the heart and soul like Creator's Friend, but better structure.
I use the dotted pages in my planner for checklists like the ones I built into my bullet journal.
This planner lets me track habits and weekly goals without feeling overwhelming like Full Focus.
Take their quiz to see which one would work best for you. I also like the quiz as a tool to understand what you want from your planner. I've actually gone through three styles.
The Nancy (large, landscape): This was my first planner from Laurel Denise and I selected a pretty solid shade of green in lieu of a print. First, I was like "good god this planner is massive." But it did fit in my La Clare bag (which is my go-to recommendation for a young professional purse, so stay tuned). And the space was used. I loved the whole month view, the weekly view, and the notes at the back. It was like looking at one big dashboard and digesting all that info at once. Satisfying and left less room to miss things hidden on other pages.
The Anne (large, landscape): I liked the vertical notes or "list style" where I can list out what to do each day. It still gave me that satisfying holistic view of my month, my week, and some notes all at once. This was also about the time I realized having a kid requires a lot of stuff (too much if you ask me) and these planners are large. While that's nice for writing lots of notes, it's not convenient for an already packed bag. I picked a pretty floral print this round. This was also an undated planner. I ended up leaving it a little early to go back to a 2026 dated planner. I just like that the work's done for me, but the undated came with all the right tools to do your own.
The Scout (small, portrait): I went wild. This planner is both small and portrait, with a coil. I have to say, the size is really great to fit in my bag, but sometimes I miss the amount of space a larger option provides. Still, I love the Scout and though it is small, I can view my month and to-do's all at once. I'll use this happily this year. And, the design is awesome. This past year they launched Jane Austen-inspired prints. It's as though they read my mind (see above). I picked a lovely red and yellow poppy print called Bewitched and it has bewitched me body and soul (I had to).
Biggest tip: Get what works for you now!
As I approach the Big 4-0, I realize I've spent my 30's really researching the best option for me. Here's to evolving, changing, and trying systems that go with those things in my 40's! Happy Planning!