Procrastination, underestimating the time to complete tasks, disorganization, and the lack of focus are all too common traits of adults who suffer from ADHD. The following 6 time management apps will help you get everything done on schedule. They may even make you a better person along the way.
1. Epic Win
If you suffer from ADHD, it’s hard to explain why you have a hard time concentrating on work, but you get totally immersed in computer games. The reason for that is hyperfocus, a tendency to concentrate intensely on something that interests you. Epic Win is a time management app for adults with ADHD that exploits your tendency to hyperfocus by giving you points for getting organized.
You use the app by choosing a quest that you want to complete. When you finish a task, you are rewarded with points and loot, just like in any other role playing game. Who thought cleaning up your house could be so rewarding?
2. Priority Matrix
Some adults with ADHD may prefer a more serious time management app. In that case, Priority Matrix is the app for you. It categorizes tasks using a familiar quadrant system based on two axes labeled “critical” and “immediate”.
Tasks can be:
- critical and immediate – due as soon as possible,
- critical but not immediate – important tasks that require planning,
- not critical but immediate – responsibilities that can be assigned to somebody else,
- uncategorized – items that can be sorted later.
Each task can be assigned start and due dates, as well as repeat dates for recurring tasks.
3. Evernote
Unlike the previous apps that simply deal with getting things done, Evernote offers you much more. It is comparable to a collection of virtual notebooks… if notebooks could store text, photos, webpages and video, as well as allowing you to work with colleagues and plan your vacation. With excellent features for categorizing information, everything you store is organized and easy to find. Evernote definitely beats having a messy desk!
4. Lift
If Evernote seems overwhelming, Lift is an excellent app that helps you grow as a person, one step at a time. You use it by picking habits you want to form, such as “eat breakfast”, “meditate”, or “sleep by midnight”. Then, whenever you perform the desired action, you just check in. A helpful community is there to cheer you on, making it more likely you will take action again. This mix of clever technology and human support is an excellent recipe for making lasting changes.
5. Todoist
Just as its name says, Todoist is a to-do list manager. It allows you to create tasks very quickly – just type in what you need to do, add an optional due date or assign it to a project… and it’s done! An excellent feature of Todoist is Gmail integration: it adds a window at the bottom of your Gmail browser tab, where you can easily add new tasks or mark them as complete.
For those who are motivated by statistics, Todoist tracks your completed tasks and monitors productivity in the last week and month. It also assigns you “karma points” for setting, completing, and failing tasks, ranging from “Beginner” to “Enlightened”.
6. 30/30
This app focuses completely on the timer function. You can use it to plan a sequence of tasks, a work day or a project – basically anything that will take you a set number of hours. As you use the app regularly, it will be clear why this simple timer function is so important. You will realize how long it actually takes you to complete each task, and then your future estimates will be more realistic.