ADHD Planning: Navigating Forgotten Deadlines & Lost Plans

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Living in a world of inattention is like navigating a bustling city at times.

There are neon signs of distraction, traffic jams of thoughts, and the unexpected detours of emotions.

Among the many crossroads, ADHD planning stands as a towering skyscraper- out of reach.

I have inattentive ADHD and planning has always been my Achilles’ heel.

It drove me to develop OCD-like habits to compensate.

Not too long ago, I’d find myself in a whirl of hyperfocus, dedicating daylong hours solely to planning.

Some days I would wake up to plan the week ahead and the sunset would arrive before I finished.

I knew that planning with ADHD was hard, but I kept trying to wrap my mind around it.

The most frustrating part- it’s not always the plan but the implementation I would fall short in.

Imagine spending entire days meticulously planning your week, only for it to fade into oblivion shortly after.

It was a serious gut punch every time.

My whiteboards and notebooks, filled with calculated plans and tedious budgeting, became monuments of irony when left untouched.

I got to a point where I confessed to my therapist that the mere thought of planning was sparking anxiety.

So, why is planning such a struggle for individuals with ADHD? Let’s jump in.

Do People with ADHD Struggle with Planning?

Short answer? Yes, planning can be a struggle for those with ADHD.

Why? Time perception and management, or “time blindness,” often trip us up.

Estimating the time a task will take can feel like a shot in the dark. And from my own experience, this can be really overwhelming.

No matter how much time I invest in planning, it rarely aligns with reality.

I’m either overestimating or underestimating time, and my shaky working memory doesn’t help.

Unless the plan is staring me in the face, it slips from my mind.

Long-term goals feel like abstract art – something I’m trying to decipher but can’t quite make sense of.

This adds a unique layer of difficulty for me.

I’m an analytical thinker, but I struggle with the jigsaw of scheduling, something many find straightforward.

I’ve found myself late for or completely forgetting appointments, which leaves friends and family scratching their heads.

They get the concept, sure, but the reality of my battle with time tends to slip past their understanding.

It’s not just me “not getting it”, it’s about navigating the complexities of ADHD. It’s something I also struggle to wrap my head around.

Let’s take a deeper look into why planning with ADHD can feel like such an uphill battle.

Why is ADHD Planning so Hard?

Consider being at a lively party.

You’re trying to follow a single conversation, but the music thumps loudly in the background, crowds of people are shouting, and the lights are rhythmically changing with the beat.

This sensory overload mirrors what planning feels like when you have ADHD.

Planning demands executive functioning skills.

These are the mental processes that allow us to control our actions, think on our feet, and remember instructions or details.

These are the very areas often affected by ADHD.

As a result, planning can feel like trying to track a single conversation at that lively party. This is amid the onslaught of sensory distractions.

Imagine trying to concentrate on one person’s words with all that going on in the background.

That’s the kind of challenge planning poses when executive functioning skills are disrupted.

It’s not just hard; it can feel like an Olympian feat.

To take it a bit further, this isn’t only about grappling with executive dysfunction.

There’s that peculiar relationship with time I mentioned- a sort of fog.

The concept of time often feels inaccessible.

There’s a haziness that makes it difficult to estimate durations and deadlines accurately.

Simply put, time tends to feel blurry.

And when it comes to larger projects requiring detailed, long-term planning, the haziness is amplified.

Grasping the sheer scope of the project, breaking it down into actionable steps, and sticking to a timeline can feel akin to navigating through a thick fog with no compass.

It’s incredibly flustering.

Mix in executive dysfunction and it becomes the ultimate internal battle.

Why Do People with ADHD Get Upset When Plans Change

When plans change unexpectedly, it can feel like an emotional jolt for anyone.

But for those with ADHD, this sudden shift can feel like a rollercoaster falling from the highest point.

For someone without ADHD, this situation might seem odd.

The typical brain, or the “neurotypical” brain, is much more adept at switching gears and adjusting to changes.

Think of it as having a built-in, automatic gearbox that smoothly shifts from one task to another.

In contrast, a neurodivergent brain can feel like it’s running on a manual transmission without a clear guide on when and how to switch gears.

So, when the routine changes, it feels like stalling in the middle of a busy intersection.

It’s a sudden, uncomfortable jerk that demands immediate attention and effort to rectify. It especially sucks if you’ve been in “waiting mode”, ready for the event planned to start.

It isn’t just a minor hiccup – it feels like a setback.

It often makes us experience higher levels of stress and anxiety than neurotypicals might in the same situation.

Why does this happen?

Well, people with ADHD often rely on routines and structure to manage their day-to-day lives. This includes the routines we just fall into.

It helps to reduce distractions and keep anxiety at bay. The routine becomes a roadmap, guiding you through the day.

But here’s the interesting part – as someone with ADHD, I often struggle to stick to routines. They’re like slippery fish that I just can’t seem to hold onto.

Yet, once I do manage to maintain a routine, I cling to it like a safety net.

When an unexpected change occurs, it’s like someone has yanked away this safety net.

Despite my difficulties in creating and maintaining routines, I find myself shaken when the ones I do have are abruptly changed.

It’s disorienting and distressing – even though it’s our own routines we often struggle to keep. This is the paradox we live with every day.

Can You Have ADHD and Be Good at Planning?

Absolutely! It may seem counterintuitive, but people with ADHD can become great at planning.

ADHDers often develop their own systems or rules to help them function better with time and planning.

For example, many of us excel at crisis planning due to our quick thinking. We tend to have a knack for innovative thinking, which helps us form creative approaches to planning.

While physical planners and alarms might not be the panacea, they can be useful tools in the arsenal of some.

People with ADHD often use various strategies to stay on track. Medication can be one of those tools for some.

It might not be for everyone, but for those who need it, it can work together with other approaches, like alarms or planners, to help with daily organization.

The catch here is making sure there is the right support and access to these tools. If not, there can be unexpected negative repercussions, like my developing obsessive tendencies.

The key is to tailor the planning methods to the unique traits of your brain. In this way, we can turn potential obstacles into opportunities for success.

Later in this post, I’ll discuss specific strategies that have helped improve my ability to plan despite having ADHD

What is the Best Planner Style for ADHD?

The best planner style isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It varies, as it should align with personal preferences and habits.

Many people that struggle with executive dysfunction gravitate towards visual and easy-to-use tools.

You’ll find a spectrum of preferences ranging from digital to physical planners.

I found my groove with a blend of both. I lean on a large, in-my-face whiteboard for physical planning and Trello for digital organization.

My whiteboard offers a tangible and fun planning tool, that is easily updated as my day unfolds. Trello acts as an organized dump site for my thoughts and tasks, color-coded and dated for clarity.

Pairing Trello with Google Calendar takes it up a notch. It’s not foolproof at all, but these tools have propelled my productivity to heights I haven’t reached before.

Here are three key learnings from my journey:

1. Stick with what works, don’t let novelty divert you. I discovered Trello years ago but allowed my pursuit of an aesthetic tool to distract me. Years later, I’ve circled back to Trello, a reliable and straightforward system. A digital tool like this is especially helpful after bouts of ADHD task paralysis.
2. Forget about mirroring others’ planning methods; find your rhythm. I had this notion that planning should conform to a certain pattern. It’s not true. The focus should be on task completion, not the process.
3. Remove shame from your planning process. If one method fails, explore the next. Maybe you need a large whiteboard, supplemented with a daily planner you open first thing in the morning. Or perhaps Google Calendar, paired with reminder notifications works better for you. You could even try AI tools like ChatGPT for scheduling.

There are endless options, but you have to be patient and allow time to adjust. Ultimately, it’s about finding a system that fits seamlessly into your daily routine.

Takeaway

ADHD planning is overwhelming, full of unexpected turns, and sometimes, outright disorienting, but is within our reach. The ride may not always be smooth, with detours and roadblocks, but with the right tools and support, we can conquer it.

Do you have a friend or family member struggling to understand your difficulty with planning? Or perhaps, you’re looking to better understand ADHD for yourself?

Share this post with them. Let’s widen the conversation about ADHD and planning. With more understanding comes the support to navigate this ride a bit easier.