I wanted to start by saying thank you to ADHDManagement.com for their commitment to our community of ADHDers.
My adult life as an ADHDer has been made easier by incorporating a combination of specific apps into my personal multi-pronged ADHD management approach.
My overall goal is to further the ADHD community as a whole, so I have handpicked 6 apps that focus on a specific problem or hurdle that we face as ADHDers.
*ADHDApps Tip: Don’t overload yourself right away with all these apps. Just like with all things ADHD, you must strike your proper balance.
- Remembering: Evernote
App link | Web link
The motto for Evernote is “Remember Everything.” And while that might be a stretch, the awesome (in the literal definition) ability of this app will allow you to remember and organize all your thoughts and ideas, really all aspects of your life. Evernote is so popular that you have probably seen ads for it, or you know someone who uses it. I use it everyday, in many different ways; The sky is the limit with this very innovative app and your ADHD. - Managing Daily Tasks: HomeRoutines
App link | Web link
HomeRoutines is the ultimate To Do List/Timer/Scheduler/Reminder/so much more/ that I can’t even go in to it! Made by a great indie couple from NZ, this app is the foundation of my entire day and week. Using this app, I personally have been able to change the way I get through every day of my life. There is a whole online community dedicated to this app, so get inspired by this one!
*ADHDApps Tip: If you need a bump of encouragement, click on the “Accomplishments” button to display every To Do you have accomplished. - Planning: MindNode
App link | Web link
MindNode really lets you get into a project and tap into your ADHD instead of just letting it get in the way. I am a big picture person and, to that end, MindNode is truly a powerful tool to outline projects and then start to fill in the details. I just wrote this blogpost in MindNode! - Understanding Ourselves: Momento
App link | Web link
This journaling app not only allows you to document your daily life, allowing for tracking mood, taking pictures, and like 12 other things, but Momento also pulls feeds from your Facebook, Twitter, etc., and gives you the overall picture.
*ADHDApps Tip: Take pictures of your meds directly before you take them, and you will have an automatic medical record that is much more accurate then your memory. - Nutrition/Exercise: Calorie Count
App link | Web link
I love Calorie Count because it allows me to track my water intake, my food intake and any exercise (even playing around with the kids!) For ADHDers exercise and nutrition are extremely important, and this gives you a solid way to track your day to day. *This app is almost identical to MyFitnessPal so if you use MFP, keep using it!
*ADHDApps Tip: Don’t let yourself get too discouraged if you miss a few days or even a week. Focus on consistency, but don’t let your brain throw this effort in the trash. Just keep pluckin’, we are good at that! - Anti-Overwhelm: Koi Pond
App link | Web link
This is my anti-overwhelm app and exactly what it sounds like: a pond in which you control the ripples and fish with your fingers. You will get lost in it, and just calm down with a breathing exercise or two. I personally love Koi Pond because it allows me to relax in any situation where there is a lot of distraction or when I need an ADHD “timeout”.
*ADHDApps Tip: When anxious, grab headphones and a corner; turn this app on and just focus on the water.
Have a wonderful day!
About Mark Kawate
I realize that this post is a bit old (especially in iphone app world), but I am curious if anyone knows anything about these apps and has any tips on what to be aware of (please post any positives, negatives, or knowledge you may have – including any info on which apps may serve all the same purposes, but why you preferred one over the other.) My hesitation with apps is that I worry about taking too much time to set them up and finding after that I was unaware of it not being useful for my particular purposes, so any and all details are helpful!
Some of these are for organization/time management, while some are for going back and forth between reading/audio (for driving/efficiency purposes), and some are for help with dictation since I have carpal tunnel/tendonitis which gets increasingly worse as my school year progresses. I like apps that work with everything or are transferable to everything, that have varieties of reminders/alarms, and easy to follow/easy to read if they are calendars or productivity apps, allow highlighting if reading (or give audio of only highlighted sections), and that can vary between dictation and typing. I currently do not use any computer products other than my iphone (and on rare occasion, my very old ipod nano).
Here are the ones that I am either looking at, or have already downloaded (but either have not used, or only begun to use), and all I have downloaded are the free version but am willing to pay if it makes a different in how great an app can be:
1. Speaktoit Assistant (this one sounds awesome, but it’s privacy policy concerns me) – Speaktoit LLC
2. Voice Dream – Voice Dream LLC
3. CalenMob
4. Alarmed
5. Schedule Planner- Intersog
6. iNotes Assistant – Quanticapps
7. Debt Payoff Assistant – SVT Software
8. Interview Assistant – Intersog
9. Leave Now – Tetherpad
10. Intuition + : Mom’s Peronal Assistant – IconApps, Inc.
11. TTS Alarm – FMPROJECT
12. Dragon Dictation
13. SpeakText for Me – BorG Technology Corp
14. SuperNote
15. AudioMemos
16. Any.Do To-Do List – Any.Do
17. inClass
18. iTab
19. Note’d
20. OneNote (I have not used this on my laptop, but I have been wanting to try it – another task I find daunting, so feel free to comment on the Microsoft Office program on computers as well.)
21. Office Lite (Microsoft Office again, but haven’t used it.
22.Audible
23. Reminder free
24. Organizer To-Do: The Complete Planner – Yadahome.com LLC
25. BillTracker
I appreciate any help anyone is willing to give – the more detail of what you do and do not like about an app is most helpful – thanks!
If you don’t have an iphone, there is a good online timer I use at timerbutton.com
I am an adult with ADHD and even with medication, I often get overwhelmed by the details. I tried every to-do and time management program out there, but none of them really helped. I’d get hyperfocused and spend all day on updating lists and re-prioritizing things.
They say necessity is the mother of invention, so I developed an algorithmic formula to not just create a to-do list, but which automatically updates it for you throughout the day (including those to-do’s with future due dates) based on the priority of the task.
Before I develop this as an app, I’d love to get some feedback on whether others with ADHD would benefit from a to-do list that automatically prioritizes / updates your tasks.
Thank you!
Glenn
@Glenn…I just came across your post/request for a response on the type of app your considering developing and wanted to let you know that I’d absolutely love to have an app that automatically updates and prioritizes. I need consistent reminders of upcoming due dates for both my personal and career life and find that as I get older, it’s more difficult to organize and prioritize things tasks and projects.
Please keep us updated on your progress with this app. I’d love to see the results!
Just found your comment about developing an APP. Coincidentally, I just recently came up with a very similar concept, and would consider collaborating with you. However, I am NOT a programmer, but a creative sales/marketing type, with a techie/ADHD vision.
Please reply to me if you are interested in discussion this further.
I’ve also been working on my own app because none I’ve found exactly meet my needs. I’m a mini-programmer (a data & sql “expert” with some ability to fiddle around with python, Java & .net), but my forte is really in analysis & usability. A collaboration between a for-real programmer, a marketing guy and an analyst sounds pretty much like the trifecta for something like this!
Due. I bought an iphone for this app.
Yes! I swear by Evernote. It’s one of those “how did I live before this?” tools that you don’t know you need until you have it. I literally use it every day. Try it out, smart phone users!
“This might seem like I am over complicating my life, but I have found that when each app serves a single purpose, it works alot better for me.”
I definitely understand where your coming from, it helps getting a specific task done by having separate apps for separate purposes. It is almost like a new “focal” environment helps us to zero in on each task and dampens the quick onset of boredom when you are making yourself focus.
The most important thing of any system is that it works for you! The system only looks overwhelming because you are writing out every single app you use, but you didn’t start using them all at once. Point being that you built this system around your individual brain function, and that is exactly what ADHDers who want to take advantage of these centralized devices need to do! One step at a time and all that. Thank you Tom!
Just to follow on from my previous comment; a great app for remembering medications is called Pillboxie. I have not used it but it is beautifully designed and was designed and developed by a registered nurse.
http://www.pillboxie.com/
I use alot of different apps, each for a particular area of my life. This is because using one app for many purposes causes me to become overwhelmed.
The apps I currently use are:
Daily Routine & Future Tasks: Things – http://culturedcode.com/things/iphone/
Bills: Bills on your table – http://www.billsonyourtable.com/
Shopping List: Slide To Buy – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/slide-to-buy-grocery-shopping/id465684775?mt=8
Inventory: Teux Deux – http://teuxdeux.com/
Positivity: Gratitude Journal – http://happytapper.com/gratitude-journal
Feelings: DayOne – http://dayoneapp.com/
Project Management: Wunderkit – http://get.wunderkit.com/
Misc Tasks: Wunderlist – http://www.wunderlist.com/
CRM: Highrise – http://highrisehq.com/
Geolocation: Pin Drop – http://pindropapp.com/
Dictionary: Definition – http://definitionapp.com/
This might seem like I am over complicating my life, but I have found that when each app serves a single purpose, it works alot better for me. There are still times when I make mistakes but since I have done things this way, my life has become easier.
Tom
Brett,
Evernote for Android is here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.evernote
Calorie Counter for Android is here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.about.CalorieCount
If you have a specific obstacle you are having trouble with, let me know and I will go on the hunt to find you a solution.
Errands To-Do. I’d be lost without it.
Hi,
Thanks for these tips. Here’s the thing though, I have an android :-/
Any thoughts on similar apps for that phone?
What I have is not working very well.
Thanks!
Brett
Thanks for these great resources! I know I need all the help I can get.
I was feeling overwhelmed this morning so I downloaded Koi Pond…amazing!! Everyone should get it, ADHD or not! It’s so relaxing!
I DO very much love Remember the Milk!
A free and fun tool.
I’d add “Remember the Milk” to that list as well for a To Do List. I use it religiously!
http://www.rememberthemilk.com/