Bullet journal ADHD management can help combat forgetfulness, thought overload, and help you stay on top of tasks. Today I’m going to show you how people with ADHD can benefit from using a bullet journal.
When you live with ADHD it can be extremely difficult. People will complain about your forgetfulness or random behavior often. Even more than what other people will complain about you will often find yourself beating yourself up for things too.
Our lack of ability to stay on task, remember things at the store, remember events or plans, and even just keeping track of our daily chores can often be too much for us. We forget grocery lists at home, library books will vanish, we forget dry cleaning for weeks at a time.
However, not all is lost. Bullet Journaling can be an ADHD persons best friend. For many reasons.
Before we get started here is a list of my recommended supplies.
Recommended Products
From time to time the Scribbles that Matter Journal is sold out on Amazon. When this happens third party sellers will try to sell the journal for an insane amount of money. DO NOT BUY THAT! Scribbles that Matter should be back in stock soon. My second favorite journal is the Essentials Dot Matrix, though I warn you the pages on this one are thinner and bleeding and shadows show up on opposite sides. However, it's a decent cheap journal if you are in a pinch and just want to get started.
- Journal
- Stencils
- Fine Point Pens
- Micron Fine Line Set Pens
- Tombow Fudenosuke Soft And Hard Tip Brush Pen
- Tombow Brush Pens
- Washi Tape
- Crayola Super Tips
Bullet Journaling Is Best For ADHD
The bullet journal is a memory keeping, journal and planner hybrid that can help the most unorganized people get organized. It can help you to remember everything from events, books read, and what you did two days ago. It can also help you know what you need to do each day, hold lists and reminders, and be a fun creative outlet.
Control Too Many Thoughts
One thing that most people with ADHD deal with is the amount of thoughts that we have running through our brain at any given point in time. The bullet journal can help a lot with that. You can keep yourself focused on the tasks of the day while also providing a place for you to store new thoughts.
Stop Forgetfulness
The ability to write down events, tasks, goals, and important information and keep it with you no matter where you go can be an amazing tool. Once in the habit of checking your bullet journal several times a day for the next task it becomes less likely that you will forget to accomplish a task.
Stay On Top Of Tasks
Having a place to record your daily tasks you will find yourself being more productive every day. More than just your daily tasks though the bullet journal can help you to remember household tasks like cleaning appliances, changing filters, or checking for lint in your dryer vent. These things often get overlooked by those with ADHD and the bullet journal can set up those reminders.
Give Your Brain Creative Freedom
Finally, for the ADHD brain we don’t often do really well with structure even though we desperately need it in our live. The bullet journal provides you a place where you can find structure but be creative with it. The bullet journal can be unstructured while still providing you all the necessary tools to stay on task.
Ways To Combat ADHD with Bullet Journaling
There are a few spreads that are especially helpful to those who have ADHD. These spreads will help you to stay on task and complete things that are easy to forget.
Planners
Future logs, monthly, weekly, and even daily spreads are especially useful in a bullet journal. While not all with ADHD find these to be extremely helpful for those with odd schedules this will help you stay on top of everything.
You won’t necessarily need to use all four options I highly recommend using a future log and at least a monthly or weekly planner. These will help you to stay on top of upcoming appointments and tasks.
Trackers
Trackers can help you to make sure that tasks get accomplished. They are either daily tasks or they can be more long term like tasks that are meant to be done only a couple times a year. The trackers purpose is to make sure you actually finish tasks.
Collections
Collections are exactly as they sound. You collect ideas, names, activities, and things in your collections. They can be movies you want to see, books you want to read, recommendations from friends, birthdays, gift ideas or any number of things that you need to remember.
Brain Dumps
Brain dumps work sort of like collections but instead these are meant to hold random thoughts and ideas that pop into your head. This is a way to remember a thought process while not stopping what you were already working on. It also prevents you from forgetting a thought process.
This is extremely useful to those with ADHD. If you suddenly remember that you need to call someone and ask them a question, but can’t at that point in time you can write down a reminder quickly in your bullet journal. Later that evening when checking off the days tasks you can accomplish that task easily.
Journaling
One thing that ADHD people need is the ability to keep a journal. The journal is extremely important to people who have ADHD because it helps to reinforce their memory. Journaling is a good way to help build up our memory functions as well as solidify facts in our brains.
Getting Used To Bullet Journaling
Getting into the habit of bullet journaling is the hardest part about using a bullet journal. Luckily, I’ve already gotten through that hard part and I have some helpful tips to help you get into the habit of using your bullet journal daily.
Keep It Near Where You Always Are
This could be on your desk, on your nightstand, in your kitchen, or even in a purse or briefcase. Wherever you spend most of your time is where you want to make sure you are keeping your bullet journal. This keeps it in front of your face daily making it easier to stay on top of it.
I keep my bullet journal at my desk. As a blogger it’s where I spend most of my time so it’s where I am most likely to utilize it and need it. When I used to leave the house for work each day I would keep my bullet journal in my purse.
It’s all about making the bullet journal as easily accessible as possible. This makes it easier to get into it to record your day, tasks, or keep yourself in check.
Keep It Simple To Start
Don’t try to do intricate designs in the beginning, unless you are comfortable doing so. Keep it minimalist and try everything you think may help. The first couple of months are all about trying new spreads and collections to see what works.
Keep your design simple until your find your bullet journal sweet spot. The sweet spot hits when you find the right amount of trackers, collections, spreads, and planners to make your life easier. It’s also when your habit is strong enough that you are in your bullet journal everyday.
Use It Every Single Day
Do not skip a day for the first 30 days. Stay on top of your bullet journal until it is a habit. Even if all your are doing is filling it in with journal entries for 30 days. The goal here is to start a new habit. This is why I recommend keeping it simple to start.
After you get into the habit of looking in your bullet journal and writing in your bullet journal every day you can start doing more detailed spreads and planners. Keep it simple for a couple of months and if time permits for you start practicing with themes and other ideas.
Bullet Journal ADHD Management
The bullet journal is an amazing tool to help manage symptoms of ADHD. It will help you to remember and complete tasks, keep track of extra ideas and thoughts, and make planning a breeze. If you struggle with ADHD starting a bullet journal is important to keep it under control.
Remember, get into the habit of using your bullet journal by keeping it close, keeping it simple, and using it often throughout the day. Check it as much as you check social media or your phone and you will soon be in the habit of using your bullet journal and staying on top of your ADHD symptoms.
Recommended Products
From time to time the Scribbles that Matter Journal is sold out on Amazon. When this happens third party sellers will try to sell the journal for an insane amount of money. DO NOT BUY THAT! Scribbles that Matter should be back in stock soon. My second favorite journal is the Essentials Dot Matrix, though I warn you the pages on this one are thinner and bleeding and shadows show up on opposite sides. However, it's a decent cheap journal if you are in a pinch and just want to get started.
- Journal
- Stencils
- Fine Point Pens
- Micron Fine Line Set Pens
- Tombow Fudenosuke Soft And Hard Tip Brush Pen
- Tombow Brush Pens
- Washi Tape
- Crayola Super Tips
Do you think a bullet journal will help you manage your ADHD? Let me know in the comments below. Do you have bullet journal spreads you would like shared? Email them to Crystal@BulletJournalAddict.com and they may be featured on an Instagram post and/or to the blog. Please leave your IG Username so I can tag you in the posts. Follow me on Pinterest for more like this and pin this to your Bullet Journal boards.
Related Posts:
- 25+ Bullet Journal Self Care Ideas
- 13 Bullet Journal Meal Plan Tracking Ideas
- 12 Smart Bullet Journal Health and Fitness Trackers
- 20 Gratitude Logs For Your Bullet Journal
I’m struggling with ADD not ADHD. I think a bullet journal will defenitely help me once I get in the habbit. In the past I’ve used planners but often I didnt really like the template so I stopped using it. The benefit of a bullet journal is that I can use my creativity to find the right template for me. And if I feel like trying another template I’ll just go to the next page.
Thank you for all the tips I’m they’re really helpful to me!
Glad I could help. I know my bullet journal has really helped me to stay on track and keep my ADHD under control. It helps me to stay focused. The biggest part to finding success with it is getting into the habit of looking in it first thing in the morning and then throughout the day.
Not been diagnosed with ADHD but people who know me are convinced. Started a BuJo January with all the main features of future, monthly and daily logs, but after January ended I only had March to May monthly logs written in. Nothing in them! Only January and future logs had entries. So I stopped.
A week ago I came back from main holiday and restarted. I read more online and looked at examples. The information in this article helps. I’m adding a finance tracker or two where I list monthly direct debits and another where I record what I buy. I need to save money but I’m not able to. Tracking spends = information = ability to learn where I can save.
Looks? I’m a messy writer without any artistic ability. Who cares? I can occasionally write a straight line (with a ruler) which is good enough. It’s content not looks that’s important.
My only issue is I don’t have that much to put in it. I’ve got a relatively simple life and outside of work most activities tend to be think it do it. I must be missing something. Any tips? What else can they be used for? Any other content suggestions?
Sounds to me like you could benefit from doing a daily spread instead of a weekly spread. Every night before bed or even as a part of your morning routine, write down the things you need to get done that day. Use your monthly spread and even a monthly projects spread to keep track of tasks, events, appointments, and other things you want to do that month. It’s also helpful to use your daily spreads as a journal. Log memories, things you did, feelings, and anything else.
I have loads of content suggestions throughout my blog. Financial, fitness, meal planning, goal planning, vacation planning, books to read, movies to watch, or tv shows to binge, can all be tracked in your bullet journal. It’s a great place to write down recommendations (like restaurants, events, or concerts) you might want to attend at some point too. Anything you want can go in your bullet journal and the possibilities are endless.
I first started bullet journaling in April, and as with most things I’ve had a tendency to use it in phases — sometimes I’ll use it all day every day, and then weeks will go by where I don’t pick it up. Recently, I decided to set a goal for myself to look at it every day, and in order to keep track of that and avoid slipping, I’m checking off each day that I use it. This works for me because it’s a very concrete goal that doesn’t require any action /other than opening my journal/, which then leads me to be more productive. I plan to create an actual tracker for it starting in September. Just thought I’d share because for me, having my bullet journal near me isn’t enough to make me check it. I carry it with me everywhere, but just trying to start the habit is too abstract for me to follow through easily. So by checking off each day that I open it, I create the desire to do so because if I don’t open it then I don’t get to check off that day. It’s been working for me, hope this can help someone else 🙂
This is a fantastic idea, thank-you for sharing.
I have a job with a high volume of tasks, some big some small, some critical some not, and I get stuff dropped in my lap unexpectedly every day. I had been struggling to the point of tears until I found the bullet journal. I dont use it to manage my calendar (I already have 4) or to look past anything other than today. What it has done for me is allowed me to separate my list of tasks I had planned for the day from the sh*t that comes my way unplanned. At the end of the day I can see just how much I got done. Before using the journal, I felt like every day was a failure because not many of MY tasks got done. Now I can see on paper that I actually did 45 things. I write down everything, even when someone comes in my office and just talks to me for 15 min. And moving outstanding planned tasks from day to day helps me keep track of what’s not done. I spent a lot of time cruising pinterest for layouts and in the end I made up my own to fit what I needed. Super simple. No drawing or color. Just visual affirmation that I am kicking ass every day! I put down the bullet journal for a little bit in exchange for a customized planner. Then i tried the procrastinator’s planner. I’ve been experimenting for about 3 months and I’ve never felt so lost. Just bought another bullet journal and I’m never straying again.
I forgot to mention that I also use it to keep track of concerts as they get announced, and I do incorporate a space for my personal to-do list. I think I’m going to add and Ear Worm page to brain dump ear worms (songs trapped in my head) because I think it will be funny to go back and read it later – also a journaling page for the same reason. Even if I just write one word for a day haha
This is fantastic. I’ve been the same way, when I get away from bullet journaling I find I am disorganized, forgetful, and then depression and anxiety start creeping in too. Bullet journaling has given me a fantastic outlet to make sure that I’m organized, to track everything I actually get done, and to journal my thoughts and feelings. It’s helped me to heal from bad experiences and toxic events as much as it’s helped me to make sure I reach my goals. Bullet Journaling is something I will probably continue to do for a long time.
Thank you, this was so simple to follow and super helpful and encouraging!! xxxx
I’m so sorry for the late reply! Thank you for your comment and kind words.
I have a 13 year old boy that is struggling in school. He is currently doing online school. We are going to have him tested for ADHD because he won’t stick to an assignment and turn it in. I came across BUJO on a Facebook group and feel like this would be very useful for him. I of course would do most of the set up. Any suggestions?
I’m so sorry for the late reply!
I also have ADHD and have a tough time focusing. I would say to help him, you have to try to cultivate the habit of journaling and some doodling. I would think it needs to be criticism free – provide some ideas and structure, but don’t hold him to it.
You could possibly require that he take a few minutes to work on his journal (maybe while you work on yours?) and assure him that it will be private to him. You won’t snoop and you won’t require that he tell you what’s in his. It’s truly private unless he wants to share. That may help him develop a love for writing and keeping up with tasks.
Best wishes! Please let us know how we can help!
Have you seen the habit tracking themes and information? Maybe share it with your son?