Adult ADHD: Long Term Planning Using Index Cards

Om and OMG! A Yogi’s Adult ADHD Doodle Diary

Adult ADHD: Take A Peek At George’s Long-term Planning, Index Card System

Dear ADHD Doodle Diary,

Today, I’m doing something that has for the past 49 years been utterly impossible for me. I’ve decided to embark on a new adventure.

“I’m going to plan the next 5 months of my life.”

Yes, me, George Watts, an adult with ADHD, with the attention span of a dead fruitbat, planning ahead.

It may sound easy if you have a “normal brain”, but long-term planning is something that most adults with ADHD have a blind spot with – also known as time blindness.

Time blindness is serious is because it makes long-term planning impossible.

Neglecting long-term planning can lead to missed opportunities, financial instability, stress, anxiety, and strained relationships. Without a long-term plan, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unproductive, making it hard to achieve your goals and maintain a balanced life.

So, are you ready?

Here’s step one…

Step 1: The MindMap Card

I started with the most basic tool: index cards. Instead of a simple list, I decided to doodle a mind map. Each branch represented a different aspect of my life: work, personal life, hobbies, and self-care.

Here’s how I did it:

Part I: Circle 

I drew a central circle on the index card, and wrote “My 5-Month Plan”.

Part II: Work & Play 

I wrote “work” on the top left of the card, and wrote “play” on the bottom left.

Part III: Roles

Branching off the central circle, are the my “roles” for my work and play.

Work Roles:

• Blog post writing maverick
• Card creating maverick
• Video creating maverick

Play Roles:

• Art maverick (comics, draw, paint, sculpt)
• Fitness maverick (run, yoga, calisthenics, etc)
• Fossil Hunting maverick
• Novel Writing maverick
• Relationships maverick

Step 2: The Goals Card

For each sub-branch, get a new index card and on the front write the sub-branch (e.g. Blog Post Writing) and on the back add the goals with deadlines.

See Examples Below:

Work Sub-branches Goals (by Dec 31, 2024):

• Blog: 100 ADHD blog posts (20 per month)
• Cards: 10 new card decks (2 per month)
• Videos: 52 ADHD videos (coping strategies)

Personal Sub-branches Goals (by Dec 31, 2024):

• Artist: Sell first yogic artwork
• Fitness: Six-pack + stretchy back
• Fitness: Run 13 miles (1/2 marathon)
• Fossil Hunt: Find another museum-quality fossil
• Novel Writing: Complete 1st draft of novel
• Relationships: 1 monthly sea swim with mum

Step 3: The Weekly Schedule Card

I devised the “Weekly Schedule Card System” to keep myself on track. On the front of an index card write: WEEKLY SCHEDULE. On the back of the card write out your schedule

Weekly Schedule Example:

• Monday: Blog post writing
• Tuesday: Create card decks
• Wednesday: Film & Upload YouTube videos
• Thursday: Create card decks
• Friday: Novel writing
• Saturday: Pick a hobby
• Sunday: Art or writing practice

I like this schedule because it only gives me “one thing” to focus on each day. No multi-tasking. My main work focus at the moment is creating card decks, so I allow myself two days for that. I had been creating card decks seven days a week! I know. I know. That’s unsustainable.

Step 4: The Work Plan Card

My main “work” is creating Yoga, Pilates, and ADHD card decks. Because I love cards so much, I devised a “Work Plan Card” to keep myself on track:

Card Part I: The Idea

Each morning, I jot down one idea for a card deck on an index card and clamp it to my Day Planner. I have a business plan in my Microsoft OneNote. I look through my list of card deck ideas, and pick one (if I’m not already working on one). If I’m not working on a card deck, I’ll do the same thing if I’m writing a blog post, creating a YouTube video, or another work activity.

Card Part II: The Action

Underneath the idea, I write one action step needed to move the project forward. The other action steps have been written down in my Microsoft OneNote (similar to Evernote).

Card Part III: The Reward

Finally, at the bottom of the card, I pick an ADHD Self-care Coping Strategy as a reward for completing the day’s task (e.g. 10 minutes to doodle in my notebook).

See Example Below:

For example, today’s “Work Plan Card” included working on my Pilates Matwork Card Deck. The one action to get me started was: “finish adding the QR codes to each card”. The reward was a 30 minute jog (I love running).

Step 5: The Play Plan Card

Balancing work and personal life is tricky. It’s very easy for an adult with ADHD to get lost in work life. That’s not healthy. That’s not sustainable. That’s not leading a good life.

I devised the “Play Plan Card” to keep myself on the self-care track:

Card Part I: The Play

Each morning, on the back of the Work Plan Card, I jot down my “play” for the day (e.g. plan and schedule a fossil-hunting trip in my Google Calendar). This isn’t a reward for completing my work. I get to “play” even if I didn’t do any work. Play is just as important as work! And I feel very strongly that play shouldn’t be a reward for completing my work.

Card Part II: The Action

Underneath the play, I write one action step needed to move the play forward (e.g. Look at the tide table for Dunraven Bay).

Step 6: The When Card

I like to know what is a daily, weekly and monthly activity. So, I devised the “When Cards” to keep myself on track:

Card 1: Daily Activities

On the front of an index card, I write DAILY in large capitals. On the back of the card I write the daily activities with the start time in brackets. I also write the reasons why I want to do this activity daily.

See Examples Below:

Writing Session (4pm): 30-minute novel writing session (from 4 to 4:30 pm) at my desk with ear plugs on. Reasons to do this daily: My work day ends at 3:30 pm. I have 30 minutes to decompress, and then start writing at 4 pm.

Fitness Session (5pm): 30-minute evening fitness sessions (run, stationary bike, yoga or calisthenics). Start at 5 pm. This is a physical break from work to play.

Card 2: Weekly Activities

On the front of an index card I write WEEKLY in large capitals. On the back of the card I write the weekly activities with the day and start time in brackets. I also write the reasons why I want to do this activitiy weekly.

See Example Below:

Tennis Club Session (Mondays at 6 pm): Reasons to do this weekly: To become more social. Different kind of fitness. Eventually play in club competitions.

Card 3: Monthly Activities

On the front of an index card I write MONTHLY in large capitals. On the back of the card I write the monthly activities with the day and start time in brackets. I also write the reasons why I want to do this activitiy monthly.

See Example Below:

Monthly Fossil Hunt (First Wednesday of the month): Two-day Jurassic fossil hunting trips to Dunraven Bay. Reasons to do this monthly: Beautiful scenary. Large area to search. Digital detox. Time alone (good for our relationship as we both work from home, so need alone time every now and then).

Step 7: The Accountability Card

To bring some accountability, I turned to Google Calendar and my wondrous partner.

Part I: Accountability Calendar

I open Google Calendar and add my “deadlines” and “activities” to ther calendar. I use different colours for work and play activities. I use notifications to keep myself accountable to upcoming tasks and deadlines.

I got a new Index Card and on the front I wrote:

“My Accountability Calendar”

On the back I wrote:

“Have you added the tasks and deadlines to your Google Calendar?”

Part II: Accountabilty Partner

I got a new Index Card and on the front I wrote “My Accountability Partner”. On the back I wrote the name of my partner.

Let’s be realistic. Long-term planning for an adult with ADHD is like climing Mount Everest. It’s hard. I’m gonna need help.

That’s where my wondrous partner comes in.

I have let her know about my Long-term planning system. She’s seen my index cards. At the end of each day I report to her saying whether I followed my plan for the day, or got distracted.

George, Reflecting on his Adult ADHD Long-term Planning Index Card System

My Long-term Planning Index Card System has its ups and downs. Some days, I’m a planning genius; other days, I’m chasing distractions down rabbit holes. Using index cards has turned planning into a game. So, I now enjoy planning and am gentle on myself when I forget to use the index cards.

This diary entry is one of my coping strategies for Adult ADHD.

If you’ve made it this far, you either haven’t got Adult ADHD, or something else hasn’t distracted you yet. Bravo!

Though, I’m not going to push my luck.

It’s time to wrap this diary entry up.

Namaste (my soul high-fives your soul),George Watts

P.S. Dear Diary, thanks for letting me write in you. And dear reader, thanks for reading. Make sure you check out my Adult ADHD CBT Card Deck.

P.P.S. Phew! That was an epic post. I deserve an ADHD Self-care Coping Strategy. I will practice 5 minutes of mindful breathing using a card from the Blissful Breathing Card Deck that I created for my yoga site.