Productivity, like ADHD, is personal. There is no one-size-fits-all approach because successful productivity looks different for everyone. What works well for others may not work for you, and vice versa.

Maybe you want to read a book a month, finish a writing project, or miss fewer appointments in 2023. ADHD productivity tools and apps can help with these goals, but there are hundreds out there, so it’s essential to think critically about your specific needs. Consider which tasks frequently challenge you; what triggers ADHD couch lock for you?

Once you understand exactly what you need help with, you can focus on solutions. I’ve assembled my top eleven ADHD productivity tools and apps (and honorable mentions!) that help with everything from calendaring to password management.

Top 11 productivity tools for ADHDers

1. Inflow

Best for: Overall ADHD symptom management
Available on: iOS and android

Inflow is designed by people with ADHD, for people with ADHD, using an approach based on cognitive behavioral therapy. The app offers science-based programs designed to help manage ADHD symptoms and the different areas of life affected by them.

For example, users can opt into modules on topics like rejection sensitive dysphoria, procrastination, and time management, each with unique challenges to encourage positive habits and structure. If you're interested in social engagement, you can post answers to the community's daily questions and discuss them with other members.

Inflow also provides medication reminders, 1:1 coaching sessions with certified ADHD coaches, journal prompts, accountability coaching, and live events, which cover everything from Q&A's to group discussions led by Inflow's clinical director.

Change is not the result of large but infrequent and sporadic actions. It comes from the small habits that you do every day. It’s important to consider the systems you’re implementing rather than focusing on a singular desired outcome. - The Inflow app | Building habits module, day 2

Are you ready to take control of your productivity and achieve your personal goals? Inflow understands that productivity is personal, just like ADHD. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, which is why Inflow offers personalized coaching sessions for your unique needs and challenges. Take our ADHD quiz to get started.

2. Brain dump

Best for: Getting all your thoughts out

Not an app, but brain dumps are a wholly underrated productivity tool for ADHD. Sometimes it just feels like you have too many things going on in your brain simultaneously, which can get you stuck in analysis paralysis. Doing a brain dump gets all your thoughts on paper so you can decide what’s really important to work on and put those tasks into one of these other tools!

3. Google Calendar

Best for: Calendar, meeting, and appointment management
Available on: iOS, android, and desktop browsers

If you have a Gmail account, you probably know about Google Calendar, but did you know a lot of ADHDers swear by it? We like that this productivity tool syncs with events in your Gmail account, and the google assistant helps you fill in title names, guests, and even location suggestions. It’s also fully integrated with other apps like Discord, Slack, and Trello.

I personally downloaded an extension that texts me before critical appointments, like the dentist or therapy. And if you’re a fan of time-blocking, you’ll love being able to color code tasks to help you quickly visualize your day or even your week at a glance.

4. The pomodoro method

Best for: Time blocking, staying on task, and making sure you take breaks

The pomodoro method works for anyone, but tons of ADHD swear by this productivity tool. And while tons of companies sell specific apps or physical timers for the pomodoro method, any kind of timer will work.

It functions by working for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. You can repeat this as many sessions as you want, but most people do 4 cycles followed by a 30-minute break. This productivity tool for ADHD works because it helps our brains focus on one thing at a time and resist interruptions.

5. Due app

Best for: Timer lovers and forgetful ADHDers
Available on: iOS (desktop and mobile)

If you’re a fan of the pomodoro method, the Due app is for you. The iPhone’s inability to run two timers at the same time feels like a huge oversight, but until they give timer addicts what we want, we have the Due app to help us out.

The Due app allows you to set multiple timers that sync across your devices. The app’s creator said he made the app intentionally annoying and remind you of tasks until you actually do them – aka, it sounds like a match made in ADHD Heaven.

It costs $14.99 for the desktop version and $7.99 for other devices.

6. Trello

Best for: Task-tracking, to-do lists, and general productivity
Available on: iOS, android, desktop browsers, Mac, and Windows

Trello is a kanban app designed to help companies and individuals organize and track work. Users enter tasks into 'cards' that live in their respective 'boards' or project spaces. Cards can be as granular as you prefer. For example, I broke up my cleaning chores into individual cards in my weekly chores board. Breaking up my chores list into individual tasks makes the work more palatable. It gives me several 'easy wins' for my ADHD.

And because my ADHD brain loves to see progress, I can click and drag cards to different stages - to do, doing, and done. I can even create checklists of steps for each task and fill a progress bar as I advance through them.

Trello is highly customizable, and you can add creative and personal touches. It's my top pick for task-tracking due to the personalization, drag-and-drop usability, and the functionalities with a free account.

7. Notion

Best for: Digital notes, brainstorming, and project management
Available on: Desktop browsers, Mac, and Windows

Notion is a digital notebook platform with a sharp minimalist design and high user customization. It's a flexible platform designed for note-taking but also supports task management, reading lists, calendaring, meal-planning, and more.

My ADHD brain often tricks me into buying a paper planner every six months with the thought of, "this is going to be the one to turn things around." I'm happy to report that I haven't caved to that craving since I started using Notion in July 2021.

Notion's template library provides a structure for every kind of notebook I've created so far, and it's been invaluable for my writing projects and professional development notes. In addition, the personal license offers unlimited pages making it an attractive and cost-efficient solution for centralizing all things typed.

8. Remember the Milk

Best for: Task management with priority and repetitive tasks
Available on: iOS, android, desktop browsers, Mac, and Windows

This app is essentially a substitute for using sticky notes. Remember the Milk is a productivity tool that makes it easy to create, organize, and modify tasks, and allows them to be synced across all your devices. It can also be integrated with Alexa, Siri, email, Twitter, and a bunch of other platforms, so you’re less likely to miss out on something.

9. Habitica

Best for: Managing tasks and building habits in a fun way
Available on: iOS and Android

Habitica is a productivity tool for ADHD you may have heard of if you’ve spent any time on the ADHD side of Reddit. It gamifies your life and tasks, making them more interesting to a dopamine-desperate brain.

You might like Habitica’s old-school, pixelated motivation if you are into video games. However, some people find the push notifications get a little overwhelming.

10. Cozi

Best for: Families or anyone who needs to organize multiple people
Available on: iOS, android, desktop browsers, Mac, and Windows

Cozi is a website and app made for families to sync everyone’s activities and has sections for reminders, a grocery list, a meal planner, and whatever else you need to make a note of.

It’s perfect for ADHDers and parents on the move who struggle to keep track of their family’s upcoming events and need help staying organized.

The Cozi app is free with ads or $29.99 per year for ad-free.

11. Sunsama

Best for: Planning and tracking tasks, staying on task
Available on: iOS, android, desktop browsers, Mac, and Windows

Sunsama is considered a minimalist to-do list app and wants to help you avoid overwhelm and burnout. It has a “focus mode,” allowing you to see the tasks for the day and not be overwhelmed by the rest of the week.

Sunsama also works against losing time to hyperfocus mode by prompting you to add a task’s estimated time and the time you want your work day to end. Sunsama keeps track of your analytics and shows you how long you spent on specific tasks and how long you spent at work for the week. Like many of our other listed apps, it works with tools like Trello, Slack, Notion, and others.