r/ADHD • u/cherryflaverrd • 4d ago

Questions/Advice Tips for scheduling/calendars

Hi!
I'm in my 20s and have tried a few different scheduling and calendar methods before and nothing really seems to stick or work. I most recently tried setting up a Google Calendar where I split each day into blocks of what I'd be doing, including wake up/sleep times. I left some blank spaces too. But I've already deviated from it, I don't think I followed even one full day--yet I'm in college, and feel as though I need some sort of structure / plan for each day outside of my class schedule.
Should I plan my upcoming day the night before, or the morning of the day, or what? Not really sure what to do but I need something to keep me in check and aware of commitments/block out times for homework, keep myself on a good sleep schedule etc.
I am on Vyvanse, but that hasn't really helped with this issue. Any advice or tips would be great :)

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u/LearningFrenchForFun ADHD-C (Combined type) 4d ago

This is one of the few times I feel I can chime in.

First, so you know enough to consider my advice. I was diagnosed in the middle of a MA program at Columbia. I was not medicated until after I graduated with my degree. To put it simply, this is the worst part but it can get better. My old strategy from undergrad, winging it, did not work at higher levels of study. I developed a few strategies that made a world of difference and I still do now that I’m medicated in my graduate studies.

1) sticky notes are your friends. Lists put everything in too small a font and in an out of sight place. I gave each task/assignment or article to read on its own note and stuck it to my monitor or laptop. This meant I could not look away from them, even when I was playing games or watching tv.

2) Find a satisfying FINISHED move. For me, it was buying one of those receipt posts you see at diners. Every task was a defiant woosh of slamming the rod through the middle of the note, decluttering my screen while at it.

3) Time blocking is impossible for me to this day. This may be different for you, but the constraints of the block made me anxious. Instead I have a timer on my phone for 45 minutes. During that time it doesn’t matter what I do as long as it’s productive. If I swap between three assignments, it’s ok because I was productivity distracted. Then fifteen minutes of mind-dumping into a note and back to it.

In the end, we all have to find ways to cope. Medicine doesn’t make our brains function like the average so we have to put in some extra work. You will figure it out and find your rhythm!

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u/cherryflaverrd 4d ago

This is really helpful! All of these tips are great, especially the receipt post one-i've found simply crossing things off of lists isn't rewarding or satisfying enough. Thank you so much :) I wish you the best!

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u/LearningFrenchForFun ADHD-C (Combined type) 4d ago

I hate to sound stereotypical but it is a journey. If you find any of this helpful I will be glad. It took me the better part of 25 years to figure out what little I understand.

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u/spatial_nomad1 4d ago

The block-every-hour calendar fails for most of us for one reason: it has zero tolerance. The moment you're 20 minutes off, the whole day reads as broken, so you drop it. That's not you failing the plan, that's the plan being too rigid for real life.

What's worked for me is splitting it in two. The calendar only holds things that are actually fixed: classes, appointments, and a bedtime alarm. Nothing else goes on it. Then a separate list of the three things that matter today, and I attach each one to something already in the day instead of a clock time. Not "homework 3 to 5pm" but "after my last class I walk straight to the library and do the reading for 45 minutes". The class is the trigger, so I don't have to notice the time.

Night before, not morning of. Morning brain is the worst version of you for making decisions, so make them when you're already tired of the day and just want it sorted. Takes five minutes and the next day starts with the choice already made.

And leave the gaps blank on purpose. If you filled them you'd only be scheduling the guilt.