The perfect planner for executive dysfunction from Ex-Gifted

Solution: It’s a myth that certain types of planners only work for neurotypicals and other types work well for all ND people (or even all people with your exact diagnosis.) You need a planner style that addresses your individual struggles and fits your current needs, which may change over time.

Some people with Executive Dysfunction have a hard time with lots of extra bits to do every day, so if this is you, you might want to get a more free-form planner instead of one with lots of trackers and prompts built into the pages, making your planner feel like homework (which you then avoid.) Other people with ExD really love the hand-holding and being told exactly what is supposed to go in which spot, which means a planner with lots of extra blanks and prompts and questions will work great for you!

If you’re not sure which type you are, don’t fret if you choose the wrong type at first! Leaving prompts unanswered is not a problem - cover it up with a sticker if you want. If you need prompts you don’t have, look up some templates so you can write in your own for things like schedule, gratitude, or trackers.

Developing your own planner style isn’t something that is figured out ahead of time so you can stick with it forever. You guess, practice, iterate, practice again, evolve, and just keep going.

Questions to ask first:

1. What size do you want?

- bigger (A5 or up) gives more space, but more space can feel overwhelming

- smaller is easier to carry anywhere - crucial when you’re still learning not to forget your planner

- small spaces serve as a practical limit to how much you can demand of yourself each day

2. Digital or analog (Or both)?

- digital is always with you, but it can be harder to navigate or find things once you’ve forgotten them. There’s also no natural limits to what you keep

- analog is harder (still not impossible) to ignore because it exists physically. Bookmarks and tabs make it easy to find your spot, and you can flip through pages to remind yourself of things you didn’t even remember writing down.

- each has benefits, but many of the perceived strengths of digital are actually weaknesses. If you've been trying digital and just can't figure out why it won't work, give analog a shot even if you really don't think it's right for you

3. Dated or undated?

- dated and laid out pages can be a huge convenience, or a huge guilt trip

- undated means you have to write in the date, but there’s no missed pages if you skip some days here or there

4. Would you benefit from a structured, hourly layout for each day?

- I love an hourly layout as a way to work with time agnosia, because it provides a _visual_ representation of how much time you have until that afternoon appointment, or for how long an hour is

- it can also be overwhelming for some people and may tend toward empty space

5. Do you want a lot of prompts, trackers, and special lists to fill in each day, or something more free-form?

- free-form planners like the ones I personally use and recommend allow you to use each page however you want, including adding in any of your own prompts or trackers, but that means all decisions are on you

- heavily structured planners often provide prompts for journaling, gratitude, meal planning, etc... which can help with decision fatigue in your planner, but there's not as much flexibility and filling in every space may start to feel like (the bad kind of) homework

Don't worry if you can't answer all of these questions perfectly before you even get started. This is just a first iteration. As you go, you'll learn better what works for you, and perhaps even more importantly, what you need right now at this point in your life.

Types of planners

1. Vertical Weekly

- great for time agnosia

- can feel wasteful if you don’t use every day

- “wasted” space can be perfect for decor, trackers, or quotes

2. Horizontal Weekly

- more convenient than vertical for writing in notes

- some styles include a full blank page to use for trackers, weekly goals or tasks, or anything you want

- highly practical, but less structured than the hourly layout of a vertical weekly spread, and less space than a daily spread

3. Daily

- plenty of space for most anyone’s needs

- all that space may seem overwhelming without built-in prompts or trackers telling you what to write (but those may feel like an overwhelming obligation themselves)

- many styles don’t include a weekly spread, so you can’t see the whole week at once, which may be good or bad depending on your needs

4. Bullet Journal

- completely customizable and adjustable, even from day-to-day

- no wasted space or pages if you don’t use your planner every day, or if your space needs vary day to day.

- cheap or free to start, but easy to upgrade

- since there’s nothing set up, you have to make all the decisions and all the spreads (which you can do as simply as you like)

- method can be adapted to use in other planners

Also consider:

5. Discs/rings

- these can be used with any of the above types of planners

- both options make it very

6. Rocketbook

- while it isn’t so easy to move pages (unless you make yours into a discbound notebook like I did), it is easy to move your analog pages into a digital format

- you can bullet journal, design your own reusable planner, or buy one of their options pre-made (this is an affiliate link. I get a small commission from all purchases at no cost to you. Thanks!)

- use the same book as long as you want, since the pages are easily erasable and reused

7. Obsidian (or Notion)

- if you want a digital bullet journal, Obsidian.md is my absolute favorite, and can even rival analog in the speed from idea to starting to take your note

---

Check out my Ko-Fi page! It’s been redesigned and I’m posting so much over there as I work on moving to a new website. I’m hosting challenges, posting previews for blog posts in progress, and of course uploading the video versions of this podcast right here. And the challenges are entirely free for anyone following along while they’re currently active!

I also have a new membership option.

The natural 1 membership is for normal people, but still unlocks every single post that you can only get otherwise with a minimum of a $3 donation, as well as the challenges and on-demand content in the Members Hub.

Join the Natural 1 membership for only $1/month!

My current goal is to reach a lofty $120 in a single month. This is approximately my monthly budget for podcast hosting, web hosting, email service, and all those other little things that add up. Once I reach that point – I’m having a party and will look forward to putting out some rewards and coming up with some kind of fun goal other than just breaking even.

You can also find me at https://instagram.com/chaotic.organized on Instagram and https://chaoticorganized.com for more executive dysfunction tips and commiseration.

—

Music

Kawai Kitsune by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4990-kawai-kitsune

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

About the Ex-Gifted Podcast:

If you are a former gifted kid who grew up to struggle with basic adulting, then you need the Ex-Gifted podcast.

Host Ren Eliza talks about gifted kid burnout, and the damage that lasts long into adulthood. Damage like battered self esteem, decimated internal motivation, and a continued failure to live up to expectations even while we were placed on pedestals and alienated from our peers.

Ex-Gifted will cover failure, procrastination, imposter syndrome, and chronic anxiety and depression, and a whole lot more.

Each episode also offers suggestions to deal with your executive dysfunction in adulthood so you can rebuild the systems that allowed you to shine so brightly in childhood.

We’re making exceptional children into functional adults.

Thanks!

← See all 35 episodes of Ex-Gifted