How Moms with ADHD Can Easily Plan a More Productive Day

Moms with ADHD often struggle to plan a productive day. Use these strategies plus a free planning sheet to help you improve productivity.

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Ever had one of those days when you wake up late in a total brain fog–

…somebody forgets their lunch (resulting in an emergency run to the school),

…you get sucked into scrolling for an hour when you look up a recipe,

…and the laundry pile threatens to topple onto the nearest toddler?

Anyone can have a bad day, but when you’re a mom with ADHD, it feels like too many days go like this.

Having an ADHD brain sometimes feels like you’re starting a race about 100 yards behind the starting line.  No matter how fast you go, you can’t seem to catch up. 

Is it possible to learn how to be more productive, even if you’re a mom with ADHD?

Daily morning routines are sanity-savers for moms with ADHD. 

Not only can they help you be more productive, but they can set you up for success by ensuring that you are mentally prepared for the day ahead. 

Bonus: taking the time to establish a daily morning routine means you can also set aside time for self-care. That means you will be in a better position to take on the tasks of the day.

Having any sort of routine will help improve productivity, but to really maximize your results, here are a few things to consider adding.

Choose 3 Must-Do Tasks for the Day

Setting your intention and tone for the day is a major part of any productive morning ritual. Do you want to be focused or scattered? Are you going in with a plan or merely reacting to the challenges of the day?

If you want to be more productive throughout the day, you must control the story. And one of the simplest approaches to do this is to begin your day by defining your Most Important Tasks (MITs). These are the top 2-3 things you want to be sure you get done that day.

Writing these MITs down at the beginning of the day will help give you a clear picture of your successful day.

This is a real case of “less is more.”  Creating an endless to-do list will only result in feeling like you have failed when you don’t cross everything off by the end of the day. 

Having just a few things to complete gives you a sense of accomplishment.  If you really have time and energy, you can always do more.

Stay Focused on Your Goals by Journaling

Journaling isn’t just for therapy anymore. In fact, writing and reflecting on your goals, feelings, and dreams can improve your mood and help you perform better throughout the day.

Reflecting on what you’ve accomplished provides a boost in self-confidence. Seeing what you’ve achieved helps you feel like a capable mom. This in turn helps provide motivation and drive for future tasks.

This doesn’t have to be pages of daily writing.  Just jot down a sentence or two about what is working, how you are doing, or even what you are thankful for.

Use a Planner

A planner is an excellent way to keep track of upcoming events and your daily routine. You can use a planner to track your daily, weekly, and monthly goals, tasks, and activities.

Reviewing your calendar in the morning (or the evening before) will help you prepare for the day and recall important details.  No more being late or forgetting to sign the permission slip!

There are many types of planners. Some planners have a space for every day, while others are weekly or monthly. Think about what kind of planner would best suit you and the way your ADHD brain works.  Do you like to see the whole week at one time?  Do you need to only focus on one day?

Also, consider if it helps you to physically write things down in a paper planner, or whether it’s better to use a digital planner or app with built-in reminders.  Or maybe you need a combination of both.

Schedule Plenty of Breaks

If you try to work when your body needs downtime, it draws on your energy reserves to keep going. This means that your body must release stress hormones to provide you with a boost of energy.  That’s not good for you!

Instead of running yourself ragged, take breaks when you need them. Listen to your body and schedule regular, short breaks at least every 90 minutes.

If you want to make the most of these breaks, take a brief walk around the yard and spend some time in nature.  Both of these have been found to help rapidly rejuvenate and recharge our energy.

Reflect on The Day

It’s too easy to wind down with Netflix at the end of the day to “relax.” Unfortunately, the human brain doesn’t really relax this way (especially not the ADHD brain). Instead, when left unresolved, ideas and feelings linger and spring up at inconvenient moments (like when you’re trying to fall asleep!).

A personal debrief can help alleviate the stress of the day. It is especially beneficial when it focuses on your triumphs and the good things that happened to you.

This technique can even alter the way you look at your days and prevent you from spiraling into negative thinking. It doesn’t have to be long; you can do something as simple as making a list of three awesome things that you accomplished or experienced during the day.

Can moms with ADHD really learn to do this?

Most people don’t realize that being productive is a skill that can be learned. It’s particularly important to work on these skills deliberately when you have ADHD.  They don’t come naturally! Just like you would work on your fitness or learn a new language, you can also work on becoming more productive.

Try adding one of these ideas into your daily routine and see how it goes. After a few days, you might just be surprised by how much more productive you can be! 

As you experience more focus and productivity, you can add in more of these ideas until you’ve created a daily morning routine that works for you.