Overall TIPS

1. Try color coding your calendar by class/activity.

2. Add self-care to your calendars and routine.

3. Subscribe to external calendars so that you only have to use one app (preferably the calendar built into your phone).

4. Uncheck the visibility next to calendars you only need sometimes if you are feeling overwhelmed.

5. Schedule time/reminders to check in with social friends, especially if you’re not good at remembering to reach out to people you care about. (Ex: Repeat every 8 weeks).

Beyond the obvious uses, some tips from how I really use Reminders (and similar basic apps) effectively for me:

• Apple Reminders is my most used productivity tool, hands down, especially now that it seamlessly integrates with my iphone calendar, too. I can set multiple notification reminders for certain extremely important tasks as needed, on a schedule I can customize (for example, I can create one reminder for a test with multiple alarms/notifications: two weeks in advance, one week in advance, then two days before, the night before, and then when I need to leave to get there in time). 

• You can share Reminders lists with accountability buddies to help you stay on track. I have done this many times with my college accountability clients who like to use Reminders for their schoolwork. 

• Create a Brain Dump list. I have one physical notebook as well as one digital list on my Reminders.

  • Anytime I think of a task I need to do (so often happens when I’m in the middle of something else), I immediately jot it down on my Brain Dump list so I can more quickly get back to my original task.

  • When I eventually have time, I can organize it elsewhere (maybe putting something on the calendar or on another dedicated list), or I may just go ahead and tackle the task at hand. 

  • I’m also building the habit of spending 5 minutes about 30 minutes before I go to bed to check my brain dump list and add anything I can think of that might be swirling around in my brain.

  • Externalizing these tasks make them less overwhelming, and I can sleep better since my brain knows I put it somewhere so I’m less anxious about forgetting to remember it down the road (and yes, those verbs make sense to me and probably other neurodivergent people). 

  • So I have one alarm to remind myself to take those 5 minutes to do check my Brain Dump list. 

• For some people, notifications have a critical peak utility after which they just become noise, and that peak happens differently for different people. 

  1. If you find yourself regularly dismissing notifications/timers, having trouble refocusing after the disruption of a notification, or are experiencing other drawbacks to having multiple pings or pop-ups, it’s probably time to manage your notifications. 

  2. Start by turning off all unnecessary notifications. Go to those apps (ex: News, social media) at certain intentional times rather than letting them rule your life every time someone you follow posts. 

  3. If they’re still overwhelming, make sure you decide if you want them to pop up (Banner) or only when you go to that app. Decide if you want a vibration or even sound reminder. For me, a ping will start to stress me out at the wrong moment! 

  4. If you’re like me, you might just want to set a few alarms. For example, I have a dedicated nightly alarm reminding me to log my tasks in my habit tracker each evening as I wind down. 

• Create a Productive Procrastination list: A list of tasks that are good to do but are medium to low priority. One ironic symptom of ADHD is needing a distraction in order to actually focus on a different task. So yes, we may study with music on, but we also may only get certain tasks done if we’re using them to actively avoid something else. Why not work with this brain feature and create a list of procrastination items - that still ultimately are good to get done?

  • Example of what’s on my list right now: 

    • Water houseplants

    • Take out the recycling

    • Dust the ceiling fans

    • Move one thing that’s out of place

    • Sort the mail

    • Hang up new picture frame

• Create a Hyperfocus list: Like the other specific lists on here, I fill this one with specific tasks. For me, it’s a mix of creative tasks that I’d like to do when I have the time and energy to do them guilt-free and tasks that in general need a little more complex decision-making or overall effort to complete. 

• If you’re not using a Habit Tracker elsewhere, you can also use Reminders to at least write out your Morning and Evening routines, and perhaps even build routine lists based on energy level (as discussed below in the Habitify section). 

• Ask for help! Technology is always changing, and those who are good with tech are usually more than willing to show you how to use a new feature. I know now you can make a lot of automations and widgets to make apps even more usable, but I don’t necessarily always know how to do these without reading a tutorial, watching a YouTube video, or asking a friend or family member to show me how to set it up. 

Create customized Do Not Disturb settings.

Turn on ScreenTime at least to track your usage, even if you don’t set any restrictions for yourself.