Notes & Knowledge
ADHD to do list: why a done list works better
Writing everything down helps, until the list itself makes you feel further behind. Why one main task a day, and a record of what you finished, works better.
disclaimer: these posts are not medical advice and provided as information only, with no guarantees
When you have a lot on your plate, putting it into a list is a good way of clearing your mind and making sure you are not missing any of the important things you need to do. It is a really good first step when you feel overwhelmed, behind, or otherwise paralysed to the point of not being able to start anything — which is a very common situation, especially for those of us who live with ADHD.
Once you have done that, some of the anxiety might be relieved. But it can also happen that seeing everything in one big list makes you realise even more acutely just how behind you feel, and just how many tasks are in need of your action.
The short version
Clear the mind
Writing everything down clears your mind and stops you missing the important things.
The list can sting
Seeing it all in one list can also make you feel further behind.
Several things a day
Most planners then ask you to commit to several things in one day.
Tomorrow collapses
That sometimes works, and more often it leaves you unable to start the next day.
One item a day
One item a day, the one you picked as most important, is more likely to build momentum.
Why committing to several things fails
The typical failure mode of other planning apps — and of standard planning tools like diaries and agendas — is the idea that by committing to multiple things within the same day, you can get all of them done.
Sometimes that works, and it can feel great. But more often than not, after one day of knocking out item after item, you find you are so mentally or physically exhausted the next day that you simply cannot get started on anything. That is a very common experience for many of us.
One main task a day
This is why Herding Chickens gives you an unlimited number of items to capture, but always makes you pick only one of them as your main task for the day.
A sustainable pace like that might feel like you are not making much progress. But the risk of not managing to get there is a lot lower: it is a single item, and it is the single item you picked as the most important one on your list. That makes it more likely to build momentum.
The done list
As well as celebrating the completion of each chosen task with you, Herding Chickens keeps track of how many consecutive days you have managed it.
That count is, in a way, a very simple version of a done list. A done list, unlike a to-do list, is a way of recording all the things you have actually done. Especially for people with ADHD, such a list can be effective as part of a self-monitoring programme. In a randomised trial (https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054714553050) of college students with ADHD, everyone got study-skills training and goal setting. The half who also kept a daily checklist of their own behaviour improved on goal attainment, while the half who did not keep such a checklist did not improve on it. Perhaps it can improve yours as well.
Try it today
- Write down everything that is on your plate, in one place.
- Pick one item from it as today's main.
Everything else stays on the list, which is what the list is for. Some of it can come off entirely, and some of it should have been a no in the first place.
The first version runs in Telegram; there's no store download yet. Join the waitlist for a launch email.
Keep reading
- ADHD one task at a time: why only one main
- ADHD task paralysis: break it down instead of "just do it"
- ADHD inner critic: why a two-minute win still counts
- With ADHD, dropping tasks from a long to-do list is a win
- More on Notes & Knowledge
Herding Chickens is a productivity app in development, not medical advice, therapy, or an ADHD diagnosis. If you are struggling, talk to a qualified clinician. In the UK, start with the NHS ADHD in adults page.