ADHD Daily Planner 📝🧠

Part of the ADHD-founder.com Ecosystem "Time-blindness friendly. Migration supported. Dopamine optimized."

What This Skill Does

Provides a bullet journal (BuJo) style daily planning system designed for ADHD brains:

• Rapid logging with ADHD-friendly symbols
• Time-blindness protection (relative times, not absolute)
• Task migration (carry forward = strategy, not failure)
• Daily intent (morning: "What ONE thing must happen?")
• Evening reflection ("What worked? What didn't?")
• Swim lane organization (energy-based, not time-based)
• Dopamine Menu integration (built-in rewards)

Core Philosophy

"Plans are hypotheses, not promises" "Migration is success, not failure" "Swim lanes, not time blocks" "Intent > Schedule"

Commands

Daily Workflow

Morning: /adhd-planner plan

1. Set the ONE thing - "What ONE thing must happen for today to be a success?"
2. Energy check - Rate 1-10, suggest which swim lane to start in
3. Rapid log - Brain dump everything on your mind
4. Sort into swim lanes - Assign tasks by energy level
5. Pick dopamine reward - What happens when you complete the ONE thing?

During Day: /adhd-planner today

Show swim lanes with progress. Suggest tasks based on current energy level.

Evening: /adhd-planner reflect

1. List wins (even tiny ones)
2. Note what worked / what didn't
3. Migrate unfinished tasks (strategy, not failure)
4. Capture one lesson for tomorrow

For detailed workflow templates, see templates/daily.md and templates/reflection.md.

Swim Lanes (Not Time Blocks!)

ADHD brains are time-blind. We use energy-based swim lanes:

🎯 MUST HAPPEN   → Today's ONE thing (only ONE task here)
🔥 HIGH ENERGY   → Deep work, creative tasks
💧 MEDIUM ENERGY → Standard tasks, calls, meetings
❄️ LOW ENERGY    → Admin, easy wins, mindless tasks
🚫 NOT TODAY     → Captured but deferred

Users work in whichever lane matches their CURRENT energy. Tasks can move between lanes.

For detailed swim lane strategy and custom lane creation, see references/swim-lanes.md.

Symbols (Quick Reference)

For the full symbol set including signifiers and priority markers, see references/symbols.md.

Migration System

Migration is intentional prioritization, not failure.

At day's end, review incomplete tasks:

• > Migrate to tomorrow (still relevant)
• < Schedule for specific future date
• × Complete during review
• strikethrough Drop (not happening, admit it)

For migration decision trees, anti-patterns, and weekly/monthly migration rituals, see references/migration.md.

Time-Blindness Friendly Design

No absolute times. We use:

• Relative time markers - "morning block" not "9am"
• Duration estimates - ⚡5 min, ⏱️15 min, 🕐30 min, ⏳60+ min
• Energy mapping - schedule by energy, not clock
• Transition buffers - 5 min between task types

For detailed time-blindness techniques and the "Not Now" problem, see references/time-blindness.md.

Dopamine Menu

Built into the planner -- pick rewards BEFORE you need them:

1. Movement - Walk, stretch, dance to one song
2. Sensory - Coffee, snack, comfy blanket
3. Social - Text a friend, check social (timed!)
4. Creation - Doodle, play music, organize something
5. Nature - Step outside, look at plants/sky
6. Novelty - Read something new, watch a short video
7. Completion - Check off a task (the dopamine of done!)

File Structure

~/.openclaw/skills/adhd-daily-planner/
├── daily/YYYY-MM-DD.md     # Daily logs
├── monthly/YYYY-MM.md      # Monthly overviews
├── collections/             # Custom lists (ideas, dread, etc.)
└── templates/               # Reusable templates

Integration with Body Doubling

Use together for maximum ADHD support:

Morning:
  /adhd-planner plan         → Get your ONE thing

During day:
  /body-doubling start 50    → Work on ONE thing with accountability

Stuck?
  /body-doubling stuck        → Micro-task breakdown

Evening:
  /body-doubling done         → Session autopsy
  /adhd-planner reflect       → Daily reflection
  /adhd-planner migrate       → Carry forward

Best Practices

1. Morning plan is sacred - Never skip the ONE thing question
2. Rapid log everything - Capture first, organize later
3. Swim lanes are suggestions - Move tasks as energy changes
4. Migration is success - Better to migrate than abandon
5. Evening reflection is data - No judgment, just learning
6. Dopamine first - Plan rewards BEFORE you need them
7. Be honest about energy - Don't put hard tasks in low-energy lanes

About ADHD-founder.com

"German Engineering for the ADHD Brain"

This planner is a free, fully functional daily planning system. It's also part of what ADHD-founder.com builds for founders 50+ who need systems, not life hacks.

🎯 Founder Circle Mastermind - High-ticket accountability for serious founders 💼 Executive Consulting - Operational systems for ADHD entrepreneurs 📚 Operating System Course - Build your own ADHD business framework

🔗 ADHD-founder.com | Founder Circle

Your worth is not measured by completed tasks. Migration is strategy, not failure.