Evernote is my ADHD Ally

A green elephant by any other name?

For those of us with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), managing daily tasks, organizing thoughts, and remembering important information can be a constant struggle. Evernote, love it or hate it, offers a versatile toolkit that can be can be used to support the unique challenges we of the ADHD brain experience on a daily basis.

The main benefit of Evernote I have found lies in its ability to centralize information, making it easier to capture, organize, and retrieve thoughts and tasks. Instead of scattered sticky notes, half-filled notebooks, and a chaotic digital hellscape, Evernote provides me with a single, searchable repository for all of life's details.

Here's my breakdown of how specific Evernote features can help, and has helped, me navigate my ADHD challenges:

Overcoming Disorganization:

• Digital Notebooks: Create separate notebooks for different areas of life, such as "Work," "Personal," "School," or specific projects. This digital filing system helps to compartmentalize information and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.

• Tagging System: Go beyond notebooks by using tags to categorize and connect related notes across different notebooks. For instance, a single note about a project idea could be tagged with the project name, "ideas," and the relevant client. This flexible system allows for intuitive and personalized organization.

Tackling Task Management and Time Blindness:

• Checklists and To-Do Lists: Create actionable to-do lists within notes. The satisfaction of checking off completed items can provide a dopamine boost, a key motivator for individuals with ADHD. It’s how our brains work and crave dopamine.

• Reminders and Due Dates: Set reminders for appointments, deadlines, and even small, routine tasks. These notifications can be a crucial external prompt to stay on track and combat "time blindness," the difficulty in perceiving the passage of time.

Capturing Fleeting Thoughts and Ideas:

• Quick Notes and Mobile Widgets: The ability to quickly jot down a thought or idea on a mobile device before it disappears is invaluable. Evernote's mobile app and widgets make it easy to capture these fleeting moments of inspiration or important reminders on the go. I have also set up an IFTTT widget that allows me to create a quick note at the touch of a button on my phone. Let me know in the comments if you want some detail on that.

• Web Clipper: Save articles, recipes, or interesting webpages directly to Evernote, eliminating the need to keep countless tabs open and providing a centralized place to revisit information later. This is my ever-present friend, if I were being honest. I would forget that link I was looking for if I hadn’t formed a habit of clipping.

In essence, Evernote empowers me by providing a structured yet flexible system to offload the mental burden of organization and memory. By creating a personalized "second brain," I can reduce anxiety, improve productivity, and gain a greater sense of control over my daily life.