The Attentive Archive

🔮The ADHD Grimoire

Updated 1 day, 23 hours ago

Psst! 👀

📌 Please note 📌

The ADHD Grimoire is a living document, so its content is subject to change. Review the changelog by tapping here.

This page contains referral and/or affiliate links. Using them to sign up for a service or make a purchase may benefit me at no additional cost to you.

For more details on my policies surrounding this please visit the Advertising & Affiliate Marketing section on my Disclosures page.

⚠️ Important ⚠️

⭐ I have done my absolute best to minimize the digital ADHD Tax™ by choosing tools that are free, have a usable free tier, or offer a lifetime subscription. If there is something on this list that is truly subscription-only it is because I feel it has been worth the expense to me personally.

⭐ ⭐ Please carefully evaluate any impulse to purchase before paying for subscription services. The amount of money I have wasted on year-long subscriptions to apps I only used for 2-weeks (or that I could have used perfectly well for free) is truly mortifying.

🤑 Pro-Tip: Many apps use a marketing tactic called Sequential Discounting, also known as a Discount Ladder.

Here’s how it works: They offer you a price, but if you ignore it, they offer you a lower one a few days later. If you ignore that one, you might get an even bigger discount after a week.

So, make it a rule to never accept the first subscription offer. Knowing your patience may be rewarded with a better price.

⭐ My Process for Vetting Subscription-Only Tools

If I am unsure at that point I will repeat for another month.

If I am still unsure after 3 months I will not continue to subscribe.

📍 Jump To

💡 For an immediately usable template for the Grimoire, tap here to see my original ADHD Grimoire List on TwosApp

🔔 Reminders

Tap here for my Reminders template on TwosApp

Daily/Weekly

🩻 Med-Minder

Tap here for my Med-Minder template on TwosApp

Currently Taking

Provider Information

[Provider Name]

Notes for Next Appointment

🧰 Toolbox

📓 Favorite Paper Planners and Analog Tools

Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills

A potentially invaluable resource, curate your own suite of coping skills and create a handy guide to your personal neurodivergent experience.

Hobonichi Weeks

I used a standard in 2023 and a Mega (I write a lot and it has more note pages) in 2024 and beyond.

There are a lot of planners in a similar size and layout for any price point now, this is just the one I have used and can personally vouch for. I also love the light cream paper, it's somehow much softer on my eyes.

Field Notes

My external brain. I don't go anywhere (including from room to room) without one.

Index Cards

Companion to my Field Notes. Collections and anything else that is going to persist from book to book ends up on a card instead. This saves paper, ink, lead, and my hands from a lot of duplicate work.

Uni Kurutoga Mechanical Pencil, 0.3mm or 0.5mm

Anterique Mach Ballpoint Pens

Zebra Mildliner Highlighters

Stimagz

I take these things everywhere, literally. I feel naked without them even if they just stay in my pocket.

Frost Buddy's Thicc Buddies

A leak-proof insulated tumbler with a slot in the handle for lip balm! AND a hook for your keys (or anything else you can put on a carabiner)! A recipe for massive ADHD wins, stay hydrated and don't lose your keys or lip-balm. I've been obsessed since they came out.

They also come in sizes from 16 ounces all the way up to 50, so you don't have to lug around a huge cup if that's not your jam.

☎️ Apps

BitWarden : Free and open source password manager.

If you take only one thing from this list, let it be a password manager. The time and mental effort of remembering actually important things that I have saved is incalculable at this point.

A Digital Calendar

I use Proton Calendar but any digital calendar that allows reminders works.

TwosApp

I use Twos like a digital Field Notes, if for whatever reason I can't physically write something down or I need something to be searchable and sharable, it goes in my Twos.

RemNote

Local first study notes, flashcards, digital zettelkasten, second brain. Markdown, txt, HTML, and LaTeX (mathematical notation) compatibility on the most robust free tier I've seen yet. I really wish I'd found this one before my final semester of classes!

RoutineFlow App

There are two apps on this list that I can't possibly recommend highly enough, and this is one of them. I have not tried similar apps because, for me, this one just works. The persistent notifications and halfway reminders for each task are exactly what I need.

HelloHabit

There are a million habit tracking apps out there, but the yearly view and the single habit widget are what got me with this one.

I don't have to open the app to complete a habit, I just put the widgets for the most important ones on my home-screen and tap to complete! I also love that there's a web-app.

Speechify

This one is on the pricey side but I absolutely recommend it if you're eligible for this or the student discount (do not pay full price).

I have used it almost every day since I signed up, for everything from textbooks and articles, to my own writing. My current favorite voices are Cliff (the founder) and Ali Abdaal.

Simple Coin Flip (Android)

Free, no ads, no weird permissions. This is my simplest solution to task or initiation paralysis. When I can't decide where to start, what to watch, what to read, what to eat (and the options are otherwise relatively equal) I literally just flip a coin.

Even if I decide to do the opposite thing, it helps me make the decision so I can get on with my life!

ScreenZen

This is the other one I can't possibly recommend enough, and it's how I quit Instagram. The pause before opening what I think of as "trap-apps" works extremely well - and it's free!

Update (8/27/25): It looks like they have an app for Mac (not just iPhones) now. I'm not a Mac user so I can't vouch for the usability, but that's exciting! Here's hoping a Windows/Browser Extension version is on the roadmap 🤞

MultiTimer

There is a lot of functionality built into this seemingly simple app. I have been using it for everything from laundry, to bread, to simply alerting myself that time is passing by having a timer chime every 20 minutes when I'm working on something that gets my hyperfocus going. (Like this list, haha)

Forest

Fun twist on the pomodoro method, grow a cute little tree while you work and earn coins to unlock more plants. Grow your forest with your focus!
Use code: 3CQ8HX3SG for 500 in-game coins

Habitica

If you've ever searched for productivity apps or anything with "gamification", you've heard of Habitica. There are a lot of similar apps out there now, but there's just something about this one that keeps me coming back, especially when I need a fresh start. Also bonus points for having a webapp.

Calm App

I know. It's pricey. This one might be the most indulgent one on the list but hear me out: The ways to get a subscription for free or very affordably are increasing, this includes a growing number of employers who provide membership at no cost to you, so if you're interested it could really be worth looking into.

The only reason I ever became a consistent user was by getting the student pricing of $9USD (yes, nine dollars) for a whole year. I have used it to meditate a minimum of 3 times weekly since 2023, but I also use the soundscapes, sleep stories, and their text-based pauses regularly as well.

Once I had gone a whole year of using Calm in some capacity almost every day I decided to go all in, and the lifetime subscription at a 60% discount was the only thing I purchased on Black Friday in 2024.

Insight Timer

If Calm isn't for you, which could be for any number of reasons, this is the best alternative (I actually use both for different things). Again a very rich free-tier, and a webapp, too.

I love the map that shows other people meditating at the same time as you around the world, and the timer that chimes at your chosen intervals.

Sunrise Journaling

This app has evolved a whole lot since I first started using it. My favorite simple and unique feature is still the Do Nothing Timer, which requires you to hold a finger on the screen in order to keep the timer going - making it impossible to use your phone as a distraction when you are intentionally "doing nothing".

There are lots of well thought out details like this sprinkled throughout the app, a timer that counts down instead of up (or vice versa) while you're journaling is another example.

In recent months they have added some really interesting and thoughtful journaling prompts and an encouragement-focused anonymous feedback mechanism in the paid version, all while keeping the interface clean and soothing.

Bearable

If you are trying to understand how your symptoms, daily routines, energy levels, sleep, food, exercise, seasons, and the weather might all be related in the way they affect you - Bearable is your guy.

It can be a bit overwhelming at first, so my suggestion would be to start with a couple of simple things to track and add on as your familiarity and comfort levels increase.

This app has been a valuable way for me to track the little experiments I do on myself all the time, and I can't overstate how much I appreciate their commitment to data safety and transparent pricing.

Finch Self Care

Do you manage to pacify a certain green owl every day for hundreds of days in a row, but fall off of habit and mood tracking almost immediately? Me-effing-too.

Chatting about this with some internet friends helped me realize the social element is (probably) what keeps me coming back. I'm not really learning anything from the owl but, of all things, I really don't want to break my friend streaks.

They suggested I try Finch), shared their codes so I would immediately have a tree filled with little friends, and as of this writing I'm 44 days strong! 💪

🎞️ YouTube

How to ADHD

A great place to start - or to send friends and fam who don't understand how neurodivergence can affect every aspect of your life.

Russell Barkley, PhD

Foremost expert in adult ADHD, regularly releases videos discussing (and sometimes debunking) the latest articles, studies, and science on ADHD.

Hayley Honeyman

"Routines for ADHD that ACTUALLY WORK" is a must for anyone who regularly feels defeated when they can't keep a regular routine.

Rachelle In Theory

Planner and soft-productivity advocate. I recommend "The Planner Hierarchy" and "Productivity 101" to anyone trying to figure out why their system isn't working, and how to fix it. But she has a ton of great planning and productivity content, definitely worth taking a look (and maybe a few notes).

Evie Ran

Everyday psychology and healthy productivity by a psychologist with ADHD. If you want to use time-blocking but you haven't gotten it to work for you, she has some great advice.

Life Actuator

Hilarious because true. (Laugh to keep from crying)

Megan Rhiannon

Illustrator in the UK, Autism-friendly, lovely soft-goth aesthetic and planner content. I like to listen to her videos while I'm working on repetitive tasks or having coffee/breakfast at my desk while I catch up with my group chats.

Nutrition Facts

Not exactly ADHD specific, but as a chef and nutrition nerd I really appreciate their science-backed, yet accessible, content.

I know a lot of my neurodivergent fam struggles with proper nutrition (and there is a smorgasbord of misinformation floating around on the internet), but improving your diet doesn't have to be complicated!

LoFi Girl

C'mon... Everyone loves LoFi Girl. Recently I've also been enjoying LoFi Boy (the chill synthwave alter-ego).

📚 Books

Please consider checking your local library (or the Libby App), or purchasing from a local bookseller and other socially conscious companies like Bookshop.org (New), ThriftBooks (New & Used), or Libro FM (audiobooks!) before purchasing from Amazon or other large retailers. (No judgement if a large retailer is your best option, I just like to promote the good guys!)

Tiny Experiments - Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Anne-Laure distills the the sociological and neuroscientific complexities surrounding how (and why) curiosity, experimentation, and openness can teach us about ourselves, each other, and the importance of community into this beautifully accessible and immediately actionable manifesto.

I have never felt so seen by a piece of writing in my entire life, which is really saying something because I love to read and I read pretty fast.
ThriftBooks | Libro.FM 🎧

Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD (3rd Edition) - Susan Pinsky

A practical, tactical guide that honestly could make life easier for just about anyone. I was pretty organized to begin with but every time I reread this I learn something new. 100/10, no notes.
ThriftBooks | Libro.FM 🎧

Taking Charge of Adult ADHD - Dr. Russell Barkley, PhD (2nd Edition)

This is ADHD canon. If you're trying to learn about adult ADHD for yourself or a loved one, this book is absolutely packed with information addressing everything from the history of the condition, its potential risks, and medical interventions, to practical tips you can implement right away.
ThriftBooks | Libro.FM 🎧

How to Calm Your Mind - Chris Bailey

If you've ever had a panic or anxiety attack, felt overwhelmed, or been so burnt out you could hardly function, start here. Chris' journey to calm is shockingly relatable, and he reads the audiobook himself.
ThriftBooks | Libro.FM 🎧

Order From Chaos - Jaclyn Paul

My favorite thing about Jaclyn is that she isn't a doctor, therapist, or life-coach. She chose to share her experience and helpful strategies as a blogger and that organically grew into a community.

Her "Open Loops" implementation is gold, and I am inspired by her ethical approach every time I sit down to work on this project.
ThriftBooks | Libro.FM 🎧

How to Keep House While Drowning - K.C. Davis

All of these books need proper reviews of their own, they've all changed my life in some way or another. But this is the toughest one to summarize so far.

I listened to the Audiobook on a whim, during a time when I really felt like I was drowning but no one seemed to understand, and it gave me what I needed to keep going. ❤️‍🩹
ThriftBooks | Libro.FM 🎧

A System for Writing - Bob Doto

This isn't an ADHD book specifically, but if I could create a visual representation of how my mind works to make the most random connections and catalog information, Bob's interpretation of the zettelkasten system would be it.
Amazon

#resource