The Essentials Series #1- From Chaos To Clarity: Find The Calendar That Will Work For You

Why Read This?

One of the first steps in getting organized is to make sure you have a calendar system that works for you. Having a system to track appointments, stay on top of deadlines, and keep track of important events helps reduce stress and makes it easier to focus on what’s really important.

What will you get from reading this?

A resource of various calendar systems and questions to help you determine the best calendar for you.

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Sure you have a "calendar". That smartphone you bought came with one. Your workplace might even provide you with one. Maybe you even carry around a beautiful leather bound calendar. But do you still find yourself missing appointments? Double-booking yourself? Having deadlines "pop-up" on you?

If so, then I would challenge you, that you don't actually have a calendar, not one that works for you, at least. Which probably means you are trying to track a whole lot of dates and appointments and important events and deadlines in your head. And it's causing you stress. So let's fix that.

Why You Need A Calendar

For adults with ADHD, managing time and staying organized can be particularly challenging. Without a reliable calendar system, it’s easy to forget appointments, double-book yourself, or feel overwhelmed by tasks. This can lead to increased stress and disappointment, making it even harder to focus.

Having a calendar helps create a sense of control and clarity in your daily life and offloads the mental burden of trying to keep it all in your head.

Determining the best calendar for you requires some reflection. What has worked for you in the past? Do you prefer paper calendars or electronic calendars? What information do you want to see when you look at your calendar?

While asking others what kind of calendar they use can be beneficial for learning what products are out there, honestly examining what you want out of your calendar will help you most.

It’s a calendar for you, not anyone else!

You may need to try a few calendars before you land on one that works for you, but beware of perfectionism!

There is no perfect calendar that will do it all!

One a scale of 1 to 10 with ten being perfect, a 7 or an 8 will do. What will make it a 7 or 8? Is it easy for you to use? Does it help you keep track of your commitments? Does it help you feel less chaotic? Beware of the apps or even paper calendars with a load of bells and whistles. They tend to excite the brain at first, but then make things so complicated the brain becomes overwhelmed.

Calendars That Work For My Clients:

There really is no one perfect calendar system. The “perfect” system is the one that works for you. Below are some examples of calendars that have worked for my clients, I encourage you to explore this list as you search for the right system for you.

Paper Calendars

- Wall Calendars: These provide a visual overview of your month, making it easier to spot conflicts and important dates at a glance. (Amazon has a bunch!)

- Planners: Daily or weekly planners like can help you easily jot down tasks and appointments. Additionally, the act of writing things down can reinforce memory and commitment. (Panda Planner is a popular one)

- Dry Erase Board Calendars: Not exactly paper, but analog. It’s a flexible, reusable way to track schedules and tasks, allowing for easy updates and changes without the need for paper. (This is a nice simple one with corkboard and a space for notes)

- Bullet Journaling (BuJo): A customizable system where you can design your layout to suit your needs, making it a fun and engaging way to stay organized using any blank book of your choosing. (While you can use any blank book, there is an official Bullet Journal Book.)

- Google Calendar: A user-friendly option that syncs across devices, allowing for color-coded events, reminders, and shared calendars, which can be great for coordinating with family or friends.

- Apple Calendar: Perfect for Apple users, offering seamless integration with other Apple apps.

- Microsoft Outlook Calendar: Particularly useful in work environments, providing features for scheduling meetings and managing tasks.

- Trello: A visual project management tool that you can adapt for personal scheduling. Create boards for different areas of your life and move tasks through stages as you complete them.

- Asana: A task management system utilizing a calendar format that allows you to break down projects into tasks, assign them due dates, add details, and track progress.

- Remarkable: A digital “paper” tablet you can use as a calendar system by creating custom templates for scheduling, setting reminders, and managing your tasks.

- Digital Wall Calendars: Electronic screen calendars that often feature interactive screens and integration with other digital tools, making them ideal for home or office. (Skylight has great reviews on Amazon)

How To Choose Your Calendar

If this list feels overwhelming, I encourage you to approach your search with a scientist’s mindset. Conduct experiments. Try out one kind of calendar. Use it for a week. Don’t enter in all your plans for the next two years, just start with a week and see how this system feels for you. If it feels good, enter in a month. No system will meet all your needs, but can you creatively problem solve the areas where this calendar does not meet your needs? If not, you’ve identified an important requirement for the next calendar system you try. Keep trying until you find something workable.

I did not say perfect, I said “workable”.

“Workable” means it allows you to track your appointments. “Workable” means it is relatively easy to use. “Workable” means you are experiencing less stress. No system will do everything you want, but does it do enough to make your life more “workable”.

Let’s take a moment to recap the questions (and add a few more) you can use to help determine which of the options above might work best for you:

What has worked for you in the past?
Do you prefer paper calendars or electronic calendars?
What information do you want to see when you look at your calendar?
Is it easy for you to use?
Does it help you keep track of your commitments?
Does it help you feel less chaotic?
Do you want it to sync with work or other family members’ calendars?
Do you need to be able to see it on your phone and/or computer? At home and/or at work?
Can you easily enter data into your system?
Do aesthetics matter?

By exploring these questions and trying out some of the options above, you can create a calendar system tailored to your needs. The goal isn’t just to fill your calendar but to use it as a powerful tool to enhance your life.

Once you have your calendar system implemented, stay tuned! We will be addressing how to create an effective To-Do list system for you next!