69: An ADHD Friendly Flexible Planning System – Part 3 – Weekly Layout

My ADHD-Friendly Weekly Planning Spread

This continues my back-to-basics planning series, this time walking through how I set up my weekly spread inside a bullet journal, the piece that sits between the big annual calendar and the monthly brain dump.

Why a bullet journal over a traditional planner

I use a simple dot-grid notebook rather than a pre-dated planner, mainly because pre-dated pages make me feel guilty when I miss a week. A blank notebook lets me build only the structure that actually works for me, and lets me change that structure whenever it stops serving me. I’m constantly tweaking this system, partly because I get bored with the same layout, and partly because I keep learning new things about how my brain actually wants to track its week.

The first two-page spread: gratitude and notes

I use two separate two-page spreads for each week. On the first spread, one page is labeled gratitude, a spot to jot down a few things I’m genuinely thankful for, even if I catch up on several days at once rather than doing it perfectly every day. The facing page is simply labeled notes. This came out of realizing how often a task requires a second follow-up call or adjustment, scheduling a repair, then needing to call back with additional details. Having one dedicated spot for those loose scraps of information, rather than scattering them across sticky notes and the backs of receipts, has been genuinely useful when I need to look back and remember exactly what I already confirmed.

The second two-page spread: the weekly grid

The second spread is where the real structure lives. I divide each page into three columns and draw one horizontal line across the middle of both pages. Across the top I label the week’s date range, then assign columns to Monday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday sharing the final column since weekends tend to carry fewer fixed obligations for me.

Above the line: fixed-time commitments

The top half of each day’s column holds anything with a specific, non-negotiable time attached, appointments, pickups, scheduled calls, client work. Right along the dividing line, I also track dinner, loosely. Honestly, I usually record what we actually ate after the fact rather than planning ahead, on the theory that eventually I’ll look back at a good stretch of meals and simply repeat them. That system hasn’t fully paid off yet, but I keep tracking anyway.

Below the line: the O-N-L-Y framework

Below the dividing line, I use a framework I call ONLY. The O stands for one-and-dones, small tasks I want to focus on when time allows, rather than rigid to-dos. I now write these on three different colors of sticky notes, one color each for family, home, and work-related items, so I can see at a glance that I’m making room for all three categories rather than fixating on just one and ignoring the rest. The N stands for needs, currently a simple reminder to update whatever trackers I’m maintaining in my monthly spread. The L stands for long-term goals, a small sticky reminding me of one or two bite-sized steps toward something bigger. The Y stands for you, a reminder to actually prioritize things like exercise and eating well for myself.

Carrying tasks forward without rewriting everything

At the end of the week, I pull the sticky notes off the page, check off whatever actually got done directly on the page for a satisfying visual record, and move any unfinished stickies forward to the next week rather than rewriting them from scratch.

Your practical, actionable step

Try building just one small piece of this system this week: a single notes page for the loose logistics you’d otherwise forget, or three colored sticky notes tracking one task each for family, home, and work, so you can see at a glance whether you’re neglecting one category entirely.

Until next time, continue to choose joy.