How I Get Things Done
Individual Productivity Systems and ADHD
Most of my posts on this Substack are about projects, team management, or change. But (surprise!) I’m also fairly obsessed with personal knowledge management and productivity. Since I’m my own best research subject, I periodically do an inventory of the systems and apps that are working for me.
A couple of years ago I learned that I have ADHD. As is my wont, I decided to learn as much as I possibly could about this. A few issues with productivity have always dogged me: not starting things, not finishing things, having no sense of time, and being overwhelmed by too many choices. All my productivity processes, no matter how beautiful, would eventually bang up against these executive function issues and I’d fall apart. Learning about methods and systems that worked well for people with ADHD has sparked a few changes in my routine which I’m pretty happy with.
Before I start, I want to mention some other folks I’ve gotten a lot from in terms of specific ADHD issues and how to manage them: The ADHD Weasel and Extra Focus • ADHD Newsletter. These and others are excellent for figuring out how to work with our brains. My focus here is more on taking those lessons and fitting them into my personal organization/knowledge-management/productivity world.
So without further ado:
Productivity Philosophy
My main productivity philosophy (as I’ve probably mentioned) is the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology. The basics are: put everything you have to do into one trusted system, and review that list frequently to make sure your priorities are correct at any given time. Over the years I’ve used this methodology I’ve made my own tweaks to it, but generally it’s been extremely helpful. Having one giant to-do list but narrowing it down on a weekly/daily basis means I don’t get anxious that I’m forgetting anything, and I don’t get overwhelmed by trying to keep all of it moving at the same time. I conduct daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly reviews of my goals and progress.
Task Management (Amazing Marvin)
When I got serious about GTD, I purchased OmniFocus. This software was originally built with GTD in mind so it gave me a boost in my organization and prioritization efforts. Unfortunately, it wasn’t much help for the “getting things done” parts of GTD. I organized and prioritized till I had a perfect plan, but getting started and following through were still awful.
Enter Amazing Marvin. This software is made for everyone, but especially for people with ADHD. It does all the organizing/planning of other systems, but also includes tons of flexibility in terms of methodology, look and feel, and behavior. If you’re overwhelmed by long lists, there are ways to shorten them. If you want to divide your work up into shorter time periods, you can do it. It includes procrastination wizards, gamification, timers, you name it. You can break your tasks up into teeny subtasks if that helps you get moving. And the best part is that if you set up a system and find that it’s become too cumbersome or boring, just change it! On the fly. I’ve been using Amazing Marvin for over a year now and it really has helped me get things done in a way that works with my ADHD brain.
Knowledge Management (Obsidian)
From the time I learned how to write, I’ve taken notes on everything (I made a card catalog for my books as a kid, for example). I wrote everything down and referred to it all later because I have trouble remembering details unless they are in writing. This goes along with some ADHD memory issues I’ve written about elsewhere. I used a spiral notebook for this for years, then switched to Evernote. With that, I could keep it all in a searchable format that could be accessed by my phone or my laptop. Over time though, Evernote felt clunkier, had features I didn’t need, and became much more expensive (I wrote about this phenomenon too), so I decided to look for a simpler/more flexible option.
And boy did I find it in Obsidian. This tool is deceptively simple. You make notes (like little docs that can hold as much or as little as you need), then you link them, use labels and folders and attributes to organize them, and you’re off to the races. Then when you feel like you need a little more, you can use one of many plugins to get more complicated/powerful. It will do everything but tie your shoes, if you want it to. I’m using it to make a personal wiki containing my whole life. Maybe a little ambitious, but no one has ever accused me of not being optimistic about my abilities to do all the tough things.
Planning and Reflection (Obsidian)
Back in the twentieth century, I used a paper planner called the Day-Timer. I loved that it had little notebooks for each month that I could carry around in my special leather wallet and then store in a sturdy file box when done. Eventually I moved my meeting schedule to an online calendar and left the Day-Timer behind. When I realized I needed something more specifically for planning and reflection, I went on a search, and found the Monk Manual. This planner encourages you to look at your time in terms of both Being and Doing instead of just productivity. It has spaces for planning your day/week, checking things off, and recording gratitude and learnings. If you want to carry a paper planner, this is my very favorite.
At the start of 2026, I realized that I was planning and reviewing my days in three different places (Monk Manual, Obsidian, and Amazing Marvin). I decided to do away with the paper, and I moved the planning and reflection to Obsidian. Now I have Daily/Weekly/Yearly notes for my plans, learnings, gratitude, and longer term goals. I can search them, link to other relevant notes (people, projects, topics), and change the format when it needs a tweak. Putting all this into Obsidian has made it very easy to check in on myself and hold myself accountable.
What Next?
Realizing that I have ADHD has led me to better understanding what’s happening in my brain and what I can do to help myself get things done. ADHD symptoms can explain why some of the tools I used in the past were not working. I’m happier with what I’m using now, and I understand that the system needs to be flexible to work for me.
At some point, I’ll write an entire post about time blindness and how I’m handling it. I’d also like to just do what my parents do and start the day running, but I’m not there yet (I need to sit still for a bit to transition to being awake). I’m a work in progress.
What kind of systems and tools work for you? Whether you have ADHD or not, I’d love to learn what keeps you moving.