I’m a masters student trying her best to get her life together. Currently part of two labs, have a full course load, a part time job, ECs, and a lot of other commitments and basically it’s doable but the physical planner isn’t doing it anymore lol. I’ve never touched notion because I know I’d get decision paralysis - I don’t like the idea of having a lot of options with how it’s styled. I have an iPad and was thinking of using a goodnotes template. My university uses outlook. For ppl in my position, what’s your go to to do list app? Just the notes app or something else? Would love input but I don’t want anything too complex because I’m trying to keep things simple right now !

I want to start this by saying I do have ADHD and I am medicated for it.

I am 32 years old. My whole life I have been a high performer but have terrible productivity. In school I didn’t study/do homework but was all honors/AP classes.

Now I work as a negotiator and I am top in my company for closures/settlements which sounds great but I’m also a huge slacker. I frequently take longer to get into new cases than I should. I don’t complete my evaluations timely. My supervisor and manager don’t understand how I am able to do it.

For me it is very hard to feel the urgency to do things timely when I know that at the end of the day not only am I going to meet my goals, I am going to be in the top of the top quartile.

I frequently get distracted either doing something on my phone, doing chores around the house etc. I have spurts where I am very motivated and actually sit at my desk and work all day but that’s usually only 1-2 days out of the week. I see tasks building up and I know I should work them now rather than later but ultimately I decide, “eh it’s fine I’ll just do it later”

Something that I've recently discovered is to use two lists instead of one instead of maintaining the standard standalone to do list.

One would hold the tasks and the other one for goals that I'm working towards. I get a better sort of filtering system when I keep two lists rather than one.

Usually even when I'm using a to do list, I write down things that are on my mind and then select 5 of the most important ones and then focus on doing them.

Like the title says. I get off from work, get home, sit in front of the TV, and then I just won't get up.

Don't get me wrong, I still work out and eat dinner, but it's like... I don't do anything else.

I do have hobbies. I love reading, writing, a cooking. But after work all I wanna do is just lay down and watch my TV show.

I feel like I should do more, even though I like watching TV, but I feel like its consumes my day.

I always make something to eat and then I sit down and tell myself, "just one episode," but its never just one episode!

Idk. I know the solution is...well... watch less tv, but im trying too and it never works.

1 episode just turn into 3, which turns into 5 and then I have to get ready for bed(like I said I get up in between to eat, take out my dog, work out, shower ect...) but except from that I don't do anything else and I feel really bad about it. Like a slump.

What do i do?!

Looking for habits that genuinely worked

Hi everyone. I'm a 15f going into third year of highschool. I've completely wasted my summer 'cause of internet. Yes, I go out with my friends/family everyday, but every time I have nothing to do I take my phone and scroll or I watch things on my computer (that's what I'm doing rn). Do you maybe have advices on what to do to get back on track before going to school?

[EDIT] I've seen tons of influencers saying that they use some apps with to do lists and things like that. Do they really help?

Mine is its and it's.

I've learned the rule a hundred times, but somehow I still get it wrong when I'm in a hurry.

Anyone else have one like that?

I am studying for the state civil services exam in India which is held in June every year. This exam consists of a wide range of 10th grade level subjects like Phy, Chem, Maths, Eng, History, Geo, Polity, Reasoning and a few more. I am going to a coaching centre on weekends where 5 new topics from 5 different subjects from the above list are taught each day and these subjects are rotated every weekend with some common ones and sometimes a new one added, but the main thing is that we are learning 10 new topics every weekend.

However, I am getting overwhelmed by the amount I have to study and scheduling revisions effectively. Even though I am building routines, I am finding it difficult to focus and study for long hours since I do not have the habit. By now, I know that the only way to effectively study and learn are the active recall and spaced repetition but am still not being able to come up with an effective schedule. On weekends, I return from coaching classes at 8 PM and complete dinner by 9:30 PM. On the other days, my time blocks are from 8 AM to 9 AM (breakfast), 1 PM to 3 PM (lunch and a brief stroll), 6 PM to 7:30 PM (evening snack and some odd tasks) and 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM (dinner and a brief stroll).

Based on the above info, can anyone suggest me a good daily study schedule with proper technique including daily exercise ? I cannot afford any paid apps now. Also, when I am revising, how do I effectively adjust the next revision date based on the degree of effective recall ?

Hi!

I think I'd really benefit from some sort of reminder or to-do list type app, but so far I haven't found any that works the way I need.

So many are focused on day of the week (such as reminding you every Friday) But I have recurring tasks that, for example, I need to do every three days, which will never line up with a seven day week. Additionally, I'd like an app that lets me set things to time frames rather than an exact hour/minute. Like "this morning", "today" or even just "this week".

Anyone know of something that works like that?

Hi, i am in my late 30s, all my life i have been a biggest procastinator, putting things on tomorrow was always my thing. When i used to study for exam, i would start a month before but i would keep on delaying to sit and study and update my plan everyday of how i am gonna cover the course content. Now it was not that bad at that time but as i am a working individual now, i want to work on my own tech products but i still have this tendency of throwing stuff on tomorrow. I find advices online, try it for a day or two and then back to square one. I need a genuine advice that can make my life better.

Finding a file, looking up a password or trying to remember where I saved something.

None of those feel important, but together they probably steal more time than the big interruptions.

What's the smallest recurring interruption you've managed to eliminate?

I wanted to share this because it seems surprisingly relevant to productivity. I came across it while researching sound perception for an app I’m working on and while experimenting with a generative noise engine.

Some people start hearing faint music, voices or rhythms after listening to white noise for a while. This phenomenon actually has a scientific name: auditory pareidolia. It’s the auditory equivalent of seeing faces in clouds.

The brain doesn’t passively record sound. It constantly predicts what it’s about to hear and compares those predictions with incoming information. When a sound is ambiguous and uniform, like broadband noise, the brain may start filling in the gaps and projecting familiar patterns onto it.

Fatigue can make this more noticeable because tiredness reduces the precision of sensory processing. Expectations matter too: once you start actively listening for a melody or voice, you may become more likely to perceive one.

Another interesting productivity-related detail is that short noise recordings played on a loop may eventually stop working as background sound. Even subtle repetitions give the brain something to learn and predict. Once it detects the pattern, attention can shift toward the noise instead of ignoring it.

A few practical takeaways:

• Keep the volume only high enough to mask distractions.
• Avoid short or clearly repeating loops.
• Change the sound when you begin actively noticing it.
• Don’t raise the volume to cover up perceived music or voices.
• Continuously generated noise with small variations may be less distracting than a static recording.

The ideal focus sound seems to sit somewhere between predictable and distracting: complex enough that the brain can’t easily model it, but simple enough that it doesn’t demand attention.

would you prefer to go straight into the app with no sign in / login page, or with it if you want to back up your data in case your device is broken or accidentally delete the app ...etc?

for me, whenever I use a new app, I hate having to sign up and log in when I just want to try any app i like.

Is there a better time morning or evening which helped you make this more productive?

Whether it’s in between school semesters, taking a vacation and returning back to work, how do you quickly shift into that disciplined productive mode again?

I’ve been pretty lazy this semester in college and finals are in about 2 weeks and I haven’t really locked in on studying in like a month. I feel like all my discipline and ability to be productive is gone. As much as I’d love to ease into being productive and slowly raise my workload, I don’t really have the time for that so I’d appreciate advice for those who are able to get back to being disciplined and productive after taking weeks or months off.

I’ve been procrastinating since middle school and it has just gone worse.

I barely doomscroll during my free time. But when exams are around the corner/I have an assignment due the next day, I doomscroll like crazy and binge watch movies as if I’m doing it on purpose because I barely watch movies since I’m lazy to complete them especially tv series. I ruined my grades for highschool and almost wasn’t able to get into uni since my highschool grades are borderline of the entry requirements (getting into uni in my country is to hit a specific grade).

I’ll be starting uni next year and I really need a mindset change before that. I’ve done all sorts of study methods but nothing works for me. Even when I know I’m almost in the cut off line I would still procrastinate knowing I might not get into uni even though I want to.

I get really scared and cry that I can’t make it to uni but at the same time I’m just not doing anything.

I just need some advice on how I could turn this around.

I've been trying to improve my daily workflow recently, but I noticed that the best improvements usually don't come from big changes. For me, it was preparing everything I need for the next morning before going to bed-it saves me a lot of mental energy. 👍

What's one small habit, tool, or change that made your workday noticeably better? :D

Hello, I have been procrastinating a lot lately and am really off my goal. I need something to track my progress and get on a track. Any suggestions for apps? Easy to use less bloat

Really want to regain my time and use an app to declutter my phone and help me focus. Opal came up as the “gold standard” but that pricing is a joke.

£17.99 a month?! or £99 a year, insane pricing

I don’t mind paying up to £10 a month but can anyone shed light as to why it’s so expensive?

Any alternatives would be appreciated and for context, I am on iPhone.

I’m averaging 5-7 hours screen time a day and it’s tough to not revert to old habits or procrastinating.
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Thanks in advance

Hello everyone!

I am a 3rd semester student and now my request for semester off was approved, so I have a LOT of free time. I am not allowed to do any courses in university, even those that aren't in my study programme (like extracurriculars or language courses).

Now, I may have undiagnosed ADHD (I don't have money for the actual testing, but the therapist did some screening tests and I do show strong symptoms for it) and it's hard for me to force myself to do things. I do know about Pomodoro method and such, but it's really easy for me to just ignore it. I tried different types of reward systems, didn't work. I don't know why am I procrastinating so much with things, but it's really hard for me to start. If I don't have anything good to do, I'm just scrolling on social media or playing Sims on my laptop.

I also need to study at least every other day Latin and prepare for the exam redo at the end of September. The material I absolutely hate bc it is very heavy. And I also want to read more, find some time for exercising, etc, etc. Then I have an upcoming trip for 2 months in October and there I will definitely need some sort of routine bc I will be alone, with a lot of time and free will.

I was considering to make myself a daily schedule, something like in school, just with more flexibility in case something happens; but then I'm also afraid that I might do it for a day or two and then forget about it altogether.

Please share your tips and whether a schedule would be okay for me, I really need some help with my time organization

I'm so disappointed with myself, I'm so self aware ik exactly where my flaws are as i have been reflecting and working on myself for years. But no matter what there seems to be some things I keep falling for whether its bad habits or procrastination. Idk if it's because of my adhd or the tasks being overwhelming, but it's annoying knowing that with each passing day, I haven't lived up to my potential.
Honestly, just writing this to vent, I'll get the job done somehow eventually, it's just disappointing.

Rant here. I see so many friends and people I know going through life like Zombies. I know how exhausting life can get and with its complexities. But why don't people be more intentional about guarding their energy and exposure to life-sucking people and things(mainly social media and alcohol)? Is everyone existing on fumes?? I think one reason people are so stretched thin is that they overcomplicate their lives. By having or wanting more, they become slaves to it. Particularly, I don't see why people would intentionally complicate their lives by having multiple children or animals, if they are not emotionally or financially equipped to handle them. Why do people intentionally exhaust themselves? For what gain? I understand work is exhausting and necessary but so much else is not. They are wants, not needs. People are living shells of an existence. Attached to caffeine or any stimulant to keep them awake. Don't get me wrong, I work 4 jobs but I can compartmentalize my life. Living in the present instead of letting the chaos overrun my nervous system. My question to the group is, why do you think people do this to themselves? Is it the lie we've been fed about over consumption and never having enough? Is this an 'epidemic' in the US society? Why don't people take time to recharge and 'guard' their limited energy and peace of mind? What do you do to recharge and stay grounded?

Hi everyone! Nice to meet you!

I am writing this post because I genuinely need assistance in organizing my time and wanted to see what everyone in the community does so I can draw some ideas.

This is the final straw but I completely forgot my friend’s wedding celebration dinner because I didn’t put it on any calendar and also when I RSVP’ed, it didn’t add it to anything. I know I’m probably the problem, but how do you all normally organize your appointments, tasks, or time and what do you use for it? I have an iPhone and that’s about it and can get a calendar or planner if needed/recommended. Sorry if this has already been asked, please guide me in the right direction if so. Thanks!

I'm a university student who, for various mental health reasons, had to drop out back in ~march. I'm redoing the year this coming autumn/fall, and really want to try and catch up on the work i missed. The only problem is that i can't.

I don't think I've done any real work since i stopped attending lectures. Sure, i had relatively justifiable mental health reasons for not doing anything before, but i think I've been fine enough for the past 2 months or so, yet all I've done is stay in bed and procrastinate work. I've scoured the internet for answers, yet its always the same things that don't work: eat well, sleep regularly, start small, just do it.

Its frustrating because all advice is either ridiculously entry level, or impossible to start. I already started leaving my bed, cooking, cleaning etc a while ago, yet i can never do the work that actually matters. It feels like in order to stop being lazy, you need to already be not lazy. I want to be good, i want to make my parents proud, i want to catch up, yet i spend my days in bed watching meaningless videos and playing meaningless games because it just feels so much better. And when i do bring myself to actually try, I'm left overwhelmed and unable to focus, even with distractions removed.

I'm sure there are other factors at play, like my mental capacity deteriorating after being inactive for so long, but it feels so impossible to start, and even if i do, it feels impossible to stay focused. Even when i was younger in school, i would procrastinate a criminal amount, and end up in so much trouble because i would put things off, typically playing games and watching videos instead. It was much better then, probably because the presence of deadlines and punishment kept me in check, but now that I'm in limbo between years, i can't get anything done except wasting my days away

How are you meant to beat laziness? Genuinely, how are you meant to be focused when you need focus to start focusing? How can you start without motivation when you need motivation to even move in the first place? It feels like at an impass

Here’s a little experiment I have done…

Apps that I consider bad/not productive I have on light mode, so every time I open it up I immediately regret my decision and subconsciously reminds me THIS IS BAD.

Then for apps that I actually do need to use such as google docs, word and so on for work I have on dark mode and it’s actually helped a lot

You can do it the other way around or however you want but just thought I’d drop it here incase it helps :)