Managing time with ADHD is a completely different challenge than typical productivity advice addresses. The apps that work for neurotypical folks often fall flat when your brain struggles with time blindness, task paralysis, or hyperfocus that makes three hours feel like twenty minutes. We need tools built differently.
The apps we're covering here have been battle-tested by the ADHD community and consistently show up in forums, Reddit threads, and support groups as actual game-changers. Not every app will work for every person (ADHD is a spectrum, your mileage will vary), but these represent the best options across different approaches to time management.
You'll find timer apps that gamify focus, reminder apps that don't feel overwhelming, planning tools designed around ADHD-specific challenges like task overwhelm and routine formation, and even soundscape apps that help create focus environments. Some are ADHD-specific tools built by people who actually have ADHD. Others are general productivity apps that happen to work brilliantly for ADHD brains.
Pricing ranges from free to around $20 per month. We've included budget options because honestly, having ADHD is expensive enough between therapy, medication, and all the productivity tools you've tried and abandoned. If an app charges premium pricing, it needs to genuinely deliver value that justifies the cost.
What makes these different from typical time management apps? They address ADHD-specific struggles: preventing task overwhelm by limiting daily capacity, providing external accountability through body doubling, creating routine structures that reduce decision fatigue, and offering immediate dopamine hits through gamification when your executive function is barely holding on.
Flown
Best for Accountability: Flown
Flown taps into something the ADHD community has known for years but only recently named: body doubling works. The concept is simple but powerful. Working alongside others (even virtually) creates accountability and focus that's nearly impossible to generate alone when your executive function is struggling.
Flown runs structured focus sessions throughout the day where you join a small group (usually 6-12 people) on a video call with cameras on, mics muted. A facilitator kicks off the session by having everyone state their goal, then you work silently together for 45-90 minutes, often with short breaks built in using Pomodoro-style timing. The presence of others working creates gentle external pressure that your ADHD brain responds to way better than willpower alone.
What makes Flown different from just hopping on a random Zoom coworking session? The structure and facilitation. Sessions have clear start and end times (combats time blindness), facilitators guide you through transitions (reduces decision fatigue), and the community aspect means you see familiar faces which builds actual accountability over time. People on Reddit's r/ADHD consistently mention Flown as one of the few productivity tools they've stuck with long-term.
The sessions are themed too. Morning Deep Work sessions for tackling complex projects, Admin Power Hours for boring tasks you've been avoiding, Creative Flow sessions for more open-ended work. Having themed sessions helps you match your energy levels and task types, which matters when your ADHD brain has wildly different capabilities hour to hour.
For people who work from home, Flown recreates some of that office accountability that kept you on track before remote work. The video-on requirement feels awkward at first (hello, camera anxiety), but it's actually the key ingredient. Knowing others can see you dramatically reduces the temptation to check Twitter for the fiftieth time.
Pricing runs around $30-50 per month depending on your plan and how many sessions you want access to. Not cheap, but if it's the difference between productive work days and complete task paralysis, the ROI makes sense. They offer a trial period so you can test whether the format clicks for your brain.
Downsides? The scheduled sessions might not align with your peak focus windows (ADHD doesn't follow 9-5 schedules). And if you're in a timezone outside the US/UK, session availability drops significantly. Also, some people with ADHD find the video-on requirement anxiety-inducing rather than helpful. Alternative options like Caveday or Focusmate offer similar body doubling with slightly different formats.
Sunsama
Best for Planning Tasks: Sunsama
Sunsama tackles one of the biggest ADHD time management challenges: the overwhelming blank page of 'what should I do today?' The app forces structure through guided daily planning, which sounds restrictive but is actually liberating when decision-making feels impossible.
Every morning (or the night before), Sunsama walks you through planning your day step by step. It pulls in tasks from your other tools (Trello, Asana, Gmail, Slack), shows you what's on your calendar, and prompts you to drag tasks into specific time blocks. The guided flow removes the paralysis of figuring out where to start. You're not staring at an infinite to-do list wondering what to tackle first.
The killer feature for ADHD? Time-boxing with realistic capacity limits. Sunsama lets you set a daily work hour target (say, 6 hours), and it tracks how much you've scheduled. When you hit your limit, it warns you that you're overcommitting. This single feature prevents the classic ADHD trap of adding 47 tasks to today's list and then feeling like a failure when you complete three.
Focus mode helps you work on one thing at a time. It highlights your current task, hides everything else, and includes a built-in Pomodoro timer. For brains that struggle with task-switching and distraction, this focused view is clutch. The timer creates gentle time pressure without the anxiety that some ADHD folks get from aggressive timer apps.
End-of-day shutdown ritual is surprisingly valuable. Sunsama prompts you to review what you accomplished, reflect on the day, and move unfinished tasks to tomorrow. This creates closure (combats the ADHD tendency to mentally carry work stress 24/7) and helps you see progress even on days that felt chaotic. The reflection piece helps identify patterns like 'I always underestimate how long email takes' or 'afternoons are terrible for deep work.'
Integrations pull in tasks and events from basically every productivity tool you're already using. Connect your calendar, project management apps, email, and Slack, and Sunsama becomes a unified command center instead of yet another tool you have to check. For ADHD brains juggling multiple systems, this consolidation reduces cognitive load significantly.
Weekly planning sessions help you look ahead and distribute bigger projects across days instead of panic-scheduling everything. The ritual aspect creates routine, which ADHD brains often desperately need but struggle to build independently.
Pricing is the sticking point. Around $16-20 per month (annually billed), which is expensive for a planning app. They offer a 14-day trial which you should absolutely use because Sunsama either clicks immediately or feels like overkill. There's no free tier, so this is a real budget consideration.
Who struggles with Sunsama? People who rebel against structure find the guided planning rigid rather than helpful. And if your ADHD includes rejection sensitivity, seeing tasks you didn't complete carried forward day after day can feel defeating rather than productive. The daily ritual also requires consistency, which some ADHD folks find impossible to maintain.
Forest
Best for Timer: Forest
Forest weaponizes guilt and dopamine in the most productive way possible. The concept is brilliantly simple: set a timer, and a virtual tree starts growing on your phone. Leave the app to check Instagram or Reddit, and the tree dies. Stay focused until the timer ends, and you get a fully grown tree added to your forest. It's stupidly effective for ADHD brains that need immediate consequences and visual progress.
The gamification hits different when you have ADHD. Neurotypical productivity advice says 'just focus' like willpower is a renewable resource. Forest gives you external structure and immediate feedback. Watching that tree grow provides the dopamine hit that your ADHD brain craves, creating positive reinforcement for staying on task. The fear of killing your tree (and breaking your streak) adds just enough pressure without feeling overwhelming.
Your phone becomes your focus ally instead of your biggest distraction. ADHD and smartphones are a terrible combination. That notification buzz destroys focus instantly, and suddenly you've lost 40 minutes to TikTok when you meant to check one text. Forest physically prevents phone use by making it emotionally costly. Kill too many trees and you feel genuinely bad about it.
The app tracks your focus stats over time. You can see which days you stayed focused, how many trees you grew, and patterns in your productivity. For ADHD brains that struggle with time perception, seeing 'you focused for 4 hours today' provides concrete evidence of accomplishment. The forest visualization makes abstract time management tangible.
Forest works on desktop too via browser extension, which helps if your distractions are more YouTube and Twitter than phone apps. The Chrome extension blocks websites you specify during focus sessions, expanding the tree-protection mechanism beyond just your phone.
Real tree planting partnership adds meaning. Forest partners with Trees for the Future, and you can spend virtual coins earned from focus sessions to plant actual trees. Knowing that your focused work session also planted a real tree in Uganda feels good and adds external motivation beyond just personal productivity.
Pricing is incredibly reasonable. One-time purchase of around $2-4 for the mobile app (iOS and Android). No subscription, no in-app purchases required for core features. For students with ADHD on tight budgets, this is one of the most cost-effective focus tools available.
The downsides? Some people with ADHD find the visible timer anxiety-inducing rather than motivating. If you have time-based anxiety or work in hyperfocus bursts that don't fit neat 25-minute blocks, watching the timer count down can increase stress instead of helping focus. Others find that once they kill a few trees, the guilt loses effectiveness and becomes just another failed productivity system.
Also worth noting: Forest works best for 'stay off your phone' type focus, not complex task management or planning. It's a timer with consequences, not a full productivity system. Pair it with something like Sunsama or Numo for actual task organization.
Numo
Best for Tasks: Numo
Numo was built by people with ADHD, for people with ADHD, and it shows in every design choice. This isn't a productivity app that happens to work okay for ADHD brains. It's specifically engineered around ADHD challenges like task initiation paralysis, forgetting what you wanted to add to your list, and needing more encouragement than neurotypical task apps provide.
Voice capture is the feature that sold me immediately. That moment when you think 'I should remember to do that thing' and then completely forget it 30 seconds later? Numo lets you just speak tasks into your phone. No opening the app, navigating menus, typing with thumbs. Just hit the button, say the task, done. This is a massive time-saver for capturing those fleeting thoughts before they vanish forever.
The interface feels friendly rather than clinical. Cute illustrations, encouraging messages, and a general vibe of 'we get it, executive dysfunction is real' instead of the sterile productivity app aesthetic. For people with ADHD who have tons of shame around productivity struggles, this matters more than you'd think. The app doesn't make you feel broken for needing help.
Community features set Numo apart from typical task managers. Built-in chat lets you connect with other ADHD folks, share struggles, celebrate wins, and get accountability. It's like having a support group in your pocket. People share tips, commiserate about time blindness, and cheer each other on. For ADHD brains that thrive on external validation and social connection, this transforms task management from solitary struggle to community effort.
The planning features help you organize tasks without the rigidity that makes some ADHD folks rebel against structured systems. You can time-block if that works for you, or just maintain a running list if schedules feel suffocating. The flexibility accommodates different ADHD management styles.
Gamification elements provide dopamine hits for completing tasks. Streaks, achievement badges, and progress tracking give your brain the immediate rewards it needs to stay motivated. Unlike neurotypical productivity apps that assume intrinsic motivation is enough, Numo understands that ADHD brains need external reinforcement.
Mobile-first design means the app actually works brilliantly on phones, unlike Sunsama which feels desktop-optimized. If you live on your phone (most of us do), Numo meets you where you are. Quick task capture, easy swiping gestures, and an interface designed for small screens.
Pricing is friendlier than Sunsama at around $8-12 per month (check their current rates). Still a subscription cost, but more reasonable for students and folks on tighter budgets. They offer a free tier with limited features so you can test the vibe before committing.
Tradeoffs compared to Sunsama? Less sophisticated time-boxing and capacity planning. Numo focuses more on task capture and community support than detailed scheduling. The integration ecosystem is smaller (you're not pulling in tasks from Asana, Trello, etc.). And the cute, friendly aesthetic might feel too casual for professionals who want a more serious productivity tool.
Who should pick Numo? Younger ADHD folks, students, and anyone who wants a supportive community alongside task management. If Sunsama feels too intense or expensive, Numo is a solid alternative to Sunsama that still addresses ADHD-specific needs.
Endel
Best for Focus: Endel
Endel approaches ADHD time management from a completely different angle: instead of structuring your tasks, it structures your environment. The app generates adaptive soundscapes designed to improve focus, and for ADHD brains that struggle with auditory distractions or need specific types of background noise to concentrate, this is surprisingly powerful.
The science behind it is legit. Endel uses personalized inputs like your heart rate (if you connect a wearable), time of day, weather, and location to generate soundscapes that match your current state. The AI-generated audio adapts in real-time, so morning focus sounds different from afternoon focus, and rainy day sounds different from sunny.
Brown noise and other ADHD-friendly sounds are core features. The ADHD community has embraced brown noise (deeper than white noise, like low rumbling) as a focus tool because it masks distracting environmental sounds without being distracting itself. Endel offers multiple noise variations plus musical soundscapes, giving you options when one type stops working (ADHD brains habituate to sounds and need variety).
The focus mode soundscapes help create what researchers call 'attentional anchors.' Your brain associates the Endel sound with focused work, building a Pavlovian response over time. Start Endel, your brain knows it's work time. This external cue helps with task initiation, one of the hardest parts of ADHD time management.
App blocking integration takes it further. While Endel plays your focus soundscape, you can enable blocking for distracting apps. Your phone becomes a focus tool instead of a distraction machine. The combination of positive auditory environment plus removal of digital temptations creates a focused environment that ADHD brains respond to well.
Sleep and relaxation modes help with the other end of ADHD time management: winding down. Many people with ADHD struggle with racing thoughts at night and difficulty transitioning from work mode to rest mode. Endel's sleep soundscapes provide the auditory structure to signal 'work is done, time to rest.'
The app works across devices. Start it on your phone during a commute, switch to desktop for work, continue on iPad in the evening. The seamless experience means you can maintain your auditory environment throughout the day without technical friction.
Pricing runs around $5-7 per month or roughly $50 annually. More expensive than Spotify but cheaper than therapy sessions for ADHD-related focus struggles. They offer a free trial (usually 7-14 days) which is enough to know if the soundscapes work for your brain.
Comparison with Brain.fm, which also does focus soundscapes: Endel feels more ambient and adaptive, while Brain.fm uses specific rhythmic patterns designed to influence brainwave states. Both have research backing and loyal ADHD users. Endel's personalization based on biometrics gives it an edge if you have a wearable, but Brain.fm might work better if you prefer more structured, rhythmic background audio.
Limitations? Sound-based focus tools don't work for everyone with ADHD. Some people find any background audio distracting rather than helpful. And Endel solves environment creation but doesn't help with planning, task breakdown, or the actual structure of managing time. It's a supplement to apps like Sunsama or Numo, not a replacement.
Who benefits most? ADHD folks who work in noisy environments (coffee shops, open offices, homes with kids), people who find silence distracting, and anyone building focus rituals that need auditory anchors. Also great if you struggle with sleep transitions and need help signaling to your brain that it's time to wind down.
Tiimo
Best for Routines: Tiimo
Tiimo tackles one specific ADHD challenge better than any other app on this list: building and maintaining routines. For brains that struggle with executive function, knowing what to do next during your morning routine or evening wind-down eliminates decision fatigue and makes actually completing basic self-care way more likely.
The routine system is dead simple. You create a routine (morning routine, work startup, bedtime, whatever), add the individual steps with estimated times, assign an icon to each step, and press play when you're ready to start. Tiimo guides you through each step sequentially, showing you exactly what to do next and how long you have to do it. No decisions required, just follow the app.
This is huge for ADHD folks who get stuck on transitions. That moment when you finish breakfast and your brain completely blanks on what comes next? Tiimo just tells you: brush teeth. Then: get dressed. Then: take medication. The app removes the mental load of remembering sequences and makes routines actually stick.
Visual scheduling helps with time blindness. Each routine shows up as color-coded blocks in your day, giving you a visual representation of how time flows. ADHD brains often can't intuitively sense time passing, so seeing 'morning routine takes 45 minutes' as an actual visual block makes time concrete instead of abstract.
The focus timer built into each routine step creates gentle time pressure without anxiety. You get a notification when it's time to move to the next step, but it's not punishing if you run over. The timer is there to keep you moving, not to stress you out. Unlike Forest which kills your tree for phone use, Tiimo just nudges you forward.
Icon-based interface makes routines scannable at a glance. Instead of reading text, you see little icons representing each task. For ADHD brains that process visual information faster than text, this speeds up recognition and reduces friction.
Collaboration with occupational therapists in the design process shows. Tiimo was built with input from ADHD specialists and OTs who understand neurodivergent needs. The app assumes executive dysfunction is the norm and designs around it, rather than treating ADHD as an edge case.
Pricing is reasonable at around $5-8 per month or $40-50 annually. More affordable than Sunsama, though less feature-rich. There's a free version with limited routines if you want to test the concept before paying.
Limitations compared to fuller task managers: Tiimo focuses specifically on routine execution, not general task management or planning. You're not managing a to-do list or scheduling one-off tasks. It's for recurring sequences you do regularly. If you need comprehensive task management, pair Tiimo with something like Numo or a simple to-do app.
The feature set is basic. You get routines, timers, and visual scheduling. That's pretty much it. No integrations, no analytics, no community features. For people who want simplicity, this is perfect. For people who want power features, it'll feel limited.
Who should pick Tiimo? ADHD folks who struggle specifically with routine consistency. If you can plan your day fine but can't execute basic morning/evening routines, or if transitions between activities derail you constantly, Tiimo provides the structure your brain needs. Great for students, people new to managing ADHD independently, or anyone who wants routine support without the complexity of full productivity systems.
Why Regular Time Management Apps Don't Work for ADHD
Here's the thing nobody tells you when you're first diagnosed with ADHD: productivity advice designed for neurotypical brains often makes things worse for us. Traditional time management assumes you have consistent executive function, intrinsic motivation, and accurate time perception. ADHD brains have none of those reliably.
Time blindness is real and invisible to people without ADHD. Five minutes and fifty minutes feel identical to ADHD brains until suddenly time is up and you're late. Apps that just remind you to 'manage your time better' without visual, external time anchors don't address the actual neurological difference in time perception.
Task initiation paralysis isn't laziness or procrastination. It's your prefrontal cortex struggling to generate the activation energy needed to start something. Apps that assume motivation is sufficient or that breaking tasks into smaller pieces automatically makes them doable miss the neuroscience. ADHD brains need external accountability, immediate rewards, or structured environments to overcome initiation barriers.
Decision fatigue hits differently with executive dysfunction. Neurotypical productivity apps present you with options and assume you'll choose wisely. ADHD brains get overwhelmed by choices and freeze. Apps that reduce decisions (like Tiimo walking you through routines or Sunsama forcing daily planning) work better than flexible systems that require constant decision-making.
The dopamine deficit matters more than most productivity advice acknowledges. ADHD is fundamentally a reward processing disorder. Your brain doesn't generate normal dopamine responses to completing tasks, which means the satisfaction neurotypical people feel from checking off to-dos barely registers. Apps that gamify progress (like Forest) or provide immediate visual feedback create the external dopamine hits that ADHD brains need.
Best Recommendations Summarized
Best for body doubling: Best Recommendations Summarized
Okay, which app should you actually download? Here's the breakdown based on your specific ADHD struggles.
Go with Flown if you work from home and accountability is your biggest issue. The body doubling sessions create external structure that your brain can't ignore. Around $30-50 monthly isn't cheap, but if it's the difference between productive work days and scrolling Twitter for six hours, calculate the ROI. Perfect for freelancers, remote workers, and anyone who had an office environment that kept them on track.
Pick Sunsama when your main problem is task overwhelm and you need forced structure. The guided planning removes decision paralysis, and capacity limiting prevents overcommitting. At $16-20 per month, it's expensive but comprehensive. Best for professionals with complex workflows who need deep task management and can commit to the daily planning ritual.
Forest wins for phone addiction and distraction struggles. The gamification provides immediate dopamine hits your ADHD brain craves. At $2-4 one-time purchase, it's absurdly affordable. Perfect for students on tight budgets or anyone whose main distraction source is their phone. Pair it with a planning app for full coverage.
Choose Numo if you want ADHD-specific task management with community support and a friendlier price tag than Sunsama. Voice capture is clutch for task collection, and the community features provide accountability without scheduled sessions. Around $8-12 monthly makes it accessible for students and younger adults. The casual, encouraging interface helps if productivity shame is part of your ADHD experience.
Endel makes sense when environmental distractions derail your focus and you struggle with auditory processing. The adaptive soundscapes create focus anchors your brain learns to recognize. At $5-7 monthly, it's a supplement to other tools, not a standalone solution. Great for noisy work environments, people who find silence distracting, or anyone building focus rituals.
Go with Tiimo if routine consistency is your specific struggle point. Morning routines, evening wind-downs, and transition moments are where you consistently fall apart. At $5-8 per month, it's affordable and laser-focused on one problem. Perfect for people new to managing ADHD who need help with basic daily structure before tackling complex productivity systems.
Real talk: most people with ADHD benefit from combining tools. Forest for phone blocking plus Numo for task management. Flown for work sessions plus Tiimo for morning routines. Sunsama for planning plus Endel for focus environment. Don't feel like you have to pick just one. ADHD is complex, and sometimes you need a toolkit rather than a single solution.