How do you build an ADHD app stack that you will actually use?

List your jobs, rank them by cost, and fill at most three slots: one place tasks live, one way to see today, and one mechanic that gets you started. Write the cost model of each (free, once, per use, subscription) and the date you will check whether it is earning its slot. Everything else waits. Print the worksheet below, or copy the example stacks.

The most common ADHD app problem is not choosing the wrong app. It is running too many. This worksheet caps the stack at three, gives each app one job, and makes the monthly cost visible before it surprises you.

Why three apps at most?

Each app is another place to check, another set of notifications, and often another subscription. Past three, the stack itself becomes a task. The three slots map to the three things that most often go wrong: something gets forgotten (it needs a place to live), the day gets away (it needs to be visible), and nothing starts (it needs a push). Our overall list is organized around the same jobs.

What goes on the worksheet?

My ADHD app stack (print and fill in)

My ADHD app stack (print and fill in)
Slot	Cost model	Monthly cost	Check date
1. Where things live	free / once / per use / subscription	$	____ / ____
2. Seeing today	free / once / per use / subscription	$	____ / ____
3. Getting started	free / once / per use / subscription	$	____ / ____
Waiting list (not yet)

Total monthly cost of the stack: $______. If that number surprises you, one slot is probably doing a job a free tool could do. See free ADHD apps.

How do you fill it in?

Step 1: Write down every job you want help with. Do not name apps yet.
Step 2: Rank the jobs by what they cost you last week: missed deadlines, lost hours, stalled books.
Step 3: Put the top three jobs into the three slots. Everything else goes on the waiting list.
Step 4: For each slot, pick the top-scored app on that job’s list that runs on the device you carry. How to choose an ADHD app has the five questions.
Step 5: Write the cost model and monthly cost. A one-time price is $0 a month after purchase.
Step 6: Write a check date two weeks out, and use the trial log for any new app.

What do example stacks look like?

Example stacks built from our lists (provisional desk scores; prices from our tracker)

Example stacks built from our lists (provisional desk scores; prices from our tracker)
Who	Where things live	Seeing today	Getting started	Cost model
Free-only	Todoist free tier	Structured free planner	Focusmate free (3 sessions a week)	All free
Busy adult, low budget	TickTick	TickTick calendar view	one sec for the phone	Low subscription plus low subscription
Visual thinker	Todoist	Tiimo	Llama Life	Free tier plus two subscriptions
Stalled reader	A bookmark note	Calendar block for reading	Focusmate, plus Magic Bookmark to get back into the book	Free plus per book
Student in exam season	Goblin Tools to break down assignments	Structured	Flora for group focus	Mostly free

These are starting points, not prescriptions. The reader stack shows something useful: a slot can be filled by a habit (a bookmark note, a calendar block) rather than an app.

When should you change the stack?

When an app fails its two-week check. Delete it and try the next on that job’s list.
When a slot’s job stops being a problem. Free the slot; do not fill it out of habit.
When a new job outranks one in the stack. Swap, do not add.
When a subscription renews and you cannot say what it did last month.

Does the stack have to be apps?

No. A paper planner can be slot 2 and a kitchen timer slot 3. Our rubric scores apps because that is what we cover, but the worksheet is about jobs. If a non-app tool fills a slot for free and you use it, it has earned the slot. See do ADHD apps actually help for what apps are good at and where they stop.

Questions people actually ask

What tools help with ADHD day to day?

Tools for specific jobs: a single to-do list for tasks, a visual planner for the day, a timer or body-doubling session for starting, a blocker for the phone, and reading tools for books. Pick one per job, three at most.

How many ADHD apps should I use?

Three at most: one place tasks live, one way to see today, and one mechanic that gets you started.

What is a good free ADHD app stack?

Todoist’s free tier for tasks, Structured’s free planner for the day, and Focusmate’s free sessions (up to three a week) for starting.

Should one app do everything?

It can, if the app is good at all three jobs for you. TickTick covers tasks, a calendar and a timer. Most people do better with one app per job.

Sources

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