How do you trial an ADHD app without paying for it forever?

Before you install, write the job and one sign of success. On day one, write the cancel-by date (two days before the trial ends) and set a reminder. Tick each day you opened the app for that job. On day 14, count the ticks: keep it if you used it on most days and the sign is met, adjust once if you nearly did, delete it if you did not. Print the sheet below and keep it next to the phone.

Most app trials end the same way: installed with hope, forgotten by week two, renewed by default. This one-page log sets out a simple two-week trial you can print and keep next to the phone.

What goes at the top of the log?

App name: ______________________
The one job I want it to do: ______________________
My sign of success in 14 days: ______________________
Price after trial: ______________ Trial ends: ____ / ____
Cancel-by date (2 days earlier): ____ / ____ Reminder set
Where to cancel: ______________________

What do you tick each day?

Daily log: tick if you opened the app for its job; one word on how it went

Daily log: tick if you opened the app for its job; one word on how it went
Day	Opened for the job?	Day	Opened for the job?
1	[ ]	8	[ ]
2	[ ]	9	[ ]
3	[ ]	10	[ ]
4	[ ]	11	[ ]
5	[ ]	12	[ ]
6	[ ]	13	[ ]
7	[ ]	14	[ ]

How do you decide on day 14?

Step 1: Count the ticks. Out of 14, how many days did you open it for the job you wrote down?
Step 2: Check the sign of success. Met, nearly met, or not met?
Step 3: Keep it if you used it on most days and the sign is met.
Step 4: Adjust once if you nearly did: move the widget, change the reminder time, simplify the setup. Run one more week.
Step 5: Delete it if you did not. Cancel before the cancel-by date, even if you plan to come back to it.
Step 6: Write the decision and the date at the bottom of the sheet.

Why fourteen days?

Long enough to see past the first-week novelty, short enough to fit inside most free trials. Many apps feel great on day two, when everything is new. Week two is when an app has to earn its place on a normal, boring day, and that is the day our rubric cares about. Staying power and forgiveness are both scored for that reason; see how we score.

What counts as “opened for the job”?

Opening a to-do app to add a task counts. Opening it to rearrange the colors does not. Opening a reading app and reading counts. Browsing its catalog for twenty minutes does not. The test is whether the app did the one thing you wrote at the top. Setting it up does not count either: setup is the cost, not the use.

What if you are trialing two apps for the same job?

Do not. Two planners means two places your day can be wrong, and you will not know which one helped. Run them back to back, one log each. If both fail, the job may need a different kind of tool, not a different brand; how to choose an ADHD app can help you rethink it.

How do you print it?

Use your browser’s print command. The print layout drops the site navigation and keeps the checklist and the daily table on one page in black on white. If you prefer it on your phone, take a screenshot of the two sections above and mark it up in your photo editor.

Questions people actually ask

How long should I try an ADHD app?

Two weeks, with one sign of success written down before you start. Long enough to get past the novelty, short enough for most free trials.

How do I avoid paying for a trial I forgot to cancel?

Write the cancel-by date (two days before the trial ends) on day one, set a reminder, and note where to cancel. On iPhone, App Store subscriptions are under Settings, your name, Subscriptions.

What if I nearly met my goal?

Change one thing, such as the widget position or the reminder time, and run one more week. If it still does not stick, delete it.

Can I use this for reading apps?

Yes. Write a reading job such as “finish the book I paused” and tick each day you read with the app’s help.

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