Best ADHD Digital Planners for GoodNotes & Samsung Notes in 2025

If you’ve ever bought a planner, used it for three days, and then… never opened it again, you are not alone.

For ADHD brains, planning isn’t just about “being organized.” It’s about working around time blindness, motivation swings, and a mind that wants to think about everything at once. That’s where an ADHD digital planner can help—especially when you use it in annotation apps like GoodNotes or Samsung Notes.

In this post, we’ll walk through:

what actually makes a planner ADHD‑friendly
how GoodNotes vs Samsung Notes fit into the picture
how to pick the best layout for your brain
where to start inside the Brainwave Focus Digital Planners Collection

Why ADHD Digital Planners Work Better Than “Normal” Planners

Traditional planners assume you:

remember dates easily
estimate time pretty accurately
can stick to rigid routines

ADHD… does not.

A good digital planner for ADHD does a few key things differently:

Reduces decision fatigue – fewer boxes, more guidance
Makes time visible – time‑blocking, daily/weekly overviews, visual schedules
Supports executive function – task breakdowns, routines, and prompts
Is reusable – you can duplicate pages, rearrange sections, and start again after “falling off”

If you want a deeper dive into this, check out our guide:
👉 ADHD Digital Planner: How to Choose the Right One for Your Brain

GoodNotes vs Samsung Notes: Which Is Better for ADHD Planning?

Good news: both work. The “best” app is simply the one you’ll actually open.

GoodNotes (often used on iPad)

Great if you:

love handwriting with Apple Pencil
like using tabs, hyperlinks, and sticker elements
want a clean, notebook‑like feel

Our ADHD planners import into GoodNotes in just a few taps.

Digital Planner for ADHD

Samsung Notes & Other Annotation Apps

Perfect if you’re on:

Samsung tablets
Android devices
or prefer cross‑platform PDF annotation apps like Xodo

Most ADHD digital planners are delivered as hyperlinked PDFs, which means they’ll work in Samsung Notes and similar apps with no problem. You still get:

clickable tabs
handwriting
the ability to duplicate pages you love

Features to Look For in an ADHD Digital Planner

When you browse the Digital Planners Collection, keep an eye out for these ADHD‑friendly features.

1. Time‑Blocking & Visual Schedules

Time blindness is a huge part of ADHD. A good ADHD time management planner includes:

daily or weekly time‑blocks
space to mark work blocks, breaks, and appointments
realistic room for transition time

For more on this, you can read:
👉 ADHD Time Management Planner: Turn Time Blindness into a Visual Schedule

2. “Top 3” Daily Priorities

Long to‑do lists often equal instant overwhelm. Look for layouts that ask for:

Top 1–3 tasks
A small space for “nice to do” or “if time”

This helps your brain separate important from noise.

3. Task Breakdown Boxes

An ADHD planner shines when it nudges you to break big tasks into micro‑steps.

Instead of “Write report,” you see:

open document
brain dump bullet points
set 10‑minute timer and write a rough paragraph

Tiny steps = easier starts = less procrastination.

4. Routines, Habit & Mood Tracking

Adulting with ADHD is basically managing:

morning / evening routines
meds, sleep, and water
energy and emotions

Look for pages that support:

morning and evening routines
habit trackers (without perfection pressure)
mood or energy tracking

These pair nicely with our posts on ADHD & Time Management and ADHD Emotional Regulation .

Matching Planner Layouts to Your Life

If you’re an ADHD adult juggling all the things

Choose a digital planner for ADHD adults with:

weekly spreads for appointments and commitments
daily pages for top tasks and time‑blocking
space for home, work, and self‑care in one place

👉 Deep dive: Digital Planner for ADHD Adults: Routines & Layouts

If you’re focused on productivity & getting unstuck

Look for an ADHD productivity planner style layout with:

brain dump pages
project breakdowns
focus‑block planning (Pomodoro or 25–50 minute sessions)

👉 More ideas: ADHD Productivity : Support Focus & Follow‑Through

If you want everything in one place

Start with a comprehensive planner from the
👉 ADHD Digital Planners Collection

Then customize it by:

duplicating your favorite weekly/daily pages
ignoring sections you don’t need yet
adding digital stickers from bundles like the Ultimate Digital Sticker Collection to make planning more visually engaging

How to Actually Use Your New ADHD Planner (Without Perfectionism)

Pick one view to start with.
For the first week, just use the weekly spread + one kind of daily page. Ignore everything else.
Create a tiny check‑in ritual.

- Open your planner with your morning drink
- Choose your Top 3
- Block one focus session

Expect off days.
You will forget it sometimes. When that happens, simply reopen it and start from today—no need to “catch up” on missed pages.
Use it as a brain, not a scrapbook.
Cute spreads are optional. Your planner’s main job is to hold your life for you so your ADHD brain doesn’t have to carry everything at once.

Ready to Try an ADHD Digital Planner?

If you’ve been burned by “normal” planners before, it doesn’t mean you’re hopeless. It probably just means those planners weren’t designed with ADHD in mind.

Explore the Brainwave Focus Digital Planners Collection to find layouts built around: