You've downloaded ADHD+. Here's how to go from opening the app to having a routine that starts itself tomorrow morning. It takes about two minutes. (New to ADHD+? Start with what it is and how it works.)

Step 1: Tell it what to call you

ADHD+ asks for a first name or a nickname. That's the only thing it asks for. There's no account, email or password, and you can skip this too.

Everything you set up from here is stored on your phone and works offline.

Step 2: Pick your first routine

Next, you pick one routine to start with. ADHD+ offers five templates:

  • Morning Launch: get from bed to ready without the scroll spiral. This is the recommended one.
  • Focus Block: lower the bar to starting work, then ride the momentum.
  • Out the Door: never turn back for your keys again.
  • Daily Reset: ten minutes so the mess never gets overwhelming.
  • Wind Down: quiet the brain so you actually fall asleep.

Pick just one. Choose the moment your day most often falls apart. If you're not sure, it's probably the morning, and our morning routine templates can help you pick the steps. You can add others later, and edit every step.

Step 3: Pick a nudge you can't ignore

Now choose how the routine's alarm reaches you:

  • Alarm (recommended) rings like your wake-up alarm, even on silent or in a Focus mode. It's the same kind of alarm as the built-in Clock app, with Snooze and Stop buttons.
  • Notification is a time-sensitive notification. Gentler, but easier to swipe away.

For a morning routine, choose Alarm. Plenty of people with ADHD tune out a polite buzz (more in alarm setups for heavy sleepers), and a notification can be muted without you noticing. Then allow alarms when your phone asks, so ADHD+ can schedule them.

You can change the mode for each alarm later, so a gentle notification for your evening routine and a real alarm for the morning is a perfectly good setup.

Step 4: Set the time and days

Choose when the alarm should ring and which days it repeats. Weekdays only is a good start for a work morning.

Not sure what time? Work backwards: when do you need to be out the door, and how long does the routine take? Add ten minutes of slack. Guessing too tight is the most common reason a morning routine feels like a failure.

Step 5: Trim the steps

Open your routine from the Routines tab and look at the steps. Then make them yours:

  • Delete anything you don't do.
  • Rename steps to match your life ("Take meds" instead of a generic step).
  • Reorder them so they follow where you physically go: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, door.

Keep it short. Three to five steps you finish beat ten you abandon (here's why). The free version holds 3 routines of up to 3 steps each, and that's a good size to start with anyway.

Make step one something tiny and physical, like "Drink a glass of water". It's what you'll see the moment you stop the alarm.

Step 6: Let it run tomorrow

That's the setup done. Tomorrow:

  1. The alarm rings. Tap Stop on iPhone or Start Routine on Android.
  2. Your routine's checklist opens.
  3. Tick each step as you go. The bar at the top shows how far you've got ("2 of 4 done").
  4. Tap Finish Routine at the end.

If you get pulled away halfway, open the routine again and the ticked steps are still ticked. Just carry on from the next one.

Finding your way around

ADHD+ has four tabs:

  • Home is your Today timeline: today's routines in order, with their times, ticked off as you finish them.
  • Routines lists all your routines. Tap + to add one.
  • Progress shows how many days you showed up recently, like "5 of the last 7 days". There are no streaks to break.
  • Settings is where you choose your default alarm mode, among other things.

What to do in week one

  • Don't change anything for a few days. Let the routine run as it is before you tweak it.
  • If you miss a day, just do tomorrow's. Nothing resets.
  • After a week, add one thing: either one step to this routine, or a second routine for another moment, like the night before or leaving the house.

Need more routines or longer ones? ADHD+ Pro unlocks unlimited routines and steps, plus 30- and 90-day progress history. It's $5.99 a month or $34.99 a year, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial. ADHD+ reminds you 2 days before the trial ends.

The short version

  1. Pick one routine (Morning Launch if you're not sure).
  2. Choose Alarm so it rings through silent mode.
  3. Set the time with ten minutes of slack.
  4. Trim it to three to five steps, with a tiny first step.
  5. Tomorrow, stop the alarm and follow the checklist.

Download ADHD+ on the App Store or get it on Google Play

Questions? Email us at hello@adhdplus.app.

ADHD+ is an organization tool, not a medical treatment. For questions about ADHD diagnosis or medication, talk to a clinician.