How Phone Reminders Help Stay Present, Productive, and Purposeful
Now, while balancing multiple responsibilities and raising two daughters, Alex knows that thriving with ADHD means working with your brain, not against it. His most effective strategy is surprisingly simple. He lets his phone remember what he can’t.
“If I had to personally remember all that stuff, I’d forget half of it. My phone doesn’t just help me stay on task. It gives me the freedom to focus.”
— Alex McElroy, ADHDifference
Alex uses technology as a kind of external brain. He relies on flexible, forgiving tools to store reminders, capture ideas, and prompt him when it’s time to shift gears. It isn’t complicated, but it’s consistent. And it works.
Why This Strategy Works
One of the most common challenges in ADHD is working memory. This is the ability to hold, juggle, and recall information in real time. When combined with time blindness, task switching, and a busy life, the result can be missed details and mental fatigue.
Simplify that load by:
- Setting up timed reminders for tasks and routines
- Capturing ideas instantly in notes or voice memos
- Creating repeat prompts so nothing gets lost in the shuffle
This strategy isn’t about control. It’s about creating reliable external support that makes daily life easier and more manageable.
When to Use This Strategy
This is a helpful approach if:
- You forget appointments, even when they’re on your calendar
- You have ideas that come at odd moments and quickly disappear
- You say yes to too much because you can’t clearly picture your schedule
- Paper-based lists get lost or ignored
- You feel stretched across too many life roles
For Alex, the phone becomes a kind of central system that keeps him on track across all areas of life.
How to Practice It Daily
Keep things simple and consistent. You can start by trying a few of these steps:
- Set recurring reminders for regular tasks like medications or school pickups
- Use specific time slots to anchor your tasks, such as “10:00 a.m. – send report”
- Record spontaneous thoughts using Notes or Voice Memos
- Add prep-time alerts before deadlines so they don’t sneak up on you
- Treat your phone as an extension of your mind, not a last resort
Alex notes that paper lists don’t always help unless you remember to check them. His digital reminders pop up at the right moment, which makes them far more useful for the ADHD brain.
The Science Behind It
ADHD affects several areas of executive functioning. These include working memory, time management, and task initiation. That can lead to:
- Forgetting things you intended to do
- Overlooking important steps or details
- Losing track of good ideas before they can be acted on
When you use an external tool like a phone to store this information, you take pressure off the brain’s prefrontal cortex. This area handles planning, focus, and decision-making. Offloading that mental load allows the brain to operate more clearly and efficiently.
This also helps reduce decision fatigue and makes follow-through more consistent. In short, by remembering less, you can accomplish more.
💬 Final Thought
Alex doesn’t deny that ADHD comes with challenges. But he also doesn’t expect himself to operate without support. His phone-based system helps him stay grounded and effective in every area of life.
“The reminders in my phone, the Notes app… That’s what allows me to do so many things and hopefully do them well.”
His message is clear. You don’t need to rely on memory alone. What you need is a system that fits your brain. Let your phone help you stay present and focused, one reminder at a time.