How to Build a To-Do List That Doesn’t Hate You (Especially With ADHD)
By Jeremy Timessen · 12 OCTOBER 2025 · 10 min read
Build lists for your ADHD brain instead of tools that judge you.
You feel shame when you ignore a neat to-do list. You break down projects and add deadlines to make them perfect. You then watch yourself spend the day avoiding the list. You fail when using this tool.
You find that traditional systems assume you have stable energy. They assume you can rank tasks by importance. You fail with these systems when your energy spikes and crashes. You prioritize based on interest and novelty. You find unfinished tasks produce avoidance instead of action.
You build a list to feel organized but soon bounce off it. You find items feel heavier the longer they sit. You abandon the list and restart in a new app. Same brain, different font.
Task paralysis?
Stop fighting the water. Let the dice provide the novelty your brain is craving.
Start Free Dice Session
Accept that your list serves no one else. You create a menu of actions for your current energy level. You might have seven tabs open and a brain that prefers reading to calling the dentist.
Use RandomTask to strip your list to six slots. You decide what enters the list before you roll the dice. You identify six small wins through this constraint. You focus on what you can finish today rather than future achievements.
Build an ADHD-friendly list by keeping tasks small. You fail with "start taxes" but succeed with "download statements." Keep tasks specific and physical. You perform an action by taking shirts off a chair. Include one rewarding item on your list.
Pick one task and cross it off. Feed the list into RandomTask and let the dice choose. You remove negotiation this way. You filtered the list for today. You roll, act, and move on.
You change your relationship with lists through this practice. You move from aspirational goals to practical menus. You replace ten giant items with six small moves. Some days you finish all six while other days you finish one.
You feel like a failure using to-do apps. Designers build tools for office-style brains. You run on interest and novelty. Design lists for your reality to stop the cycle of hate.
Did this concept stick with you? Open a loop now: Try the Dice Sprints Mode.
Spread the Momentum
Or copy direct link
ADHD Coaching
Book 1-on-1
Dice Merch
Shop Now
Support Us
Buy Coffee