What makes them ADHD friendly:

• Gentle, cloud-like feel (no pressure sensitivity issues)
• Superior noise cancellation without total isolation
• Long battery life (crucial for ADHD forgetfulness!)
• Comfortable for larger heads/ears

Why I chose these over others:

Some people use the ‘in ear’ ones and when I’m on calls I use my AirPods BUT I find that they are sometimes far too much in sensory terms and I get more disregulated as the day goes on.

Over-the-ear headphones can be wonderful – but with large ears and a hair-trigger sensitivity to pressure and texture, it’s been tricky to find ones that work. These Sony headphones are the dream team: like a gentle cloud on your ears; cope with larger heads/ears; last a long time and exclude background noise better than my old Parrot Zik.

Best for:

ADHDers working in open offices, students in noisy environments, anyone with auditory processing sensitivity

Price: £150-250 | My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What makes it ADHD-friendly:

– Visual time representation (you can SEE time disappearing)
– Silent operation (no distracting ticking)
– Gentle, non-jarring alarm
– Available in multiple sizes

Why this is essential:

I am always using this in sessions, work sprints, preparing dinner, waiting to leave for appointments, helping the teen to get ready for school – you get the idea.
Time is one area that MOST people with ADHD are going to find challenging, even with smart watches and alarms. For many, that is made a lot easier when we can SEE time going past.

Enter the Time Timer. You can watch the time selected get smaller as time passes and your time left gets shorter – and that makes it so much easier to be prepared to shift tasks, to leave, to know when it’s actually time up.

Why the original brand:

Yes, there are cheaper ones around but they often have noisy ‘ticking’ or jump-scare alarms, so we stick with the OG.

Best for: Visual learners, people with time agnosia, anyone who loses track of time during tasks

Price: £15-30 | My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What makes it ADHD-friendly:

– Gradual light changes (no jarring wake-ups)
– Built-in white noise options
– Helps regulate circadian rhythms
– Multiple alarm types (visual, audio, or both)

Why sleep matters for ADHD: Many of us struggle with going to sleep – as well as waking up – and this has been my number one winning gadget for many years. The model is not the same as mine which is now at least 15 years old (!) but it has the same functions.
The slowly dimming and growing light helps me to remember I am ready to sleep and in the dark mornings, provides a gentle way to emerge from the night even if it’s still deep black outside.

Best for: ADHDers with sleep regulation issues, shift workers, anyone in low-light climates

Price: £30-80 | My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What makes it ADHD-friendly:

• Eliminates “Did I take my meds?” uncertainty
• Visual confirmation system
• Compartments for different times of day
• Weekly prep ritual that becomes routine

Why this works: There are two options here – one has individual boxes for morning and evening supplements, one has individual boxes for morning, daytime and evening supplements.

I have found that the habit of setting the week up on Sunday night so that the ‘have I taken my meds? when did I last take my vitamins?’ question is one that you can leave behind.

Pro tip: Yes, it still means you have to take them in the morning but I’ve found by putting them next to my kettle or coffee machine, it’s very, very rare for me to miss them.

Best for: Anyone taking daily medications/supplements, people who forget whether they’ve taken meds

Price: £8-15 | My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What makes it ADHD-friendly:

• Flexible organization (move tasks between categories)
• No overwhelming “wall of text” feeling
• Visual task management
• Easy to update without starting over

Why regular whiteboards don’t work: I am a visual person and sometimes, just having things on paper or even on the computer screen isn’t enough.

When I added a whiteboard to my planning and organisation, I had a full wall (almost) of space to draw, map things out on and plan. The problem was that it really quickly began to feel messy and disorganised. I began avoiding it because I had to rub things out and start again…

The game-changer: Enter the large, 6×4 magnetic, wipe-off labels for the whiteboard. Now I use these as my ‘sticky notes’ that I can move from ‘the void’ (where I’m keeping ideas for the future), ‘planning’ (actively getting things ready) and ‘action’ (things I’m doing right now).

Best for: Visual processors, project managers, anyone overwhelmed by traditional to-do lists

Price: £25-40 | My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

What makes it ADHD-friendly:
Shows exactly when bottle was last opened
Eliminates medication anxiety
Simple, fool-proof design
No apps or tech setup required

Why this is a game-changer: We’ve all been there – did I take my meds today? Didn’t I? This is a really great gadget if you do not use the ‘weekly boxes’ type of medication dispenser. I think this will be a real winner to remove that anxiety (and genuine worry – we don’t want to double up on any medication!).

Best for: People taking single daily medications, anyone anxious about double-dosing

Price: £12-20 | My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐