Pairs with: Designing a Neurodivergent-Friendly Workday: Routines That Actually Fit You Format note for publish: Render via Worksheet Template v2 (html2pdf.js) as a downloadable, printable one-page PDF. Centered ND Hive logo at top, download button, fillable text fields and checkboxes. This is the paired downloadable tool referenced in the article. Content + layout spec below.
What it is
A one-page map a member fills in once to see her whole week at a glance: where her energy actually lives, when her focus windows are, what anchors hold the day together, and what support she needs set up in advance. It is the visual companion to the worksheet. Where the worksheet walks her through the thinking step by step, the canvas is the single sheet she keeps in sight and reuses.
Design goal: low-ink, low-overwhelm, printable on one page (US Letter, portrait). Generous white space. No score, no streak, no grade. A member should be able to fill it in on a low-capacity day.
On-page instructions (print these at the top, under the title)
This is your map, not a test. Fill in what you know, leave the rest blank, change it any time. The goal is one page you can look at and see how your real day actually wants to run. Start with the Energy Map. Everything else builds from it.
Layout spec (top to bottom, one page)
Header band
- Centered ND Hive logo.
- Title: ND Workday Design Canvas
- Subtitle: A one-page map of your energy, focus, and support across the week.
- One fillable field: This week of: [date field]
Section A: Energy Map (the anchor section, give it the most room)
A simple weekly grid. Columns = days (Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, plus two optional blank columns for those who work weekends or non-standard weeks). Rows = three time bands: Morning, Midday, Afternoon / Late.
In each cell, the member marks her typical energy with one of three simple symbols (printed in a small legend): High (full circle / “best”), Medium (“better”), Low (“good / running low”).
On-cell instruction: Mark how your focus usually runs. You are reading the pattern, not promising it.
Section B: My Focus Windows
- My sharpest focus window is from ___ to ___
- The hardest task I will protect for that window: [text line]
One checkbox row: Moved out of my focus window into low-energy hours: with three checkboxes labeled email, meetings, admin, plus one blank other: ___ line.
Section C: My Anchors (the spine)
- Start ritual: [time] ___ [what] ___
- Break / lunch: [time] ___ [what] ___
- Hard stop: [time] ___ [what] ___
- Optional anchor (e.g. body double): [time] ___ [what] ___
Caption under the section: These stay the same no matter what kind of day it is. Everything between them gets to flex.
Section D: Resets & Ramps
- One sensory reset I schedule before I need it: [text line]
- One transition that trips me up + the ramp I will add: [text line]
Section E: My Support Needs (set up in advance)
- [ ] Body doubling session booked for: ___
- [ ] External reminder / visible cue set for: ___
- [ ] A “starting in ten” nudge from: ___
- [ ] Other support: ___
Caption: Designing support in advance is the highest-leverage move on this page. You are not meant to run the day on willpower alone.
Section F: Three Versions of Today (Good / Better / Best)
- BEST DAY (high capacity): [text box] what a full-energy day holds
- BETTER DAY (medium): [text box] what a medium day holds
- GOOD DAY (low): [text box] the ONE thing that has to move
Caption: You do not plan one day. You plan three, and you pick which one you woke up in. Links conceptually to the live Good, Better, Best Days framework.
Footer band
- One sentence, gentle: You are not bad at routines. You were handed a day built for steady energy you do not have. This is the day that fits the brain you actually brought.
- Safety/scope line (small): ND Hive is coaching and community, not therapy or medical care. If low days are tipping into burnout, depression, or anxiety, talk to a clinician. In crisis, call or text 988.
- CTA button: Start your 7-day free trial at https://ndhive.com/pricing/
Build notes for the worksheet-generator / designer
- Single page, US Letter portrait, print-friendly (works in black and white; symbols not color-dependent).
- All fields are real fillable text inputs / checkboxes in the on-screen version; in the printed PDF they render as blank lines and empty checkboxes.
- Energy Map symbols must be shape-based (full / half / empty circle), never color-only, for accessibility.
- No em dashes anywhere in rendered copy. Verified clean in this spec.
- Keep total field count modest. Overwhelm-reduction matters more than completeness; better to leave white space than cram.
- Reuse ND Hive Warm Hive tokens if rendered in-app context; on ndhive.com use the existing Worksheet Template v2 styling.