You are not Broken. You are wired differently.
Take what helps, skip what doesn’t, and remember you don’t have to do this alone.
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📋 The Good/Better/Best Day Planner
A worksheet from ND Hive. Companion to “What is Executive Dysfunction?”
What this is
Most planners assume your capacity is constant. ADHD/AUDHD capacity is not. Some days you have full bandwidth. Some days you have a quarter. A planner that doesn’t account for this sets you up to fail half the time.
Good/Better/Best is the ND Hive framework for designing each day around your ACTUAL capacity, not the capacity you wish you had. It takes 5 to 10 minutes per day. Use it daily, especially in the morning.
How Good/Better/Best works
Three tiers. You pick which one fits today.
- GOOD day plan. Minimum-viable existence. Hygiene, food, no shame. The bar is “I made it through.” This is for low-capacity days.
- BETTER day plan. Good plus 1 to 2 priority tasks. The bar is “I moved forward on something.” This is for medium-capacity days.
- BEST day plan. Good plus Better plus 2 to 3 stretch goals. The bar is “I made meaningful progress.” This is for high-capacity days.
The shift: you don’t fail at “Best.” You succeed at “Good” on a Good day. You succeed at “Better” on a Better day. The framework matches the bar to the brain.
Part 1: Build your three plans
Do this once. Reuse forever.
My GOOD day plan (minimum-viable, no-shame)
What do I need to do to call today functional, even on a hard day?
- [ ] ___________________________________________
- [ ] ___________________________________________
- [ ] ___________________________________________
- [ ] ___________________________________________
- [ ] ___________________________________________
Examples to choose from: Eat 2 meals. Drink water. Take medication. Brush teeth. Move from bed to couch. Reply to one message. Get dressed. Step outside.
My BETTER day plan (Good + 1 to 2 priority tasks)
If I have medium capacity, what 1 to 2 priority tasks am I picking? (Predefine them, don’t decide in the moment.)
- [ ] ___________________________________________
- [ ] ___________________________________________
Examples to choose from: Send the follow-up email I’ve been avoiding. 30 minutes of focused work on the project. One important conversation. One errand. One creative session.
My BEST day plan (Good + Better + 2 to 3 stretch goals)
If I have high capacity, what stretch goals am I tackling?
- [ ] ___________________________________________
- [ ] ___________________________________________
- [ ] ___________________________________________
Examples to choose from: Tackle the hard project. Take a real break or walk. Make actual plans with a person. Cook a real meal. Do something I’ve been putting off.
Part 2: Today’s check-in
Use this every morning. Takes 60 seconds.
What kind of day does my body and brain say this is?
Honestly. Don’t aspire. Read the actual signal.
- ☐ GOOD day capacity (low, survival mode)
- ☐ BETTER day capacity (medium, can do 1 to 2 things)
- ☐ BEST day capacity (high, can stretch)
What’s the evidence?
Sleep: ___________ Food: ___________ Mood: ___________
Energy on a scale of 1 to 10: ___________
Anything specific weighing on me: ___________
Today’s plan
Based on the capacity above, today is a:
- ☐ GOOD day → Use my Good plan above. Hit those checkboxes. Stop there.
- ☐ BETTER day → Use my Better plan. Hit Good first, then add the 1 to 2 priorities.
- ☐ BEST day → Use my Best plan. All three tiers in order: Good, then Better, then stretch.
What I’m NOT doing today (the things I’m explicitly choosing not to attempt):
___________________________________________
Part 3: End of day check
60 seconds before bed. No judgment. Just data.
What kind of day did this actually turn out to be?
- ☐ GOOD · ☐ BETTER · ☐ BEST · ☐ Less than expected · ☐ More than expected
Did I match my plan to the actual day, or did I push past my capacity?
Matched · Pushed past · Underestimated and could’ve done more
What do I want to remember tomorrow?
___________________________________________
Reminder
A Good day on a Good day is a win. A Better day on a Better day is a win. A Best day on a Best day is a win.
The shame comes from running a Best plan on a Good day and “failing.” That’s not failure. That’s a planning mismatch. The framework fixes the mismatch.
Stop trying to be productive every day. Start trying to be honest about which day this is.
Body double through your Good/Better/Best plan. Try a Hive Session free for 7 days →
Back to “What is Executive Dysfunction?” →
A worksheet from ND Hive. Built for people whose capacity changes faster than their planner does.