A Simple, ADHD-Friendly Way to Structure Asana (Without Overwhelm)
If tools like Asana feel overwhelming, you are not doing it wrong.
I’ve worked with my fair share of ADHD entrepreneurs — and I even birthed one — so I know how overwhelming things can be, especially tools like this. My goal is always to simplify things and give you real examples based on what has worked for me and my clients.
This is a simple, minimal way to structure Asana that supports your brain instead of overwhelming it. It’s designed for solopreneurs and small teams — not big corporate setups.
Either keep reading or watch the video below:
Start with the Asana hierarchy
First of all, I highly recommend learning the Asana hierarchy, or the Asana levels.
That means understanding the difference between:
Teams
Projects
Tasks
Once you understand how these levels work together, everything else becomes much easier.
Teams = categories in your business
When you hear “teams,” don’t think of teams of people in a giant company.
That might work for large organizations, but that’s not who this is for.
For solopreneurs and small teams, what works best is using teams as categories in your business, not departments full of people.
In my experience working with coaches, virtual assistants, OBMs, freelancers, and small teams, this approach gives you way more organization without overwhelming your Asana account.
Examples of teams (categories) might be:
Business Central (business info, goals, finances)
Clients
Marketing
Products & Services
Operations
This setup works really well because it keeps things simple and clear. You always know where something belongs.
Projects = subcategories
Under each team, you’ll have projects.
Think of projects as subcategories inside your main business categories.
For example, under Marketing you might have projects like:
Email marketing
Lead tracking
Content
Website updates
Organizing projects this way helps ensure you always know where to find things and where to put new things. That clarity alone reduces a lot of mental load.
Tasks = the actual work
Inside each project, you’ll have tasks.
Tasks are the things you or your team are actually going to do.
You can also use sections inside projects if that helps — for example, sections for promo emails or different phases of work — but keep it simple when you’re starting.
The most important rule when it comes to tasks is this:
As soon as you create a task, assign it to someone and give it a due date.
That is the key to tasks not getting lost.
If a task isn’t assigned and doesn’t have a due date, it can very easily be forgotten. When tasks are assigned with due dates, they show up in My Tasks and actually get done.
This isn’t about discipline. It’s about setting things up so they can’t slip through the cracks.
You don’t need every feature
If you’re brand new to Asana — especially if you have ADHD — you might not even want to use subtasks yet.
That’s totally fine.
Play around with the basics first:
Teams
Projects
Tasks
You don’t need to understand every feature before you start. That’s too overwhelming and often leads to paralysis.
One step at a time is more than enough.
Simple systems calm the chaos
Solopreneurs and small teams don’t need complicated systems.
They need systems that:
Help them always know where to find things
Make it obvious where new things go
Reduce the constant mental chatter of “where did I put that?”
Using teams as categories and projects as subcategories gives you that clarity.
It’s not flashy.
It’s not fancy.
But it works.
And when your system works, your brain can finally breathe.
Templates are a game changer (once structure is in place)
Once you have a simple structure in place, templates can be a huge help.
They calm the chaos, remove decision fatigue, and help you reclaim mental space. You don’t have to start from scratch every time.
That’s why I use templates in my own business and with my clients — not to make things more complicated, but to make them easier.
Final thoughts
Your Asana setup doesn’t need to look perfect.
It needs to:
Support your brain
Make things easier
Actually get used
Perfection is optional.
Function is not.
Simple systems work — especially when you build them for how you actually think and work.
