Why Project Management Tools Don’t Stick (Especially with ADHD)
If you've tried a bunch of project management tools and none of them stuck, it doesn't mean that you're bad at systems.
It usually means the system was never built for your brain.
Most people think the problem is discipline or motivation, especially if you have ADHD.
But that's not what's actually happening.
You sign up for a tool.
You open it.
And almost immediately, your brain panics and feels like this is too much work.
So you try anyway.
You add a few tasks. Maybe a project.
You tell yourself, this is the week I get organized.
And for a few days, you use it.
Then slowly… you don’t.
You stop opening the tool.
You start writing things down somewhere else — like a notes app.
You leave emails unread so you don’t forget.
Maybe you DM yourself reminders.
And one day you realize you haven’t opened the tool in weeks.
Either keep reading or watch the video below:
The Real Reason Project Management Tools Don’t Stick
Here’s the first reason this keeps happening:
You’re trying to use the tool in the way that it was designed — not in the way that you think.
Most project management tools are built for large teams.
They assume:
Clear roles
Linear work
Predictable tasks
And that’s not how most solopreneurs work.
And it’s definitely not how ADHD brains work.
When you open a blank project, your brain has to decide:
Where does this go?
What project is this?
What section should this task live in?
What do I name this section?
That’s a lot of thinking before you’ve even started working.
If your brain has to think that hard just to begin, it probably won’t stick.
Why the Tool Never Became a Habit
Here’s the second reason:
The tool never became a habit because it never earned that role.
You didn’t fail at building a habit.
The tool failed at becoming useful enough to be your default place.
Your brain always chooses what feels fastest in the moment.
So maybe you can’t decide which tool to go all in on.
Which causes you to put thoughts in all the places.
Here’s the tool you want to use.
And here’s what you end up doing instead.
A scattered mess.
One tool — nice and clean.
Versus:
Notes app.
Inbox.
Sticky notes.
Random reminders.
DMs to yourself.
This scattered setup slows down your business.
It wastes your time.
And it makes you feel more stressed out.
The Setup Mistake Most Solopreneurs Make
Here’s why this might be happening:
You never learned how to set the tool up in a way that supports how you think.
Most people do one of two things:
They skip setup completely and just dump tasks.
Or they overbuild based on someone else's system that’s supposed to be a perfectly straight line.
Both lead to overwhelm.
I’ve worked with both.
I’ve seen setups with no structure at all — and they didn’t help.
And I’ve seen setups that were so perfectly curated in the way that worked for someone else that the person avoided opening them… because it wasn’t the way that worked for them.
Is Asana the Problem?
This is where Asana gets blamed a lot.
People think Asana doesn’t work for them.
It’s too overwhelming.
They can’t stick with it.
But honestly?
This applies to any tool.
Asana is just the one I use and teach, so I talk about it a lot and hear about it a lot.
But the tool isn’t the problem.
Trying to force your brain to adapt to the wrong system is the problem.
It’s like fitting the wrong shape into a container it wasn’t meant to fit in.
What Actually Works
You don’t need:
More discipline
More motivation
A prettier dashboard
You need a system that supports how you think.
A setup that feels calm.
A tool that becomes your brain’s default place — instead of something you restart every few months.
Because when your system matches your brain?
You stop scattering tasks everywhere.
You stop avoiding the tool.
And you stop feeling behind in your own business.
Want Help Setting Up Asana the Right Way?
This is exactly why I created Asana Made Simple.
Not to teach you a system that works for someone else.
But to help you set it up in a way that feels calm.
To make it your brain’s default place.
And to stop restarting from scratch every few months.
If you've been wanting to get your business organized but just can’t seem to stick with the tool — this was made for you.
And if you want to see what this looks like in real life, you should also check out my video where I show you how to structure Asana in a way that works best for ADHD brains and small teams.
Because that’s where you’ll see exactly what this looks like in action.
If your tasks are currently living everywhere…
You’re not bad at systems.
You just haven’t built one that fits your brain yet.
And that’s fixable.
