ADHD index cards: a 3x5 and 4x6 task card system for a card box

ADHD index cards make planning small: a task card system in true 3 x 5 in and 4 x 6 in sizes that you keep in a card box instead of a full page planner. The 32 undated pages hold ten card designs in both sizes with crop marks, lined and dot grid backs that match, an idea bank of 50 ways to get unstuck, and box dividers for Today, Next, Waiting, Done and Someday. You download US Letter and A4 PDF files right away, and nothing is mailed.

Pick up one card, do one thing, drop it in Done. That is the whole system.

How these ADHD index cards help you start and finish

When your head is full, write it all on a brain dump card and give each line a spot: today, next, waiting or let go. Then pick a Daily 3, or on a stuck day, use the one thing now card with a tiny first step and a timer. The task you keep dodging gets broken into five small steps with minutes on a breakdown card, and the body doubling card holds your plan for working alongside someone plus a record of what you finished.

Your guesses meet real times on the estimate vs actual card, so over time you find your personal multiplier. The waiting-for card remembers everything you passed on or requested. Small wins land on the done list, the low energy plan makes a bare minimum day feel like enough, and since nothing is dated, you only reprint the cards you actually reach for.

Who the card system suits

• Adults with ADHD or ADD who misplace big planners yet always keep a card in a pocket or by the keyboard
• Anyone who struggles to get started, loses track of time or feels overwhelmed, and wants a single small step written down
• Fans of body doubling or a dopamine menu who would like both in a neat card box
• Students, remote workers and busy parents who want a simple task setup that sits beside the laptop

Design and card sizes

• Clean, elegant pages in white with soft blush pink touches that need very little ink
• Generous margins all around, so a home printer will not clip anything
• True trim sizes: 3 x 5 in (7.6 x 12.7 cm), three on a sheet, and 4 x 6 in (10.2 x 15.2 cm), two on a sheet, with crop marks, on US Letter (8.5 x 11 in) or A4 (210 x 297 mm) paper
• No dates, so you can begin on any day of the year
• The lined and dot grid backs match the fronts when printed double sided with a long edge flip
• This is a card system rather than a full page planner. For full page ADHD layouts, browse the ADHD planners in the shop

Inside the ADHD index cards: 32 pages

1. 1Cover page listing the contents
2. 2A guide to the card system in five steps (dump, choose, shrink, start, close), a chart of what each card is for with its page in both sizes, how cards travel through the box from Someday to Done, tips for printing and cutting, and a gentle note
3. 3 to 12Ten card designs at 4 x 6 in, two on each sheet with crop marks. Brain dump (two columns of 16 lines, a sort circle on every line and a key for today, next, waiting and let go). One thing now (the task, a tiny first step, what done means, a timer from 10 to 45 minutes, why it matters and a parking lot for stray thoughts). Task breakdown (the big task, what done looks like, due date, five small steps with minutes and done boxes, a reward). Body doubling session (who with, in person or on a call, length, 6 lines to plan, 6 lines for what you finished, how it felt, the next session and what to bring). Dopamine menu (starters, mains, sides and desserts, 4 lines each, plus a hard day special). Time estimate vs actual (8 tasks with guess, real time and difference, your usual multiplier and the biggest surprise). Waiting-for (8 rows: who, what, when asked, follow up, received). Done list (16 numbered lines, how I feel today and a small win I nearly missed). Low energy plan (energy from 1 to 5, a basics check for water, food, rest and fresh air, 6 bare minimum lines, 6 lines for what can wait and one kind thing for yourself). Daily 3 (three tasks, each with a done box, a first step, a when and an if I get stuck line, plus the one I will do if only one happens and a bonus line)
4. 13 to 14Backs for the 4 x 6 in cards, one lined and one dot grid, to print on the reverse of any 4 x 6 sheet
5. 15 to 24All ten designs again at 3 x 5 in, three on each sheet with crop marks (the brain dump has 10 lines, the done list 12, the time and waiting-for cards 6 rows, the low energy plan and body doubling cards 4 lines)
6. 25 to 26Backs for the 3 x 5 in cards, lined and dot grid
7. 27The getting unstuck idea bank, three 3 x 5 cards holding 50 ideas across 5 groups (tiny starts, focus helpers, low energy tasks, quick dopamine boosts, when I am stuck) and a column for what works for you
8. 28 to 29Tabbed 3 x 5 in dividers for your card box: Today, Next, Waiting, Done, Someday and a blank one to name yourself
9. 30 to 32Tabbed 4 x 6 in dividers, the same six

Your download

• ADHD Task Cards 3x5 & 4x6, US Letter PDF (32 pages)
• ADHD Task Cards 3x5 & 4x6, A4 PDF (32 pages)
• Read Me First, a short PDF guide to printing

How to download and print

• Check out with PayPal, a debit or credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your download page opens as soon as the payment goes through.
• We email the same private download links to you, so you can download your files again later.
• Open the PDF in a free reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and print at 100% or Actual size.
• Print only the pages you need, as often as you like, for your own personal use.

Before you buy

• You get a PDF to print and cut yourself. No printed cards and no card box are sent.
• It is a digital download, so nothing physical ships.
• Colors may look a little different on paper than on your screen.
• Personal use only. Please do not share, resell or pass on the files.
• Digital files cannot be returned, but if one will not open or print properly, email us and we will help quickly.
• These cards are a gentle organizing tool. They do not diagnose or treat ADHD, they are not medical advice and they do not replace a qualified professional.

How this was made

Designed and written by PetiteDiary. AI tools helped draft parts of the text, and some background scenes in the preview images were created with AI. Every page was designed, reviewed and checked before release.

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