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INTERACTIVE TUTORIAL

ACT on It

An Acceptance & Commitment approach to
executive function & productivity

In the next few minutes, you'll learn the six ACT skills that make planning actually work for your brain and build a personalized weekly planner you can download as a PDF.

No perfection required. Skip what doesn't resonate. There's no wrong way to do this.

UNDATED · START ANYTIME · 5-10 MINUTES

© 2026 Applied Behavioral Health Practice · www.getadhd.care/just-act-on-it

THE FRAMEWORK

Six Skills for a Flexible Brain

Psychological flexibility is the ability to be present, open up to discomfort, and do what matters. Here's how each skill maps to executive function:

ACCEPTANCE

Making room for discomfort instead of avoiding hard tasks

DEFUSION

Unhooking from "I should have done this already"

PRESENT MOMENT

Anchoring attention to what's actually in front of you

SELF-AS-CONTEXT

Observing patterns without being defined by them

VALUES

Connecting daily tasks to what actually matters

COMMITTED ACTION

Taking the next step, even if imperfect

Each prompt in your planner builds one of these skills.

ACT PILLAR: VALUES

What Matters to You

Values aren't goals. Goals get completed; values are directions you travel in. They're your compass when executive function makes it hard to see the path.

Think qualities, not achievements. Not "get promoted" but "bring courage and care to my work."

Tap to add, or type your own

Your values (edit or add more)

These will appear on your weekly planner as your compass.

ACT PILLAR: DEFUSION

Unhooking from the Story

Your brain is a story-generating machine. When it says "you're lazy" or "you'll never catch up," that's a thought, not a fact. Defusion means noticing it without letting it drive.

Try: Instead of "I'm so behind," say "I'm having the thought that I'm behind." The thought is still there, but you're holding it now. It's not holding you.

The story your brain usually tells about productivity

Naming it takes away some of its power.

PRESENT MOMENT + ACCEPTANCE

Arriving Before Planning

Before you plan, just notice what's here. Not to fix it, just to see it. Your daily planner starts with a check-in:

BODY

What do I physically feel?

MIND

What thoughts are loudest?

MOOD

What emotions are present?

Acceptance means making room for whatever shows up without needing to fix it before you start. You don't need to feel ready.

What uncomfortable feeling usually blocks you from starting?

ACT PILLAR: COMMITTED ACTION

Your Top 3 This Week

Not everything on your to-do list. Just the 3 things that matter most. Small counts. "Send one email" is a valid commitment.

Committed action isn't about doing it perfectly. It's about choosing to move toward what matters, even when your brain offers 47 reasons not to.

ACT PILLAR: SELF-AS-CONTEXT

You Are The Noticer

You are not your thoughts, feelings, or productivity. You're the one who notices them. A bad day doesn't make you a bad person. A missed deadline doesn't make you broken.

Your planner includes an end-of-day reflection called "The Noticer", a space to observe your day without judgment:

What did I move toward today, even slightly?

What was hard? How did I respond?

What do I want to carry into tomorrow?

Weekly intention: what quality do you want to bring?

YOU DID IT

Your Planner Is Ready

Everything you entered is pre-filled on your weekly overview, plus daily pages with ACT prompts for Monday through Friday and a weekly review.

© 2026 Applied Behavioral Health Practice

www.getadhd.care/just-act-on-it

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