The essentials
A calm starting point
- Prospective memory concerns an intended future action, not predicting the future.
- A time or an event can determine when to act.
- Knowing the intention and remembering it at the right moment are different demands.
- ADHD research findings depend in part on the task studied and do not describe any individual completely.
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What the term describes
You form an intention now and carry it out later. In between, you do other things. The linked PLOS article explains the definition and the distinction between time-based and event-based tasks.
Time-based: act at a particular time
“At 3 pm, I will start the agreed call.” The time determines the moment. A suitable cue would need to be noticeable in time; simply knowing that the call matters does not identify a trigger.
Event-based: act when a cue occurs
“When I meet my friend, I will return the book I borrowed.” Here, the meeting is the reference point. The event must actually happen; a meeting that might take place sometime is not enough for a fixed return deadline.
Distinguish the intention from carrying it out
You may later know exactly which book you meant to return and still have forgotten it during the meeting. The content of the intention and recalling it in time belong together, but they are different questions.
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How this differs from working memory
As an everyday distinction: working memory concerns information you are holding and working with now; prospective memory concerns carrying out an intention later. Several processes can interact in a real task.
Use information right now
You read a number and copy it directly into another field. You need the information now. The existing working-memory article explores this view of your current inner workspace and describes personal experiences with it.
Return to the intention later
In the morning, you decide to bring the book to your next meeting. The moment of action comes later. You do not have to consciously hold the thought all day; what matters is returning to it at the right point.
A forgotten intention is not a diagnosis
One example does not show which process was involved. Perhaps the intention was unclear, materials were missing or the cue went unnoticed. A missed intention cannot establish an ADHD diagnosis or a particular memory profile.
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What ADHD research shows, and what remains open
The studies linked below examine adults in specific test situations. They do not establish that everyone with ADHD forgets all future intentions in the same way.
Differences depend on the task
Altgassen and colleagues compared 25 adults with ADHD with 25 controls in a computerized breakfast task. They found differences for time-based intentions, but not event-based intentions. Another study with 18 people in each group did find differences in an event-based task.
Planning can also play a part
Fuermaier and colleagues compared 45 adults with ADHD with 45 controls in a complex task. The clearest differences concerned planning; effects for other components studied were smaller. This supports examining different demands separately.
Group findings are not personal instructions
Small samples and specific test tasks limit how widely the findings apply. The studies test neither the worksheets linked here nor meinsystem.app. The suggestions below are practical options to try, not treatment or a guarantee of success.
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Prepare a specific intention for everyday life
Choose a manageable intention and check the action, timing and materials separately. You do not need to build an entire new reminder system for it.
Write down the specific action
“Book” becomes “bring the borrowed book to the meeting and return it”. A short entry records what you actually want to do. If preparation is needed, name it as a separate first step.
Explicitly choose a time or an event
For a fixed time, use a calendar with a suitable cue. A recurring event may fit a flexible intention. Check whether that event happens in time; choosing a trigger does not make a deadline more flexible.
Make materials accessible before acting
Put the book in a suitable place near your bag rather than blocking a walkway. For a call, the number you need could be in the calendar entry. A cue and accessible materials are two separate parts of your preparation.
After trying it, check the specific gap
Did you notice the cue? Was the action clear? Could you start at that moment? If the timing did not fit, change it deliberately and record the new plan. More cues are not automatically the right response to a lack of time or unclear steps.
A practical example
Example: return a borrowed book at a meeting
A fictional everyday example connects intention, preparation and action. It is not a memory test or a general rule.
- Intention
- Return the borrowed book at the agreed meeting on Thursday.
- Preparation
- Put the book in your bag before leaving; schedule this preparation for a suitable time.
- At the meeting
- Mention returning the book and hand it over.
- If the meeting is cancelled
- Agree on a new time with the other person and update the old entry.
- Completion
- Mark it complete only after returning it. Packed and returned are different states.
- Review
- If it remained open: was the book missing, did the cue go unnoticed or did the situation change? Adjust the affected part.
Scope and reliable sources
This page combines lived experience with general information. It does not replace diagnosis or treatment. Official health information is available from the German federal guides on ADHD and autism.
Written by Max Anton Schneider, founder of meinsystem.app. About Max
Sources for the background information
- APA Dictionary: Prospective Memory ↗Definition: remembering to do something later. Supports the simple explanation; makes no claim about the effectiveness of reminder aids.
- APA Dictionary: Working Memory ↗Definition concerning information held and worked with in the short term. Supports the distinction from a future intention.
- Fuermaier et al. (2013): Complex Prospective Memory in Adults with ADHD ↗Full text: definition, time/event distinction and a complex task with 45 plus 45 adults. Clearest differences in planning; does not test the everyday aids proposed here.
- Altgassen et al. (2014, online 2012): Task Dissociation in Prospective Memory ↗Abstract: 25 adults with ADHD and 25 controls. Differences in time-based, but not event-based intentions in this task; a limited sample.
- Altgassen et al. (2019, online 2014): Event-Based Prospective Memory in ADHD ↗Abstract: 18 plus 18 adults, with differences in an event-based task here too. Adds context for varying findings rather than a blanket rule.
Published and reviewed on · About the author