Hello! I have unmedicated ADHD, and have been using the bullet journal method since before it was cool (in fact, when I found it, it was not too different from what I had already been doing), and I saw a reblog lamenting the above. So, I decided to share how I use it.
Let me break it down, with pictures, including some from while I was on meds. My style is almost strictly utilitarian- the one exception is for colored pens, because they motivate my ADHD brain like whoa.
In my opinion, the two most important parts are the method of writing/using lists & the brain dump page. Those are the two I still use, even without exterior reminders. Here is a key to how to mark up your lists:
Basically, write a dot for each task. When you start it, put a slash through that task. When you complete it, cross it out. If you didn't get to it but still want to get it done, make a little >. Personally, I found the additional marks to be too much, at least while unmedicated.
Here's an example from when I had meds:
Unmedicated, that looks chaotic as hell and overwhelming- and I'm the one who made it!
This is what it looks like today, after 6 years of bullet journaling:
Each day, I make a list of the tasks I'll need help remembering to do. This is a pretty light week, since I'm off work, it's a holiday I don't celebrate, and that booster shot hit hard. I try to cross them off as I go, and each day gets a new color. If I forgot to x, /, or > it, it gets done with whatever the color of the day is. If I'm not going to do it, I cross it out.
The brain dump page is the other biggie for me, and it is exactly what it sounds like: a page to write down all those stray thoughts so you can focus (better). Here's an old example:
I found these most useful when I was studying, doing paperwork, grading, etc. Just a page nearby that I write down all those thoughts I'm worried I'll forget.
The next item is the index, and the point here is not to set out a structure ahead of time, but rather, when you put a new thing in, to write down the page number where it can be found. Here's an example from the currant notebook:
Right now, I think the ideal would be to have my daily lists in the front, and have different pages in the back. Instead of intermingled as they are now.
Hopefully that was helpful. I will probably make another, more clear post on this topic in the future.