Tag Archive for: time management

ADHD Tool Tip: Keep a Running To-Do List

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The ADHD tool I’m sharing in this post is a very simple, basic item: a 3″x5″ pocket journal with a pen. As I’ve stated previously, tools that work for one person do not work for everyone. Choose the tools that best support your unique brain and your unique executive function challenges.

Something that works for me and my brain is a running to-do list. I keep it in a small journal that tucks neatly into my pocket or my purse or, if I’m traveling, my backpack. (I like this one because it comes with a pen, which is very convenient and reduces the chance that my thought might escape while I hunt down something to write with.) At the beginning of the year, I turn to a new page, write the year on it, and continue my list.

As various things I want to remember enter my thoughts, whether something major or something trivial, I add each to my running to-do list. Sometimes, I’m very diligent about keeping my journal with me to write in, and, other times, I lose track of it altogether. When I find it again, I keep going with my list. This running to-do list in my pocket journal ensures that the fleeting thought I had about that very important thing that I keep forgetting will be recorded and available when I’m ready to act on it.

Sometimes I use the list to inform my plans for a day or a week. Sometimes, I go through it and cross off things I’ve completed without even realizing I did. Sometimes, I review the list from the current year and past years to see how much I’ve accomplished.

Not everything I put on the list gets completed. There are things that I’ve written in it that became less important or even irrelevant as time passed and situations changed. That’s okay. In a way it tells a story of my life and its phases and what was important in a particular period of time. The point of the list is to support working memory, decrease anxiety, and evidence successes along the way.

Yes, you can accomplish the same thing using the notes app on your phone or a Google doc on your computer, but don’t underestimate the powerful brain-body connection that occurs when handwriting something. The simple act of handwriting something you want to remember increases the likelihood that you will, even if you lose what you wrote it on, far greater than if you type it into a digital format.

If you’d like to try using a pocket journal to record a running to-do list, clicking on any of the highlighted words or the picture will take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases. I like this journal because of the size and convenience of it. If there’s another journal that gets you excited about keeping a running to-do list, get it.

ADHD Tool Tip: Use a Weekly Planner to Assign Priorities to Each Day

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As I continue in this series on my recommendations of ADHD tools, please remember that these recommendations are based on my personal success with various tools and those of my clients. This series of posts is in response to the frequent question of what do I think is the best tool to use to solve a particular ADHD challenge.

I am generally resistant to giving my opinion on that and instead encourage inquirers to do their own research. Yet, I understand that research sometimes returns an overwhelming amount of information that either causes analysis paralysis or a hyperfocused deep dive in search of the most perfect tool, neither of which results in actually acquiring a tool to assist with moving forward. So, this series of posts is designed to narrow the choices and give some useful information.

I have found that a weekly planner, such as the one pictured here, goes a long way in helping me get my head wrapped around a busy week or around a multistep project.

 

This planner has tear-off sheets that I can post on my fridge, my cork board, or tuck into my purse and take on-the-go. Sized like a standard sheet of notebook paper, it doesn’t easily disappear on my desk. Plus, the simple design ensures that what I’ve written isn’t lost in a  flashy background.

The undated pages allow me the flexibility to use it when I need it and set it aside on weeks that I don’t. The structured layout aids me in organizing my thoughts and creating a plan for execution. I particularly love the brain-dump column on the left side of the page. Once I get the brain dump complete (or at least started and added to as I go), I can assign tasks in a meaningful stepwise order to the days of my week.

And while, yes, all of these things can be accomplished digitally, don’t underestimated the power of handwriting information to support the brain’s working memory. Ample research supports this. Thus, even if you use a planner like this to map out your week then misplace it, you’re still more likely to remember and accomplish key tasks than if you don’t use it.

To read more specifics about this weekly planner or to purchase it from Amazon to experiment with, click on the highlighted words or any of the pictures. Full transparency, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Only purchase this planner if you believe it may meet your needs.

ADHD Tool Tip: Use a Simple Daily Planner

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This post is the second in my series on helpful ADHD tools. As I previously said, I’m sharing tools that I like and that I and/or my coaching clients have had success with. There are lots of different planners on the market, and no single version is the right one for everyone. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have the options narrowed down for you

The left side of the page provides space for a daily brain dump. The right side of the page provides prompts and space for pulling out and organizing the most important brain dump items. It comes in a variety of background colors, but I like the ones shown here because they are neutral so that what I write on the page is more visible than the page itself.

ADHD Tool Tip: Use an Analog Timer

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Coaching clients frequently ask for recommendations of ADHD tools, apps, worksheets, planners, and products that they can use to improve productivity, time management, memory, focus, and other executive function skills. I generally balk at telling clients to use specific products because everyone is different and no one thing works for every person. The products that make my life easier may not be helpful to you.

Nonetheless, I recognize that the abundance of product options available can be overwhelming and potentially either cause paralysis or hyperfocus and rabbit-hole diving. Having someone narrow the field for you can be useful. So I am beginning a series of posts in which I share an ADHD product that I really like and provide informational bullet points on it.

I’m beginning the series with a tool for time management and productivity: a timer. You may be familiar with the Pomodoro Method, in which you break focused work into timed intervals separated by short breaks. A timer is a key tool for this strategy.

Most Pomodoro timers are digital, like the one pictured here.

 

This one is simple to use. You can change the interval time or the break time just by turning the cube over so that the desired time is on the top side.It vibrates to indicate that the interval has expired. It can be very useful for people who judge the passage of time well.

 

For those who don’t, though, it’s important to make the passage of time visible, to give time a spatial dimension. That’s what analog clocks and timers do for us. They show us how much time has passed and how much time remains so that our brain doesn’t have to struggle to guess.

This timer is visually simple and color-coded to aid the brain in determining how long you have worked and how long you have before stopping work to take a break. Likewise, it gives visual information regarding how much time remains in a break. It has lighted face and it’s easy to set by turning the knob.

It helps the brain process and understand time better. The body becomes familiar with what the passage of time feels like. Combined, this leads to better productivity and improved time blindness overall.

Either of these timers can be purchased from Amazon by clicking on the image or the the highlighted descriptive words. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am not implying that the timer method will solve issues with time blindness, focus, or productivity for every person with ADHD. If, however, you think you might benefit, I encourage you to experiment with using a timer.