If you have ADHD you may find yourself wondering why everything takes so long to do. It could be anything from paying bills to mowing the lawn, to projects around the house. Days just seem to slip away, and very few items get crossed off that "to do" list. At work it can be even more frustrating: that spreadsheet or presentation sucks up hours of time, and you find yourself behind on other work. It just seems like no matter what you do the tasks just take forever.
People with ADHD are notoriously poor at estimating the amount of time it takes to do something. If they need to be at a meeting across town they think to themselves like this: "My meeting tomorrow is at 9:30 in the morning. It will take me about 30 minutes to get there, so I'll leave at 8:50. That should give me plenty of time." There are several things wrong with this pattern of thinking. First, the ADHD mind is concerned only with a deadline: I need to leave by 8:50. What's unsaid is that the time between waking up and leaving is now just open. And open blocks of time are like quicksand for someone with ADHD. The nature of the condition means that all kinds of things start popping up to get our attention when what should be happening is we need to get ready for our meeting. Suddenly, we realize it's 8:30 and we haven't showered yet! And then we don't know where our car keys are, or where our folder is. Then we forget that we have to stop for gas, then we hit traffic! A simple 30 minute drive to an appointment turns into an avoidable hour of hellish self recrimination.
What we need to recognize is that although we don't have to leave until 8:50, there's a lot of stuff we need to do before we leave. Let's take another look at the scenario above, only this time this person has had a lot of good ADHD coaching and has developed some good strategies. " My meeting tomorrow is at 9:30. It will take about a half hour to get there, so I'll need to leave at 8:50. If I need to leave at 8:50, I better make sure that I'm showered and dressed no later than 8:15. That will give me a half hour to pull all of the stuff I need together; hmm, on second thought I better pull it together tonight. That's safer. I also better check the gas gauge in the car after I get my stuff together to make sure I won't have to stop for gas in the morning. I also better account for traffic. Probably should set an alert on my smart phone for 8:40 to get moving. Even if I'm really early, I'll have time to find a parking spot."
Forward planning like this is difficult for people with Executive Functioning difficulties, but it's a critical tool in shortening the time it takes to accomplish a task. Here are some key tips to keeping the time you spend on things efficient:
1. Make sure you sit down and think about everything you'll need to do a job, whatever that job is. Having everything you need before you start saves time.
2. Block out dedicated time to complete specific tasks.
3. Consider carefully whether the task you are trying to accomplish is do-able in the time allotted. Also consider whether the situation at work or home is conducive to that task. Painting the house isn't going to get done if you have company coming and going all day long.
4. Know your limits. There is only so much that can be done in the course of the day.
5. Learn to under promise and over deliver. If you think a project will take five days, offer to have it done in eight. If you get it done in seven you look good.
6. Discipline yourself to say no to something that may sound interesting, but that you know will play havoc with your current schedule. Mental and physical overload leads to a far less productive day.
I hope you find these tips and thoughts helpful. Tomorrow I'm going to delve into the topic of over scheduling in more detail, and talk about strategies to help avoid it, or at least minimize it.
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