Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Managing time when you’re being productive

In honor of ADHD Awareness Month we are featuring a few tips for managing ADHD when it comes to your to-do list. (And as with many things ADHD, tips and supports benefit everyone, not just those who have it!)

With ADHD, there can be a variety of feelings around time/tasks. The feeling of overwhelm could really creep up when a task feels too vague, takes too long, or is due far enough in the future that it doesn’t feel “urgent”.

Or maybe, as busy people of course, it could be hard to divide up the time so that you feel focused on one thing without worrying about the other thing.

Or maybe(!) you’ve overscheduled your time to prevent any of the above and then it feels too constricting—phew!

Finding that appropriate balance can be especially tricky, but two things can help: break things down, and plan a little but not too much.

First, using a Pomodoro-style timer can help break big projects down, create a mini-deadline that helps you move forward, and helps you not lose track of time. Plus: built-in breaks!

In another way, thinking of your tasks in terms of time can help you fit them into built-in timeframes. You schedule the block of time, and the tasks are ready for you! This can help when you have multiple projects or tasks to juggle and you need some more built-in structure.

You can use both methods and switch things up as needed. Finding something that works without too much careful planning can really help to focus more on the doing. 😅