ADHD and the Art of Prioritization: Tips and Techniques for Efficient Task Management - if you are anything like me- the thought of prioritizing makes me want to run away screaming with my arms above my head dramatically. here are some things that actually work. when everything else didn't.
the importance of prioritization in achieving productivity and success
Increases focus and efficiency - avoid wasting time, more efficient and effective in achieving your goals.
Reduces Stress and Overwhelm- allows us to break our goals down into manageable chunks, and plan ahead of time- so we can “know we have our own back” and not have the “I don’t know what to do” drama in our head.
Improves decision-making: can allocate time where you want to. Decide what is contributing to your goals, builds confidence.
Boost Productivity and performance. You can achieve more in less time. Hooray for less stress and more fun, and still reaching your goals- that’s what I’m talking about!
Enables better time management: ADHD’ers have a hard time knowing how long it will take for tasks- this is a great places to start to learn how long it takes. You aren’t going to be perfect at first, but as you go you will get better. You will start to become aware of how long it takes for you to complete tasks, so you can continue to plan and ensure you plan your days efficiently, in a way that supports your brain. Such as planning breaks, naps, walks, etc. when you know it only takes you 30 minutes to write your email, it is also less daunting. Because our ADHD brain can also think something will never end- which causes us to never take action. Hellooo procrastination!
We will go though common challenges everyone- but especially adders face’s when it comes to managing their tasks- and my adhd hacks
Thoughts of overwhelm
“I don’t know what to do” or “what’s important”
Time awareness & management
Distractions - your devices and others
Unrealistic expectations- our call for dopamine
Poor planning - our “now or not now” biting us in the butt. but don’t worry - I have the tools in this podcast episode to help you, even with your adhd be a prioritization wizard. Just ask my mom- or anyone that worked for me even a few years ago- this is not a natural born skill of mine haha.
Understanding the Concept of Prioritization
Define what prioritization means and why it's important
Discuss the various factors that can influence how we prioritize tasks (e.g., urgency, importance, personal preference)
Highlight the benefits of adopting a systematic approach to task prioritization
Overwhelming thoughts - will keep you from taking action. When you are thinking something will be fun, you will take action and it will be fun.
Lack of clarity: being stuck in the thought of “I dont know” will totally throw you for a spin. “What do I want to create for myself this year?” When I break that down into a monthly goal, what are the 2-3 most crucial things I can do every single day to make sure I reach or exceed that goal? In alignment with my core values?”
Poor time management- here it is again. This is something else that really gets us, and not just adhd’ers. What is a non-negotiable for you? Lots of my clients get stuck on this one. It’s easy to drop what you are doing for absolutely everyone else. Everything feels so important, especially when you are not thinking fun and exciting thoughts about your task at hand.
If there isn’t blood, or someone isn’t in immediate despair - it can wait.
This can be hard especially for moms, but hold yourself strong. Decide, what are your non-negotiable I will interrupt my scheduled events and duties if this happens.
Only interrupt your scheduled events and duties for those things.
Write them down. You will need reminders ;)
PERFECTIONISM!
Distractions - Oh how we love them. during your focus time, or dedicated working time, turn all of your devices to do not disturb, or my favorite I wrote a specific message, working hard and easily distracted for my driving notification - and I turn it onto drive. This way I also can have information if someone needs desperate help they have the business contact for someone else to help them, and they know I am unavailable.
Lack of motivation: This is a sign of bad thoughts. One of the biggest ones for us is when we believe they are tedious. As ADHD’ers tedious tasks can be felt down to the soul. But so can the joy and happiness of the dopamine hit of it being completed. If it’s something you absolutely have to do- and you don’t have someone else trained to do- I like to tell myself, it will only take about 20 minutes, and then I will be done- this gives me a different thought to think and makes it feel less like a daunting task of doomdom.
Unrealistic expectations: write down in your favorite calendar exactly what you want to complete.
1 podcast episode written
6 posts written, and scheduled with the time allotted, that you think it will take (add some buffer time)
Don’t expect yourself to build an entire website in a day - it’s easy to do, when you have no time awareness, trust me I do this all the time.
Ultimately- I think it’s more knowing that you will have unrealistic expectations at the beginning, but as you continue and find your flow and review how to support yourself, you learn how much you can get done without over doing, and how long it takes for tasks.
Planning ahead:
Look ahead at your month for any big deadlines that are coming up, things that need to be planned
I also like to schedule when I have a big class I am teaching, or something important to schedule at the time of scheduling the event reminders a few days ahead of time, and maybe even a month ahead of time to send out and prepare everythign I need to prepare for. Knowing I will forget until day off, otherwise.
Techniques for Prioritizing Tasks
Introduce some popular techniques for prioritizing tasks, such as the Eisenhower Matrix and the ABCDE method
Eisenhower Matrix - It is named after the former US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who is believed to have used this method to manage his time and tasks effectively.
The Eisenhower Matrix is essentially a four-quadrant grid that categorizes tasks based on two criteria: urgency and importance. Urgency refers to how soon a task needs to be completed, while importance refers to how valuable or significant a task is.
Take a piece of paper - draw line down the middle, and in half. For 4 quadrants. Or you can use sticky notes moved around on your wall, for you visual-tactile folks (this is also a great way to have it visible and not easy to forget if it’s a system you already like and use). Whatever floats your boat.
Top left quadrant urgent and important: require immediate attention. Deadline - driven project or critical client issues.
Top right: important but not urgent: dont require immediate attention. Such as long-term planning, personal development, or relationship building.
Bottom Left: Urgent but not important: responding to non-critical emails, or attending non-essential meetings.
Bottom Right: Non urgent and non-important: growing social media, watching tv, or other time-wasting activities.
This can give us a solid visual, and help us have a template for common tasks - we can decide once where it lies in importance, and not have to wonder again, how important it is..for many things.
THE ABCDE Method:
Created by Brian Tracy - categorizes tasks into 5 categories
A - Very important and urgent tasks: These are tasks that must be done as soon as possible and are critical to your success.
B - Important but not urgent tasks: These are tasks that are important but do not require immediate attention. They may be things that need to be done in the future, but should not be ignored.
C - Tasks that would be nice to do: These are tasks that are not critical but would be good to get done if there is time.
D - Tasks that can be delegated: These are tasks that can be assigned to others to complete, freeing up your time for more important tasks.
E - Tasks that can be eliminated: These are tasks that are not necessary and can be eliminated altogether.
I like to use this method even in my calendar with different colors - I will have a calendar for each category - and I will have a calendar I can move it to when it is complete- which I hide, so that at the end of my day, my calendar looks clear!
Another bonus of using this on my calendar, is I can set priorities with their color on repeat for however often I need to do them, so that I only have to think and plan once, and then I just have to execute in the future. As much automation as possible is sooo much less thought- and stress, and planning. All the things my brain truly hates doing.
Tips for Staying on Track
common pitfalls that can derail our prioritization efforts (e.g., overcommitting, procrastination)
Practical tips for staying focused and on track, such as setting realistic goals, avoiding distractions, and taking breaks
tools and resources that can help support effective task management (e.g., task management apps, productivity hacks)
apps/system that I use regularly- use that to help me prioritize
If you use a computerized version (ideal) decide how often this needs to be done, and set reoccurring reminders.
Have different calendars for the decided priority that it is.
Have a completed calendar, so it’s your calendar is clear at the end of the day.
Schedule time at the end of the day, and on friday to make sure all tasks are completed, or if things weren’t completed moved to next week or another appropriate time to complete - analyze what did I learn- how can I support myself in the future? Did I over schedule myself? Was I being a perfectionist? Did I plan too much time? How was my energy at the end of the day? This is how we continue to learn to support our brains.
experiment with different prioritization techniques and find what works best for them
We would love for you to share your own tips and tricks for prioritizing tasks and staying productive!
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