Women with ADHD tend to be “time blind” (like myself) which means we are not aware of the passing of time and as a result, we can often struggle with using their time effectively. So, what can a woman with ADHD do about it, I am going to share some strategies I personally use to make time more concrete and less slippery.
Understanding ADHD and Time Blindness
According to Dr. Russell Barkley, Ph.D. “Time blindness” as the result of the “when” executive function network, which is the timing and sequencing behavior of the prefrontal cortex in the ADHD brain. (Barkley,2018) He also says that “ADHD is not an attention deficit but an ‘inattention deficit’ to mental events and the future. It’s a disorder of performance that affects the ability to organize behavior across time, anticipate the future and to achieve your goals, well-being and happiness (Barkley 2018)
Strategies To Overcome Time Blindness
Do A Brain Dump- Write down whatever is on your mind start by writing everything down. And I mean it when I say EVERYTHING. Grab a pen and paper, or your computer and your favorite note-taking app and write down everything you’ve been thinking about that has clogged up your head. Don’t hold back. And don’t limit yourself. Cover everything you need to do, should do, have thought about doing, should think about doing, anything, everything, without any prioritizing. What is bugging you? What is distracting you? What are you most dreading? What do you feel like you should be doing? What is necessary? What is important? What is urgent? Write it all down. Let yourself be random and unorganized.
Break down big projects into bite-sized tasks –When the women that I coach tell me how overwhelmed they get by their tasks. I always try to tell them the importance of breaking large tasks down into small steps, so you are better able to accomplish them. Having a huge task such as “clutter my home” on your to-do list would completely derail you, where as a task of “clean out the junk drawer” is just a bit easier to swallow and something you can build on.
You are probably saying to yourself this sounds all well and good Coach Jenna but how on earth do we put this into action? Let me tell you…You break it down into small steps. And these steps below will help you with any goals you are dealing with.
Step #1 Write it down– When you write down what you are going to do it is a great way to plan for the day. Rather than having everything you need to do swirling in your head, tasks are now out in the open where you can see them. That also helps you feel organized and is a helpful memory prompt throughout the day.
Step #2 Break each down Into Mini Tasks Now, you are going to want to take each of those tasks and break them down into mini tasks aiming for 4-6. Remember the more you break things down the easier it will be to reach your main goal.
Step #3 Add your tasks to your weekly to-do. Each week, when you create your weekly schedule and to-do list, you will refer to this list and grab a few items off it to focus on for the week. As you accomplish a mini task use a bright highlighter to mark it off, cross it out, you need to see what you have done so you know just how far you have come. This is so important when reaching your tasks gets hard and you are tempted to quit. Those highlights are the pats on the back that you need to keep your motivation going.
Step #4 Revisit, revamp, redo – It is easy for a woman with ADHD to make a list of goals and then toss in that pile high of paperwork to be lost forever. Put it somewhere where you can see it each week and this magical little piece of paper is your reminder of what you want to accomplish.
Estimate Time for Tasks – One of the most important things that a woman with ADHD can do to improve their time estimation is to realize that this is a skill that needs to be developed in combination with increasing your awareness of time, and actively practicing time estimation. One of the best ways a person can improve their time estimation is to practice in a way that allows you to quickly assess the accuracy of your estimation. This time estimation example will help you do that in a few easy steps
-You’ll start by writing down the task or project you wish to work on,
-How long you think it will take you to complete,
-How long the task or project took to complete,
-What stopped you from completing the task or project on time (i.e. phone calls)
-How you could change your approach to do the task more effectively.
How To Use Time Blocking To Boost Productivity With ADHD And Get More Done – I want to be straightforward with you, I am not perfect at time blocking. Procrastination is a sneaky little bugger that can grab a wayward mind. I’ve learned to take responsibility for my own actions, my time, and how I’ve spent it. For those who are new to time blocking, it’s a time management technique that adds flexibility to your busy schedule. With an hourly schedule you feel pressure to finish tasks by a certain time. But our days don’t run with train schedule efficiently. Emergencies arise, last-minute changes are needed. With time blocking, you can build cushioning into your day. So, if you designate your morning time block to focus on housework you have a safety net in place should something come up. For example, maybe you are delayed by getting ready for a doctor’s appointment. You won’t get behind; you’ll have until the afternoon to get through your morning tasks. So instead of juggling multiple tasks and getting nothing done, you have set a specific time block to focus on one thing.
To help you get started with these strategies here are a few complementary worksheets
ADHD Brain Dump worksheet – FREEADHDBRAINDUMPTEMPLATE1
Break Tasks Down worksheet UPDATEDCHUNKITDOWNWORKSHEET
Estimating Time worksheet – Estimating time worksheet
Daily Planning Time Blocking Daily-Time-Blocking-Template