ADHD and ADD lead to time management challenges. Do you joke that you would like to add more hours to your day? I propose that you can do this!
Okay, I’m not able to change the clocks, but by implementing some of the tips below, you can create more productive hours in your day.
Plan
Start by planning your day. If you know what you need to accomplish and identify when you can accomplish it, you increase your odds of getting it done. Don’t feel like you have time to plan? Start with 5 minutes for your daily planning. Even just a small amount of planning can really help.
Track Work Time
After you plan your day, estimate how much time each task will take. This is a great double-check on your planning. If you have planned 16 hours worth of activities into your workday, chances are, you cannot get it all done. No one could! It is a sign that you need to prioritize what gets done and take a few things off the list.
The most powerful part can be when you go back at the end of each task and note how much time each one actually took you to complete. You can develop more accuracy in your plan and become more realistic in the future.
Prioritized “To Do” List
Use a prioritized “to do” list instead of giving every activity equal weight. During your weekly planning time, take a minute to assign a priority to each task. This will help to ensure you don’t waste time on low priority tasks
Limit your Time Spent on Email
Email uses a lot of time. To control the amount of time you spend, consider checking your email only a few times each day. If you check your mail each time you get a new message, you time transitioning between your current task and checking that email. You’ll spend less time on email if you check it in chunks of time. I do this and spend about 50% less time on email than previously.
What do you think? Can you add more productive hours to your day?
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