Conquering the Clock: Strategies for Effective Time Management with ADHD

In todays episode, we learn what may be causing challenges managing your time and helpful strategies to combat this issue. 

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Transcript

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I remember being. in middle school and preparing for the day, trying to get ready. And I would always be rushing and I could never figure out what the heck is my deal. Like, why can I not just be on time for anything? Welcome back to another episode of Landing Imperfect, you guys. I wanted to talk to you about ADHD and time management. This is something that I think anyone who has ADHD can kind of relate to. I won't say everyone, but I guess I should just say most people probably have a concern with this. So it's not just for anyone who has ADHD. Of course, there's other people in the world who struggle with time management skills. So it's just something that I think is a good topic to cover today. Um, so keeping track of time and sticking to a schedule can feel like wrestling a greased pig. And I am so serious about this. This is something I have always struggled with. I remember being. in middle school and preparing for the day, trying to get ready. And I would always be rushing and I could never figure out what the heck is my deal. Like, why can I not just be on time for anything? And then I thought that I had just gotten out of the shower and I thought that I had missed my bus. And speaking of, if you listened to the last episode about emotional dysregulation, so I thought I missed the bus because I was running a little bit behind. And once I thought I missed the bus, I was like freaking out. I was totally dysregulated. And then, uh, I realized I didn't miss the bus so it was hard for me to snap back too because I was like throwing a little temper tantrum about this and I finally got my crap together and I did get on the bus but I was rushing and I'm like oh my gosh you guys it was a disaster but anyways that is kind of how the pattern was for me for the longest time until I started applying some skills and I will say this is still not perfect. I still have trouble with time sometimes. I'm a lot better than I was, but it's a work in progress. It's not about perfection. It's about progress. So don't beat yourself up if you're trying some of these things and you still have days where you're just running late because life happens and it's going to happen sometimes. So give yourself a little grace and compassion and just try your best. That's what we're all out here trying to do. Um, so there's a few different reasons why some people might have trouble who have ADHD with time management. And it kind of boils down to a few key areas in the brain. So imagine your brain's executive function center as the C-E-O-C-E-O of a company. So this CEO is responsible for planning, prioritizing, and just keeping things on track. In an A DHD brain, the CEO might be a little bit scatterbrained. There might be difficulties with working memory, which is like the company's notepad. So, important details and deadlines can easily slip through the cracks. And then, there's something else that is responsible for this, too. So, it's the reward system. Our brains naturally release dopamine and dopamines that feel good chemical. So, we're releasing the dopamine when we complete tasks. But in ADHD, the dopamine reward pathway might be a little wonky. So think of it like a finicky vending machine. Sometimes it dispenses the reward, sometimes it doesn't. This can get, or this can make it hard to stay motivated on tasks that don't offer that immediate dopamine hit. Um, but I will say there are a couple strategies like I was mentioning. So here's some of the things that I try and I think could be helpful for you too. So chunk it down. Big, overwhelming tasks are like staring at a mountain of laundry, and no one likes that, right? Like, so break it down into bite sized pieces, like sorting darks from lights. This can This makes them seem less daunting and just easier to tackle. So chunk it down. And then next, embrace the power of the list. So to do lists are your brain's external hard drive. Write down everything that you need to do, big or small. Crossing things off provides a satisfying dopamine boost and it's a visual reminder of your progress too. This might not work for everyone. Some people can get overwhelmed by Lists and kind of turn into this analysis paralysis kind of thing. So if that is you and, and lists do overwhelm you, um, maybe that's not the right, the right, uh, choice for you, but that's off of experience with it. So you must have tried it already, you know, to not know, but if you haven't tried it, I would give it a shot, but skip that one if you're someone who doesn't do well for with lists. And then, um, time boxing. So that's your friend. And this allocates like specific time slots for tasks. So imagine time boxing as building a schedule with Lego blocks. And I'm going to walk you through a little exercise with time boxing, just so you can have a better understanding of what this is. But give yourself realistic time frames, including buffer periods for unexpected hiccups. Because you know. that those are gonna come up. Life's life, right? Like this happens sometimes. So the exercise that I was mentioning is grab a calendar or a planner, whatever you like to use, and write down three tasks that you need to accomplish today. Now block out specific time slots for each task. factoring in that buffer period. For example, if you need to, if there's an assignment that you need to do, if there's a deadline, so write, you could write something like write report and then beside it that you're going to block a period from 10 a. m. to 11 30 a. m. and including, you're going to include a 15 minute break period. So that's within that time period that you're talking about that block. And if you get done earlier, that's great, but you're allowing yourself that time for unexpected things to pop up in your day. So that's super important, especially for someone who does have ADHD. Um, and, uh, Remember, please remember that time management is a journey, it is not a destination, like many things in life. So be patient, just experiment with different things and find out what works for you. Cause some things, like I said, might not work for you, while others might. It's just really exploring and figuring out what is the best for you. And with a little bit of effort, you may become a master of your time. Um, I'm gonna say Um, I'm not a master yet, but I'm still trying and I'm going to keep trying and continue trying and I, like I said before too, I just am so much better at managing my time than I have been in the past. So that is proof and evidence on my end of things that yes, being intentional about how I am managing my time is super important and I really have to rely on a lot of these things to help me. So I hope that's helpful and I will see you guys next week for another little quickie. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of landing imperfect. I truly appreciate you being a part of this community and sharing this journey with me. If you do want to connect further, then don't hesitate to follow me on Instagram at Jen dot Lander. I would love to hear your thoughts, any questions or any stories that you want to share. So, DME there, I also have a website. It's a landing and perfect website where I share a blog post about my podcast, and then you can join my email list. I have a PDF that provides anxiety and stress management tools that you can. And use as well when you join my email list. So check it out. My website will be linked in my show notes. So don't hesitate to reach