Women with ADHD often struggle with time management as they have issues with planning, prioritizing, and procrastination. The way your brain processes things when you have ADHD makes managing your time difficult. This can lead to issues such as chronic lateness, missing appointments and deadlines, and not staying on top of your responsibilities whether at work or home. Managing your time and staying on top of your daily schedule doesn’t have to be so hard, and are tactics you can learn and develop. There are a number of time management techniques and strategies that can help you improve your “time blindness”. Here are 7 helpful time management tips for women with ADHD.
11 Time Management Difficulties in Women with ADHD
- Chronic lateness
- Wildly under (or over) estimating how long a task will take
- Procrastination- due to overwhelm of getting started
- Trouble prioritizing tasks
- Inability to anticipate future rewards and consequences
- Time blindness- struggle with time perception leading to missed appointments or not leaving enough time for tasks
- Frequently feeling overwhelmed
- Getting taxes or bills in late
- Difficulty starting tasks, even if they’re important
- Hyperfocus- intense concentration on a specific activity that causes you to lose track of time
- Inability to ignore what’s going on around you
3 Time Management Techniques for Women with ADHD
1. Generate External Accountability
If you have trouble getting your work done or staying on top of your responsibilities, tell someone else what you plan to get done and have that person check in with you. You’re more likely to beat procrastination if someone else is touching base and making sure you stay on track. They can offer motivation and light a fire under you if you’re close to missing your deadlines. External pressure can be helpful when you have a difficult time with self-motivation.
2. Create Rewards for Completing Tasks
Giving yourself rewards once you get tasks done can be good motivation. For example, allow yourself to indulge in a sweet treat and tea after you organize the kitchen, or watch an episode of your favourite show once you get all your work done for the day. Or perhaps you treat yourself to an even bigger reward like booking dinner at your favourite restaurant if you get your taxes done by a certain date. Rewarding yourself can help encourage you and keep you on track.
3. Factor in Travel Time
When noting down an appointment or plan in your schedule, make sure you write down the travel time there and back. For example, let’s say you have a doctor’s appointment at 2 pm and you know it takes 20 minutes to drive to the doctor, plus you also want to try to arrive 10 minutes early. Put your doctor appointment in your agenda at 2 pm but also write down that you need to leave by 1:30 or even 1:20 pm. Seeing the time you have to leave rather than just the appointment time will make you less likely to be late.
4 Time Management Tips, Tools & Resources to Help
1. Stay on Top of Good Habits and Routines
Establishing routines and habits can be really helpful for time management and productivity. A structured morning routine can provide a clear framework for your day and allows you to start your day with focused energy. Getting more tasks done in the morning can free up time and mental energy for later in the day. Find a planning system that works for you. This could be a daily paper planner, a planner app, or a calendar. Digital reminder systems are also helpful to keep you on track. It’s helpful to get into the habit of prioritizing. This means finishing your hardest or most important task(s) first before moving on to less pressing tasks.
2. Work with an ADHD Coach
ADHD coaching specifically targets the core impairments of ADHD such as time management, goal setting, planning, and organization. A coach will help you learn how your ADHD symptoms affect your everyday life and equip you with the practical skills to help. They’ll provide encouragement, feedback, and suggestions to address specific challenges you’re facing, as well as hold you accountable for following through on your goals. You may choose to do individual or group coaching depending on your needs and budget.
3. Use a Daily Planner with Hourly Time Blocks
Having a to-do list is a great way to keep organized and get tasks done, but items can fall by the wayside if you don’t know WHEN you should be doing them. Using a planner with hourly time blocks will make it more likely for you to get things done. You’ll be less likely to get distracted by things that come at you throughout the day such as emails and calls, because you know how much time you need to devote to each task. Planning your day by hour also allows you to avoid over-commitment as you’ll see your day filling up as you plan it out. If something isn’t completed, you can always move it somewhere else in your schedule, but it will be easier to manage and organize your time this way.
4. Schedule Around Your Attention Span
If you know your attention span lasts for 30 minutes before getting distracted, then plan your schedule in 30 minute intervals. For example, plan to work for 30 minutes then take a 5 minute break, then have another 30 minute work sesh. During the 30 minute intervals, eliminate as many distractions as possible. Place your cell phone where you can’t see it and block distracting websites from your computer. If you work from home, try working in a dedicated office that doesn’t have the distraction of food in the kitchen or a messy living room that’s begging you to clean it.
If you have ADHD and struggle with time management, use these tips and techniques to help with time blindness and productivity.
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