If It Isn’t in the Schedule, It Doesn’t Get Done

Ok. So I told you I wouldn’t post every day. So I will number these posts instead of day. Living with an ADD requires extremely regimented scheduling. This is something I have down pat on school and work days, for my morning routine anyway. Beyond that I am still working on it.

However, a day like today, when I am going out-of-town with a friend and don’t have to work it is extremely hard just stay focused. I need a specific time planned that everything needs to be done. A personal assistant would be great because doing that on my own is not a very successful angle.

My friend (Hi Carol!) is coming to pick me up at 10:45ish. As I sit here writing this post, it is 10:30. I have managed to take my youngest son to school, clean off my dresser and a storage chest in my room, do a load of laundry, pack my things, and write this post. Since we are only going away for one night, the packing didn’t take long, and it is a miracle that I got that much done. And I have been up since 5am.

I have tried everything from a million different apps, a paper and pen check list, and a million other tactics with little success. I know it is getting better, but not fast enough for me.

The absolute biggest problem for me is overcoming the enormity of a task. When a task is too big, I just cannot seem to see it in small steps. I become overwhelmed, just shut down and nothing gets done.

This has been the story of my life. So for those of you with little guys and gals that struggle in this area, I recommend giving projects in small tasks one at a time, perhaps in the form of a checklist . Seeing things on a checklist give me a sense of accomplishment and encourages me to do more.