Time management, how to effectively get through the day and accomplish not only what I have to do but what I want to do too, is a challenge. As a high functioning adult with ADD, it is more often a beautiful daydream than a reality. I have read several books (OK, glanced through them), listened to several experts (and even more want-to-be experts) extol the benefits of doing this or that. Most advice went in one ear and out the other. Some I would try for a day or two they just weren’t a good fit for me. Others would help for a while and then “life” would happen and I’d be back to my old bad habits again.
It was a sad day indeed for my pride when my independent spirit realized that I needed a coach to help keep me on track. How awful it was to realize my mother, dare I say it… she who had been studying and working with persons with my condition for years, and obviously has way more experience than me in this field…was right…logic would dictate that she should be, as she was the one who gave me all the books I glanced through in the first place.
The advice was initially given in a book that I cannot recall the name of and again my adored mom e-mailed me links to several web sites. Did I listen to it then? Not really, it wasn’t until I was cleaning out my office in expectation of my sister visiting that it hit me. I was showing off my progress to a girlfriend, patting myself on my back. She looked around at my multitude of partially finished projects lying around (some having been started as far back as 5 years ago), and said “Wow, how neat. How long does something like this take you to make?…and what about this?” Then the sneaky hag of a wonderful friend said “So, you should be able to finish one project a week and knock this pile out by the end of the year huh?” To which I looked dumbstruck and replied hesitantly “Um, I guess so, but,” She promptly interrupted me and said, “Great, what’s the dead line for this one then?” By the end of the afternoon I had sticky notes attached to every project as well as an occasional note with the steps and/or materials needed to finish it as well. She also extracted a promise that I would shop at home before going to the store to get the items required to check the projects off. Since then she has asked at least once a week how the latest project is going, the result, I am actually getting things done!
I have had a few setbacks. Apparently I cannot be trusted to go into a fabric or craft store without a buddy or I come out with a more materials and supplies than I need and ideas for more projects that I don’t have time to do yet. I also need to plan to finish only one project a week, even if I feel that I can get more done. I learned that it is absolutely imperative that I finish one before starting on the next or neither gets done. So far I have been able get one project done a week for the last 5 weeks! I’ve finished 2 quilts, made a doll dress, finished some pillowcases, and finished a piñata. I did not complete all of the tasks I had wanted, but I got a lot more done had I not started…
In hope that they will be a good fit for someone else, Here are some of the resources passed on to me…
The Everything Health Guide to Adult ADD/ADHD
ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life
Attention Deficit Disorder Student Handbook
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