Time Management Strategies for Adults with ADHD: What Actually Works
Most time management advice for people with ADHD fails. This is because the underlying assumption is that, with a little bit of discipline, anyone can use a planner. My patient, for example, has four different planners, two different apps for organizing her time, and even a color-coded calendar on her wall. But, despite all of her organizational tools, she managed to miss her daughter’s dentist appointment last month. This is not negligence, it is simply the way in which she organizes her time does not actually help her remember things. There is a good reason for this: most time management systems are designed for people whose brains experience time in a slightly different way than that of the ADHD brain.
Why Standard Advice Falls Short
There are a few assumptions made in time management advice to help typical individuals:
1) you have a good sense of how long something will take you to do
2) an event three weeks from now will feel different from an event tomorrow, and
3) writing something down is enough to remind yourself to do it later.
Strategies That Actually Help
Externalizing time in some way or another can be very effective. This can mean putting analog clocks in every room, using a timer while you work, or using an application that counts down the time to a certain date or time instead of just displaying a static future date and time for a future event or appointment. This allows the person with ADHD to feel the passage of time rather than just remembering to check the time.Another strategy to aid in time management in adults with ADHD is body doubling, or having someone present even if they are to work on different tasks. Sometimes, it is enough to have the other person in the room whether it be in person or via video.
Generally, tasks need to be planned in larger time blocks in order to account for how an ADHD brain tends to underestimate task duration. In the case of a 30 minute task, an hour should be scheduled in order to make sure that a late start will not bring down the rest of the day.Breaking down tasks into their component parts helps in many cases where others would falter. Here is the way to begin to clean the kitchen: clear the counter. Start there.
Where Medication Fits In
For many adults, ADHD medications increase their ability to sustain their attention to complete tasks, thus enabling them to benefit from the above-mentioned strategies for time management. And while many adults with ADHD who take medication expect it to become the sole basis of their attempts to manage their time more effectively, in fact, it is far more common that individuals using medication to enhance their ability to plan and to focus utilize a variety of time management strategies as well.