How do you plan your day? Do you start each day knowing what you have to do and when you will do it? Do you always do the most important things first?

If you’re like most ADDers, you may have a list somewhere of what you need to do today, or this week, or soon, but that’s probably about as far as it goes.

Appointments are easy, because they’re plugged into a time slot, and if you work outside the home, you’ve got a schedule there, too.

But what about when you get to work, or what if you work at home? How do you decide what to do first?

For a lot of people with Attention Deficit Disorder, most things get attention because:

Someone hands them something to do.

It’s sitting right there in front of them.

It’s the most appealing thing to do at the moment.

Sound familiar? That may be one way to do things, but it’s not the best way.

Here’s a better solution: start with whatever you use as a planner. (You do have one, don’t you?) Set aside a few minutes each morning (or evening) to take a look at your day. Start with things that have a specific time frame, like appointments and work. Fill those in on your calendar. (If your work schedule is pretty much the same all the time, you can skip that part.)

Now think about things that absolutely need to get done, either today or this week. Your Dump List might come in handy for this step. What’s the most important thing on that list? Set aside some time for it today, and later in the week if you need to, and plug it into your calendar. Remember to allow more time than you think you’ll need, cause those of us with ADHD always underestimate how much time things take.

You can spend part of Sunday evening working out a rough draft for the week, and then a little time each morning to fine tune your day. Doing this every day helps keep you mindful of what’s going on in your life, and puts you back into control.

And, as Martha would say, that’s a good thing.