You know that those of us with ADHD are easily overwhelmed. We tend to overextend ourselves in an effort to stave off boredom and then we end up with too much to do and not a clue as to where to begin.
Some ADDers know that they need a plan and they go about making one. It usually ends up being overly complicated and could only be carried out by someone with the ability to stop time.
Other ADDers just don’t plan at all, preferring to be “spontaneous”. You know – the “I work better when I’m in the mood for it” plan. That one rarely works.
There are so many areas of our lives that stay pretty much the same over time – birthdays and holidays come at the same time every year, we have to feed our families and do laundry on a regular basis and most days we need to be out the door at about the same time.
Why then are these the very things that trip us up and make our lives so chaotic?
First, because you’re probably trying to do too much, and second, because you don’t plan in advance.
Plan your day the night before. Set out clothes, breakfast dishes, make the lunches, do whatever it is you can do in advance.
Plan your week in advance. Spend some time on Sunday afternoon or evening to see what’s ahead during the week and what you can do now to prepare for it.
Use time on the weekends to make weekday dinnertime easier. If you’re serving rice or chicken or pasta or whatever more than once, cook it all at once and save some for later in the week. My mom used to make a roast of some kind on Sunday and then use the leftovers later in the week. Robin Miller from Food Network has written several cookbooks about this.
Always have something in your bag that you can do anywhere. If you’re waiting in the drive through line, at soccer practice or the doctor’s office, you can use that time to pay a few bills, write a thank you note, plan your meals for the following week, start your holiday gift list, and lots of other things. Those little minutes add up!
Get in the habit of starting a load of laundry before you leave for work. When you or the kids get home, it gets tossed in the dryer. You can do 5 or more loads this way with very little effort.
Standardize your meals or your wardrobe – chicken and the blue suit every Monday, for instance. Then take it a step farther – come up with 4 different chicken meals and you’ve got Mondays covered for a month. If your wardrobe is big enough, you could put yourself on a 2 week schedule instead of a weekly one.
I’ve got lots of more ideas, but it’s time for you to think of some of your own. And don’t forget to share!
3 Responses
I like the idea of the wardrobe planning…we travel alot and I always think the whole family looks put together during those times. Its because I have to plan out everything we need from head to toe before we leave – then comes the big pay off: my family and I get to look nice for the rest of the week EFFORTLESSLY! I got my children one of those hanging clothes organizers – and I put an outfit (head to toe) in there for each day – I am SERIOUSLY considering getting one for myself… what if I could spend one hour or less a week and at least a top for each day and matching earrings.
I like the idea of the wardrobe planning…we travel alot and I always think the whole family looks put together during those times. Its because I have to plan out everything we need from head to toe before we leave – then comes the big pay off: my family and I get to look nice for the rest of the week EFFORTLESSLY! I got my children one of those hanging clothes organizers – and I put an outfit (head to toe) in there for each day – I am SERIOUSLY considering getting one for myself… what if I could spend one hour or less a week and at least a top for each day and matching earrings.
Sorry, forgot to add great post! Can’t wait to see your next post!
KellyAnne – I LOVE your idea about the hanging organizer! Can you imagine an entire week of looking great with no effort? Even when I’m just hanging around the house I’d like to look better than I do. Can you share where you got these organizers? Thanks!