Are you like me?
Anyone else feel like someone’s cheating somewhere?
I mean, they say there are 24 hours in the day, but are we really sure?
Cause my days fly by without me getting enough stuff done.
How about you?
Is there a way that we can simplify our time in order to be more productive and get more done?
I think there are a few ways that we can do that.
We just have to, as they say, work smarter, not harder.
Here are my thoughts:
Recognize your bad habits. My morning routine lately has been to get up, get dressed, unload the dishwasher, make breakfast, and then spend an hour or so on my iPad hitting all of my favorite sites.
If I go to the gym, that lands between getting dressed and unloading the dishwasher.
My excuse is that my husband works midnights and is usually not up before 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. Got to be quiet while he’s sleeping. Somehow that translates to “don’t do anything productive until late afternoon”.
So if you’re making excuses and playing when you should be working, realize it and then change it.
Learn to batch tasks together. Yesterday I finally got my act together and made a bunch of phone calls that needed to be made, mostly for long overdue appointments. I didn’t get it all done because of interruptions but I managed to do a lot. Once I made that first one, it just got easier.
Total aside – are you weird about talking on the phone like me? It makes me nervous. I’ve heard a lot of people with ADHD are like that.
If you have errands to do, batching is a great way to do that. I always map mine out – either starting close to home and then hitting each place in order or starting the farthest from home and working my way back.
There are some smart people who batch their cooking tasks – making lunches for the week on Sunday night, prepping for dinners during the week, or even cooking meals for the freezer to last for an entire month.
Figure out how long it takes. I admit it. I hate anything to do with floor upkeep. I hate vacuuming, I hate mopping; I just hate it.
Now I am blessed to be living in what I consider to be a fairly large home. My kitchen, in particular, is quite big, most in floor space.
Do I need to tell you how much I hate cleaning that floor?
One day, when I couldn’t stand it anymore, I decided to at least wet mop it with a Swiffer. And I decided to time myself.
Do you know how long it took? Even counting time for changing the mop pad? Less than 8 minutes.
Eight minutes.
I also timed the same floor mopping using my steamer. Same time.
It completely changes the game when it comes to, “I don’t want to do it”.
Oh and here’s another hint: I timed how long it took me to clean the kitchen after Thanksgiving dinner one year. 20 minutes, start to finish, all by myself.
I have never been discouraged by the way my kitchen looks since then.
Learn to multitask intelligently. Although I think those of us with ADHD were multitasking long before it was a thing, recent studies say that it is not as effective as focusing on one task at a time.
Now I get that you shouldn’t be checking your email or updating your Facebook account when you’re a doctor trying to perform brain surgery.
But sometimes, things are a little less pressing. If you dial the importance meter way down, I think it can be a useful way to manage your time.
For instance, if you plop your butt down on the sofa each night to watch old episodes of MacGyver, you can most certainly drag a few laundry baskets full of wrinkled but clean laundry into your family room and fold as you watch. Even if you only do it during the commercials.
Use a timer. I used to use this one a lot. I guess somewhere I forgot about it.
Got something you hate doing that has to be done? Like mopping the kitchen floor?
Come up with the maximum amount of time that you’re willing to spend doing that task. Be fair. No setting times of 30 seconds.
Get whatever supplies you need to do it, set your timer and go.
When the timer goes off, you’re done. Even if it’s only for now.
Got any time saving tips or troubles?
Comment below and share.