We often hear about the same ADHD productivity methods over and over again, and that’s because they do help. Pomodoro is definitely legit. Prioritization is key. My very own task-stacking is awesome. So don’t get me wrong here: I’m not saying those methods don’t help. I’m simply saying that there are a few extra tools that are often left out of the toolbox, so to speak, and I’d like to shine some light on them.
So let’s get into it. As always, you can watch me talk about these here, or you can listen below or on your favorite podcast platform.
Method #1: Theming
So if you don’t know what theming is, you’re in for a treat.
Theming works by choosing one topic or overarching focus for each day of the week, and it’s especially helpful for those who wear a lot of hats. It’s an especially wonderful method because it works for a number of different situations, not just work or home.
For example, at work, you can decide to focus on meetings on Monday, reports on Tuesday, expenses on Wednesday, and so forth. At home, you can make Mondays your cleaning days, Tuesday your day for errands, etc.
The great thing about theming is that, often, ADHDers get overwhelmed by the many things they have to do, especially if those things belong to numerous different categories. Theming helps to relieve some of that by narrowing the focus down to one or two points, instead of the many we have swimming around our heads at any given time.
Method #2: Segmenting your day
Segmenting is a kind of time blocking, perfect for those who like having structure with a little wiggle room.
When segmenting, instead of naming a specific task at a specific time on your calendar, you’ll dedicate that specific time to a category. If you heard this and said “hey, this sounds a lot like theming,” you’d be correct. The main differences between the two are that segmenting is more granular, and it also allows for you to focus on multiple different categories within a day; it also leaves you a little more room to decide on what you’ll be working on.
If you’re wondering what segmenting would look like, here’s an example. Well, first here’s an example of time blocking, which I’m sure you’ve seen:
Now, here’s an example of what segmenting looks like:
As you can see, when segmenting, I’m committing to focusing on “work” from 8-9 AM, but that could mean anything. Maybe I work on emails, or I make phone calls, or I take a nap so that I can focus. This is decided when I get to that point in my day, and not before.
This is fantastic for ADHDers who often find their minds and/or energy changing throughout the day, and who tend to wind up changing plans a lot when they try to time block. That little bit of leeway can help a lot in getting done what you want.
Method #3: Connecting tasks
So we often think of how important ADHD routines are, but we don’t realize that routine can play into a lot more than just how we start and end our days. In fact, adding a ritual to anything you’d like to do daily will most likely help you fall into that regularity faster.
A personal example: I wanted to start trying to work out in the mornings, but I knew that every other time before, I’ve fallen off the wagon because I’d just try to focus on working out without connecting it to anything else. This time, I picked things I do every morning already (drinking tea, coffee, or nettle and studying a language), and connected working out to it to simply add to my already-in progress morning routine, rather than building something brand new. I’ve stuck to it for two weeks, even when I was recently forced to take a week off.
Fact is, ADHDers need routine, but we often get really thrown off when our already established routines are mixed up. That’s why it’s best to work with what you already have, and to ease a new behavior into that routine slowly by putting it before something you already feel the need to do every day. The tasks don’t even have to have anything to do with each other; a simple “I’m going to write in my journal every day before I drink my coffee” is enough.
Remember: managing ADHD isn’t about having one trick that’ll fix all of your problems; rather, it’s about having a varied toolbox that you can reach into depending on what you may need at the time. These are just a few of those possible tools for you.
If you need ideas for more, you can reach out to me here.
