Knowing how to prioritize with ADHD is important, but it isn’t something that’s discussed enough, in my opinion.
I mean…sure, you’ll see prioritization as a tip for being organized, but there seems to be a disconnect there in that many ADHDers would prioritize if they knew how. Most of us struggle with this, because it’s hard to do when your brain turns everything into an emergency.
Luckily, this is something I’ve worked on with clients and in my own life multiple times, so I can talk you through exactly how to do it, step by step. And once you have this down, you won’t find yourself accidentally missing what you wanted to do that day anymore.
And of course, as always, you can watch this here, or listen to it below, or on any podcast platform you choose.
Step 1: Make it visual
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: ADHD brains do better with visuals. No matter how sure we are that we can keep track of all the things floating around our head without writing it down, we usually can’t. Not only are we more likely to forget certain important tasks, but we’re also much more likely to let our emotions dictate what we pay attention to next. Usually, the thing that’s top of mind will feel like the thing we have to do right now, and that may not be the case.
So make sure that you use paper and pen, an app, a whiteboard, your hand…something, to actually brain dump everything that you know of that needs to be done.
Step 2: Add details
Now, we’re going to add a few things to our list. These are the things that are going to help you put all of your tasks in actual order of priority. So go down your list, and add:
– Deadlines
– Estimated time that it’ll take you to finish
– Urgency (can this be put off or not?)
Remember to be honest with yourself. This isn’t about how urgent it feels to you, but how urgent it really is. It’s cool if it’s bugging you, but that doesn’t mean you have to get to it right away. Especially since we all know that missing an actual looming deadline is going to bother you more in the long run.
Step 3: Reorder Your Tasks by Deadline/Urgency
It’s now time for you to put everything you’ve written down in order by the date it’s due. Things with no deadline wind up at the end of the list. If you wrote everything down and don’t feel like rewriting it, try color coding or using certain shapes or symbols to indicate importance.
Step 4: NOW we prioritize
So now that you have a good visualization of what’s needed ASAP and what’s not, this is the time to decide what you’ll prioritize for the day. The things at the top of your list are most likely the things you need to put first, but even so, try to focus on no more than three things per day, with a couple things at the end of that list in case you zoom through everything else, there’s a surprise that gets in the way, or your energy is really great. Conversely, if you’re not feeling so great, don’t overexert yourself. Try to be okay with getting one thing done, or doing even half of the most important task. Your health will always come first.
Obviously, there’s a bit more to this. There’s the struggle with getting the task started, with planning it out without overwhelm, and organizing things in a way that works for you. But, I know you’ve got a lot to do and that would be a much longer article, so here’s hoping this at least helps you figure out the next right step as you go.
Want to work together to make this second nature? Schedule your first session with me, and let’s get you on the right track!
