{"id":20797,"date":"2024-12-13T20:59:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T20:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marlacummins.com\/stage2026\/?p=14806"},"modified":"2025-11-04T11:48:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T16:48:34","slug":"be-productive-each-day-without-overwhelm-when-you-have-adhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marlacummins.com\/stage2026\/be-productive-each-day-without-overwhelm-when-you-have-adhd\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Plan A Productive Day With ADHD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you plan your days so you are sure you are working toward your goals in alignment with your values? I know that is what you want to do. But right now, you may start each day wondering how you are going to get \u201ceverything.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, at the end of the day, you may feel like you didn\u2019t get enough done. Some days you may even feel like you didn\u2019t get anything done!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s frustrating to start and end your day like this, for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does The Beginning Of Your Day Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you start your day by stopping for coffee on the way to work. You get to the office, maybe a little later than you planned. The first thing you do is look at your email and calendar, if you haven\u2019t already looked at it on your phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as you don\u2019t have any appointments\/meetings first thing in the morning, you may, like many, start your day by crafting emails. You feel like you are getting work done. No doubt, sometimes there are urgent emails you need to send. Sometimes, though, you may start with email because you can\u2019t decide what else to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It totally makes sense. As it\u2019s the path of least resistance, right? At least for those emails that are easy to answer. The question is, is it the best way to start your day? That is, is email your most important task?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll look at those and other questions, as I offer guidelines<\/strong> to help you decide how to plan your day so you can focus on your most meaningful work<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does It Mean to Be Productive When You Have ADHD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s start with a definition of productivity. Right now, you may think the highlight of productivity is when you are able to check off everything on your list as fast as you can. So when you are not able to do this, you may feel let down. There is a different, more helpful definition I\u2019d encourage you to consider.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way to view productivity is doing what is essential to you \u2014 engaging in activities that bring meaning to your life<\/em>. If you view productivity this way, what would change about where you focus your time and energy each day? Take a few minutes to visualize what your days and weeks would look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is likely you would stop being reactive, trying to get everything done. Your stress and overwhelm would decrease. And, if you can decide what is essential to you<\/a>, and plan accordingly, you\u2019ll have more confidence at the end of the day that you were truly productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important, though, that you feel like enough regardless of how much you accomplished<\/a>. That is, it is important not to base your self-worth on how much you accomplish. Because if you do, you will contribute to your overwhelm, which will get in the way of your productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1 Start with a Weekly Review Practice to Be More Intentional<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You just don\u2019t have time each day to do the deep dive necessary to organize and make decisions about your tasks and your calendar. This type of upfront thinking is better done during your weekly review. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As David Allen of Getting Things Done (GTD) says of people\u2019s lack of productivity:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s not one thing, but five, all wrapped together: People keep stuff in their head. They don\u2019t decide what they need to do about stuff they know they need to do something about. And they don\u2019t organize action reminders and support materials in functional categories. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, they don\u2019t maintain and review a complete and objective inventory of their commitments. Then they waste energy and burn out, allowing their busy-ness to be driven by what\u2019s latest and loudest, hoping it\u2019s the right thing to do but never feeling the relief that it is.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When you do a deep dive 1x week<\/strong> in your weekly review, you will have more clarity<\/strong> about what is important for you to do each day. This will also minimize your overwhelm each day<\/strong> and will help you resist the pull of immediate gratification<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you can plan to work toward your long-term goals<\/strong> and not rely exclusively on your sense of urgency for motivation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out The ADHD Adult\u2019s Guide to the Weekly Review<\/a> to explore suggestions on how you can create your own weekly review and planning checklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2 Plan Each Day Before Diving In<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve done your weekly review, the next step is to plan each day<\/strong>. Because it isn\u2019t possible to remember what you did in your weekly review or prioritize just once a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, you will likely default to your habitual way of \u201crunning your day,\u201d unless you create a daily plan. This may mean, as I noted above, starting with email. Then you may either rely on your sense of urgency or other people\u2019s requests to decide what to do next.\u00a0Sound familiar?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you may not have total control over your schedule, planning out your day will help you do more of what is important to you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-3-5 Rule<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Another strategy is to pick 1 large task, 3 medium tasks and 5 small tasks<\/strong>. You can adjust this depending on your day. For example, if you have a meeting-heavy day, you will probably need to cut down on the number of tasks you do. Also, if you are usually faced with unexpected tasks each day, you may need a lot of buffer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time Blocking<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Another strategy<\/strong>, and the one I use, is block<\/strong> scheduling what you\u2019re going to do each day<\/strong>. This is particularly useful if your days do not have a lot of external structure. Below is a hypothetical example. Notice the buffer time in between the blocks. Because stuff happens, right?<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"\"\/<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

#3 Make the Plan Visible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You know that even if you create a plan, you might forget it, right? Unless you have a plan to remember it throughout the day. So maybe you write the plan down in some random place. Then you might find the piece of paper at the end of the day. Perhaps you did some of the tasks, and others you might have forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To minimize the chances of this happening, make your plan visible<\/strong>. It could be on a whiteboard, a piece of paper prominently placed where you can see it or in another visible place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want more ideas? Check out these 20 ways to remember what you want.<\/a> Just don\u2019t try to keep it in your head!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#4 Trust Your Plan Is the Right One for Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even with a visible plan, you might still have a difficult time following through. One of the reasons for this is that you may not trust that you made the right decision. So throughout the day, you wonder if you chose the right work to do. And because you have a hard time regulating, you don\u2019t stick to the plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key to changing this is to trust and follow the plan<\/strong> unless there is a compelling reason to change it, like an emergency. Trust that your past self had a good reason for creating the plan. Tomorrow? Well, you can write a new story \u2014 a new plan!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One strategy<\/strong> that will help you follow through at the critical moment of choice<\/strong> is to use self-talk to guide your actions<\/strong>. For example<\/strong>, you could tell yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I may not be remembering why this is important right now. But I had a good reason when I made the plan. So, I\u2019m going to stick with it. Even though answering these emails really feels more important right now.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another strategy<\/strong> that will help you stick to the plan is to remember the reward<\/strong>. One way to do this is to add a cue word to the task, such as \u201ctenure\u201d or \u201cpromotion.\u201d Otherwise, because of your ADHD working memory challenges, you may forget why you would choose to follow through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third tip<\/strong> you can use is to remind yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m doing this and not that!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m doing this and not that!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m doing this and not that!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Go ahead, be the stamp today and stick to the plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#5 Resist One \u2013 More \u2013 Thingitis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The other key to a well-planned day is to avoid adding \u201cjust\u201d one more thing to your task list. While you tell yourself, \u201cI\u2019ll do _______ (fill in the blank), and then I\u2019ll really be able to focus.\u201d When was the last time you said this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can show up when you tell yourself, \u201cI\u2019ll just straighten up, then I\u2019ll get to work.\u201d No doubt physical clutter can sometimes contribute to your mental clutter, making it hard to focus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While organizing your space is definitely a good thing, you might be able to put it aside so you can work.\u00a0Resist the urge.<\/strong> Find another time to declutter. Instead,<\/strong> clear a space or move to another space so you can work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might also be tempted to do a task as soon as it pops into your mind. Often, you want to do this because you are afraid you might forget to do it later. It might be an errand, phone call, email, online transaction, etc. You tell yourself, \u201cI\u2019ll just do this now. It will only take two minutes.\u201d It probably doesn\u2019t take 2 minutes, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, resist the urge. Not easy, I know. Instead,<\/strong> write it down on your task list so you can be confident that you won\u2019t forget it. Also, remind yourself, \u201cI\u2019m doing this and not that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#6 Practice Good Self-Care<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To be able to carry out your plan, it is also important that you take care of yourself over the course of the day. Because if you don\u2019t and stay glued to your chair, you might inadvertently take the break you so badly need. So that you might end up:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n