{"id":6615,"date":"2023-11-15T20:18:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-15T20:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marlacummins.com\/stage2026\/?p=6615"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T17:50:19","slug":"increasing-follow-through-adhd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marlacummins.com\/stage2026\/increasing-follow-through-adhd\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD and The Steps\u00a0 to Following Through on Your Priorities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you find it hard to decide what to do each day? Maybe you get overwhelmed trying to prioritize. So you\u2019re never quite sure if you are doing what is most important to you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No doubt, prioritizing is a challenge for ADHD adults. I know it can feel impossible sometimes. After all, everything seems important. And it all needs to be done right now, if not yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But since we all have a limited amount of time and can\u2019t do everything, we have to prioritize. That is, we need to choose among many options of what to work on now. And we need to choose what to ignore, at least for the time being. We need to tell ourselves, I\u2019m doing this and not that<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that prioritizing is a skill<\/strong> you can learn.<\/strong> So you can be confident in your ability to choose what is most important to do each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why It Is Hard for ADHD Adults to Prioritize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons it\u2019s hard for you to prioritize when you have ADHD is the challenge with executive function skills, such as planning and organizing tasks. It\u2019s hard to prioritize when you don\u2019t have a systematic way to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you prioritize, you also need to know how long a task will take and how much you can do in the time you have. This can be hard to determine with your ADHD-related challenges withtime blindness<\/strong>. So you may think you can do more in a day than you can and, as a result, take on too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another reason you may take on too much is because of a common ADHD tendency to be overly optimistic about how much you can get done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re dealing with a backlog and feel a sense of urgency that everything needs to get done now, you may also try to take on too much. It\u2019s also possible that you take on too much because you\u2019re dealing with a backlog.<\/strong> And feel a sense of urgency that you need to get everything done NOW.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritizing takes time, of course. You may not do it right now because you have so much on your plate. And you don\u2019t feel you have time<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Happens When You Don\u2019t Prioritize<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you don\u2019t prioritize, you may end up doing whatever you feel like<\/strong> moment to moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, since you haven\u2019t decided what you\u2019re going to do with your time, you might allow other people\u2019s requests<\/strong> to run your day.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, you may operate out of habit<\/strong>. You get up and start scrolling on your phone. Then you get to the office and immediately start digging into your email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other times, because your ADHD brain is an interest-based nervous system, you end up giving in to distractions<\/a>, doing whatever gives you an immediate reward – <\/strong>release of dopamine. So you do whatever activity is interesting, challenging, novel, or urgent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then again, you may end up doing what\u2019s easiest<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to see how you can turn this around?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Decide Your Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. First, you will need a list of all your tasks<\/strong>. If you do not have one, you will need to create one. Include all of those tasks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n