ADHD time management and organizational tips and tricks
Do you find it hard to stay organized and manage your time? You're not alone! Many students struggle with keeping track of their time and staying organized. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), affects 1 in 4 school-age students in Jordan. It can make it even harder to focus, stay organized, and manage time effectively. People with ADHD often have trouble paying attention, are very energetic, act impulsively, and have strong emotional reactions.
Whether you have ADHD or just find it difficult to stay on top of things, these tips can help you improve your organizational and time management skills.
Create a daily to-do list
Keep it short and clear.
Breakdown longer tasks into manageable smaller steps.
Give yourself reasonable breaks.
Hold yourself accountable and reward yourself for accomplishing a task4400550117807
Rank your tasks
Prioritize your tasks based on urgency and importance
Urgent tasks require your immediate attention. Important tasks help you achieve your long term goals, you have to first figure out your goals to know what is important to you.
Some applications that can help are; Focus Matrix, Priority Matrix
Set up reminders for daily tasks
Carry a small notebook to quickly write down new tasks or assignments.
Set reminders/alarms on your phone.
Add important dates or appointments to your calendar.
Establish structure to your day
Meals and snack times.
Studying time.
Socializing and activities.
Downtime for rest and recharge.
Modify your schedule as you go to optimize your productivity
Reevaluate your schedule on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
Keep track of times of the day when you are most focused and use it for the most mentally demanding tasks such as studying.
Handle tasks immediately
If you prefer less structure, handling tasks as they arise can prevent the buildup of a long to-do list and to encourage prompt action and reduce procrastination.
Set realistic goals
Set SMART; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-sensitive goals.
Ensure tasks are attainable and progress can be tracked.
Don't overestimate or underestimate time
Be realistic about how much time you have available for tasks.
Factor in class schedules, meals, and other commitments.
Use visual aids
Use calendars, whiteboards, or sticky notes to visualize tasks and deadlines
Color-code priorities to differentiate between tasks based on urgency and importance. Which can help in quickly identifying and focusing on top priorities.
Declutter your study/work space
Keep your study area tidy and free from distractions.
Minimize the amount of objects set on your desk as much as possible.
A clean environment can improve focus and reduce anxiety.
Have all your necessary items for studying in one space.
Seek support
Don’t hesitate to seek help from teachers, tutors, mentors, family or friends.
Collaborating with others can provide additional motivation and accountability.
Break down your study sessions into smaller chunks
You can use several techniques such as Pomodoro timers; 25 mins of studying then 5 mins of break, after 4 sessions you can take a longer break ~15 minutes
You can also predetermine any other structured focus time eg.10 mins of focus without distraction then 5 mins break and repeat.
Gradually increase the time of each focus session based on your stamina.
Body doubling
A very simple method that can help commit to tasks is asking someone to do it or be there with you.
You can schedule studying sessions with your friends.
Study at a library where there’s other people doing their work silently.
Use “study with me” videos on YouTube.
Schedule video calls with friends while studying, keep the audio silent, so as to not distract each other.
References:
Therapist Aid LLC. (2014). ADHD interventions for parents. TherapistAid.com. https://www.therapistaid.com
IPASS. (2019). Time management techniques for students with ADD. Lake Superior State University. Retrieved from https://www.lssu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Time-Management-Techniques-for-Students-with-ADD.pdf
University of the Witwatersrand. Time management. Counseling and Careers Development Unit. Retrieved from https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/students/ccdu/documents/TIME%20MANAGEMENT.pdf
Dr. Laith. المساعدة الذاتية لاضطراب نقص الانتباه وفرط الحركة (ADHD). Retrieved from https://www.drlaith.com/المساعدة-الذاتية-لاضطراب-نقص-الانتبا/
University of Central Florida Student Academic Resource Center. (2020). Eisenhower matrix. Retrieved from https://academicsuccess.ucf.edu/sarc/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2020/12/Eisenhower-Matrix-Fillable.pdf