The dreaded to-do list

In my post last week, I did mention make a to-do list. Yes, a to-do list. For some, it may be no big deal. It’s not too much of an issue. However, if you have ADHD/ADD, it can be a daunting thing. It is not something that comes easily to us, for the most part. It doesn’t come naturally. We can easily forget that we even have one, if we did even make one.

I know it’s not something that I’m particularly good with. Making one isn’t too much of an issue for me. It’s really more the rest that can be a challenge. At least, for me, and I imagine for others with ADHD/ADD as well. It seems like a common issue for many. Perhaps not all, but for many.

One of the problems that ADHDers/ADDers may have with to-do lists that we sometimes have a difficult time setting a realistic amount of tasks. We think of so many different things that need to be done and we do try to get things done, but don’t always realize that we can’t.

It’s all fine and dandy that we have 20-30 things that we want to do, but realistically, it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes, one task will take longer to do than we anticipate. Some tasks go unfinished all together, which doesn’t always help.

Why does this happen? Well, our brains are wired differently, and we don’t always have a good concept of time. Plus, there is so much we want to accomplish that we may forget to do something. On top of that, we do think that we can get it done.

This is when to-do lists come in. It can be very useful for ADHDers/ADDers to have a to-do list, as it can help us keep track of things we need to do. We can see what needs to be done.

However, there is something that we need to remember. Our to-do lists may differ from the to-do lists of non-ADHDers/ADDers. Because our brains are wired differently, how we manage things, such as to-do lists, will be different.

There are several ways that we can make a realistic to-list, once that is suited for our ADHD/ADD. There are different methods to make a to-do list, if you have ADHD/ADD. There are many suggestions out there, but are some suggestion that I do think would be useful.

One thing that you can do is group things together. Do similar tasks at the same. If you have some research to do online, do all the research all at once.

Once you’ve accomplished a task, reward yourself. After all, you have accomplished something. Find some way to reward yourself. Sometimes, we need some encouragement, and this may help be able to accomplish something else on our to-do list.

Sometimes we also have to make sure to figure out how long a task might take. We don’t want to overdo it. We shouldn’t create a to-do list that will overwhelm us and is too much for us to handle.

Here are just some suggestions. Some things to keep in mind when doing a to-do list. Although they can be daunting and overwhelming, to-do lists can be very helpful, so long as we make it work for us.

If you are interested in reading more about to-do lists to help ADHDer/ADDers, here are some more articles for you.
www.additudemag.com/adhd-time-management-tools-make-to-do-lists-work-for-you/
marlacummins.com/adhd-and-productivity/
adultaddstrengths.com/2014/03/22/to-do-lists-vs-realistic-to-do-lists-for-adhd-adults/

Picture credit Pixabay