Time Management Tips

Introduction to Time Management Tips

The following sections offer coping strategies and practical solutions to daily life management challenges written by Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. To gain maximum benefit from Skoach, you should regularly seek guidance from these time management strategies.

Whenever you encounter difficulties in managing your daily life, a quick look at Skoach Coaching can provide you with ready solutions that you can begin to implement.

Don't expect instant success. New habits take a minimum of 21 days to build, and when you have ADD, habits take a bit longer.

To help conquer your task management and time management challenges, use the drop-down menu to select the challenge you want to work on. Reading the tutorials contained in the Time Management Tips section of Skoach will help you obtain maximum benefit from Skoach.

How to Work with the Time Management Tips

Step 1: Select your time management challenge

Remember - Pick just one, then get it done!

You'll be more likely to make progress if you pick one single time management challenge to work on at a time. If you are not satisfied with your progress at the end of the week, continue working on the same goal for another week (or more) until you feel that you've solidified better habits.

Step 2: Read

Click on the tutorial associated with the time management challenge you've chosen. Each tutorial will let you know more about why this issue is challenging for adults with ADD, and will offer suggestions about how to improve your performance in this particular area.

Step 3: Problem-solve

There may be several different reasons why someone has a particular time management challenge. You'll need to read each option and then think about yourself in order to choose a solution that is most likely to work for you.

Step 4: Apply the solution

Apply the suggested solution starting today. Use the Skoach reminder function to help you remember to apply the solution you've selected.

Step 5: Review and revise

Stick to one time management challenge until you are satisfied that you've developed a better way to deal with it. If you don't make progress, consider a different solution. Continue to problem-solve and customize your Skoach solution until it works for you. You may need more support, such as working directly with an ADD coach as you learn to integrate Skoach into your daily life.

Step 6: Celebrate your progress

Don't feel disappointed that you haven't been able to change problem patterns after a few days of effort. Unrealistic expectations can cause discouragement that may lead you to stop trying. Instead, take note of improvements, and celebrate them.

FORGETFULNESS

Tutorial

There are several common patterns of forgetfulness associated with ADHD:

• Forgetting where you left personal items
• Forgetting information you've heard
• Forgetting to do something at a designated time
• Forgetting to complete a task after you've been interrupted
• Forgetting an idea that occurs to you
• Forgetting to do something you've promised to do

Forgetfulness is often a byproduct of distractibility. If you're not paying attention to where you put things, you won't remember when you need to find them. If your mind is bouncing from one thought to another you struggle with internal distractibility which makes it difficult to remember what people tell you, or even to remember your own thoughts. You may find that you remember things "at the wrong time," i.e., at a time that they cannot do the remembered task - for example, suddenly remembering in the middle of the night a phone call that can only be made during working hours.

Self analysis

Many people with ADD struggle with all five types of forgetfulness described above. But, if you try to tackle all of these patterns at once, you will create one more reason for forgetfulness - trying to do too many things at the same time!

Pick one repeating pattern of forgetfulness and work on that until you feel you have the pattern under control before you move on to developing your next memory habit.

1. Forgetting where you place personal items
   
   Which personal items are you prone to misplace? For most of us the list includes eyeglasses, keys, cell phone, wallet and purse. The key to remembering is to develop consistent habits consistent with the old adage:
   
   A place for everything, and everything in its place.
   
   The key to success, however, is to select a place that is convenient. If you tend to unload your pockets of wallet, keys and cell phone when you arrive home, then you'll need a specific bowl or basket in which to consistently deposit these items. Place the container in a convenient place, near where you tend to empty your pockets - this may be near the front door, on the kitchen counter, or on some other surface, depending upon the door you enter and the layout of your home. Dedicate the container for this use - don't use it for gathering other random objects.
   
   Homework: Make a list of three things that you commonly misplace. Then make a plan for creating a specific, convenient place for each item to "live" when you're not using it. Think about where you are likely to lay the item down and try to create an "official place" nearby. Then, in your daily planning session, review your daily success in developing the habit of always putting your items in their place.
   
   

1. Forgetting what you've been told
   
   It's easy to forget something you've been told verbally. If this type of forgetting is a significant problem for you, you'll need to train yourself and those around you to "put it in writing."
   
   
   • Always have something with you to record information. Use a Palm Pilot or other hand held device, or a small spiral notebook for times when you're not in front of your computer.
   • Teach your co-workers to "send me an email" instead of mentioning something to you in passing.
   • Have a rule at home - "If you haven't written it down, you haven't told me." In addition, you'll need to have a central, "official" spot where notes are left between family members and housemates.
   • Transfer everything to Skoach as soon as possible from emails and hand-written notes that you receive.
     
     Homework: As part of your daily planning session, try to review important items that you've been told that you may not have recorded and use this as occasion to record it in Skoach for future reference.
     
     
2. Forgetting to do tasks at specific times
   
   Some things must be done at a specific time. For example, you may need to take medication at specific times throughout the day; or, you may need to do a specific task on the way to or from work because that's when you pass by the store or office where this task can be accomplished. Another common time-sensitive task is a promise to call someone at a specific time. All such time-sensitive tasks need reminders.
   
   
   • Schedule these items as "fixed tasks" in Skoach and you'll automatically receive a reminder just before it's time to do the task. (You can also program Skoach reminders to come to your cell phone or PDA).
   • Need to run an errand on the way to or from work or school? Place any items you need for your errand on the front seat beside you - this will serve as a visual reminder as well as allows you to make sure you have what you need to complete the task.
   • Write a sticky note to yourself and place it on your steering wheel where you can't miss it.
     
     

1. Forgetting to complete a task that has been interrupted
   
   It's easy to become side-tracked when you're interrupted in mid-task. Skoach's Wherewazi feature is designed to solve this problem. If you're in the midst of a task and are interrupted, simply hit the pause button on the task in the schedule panel - a pop-up Wherewazi window will open that clearly shows the name of the task that was interrupted with space for you to write the "last action" you had taken in working on this task and the "next action" needed to continue the task. This way, you'll be reminded of what you were working on and what step you need to do next.
   
   

1. Forgetting ideas that occurs to you
   
   Just as you need to develop a habit of writing things down that you've been told verbally, you also need capture ideas that occur to you. The first habit is to always have something with you that allows you to record your thoughts - either a hand-held device or a small spiral notebook. Your second habit is to learn to transfer these ideas from your hand-held or spiral notebook onto your Task Map. If it's an idea about something you need to do right away, enter it on your Task Map and then schedule it. If it is something for later, Skoach's Task Map provides a specific place to record your Dreams and Schemes for future reference.
   
   

1. Forgetting to follow through on promises
   
   Just as it is easy to forget something told to us, it's easy to forget something we've promised to others. You'll always need a written record of promises in order to remember and follow through. Once again, a hand-held device or small spiral notebook can allow you to record your promise if you're away from your computer. Then, as soon as you're able, transfer these promises to your Task Map and schedule them.

Increasing productivity - Getting More Things Accomplished Each Day

Good time management involves getting things done (productivity) and focusing your efforts on the things that you most want to accomplish (prioritization). Although these two critical issues are intertwined, we'll focus on each separately.

Inefficiency (low productivity) can occur due to boredom, low motivation, or dislike of certain tasks. When you find that you're spending more time avoiding or postponing tasks than in getting them accomplished, consider some of the strategies listed below:

• Use the Skoach Task Swap Function
  
  The Skoach Task Swap Function allows you to designate tasks as "swappable" because they are of equal priority and urgency. During your day, if you face a scheduled task that is unappealing at the moment, simply click on the circular arrow icon on your task to view a list of "swappable" tasks. Using this option can help you stay motivated and productive by allowing you to select another task that may be more appealing at the moment.
  
  
• Swap tasks with someone
  
  Whether it's a task at home or at work, if there's something you particularly dislike doing, see if you can swap this task for another. We don't all like or dislike the same things.
  
  
• Vary your routine
  
  Even varying the routine among un-stimulating tasks can help - for example, set the table one day, wash the dishes the next and cook dinner the third night. <
  
  
• Reward yourself
  
  Set up small daily rewards for completion of boring daily tasks - for example, promise yourself a 15 minute break, a snack, a drink, or a phone call to a friend once you've completed the task.
  
  
• Make yourself accountable to someone
  
  Email a friend telling him or her that you are beginning your awful, boring task - then email again to let them know it's done. [add buddy]
  
  
• Make it fun
  
  All of us have tasks, at home and at work, that are uninteresting, but necessary. Look for ways to make it fun.

Do it while listening to bouncy, energetic music
Do it with someone - company always lightens a task
Time yourself and try to beat your best time

Try these approaches one at a time to see which works best for you. You should find that by using some of these techniques you'll be able to increase your productivity each day.

Over-scheduling / Over-committing

If you're always trying to squeeze too many things into each day, the only tasks you'll be able to start on time are the very first ones of your day. To squeeze so much in, you are engaging in serious underestimation of task duration. To begin to change this pattern, you may need to try some radical departures from your usual rush through you day, always late and always rushed.

Here are some strategies to deal with over-scheduling:

Forced start times

Instead of allowing yourself to run late all day long, force yourself to start each task on time, no matter where you are in the preceding task. In the Task Properties window, set reminder alerts at 10, 5 and 1 minutes so that you'll be sure to know when to stop each task. At the 1 minute point, go to Wherewazi and record your "last step" and "next step" so that you can easily pick up on your task later.

You'll need to be really strict with yourself - even if you're in the middle of an important phone call, make your apologies, schedule a follow-up call, and move on to your next scheduled task.

By following this formula, you'll soon see have a graphic picture of how impossible it is to meet the daily goals you've set for yourself. Your goal is to reach task completion on most, if not all of your scheduled tasks. To accomplish this goal, you'll probably need to make two changes:

1. Increase your time estimations for each task
2. Leave unscheduled time in your day between tasks to allow for time to accomplish "tiny to-do's", grab a cup of coffee, go to the bathroom, walk down the hall to your meeting, etc.

Add 50%

Here's another tactic. Look at tomorrow's schedule and extend the time you've allowed for each task by 50%. This means that you'll need to eliminate and reschedule a third of tomorrow's tasks. Choose the less urgent, lower priority tasks to eliminate and reschedule. Then, carefully stick to this schedule. If you choose this approach, create an agenda item in your daily planning session to extend the scheduled times for tomorrow's tasks by 50% and eliminate and reschedule the tasks there is not time to schedule.

After trying this approach for several days, ask yourself: Are you more productive? More on time? More relaxed?

Do less to get more done

A third tactic is to gradually remove and reschedule 10% of the tasks on your daily schedule, then 20%, then 30% , day by day - until you reach a point where you comfortably complete all scheduled tasks on time and even have a little breathing room for the unexpected. Just as in tactic #2, remove and reschedule tasks that are less urgent or of lower priority.

When over-scheduling is imposed on you

If your over-scheduling is not self-imposed, but imposed from above, you'll need to work with your supervisor to deal with over-scheduling. Try one or all of the above experiments, keeping a record of task completion [record how much of each task remains undone - this will drive the task progress]. Then have a talk with your supervisor about your findings and together, work on developing a realistic schedule. As long as you keep saying "yes" to un-doable requests, your supervisor and co-workers will keep piling on more tasks.

Over-committing

Sometimes over-scheduling is not imposed on you, and is not due to poor time estimation - it can simply be due to lack of realistic planning. Some people have difficulty saying "no" when they receive a request. Others become interested in new projects or ideas as they come along, and jump on the band wagon before they have considered whether they have the time for the new project.

Put on the brakes

If you tend to make commitments without careful consideration, put on the brakes by putting off commitments until your daily planning session each day. Develop the habit of telling yourself (and others) that you'll take a look at your schedule before you add any new commitments.

"IM" Yourself

Send yourself regular Skoach coaching messages to build new habits, such as:

Don't say "yes," say "let me check my schedule."

Remember, before you "add" you must delete or complete.

PROCRASTINATION

Do you procrastinate on most tasks?

Some people seem to have a generally low level of motivation and tend to put off all tasks that take energy or effort. These people are classic "couch potatoes" that would rather do "nothing" than anything at all. If you fall into the couch potato category, you may actually struggle with chronic, low level depression.

Others are couch potatoes due to chronic sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, or poor physical fitness. If you feel as if everything is too much trouble, then get a medical check-up to see if depression or some other health problem is playing a role in always putting things off.

Are there specific tasks on which you procrastinate, while other tasks done are completed on-time?

Try keeping track of the Skoach tasks that you repeatedly reschedule from day to day. Is there a pattern? If you can identify a pattern, you may find the key to unlocking your chronic procrastination.

Problem-solving to reduce procrastination

Procrastination can be caused by several things. You may procrastinate because you don't enjoy a task. You may procrastinate because a task is large and challenging to organize. Or, you may procrastinate because you aren't sure how to accomplish the task.

1. Procrastination due to dislike of an activity
   
   If you procrastinate because you don't like a task, look for ways to increase task appeal such as:
   
   
   • Make it into a game and keep score
   • Make it into a game, competing with others
   • Listen to upbeat music while doing it
   • Schedule a reward immediately after you complete it
     
     
2. Procrastination due to overwhelm
   
   If you're avoiding a task because it is lengthy and overwhelming, then "divide and conquer" on the Task Map
   
   
   • break the large task into separate, short-term segments.
   • then check off each segment as an accomplished short-term task.
     
     
3. Procrastination due to inertia
   
   If you procrastinate because you have difficulty initiating a task, create something to react to. Tasks that can be reacted to are easier to begin than those that you must initiate yourself.
   
   
   • Work on the task with others - then you can react to their questions, emails, etc.
   • Establish a deadline with your supervisor.
     
     
4. Procrastination due to lack of organization
   
   Sometimes we procrastinate on beginning a large project because we haven't organized the task and don't know where to start. If you can't seem to get a project organized:
   
   
   • Use the Skoach cruncher to think through the task
   • Talk with your supervisor or collaborators to plan it
   • Break the larger task into do-able segments
   • Create a list of resources and supplies needed to accomplish the task
   • Create a time line using the Cruncher
   • Then schedule the first "chunk" of the task
   • Create a Skoach reminder for this first chunk
     
     
5. Procrastination on difficult tasks
   
   Not all tasks can be made easy, but if you find a task particularly difficult, you need to analyze how it can become easier.
   
   
   • Do you need help?
   • More training?
   • More practice?
   • More assistance from other?
   • Analyze what is making the task so difficult and then get the help you need to succeed.
     
     
6. Procrastination at certain times of day
   
   More challenging tasks should be done at whatever time of day you seem to feel more focused and energetic. Take note of your daily rhythms and then try to schedule the most avoided tasks for the time of day when you'll have more energy to tackle them.

Problem-solve and apply your solution

To combat patterns of procrastination, select a task that you keep putting off. Then look at the list of possible solutions above and choose one that you think is most likely to be helpful.

Pick one (or more) of these solutions and apply them to your activity report. Then keep track over the next few weeks. Are you getting them done on a consistent basis? If so, keep up the good work. Your new solutions will soon become habits that require very little effort to maintain.

Unfinished Business - Difficulty With Task Completion

It's possible to be busy all day long but have little to show for your efforts at the end of the day. You may have started many tasks, but you've completed very few of them. It's important to understand why this happens before you can find a solution that will work for you. Some of the reasons for not completing tasks are:

• Being interrupted
  
  In this multi-tasking world, we are interrupted or distracted frequently while in the midst of a task. Life doesn't happen one thing at a time, and yet we need to find strategies to stay on track and complete the tasks we've begun.
  
  The Wherewazi function of Skoach is especially designed to help you get back to a task after an interruption. Work hard to develop the habit of clicking on the pause button on the Task Timer to open the Wherewazi window whenever you are called away from your task for any reason. Be sure to complete the "last action" and "next action" input bars and you'll easily pick up where you left off.
  
  
• Getting distracted
  
  Sometimes we "interrupt" ourselves by becoming distracted. This can happen in a number of different ways - you might go into another room in search of some item and become distracted by another task in that room, never remembering to return to your original task. Or you may be searching through your email inbox for a particular message, and become distracted by another email you come across during your search.
  
  If you are often pulled off a task due to distractibility, you need to set up reminder strategies. For example, if you must leave the room in which you're working, take an item with you that will remind you of your interrupted task. If you are "wandering" on your computer - for example searching through documents or emails - write a reminder on a sticky note of the document for which you are searching so that if you get off track you can easily focus again.
  
  
• Running out of time
  
  A task may not be completed because you have under-estimated how long the task will take and have not allotted enough time. If this is a repeating problem, then you need to address it in the task planning stage. As you complete items in the Task Details window, estimate task duration and then add 50% more time. Now, keep track for a week to see whether your task completion rate increases. Be sure to review this pattern in your daily planning sessions.
  
  
• Boredom
  
  You may be motivated at the beginning of a task, but soon run out of interest and want to move on to a different task. If this is your problem, plan to spend shorter time periods on any given task. Some people with ADHD become more productive by planning to switch from one task to the next, spending only short time-periods on each. Work with the Task Cruncher to divide your tasks into smaller segments.
  
  
• Poor planning
  
  Tasks may be incomplete due to poor planning. For example, you may not have all necessary information or materials on hand to complete a scheduled task. If this is a common reason for task incompletion, you should carefully "crunch" each task. The Task Cruncher will guide you to think more carefully about all of the things you'll need to complete each task.
  
  
• Perfectionism
  
  Many adults with ADHD have a double struggle, with both ADHD and with perfectionism. Sometimes, perfectionist tendencies develop as a way to counteract impulsivity and inattention to detail. In an attempt to stay focused, some adults with ADD become lost in the details, spending far too much time on them rather than prioritizing and staying focused on the completion of the larger project.
  
  If you believe you have perfectionist tendencies, ask for feedback from your supervisor or colleague. You may need outside input to know when your job is "good enough" to consider complete.

Prioritizing

Many people have difficulty prioritizing their daily tasks. "All of my tasks are important! They're all 'A's'," you might think. Even when everything is important, you still have to decide what to do first, second, and third.

• Over-commitment can lead to difficulty prioritizing
  
  Sometimes, when you have too many "A's" on your Task Map, your difficulty with prioritizing may really be a difficulty with over-commitment. If you have too many A's and too little time, by definition, you are in a state of over-commitment. If so, go to our Skoach Coach segment on Over-scheduling / Over-commitment and try some of the strategies listed there.
  
  
• Whose priority is it?
  
  In order to prioritize, you need to be clear on whose priorities you are trying to meet. Very few of us are in a position to consider only our own priorities. We must take into account the priorities of those we work for, those we work with, and those we live with. Your difficulty in prioritizing may actually be a hidden struggle between what you want to do and what others want you to do.
  
  
• Prioritizing by Crisis
  
  If you don't plan and prioritize your tasks , you'll tend to fall into a pattern of prioritizing by crisis - that is, waiting to do things until a deadline looms or a crisis is about to occur. There are many problems with this sort of prioritizing. First, you won't do your best work when you're always in a time crunch; second, tasks that are very important, but never in crisis may never get done.
  
  
• Squeaking wheel prioritizing
  
  Related to prioritizing by crisis, squeaking wheel prioritizing is a pattern of letting others set your priorities for you by responding to whomever is complaining the loudest. If your spouse explodes in anger because you're "never home," then your spouse becomes your priority, however briefly. If your boss is under stress and begins pressuring you to complete a certain project, then that becomes your priority. People that prioritize reactively feel that they are always working hard to please others and rarely have time to please themselves. What they don't realize is that they have let this pattern develop due to lack of prioritizing in the first place. It's much easier to present a reasonable argument to a spouse that feels neglected or a boss that's under pressure if you have a careful plan laid out to present to them - a ready explanation for why it's necessary to stick to your established priorities.
  
  
• "Easy stuff first" prioritizing
  
  A common way to avoid difficult top priority items, while seeming to work hard, is to always tackle the easy stuff first. The easy stuff - like responding to emails, returning phone calls, or attending meetings can easily fill your day while you avoid the more important items that require sustained effort, planning or concentration.
  
  
• Dart Board prioritizing
  
  Another common method to avoiding the work of prioritizing is to just dive in and start doing the first thing that occurs to you. Instead of stopping to think, dart board prioritizers just tackle something almost at random and set to work, often on items that are of low importance.

Learning to prioritize well

If you live a crisis driven life, or your priorities are set by squeaking wheels, dart boarding or "getting the easy stuff out of the way" you'll find, at the end of the day, the week, the month, the career, that you haven't spent your time doing the things that are in line with your core values - you've spent your time, but not well.

In order to set priorities, you first must set your goal. For example, if your highest priority is to redirect your career, it's important to carve out time each day to take steps that will move you in that direction. If you allow your supervisor to set your priorities, you will find that while your job performance ratings may be high, that your life satisfaction rating is low.

Too many "A's" in a busy day

Whether from over-commitment, or just from unforeseen circumstances, we all face days when we have multiple top-priority items and no way to meet them all. That's when we have to step back and ask ourselves a few questions:

Which items are top priority according to my core values?
What is the consequence of not meeting each of these top priority tasks?
Is there anyone else that I can delegate one of my top priority items to?

Once you've answered those questions, the order of priority you give each task should become clearer.