In the realm of teen and adult ADHD natural remedies, perhaps no subject is talked about as much as time management.
It is, after all, one thing we almost universally suck at. But just as universally, seems we hear similar time management tips over and over. Most are legit and many are powerful if adopted, but at the request of one of our blog readers, I wanted to take a fresh swing at this topic and churn up some effective strategies you might not have heard a million times before.
Here goes…
Protein Power Pops
When you’re sitting at your desk trying to think and move things forward, but you’ve hit a wall — maybe in the late morning or mid-afternoon – you’re wasting time. You’re getting declining returns on your efforts and you’re just frustrating yourself. Keep a healthy protein snack handy at all times – nuts/seeds are best. A handful of nuts (NOT sugary or carbo-loaded snacks) with one bit of dried fruit such as apricot tossed in, will fire you back up. And repeated protein pops whenever you start to drag will power you through to quittin’ time or meal time. This can add an hour or more a day to your productive output.
Reel In Rumination
This is a huge time (and energy) waster. As I sit here writing this particular section, I have an occasional “urge” do ruminate on a couple of negative things that came my way today. Nothing too horrible – just the kinds of things my mind instinctively wants to mull over a bit…maybe get some violins playing in the background so I can have a legitimizing soundtrack to abet my feeling bad. But STOP!, I tell myself…with a simple reminder that dwelling is the opposite of propelling.
Yep. I could’ve indulged in that mini woe-is-me episode. But it would have stolen a good few minutes from me, not to mention some mental energy that I have better things to put toward. So instead, I’m now back to writing this blog. And propelling, not dwelling.
Re-Wire Waiting Time
We waste a lot of time waiting (e.g., in line at the store, when picking someone up) – and waste a lot of mental energy being frustrated at having to wait. I don’t like waiting any more than the next antsy-pants ADHD fidgeter. So, when I’m waiting, I’m doing…one of four things:
- Deleting unimportant emails on your smartphone. I’m not reading important ones unless they’re urgent — just cleaning house, so that when I’m back to work I can focus energy on the emails that matter.
- Scanning the headlines. I’ve reduced my media intake dramatically – but I still have to stay on top of certain news and pop culture, so I scan a few media outlet apps on my phone. (And I resist the temptation to surf into titillating but irrelevant articles!)
- Meditating. If I’m caught up on email garbage duty and am abreast of top headlines in my business sectors, I…quiet…my…mind. Nothing fancy – just switching from listening to mental noise, to listening to my breathing for a coupla minutes. And I’ll usually throw in a Power Pose…so that when the wait is over and I’m back to work, I’m ready to CRUSH IT.
- Problem-solving. When there’s more than a five-minute wait – e.g., a doctor’s office or waiting for my flight to take off – I go into problem-solving mode. What’s something that’s been puzzling or frustrating me lately? What active project needs some mental lovin’? Let me just open up my ADHD-gifted-mind and noodle around with that issue a bit. Hmmm. Ooh! That’s a good idea!
Note that all four have a forward-moving purpose. I’m not engaged in small talk on the phone or texting…I’m not watching the latest video of cute kittens. And just as important, I’m not burning energy on being frustrated – cuz I ain’t really waiting!
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have the same number of hours in a day that were given to Helen Keller, Michaelangelo, Mother Theresa, Leonardo DaVinci and Albert Einstein.” H. Jackson Brown Jr. Tweet That!
In closing, if you were to put just two of these three time hacks into regular practice, you’d start seeing your to-do list shrink a bit…all those stickies on your desk might start to thin out. You might even start to feel some control over that slippery clock.
So start by giving one (not all – just one) of these a try and let me know what you experience. Maybe you have a less-known ADHD time management hack of your own you’d like to share. We’re all ears!!
Crush Father Time – or he’ll crush YOU!
-Alan
