#time awareness

[at-the-sign-of-the-fox-n-phoenix]

ADHD Recommended Reading

Not exhaustive, actually quite tiny list

HOW TO KEEP HOUSE WHILE DROWNING: a gentle approach to cleaning & organizing by KC Davis, LPC

THE BULLET JOURNAL METHOD: track the past, order the present, design the future by Ryder Carroll (a fellow ADHDr - amazingly the bullet journal as he devised it is pretty much nothing like the internet phenomenon it inspired - THIS version is freaking USEFUL for my adhd brain)

[actuallyadhd]

Am i the only person who’s like “I have to do something tomorrow at 11, I don’t have time to do anything before that, and probably won’t have time to do something afterwards”? I guess it could be something with ADHD and time management, but I was wondering if I’m the only one, haha

From January 27 2018

Definitely not the only one! I try to schedule all of my medical appointments in the afternoon so I can be sure to be on time. My son’s music class is in the morning, but we had no choice with that. I generally feel like I have no time for anything.

Followers, what about you?

-J

[focusthoughts]

“The lift or elevator to the top is out of order. You’re going to have to take the stairs one step at a time.” (Zig Ziglar) 

Are you a person waiting impatiently for something to happen, eagerly hoping to ascend? Do you want to make it to new levels of achievement, success, prosperity, contentment and happiness? Yes? Are you looking to reach higher levels quickly and soon? Well buddy, there’s no easy and free ride, the elevator to successfulness, prosperity and joyfulness ain’t working! So, step up your enthusiasm and get stepping friend. Does that make good sense?

[actuallyadhd]

Tips on staying aware of time? I hyperfocus on video games really easily; I just played Civilization V til 3 in the morning without realizing it and only stopped because a noise in the other room caused me to panic and get in bed. I've tried timers but I have a really hard time convincing myself to stop and just turn the timer off. Hours feel like minutes, and minutes feel like hours sometimes. I have issues getting ready in the morning too because of this.

Time awareness and perception is one of the things ADHDers can have trouble with (I definitely do). One of the easiest ways to stay aware of time is one you’ve already mentioned: timers. At least in the morning it could be helpful to set several timers; one for when you have an hour left, one for when you have 30 minutes left, and so on. I’ve also heard tips about making a playlist of songs that you play each morning, timing it so that when a certain song starts playing you know you’ll have to leave soon. In addition to that, try doing things like packing your bag, planning your outfit, and putting keys/phone/wallet/etc. in specific places the night before so that it doesn’t take as much time the next morning. It’s worth experimenting to find what works best for you.

As for using timers to stop playing computer games; I’m right there with you. If the difficult part is motivating yourself to actually turn off at the timer, I think it might work to set consequences for yourself if you don’t. One of the things ADHDers struggle with is motivation and long-term benefits and consequences. Basically we are much more motivated by immediate rewards or punishments, which is why we’ll probably decide to keep playing now because it’s fun instead of turning off the computer so we can sleep enough and not be exhausted tomorrow. This is also a matter of what works best for you. For example, for every 10 minutes you play past the timer you have to put a dollar in a jar (which, ideally, is controlled by someone else; otherwise the jar of money is too tempting to just use). Or, if you’re feeling more extreme, get extension cords with timers on them. If the timer runs out, the entire computer shuts off. Obviously that’s not ideal because you’ll lose your progress, and then once the computer is off you’re much less likely to turn it on again to keep playing. 

Hopefully you find some of this helpful!

-Becca

[actuallyadhd]

For the person struggling with time management: Try setting your timer, then physically placing that timer across the room. Having to get up can help break the connection to what you're focusing on. Furthermore, if you give yourself a pep-talk and try to encourage yourself to do what need to (for example, "Okay, so now I really have to stop playing Civ. I'm going to get up, go take out the garbage, and then I can play some more. I can do this.") it helps to convince you into action.

[actuallyadhd]

Time management: If you use a phone as your alarm, it really helps to use an alarm tone that you don't use very often. It's a lot easier to ignore an alarm if you're used to hearing it. We're really good at filtering out familiar sounds, so picking a sound you don't hear regularly is a great way to make sure you actually notice when your alarm is going off. I got a watch with an alarm so I could remember to take my meds, but now I'm so used to the sounds I don't even notice when it's beeping.

[insightbloom]

Each morning intention is a candle lit in the dark — small, but it changes the color of the day.