The Forums › Forums › Tools, Techniques & Treatments › Time Management › TIME FLIES WHEN YOUR NOT PAYING ATTENTION
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May 12, 2011 at 3:15 am #89575
AnonymousInactiveMay 12, 2011 at 3:15 amPost count: 14413i need help. i need some advice on how to manage my time better. the problem is i don’t work outside my home. i have a 14 year old son with autism he is currently home with me. so i don’t have a real routine. i am not expected anywhere at any time. but i get nothing done. the day goes by and i never fully see it. kind of like i am on the outside watching life go by like a train. does anyone else have this problem and if so how do you deal with it…
REPORT ABUSEMay 12, 2011 at 3:29 am #103983Well as boring as it sounds, planning your day/week is important whether or not you work outside of the home – use an agenda. I work from home so it is very easy to get distracted. I know if I don’t follow my agenda my days are completely useless, made all the more so since I don’t have the external structure.
REPORT ABUSEMay 13, 2011 at 4:32 am #103984
AnonymousInactiveMay 13, 2011 at 4:32 amPost count: 14413Hey! I just joined and this is my first forum read and the answer sunderwoodpug is… YES! I also stay at home. Sometimes i think i am losing my mind….its almost as if i ‘lose’ time. I look at the clock and its 10am and then the next thing i know its 4pm and idk what happened to the day and nothing has been accomplished. I also recently joined another great group with Flylady. She teaches to use a timer and set it for 15 mins and accomplish something, housework, phone calls, etc.
Nellie, how do you have your agenda set up? And how do you stay on task with your outline?
REPORT ABUSEMay 13, 2011 at 2:06 pm #103985I use a paper based system.
The agenda is in a week at a glance format ( days are side by side) and set out in 15 minute increments. I draw in the time in blocks ( use a pencil so I can make changes if necessary). In other words, if an appointment is at 2, I block off the time from 2 until how long it’s supposed to take instead of just writing it next to the time. I also take into account the travel time to get there etc. I use the same idea for tasks,scheduling them instead of making lists anymore. This way things area a plan, not a wish list.
In effect, the whole week is a series of squares and creates a visual imprint For some reason this works to let me accomplish stuff and I remember to check my agenda before agreeing to something else. It really has helped to eliminate the “out of site out of mind” problem for me. I previously used electronic and paper agendas over the years, but success always depended on remembering to actually look at the agenda. For some reason drawing the time map created by the squares really helps to retain in it in my mind’s eye.
REPORT ABUSEMay 15, 2011 at 4:34 pm #103986
AnonymousInactiveMay 15, 2011 at 4:34 pmPost count: 14413its definitely more difficult to stay on track with work when you don’t have structure. The only way around it is to CREATE structure in your life. This can be done in a variety of ways, and what works best for one person doesn’t necessarily work best for another. I know this very well, as I’m an ADD Coach. Let me throw out a few possibilities for you…
1) What time of the day/night are you best able to focus?
2) Do you work better in a quiet situation or with music, etc.?
3) At the end of each working day, plan your next work day.
4) Go beyond a To Do list – assign yourself actual times that certain tasks will be done.
5) Plan ahead for breaks.
6) Think about possible distractions, and devise strategies that will help you with them.
Good Luck! And if you can afford it – reach out to a coach, as you’ll then have someone who can help you with your specific challenges, help you figure out strategies that will be most effective for you, and have someone for accountability.
Rhonda Pawlan, M.S.
ADHD Coach
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