PLANNING THE DAILY LIFE FOR ADULTS WITH ADD

PLANNING THE DAILY LIFE FOR ADULTS WITH ADD

 Details seem to be useless to those adults who are suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). We do have our goals clear in our minds, and cannot wait to have it achieved, hoping that there was some way to skip all the work required to be done in the process. Sadly enough, this attitude tends to get us overwhelmed, when we are to start the project. We seem to know what we want at the end, without having any idea of what needs to be done at the beginning. This story is true for the everyday life as well. Adults suffering from ADD, generally start their day being sure of their goals, but they can’t seem to get their priorities right and decide where to start from.

 This causes them to feel stressed and guilty, which makes them feel bad, and ultimately work less. To avoid such a situation, these adults should develop the habit of making a daily planning routine. In order to develop such a routine, the following 3 steps can be practiced: 1. Deciding On a Time to Do the Planning The time of the day when the planning process can be done should be decided first. This should require only about 15 minutes, and the time could either be set specifically (say 8:00 PM) or could just be something like the time "right before bed." The time late in the day is usually most preferred by the adults with ADD, since that is when they are the most alert. 

This is helpful since it allows one to plan for the next day, instead of worrying over it when they should go to bed! 2. Reviewing the To-Do List Firstly make sure that you do use a to-do list, (if you don’t then make one). This can be reviewed during each of your planning sessions, to remind you of what needs to be done. It also helps you feel good about all that you have already done during the day. You must regularly re-write the list, deleting all the completed tasks and adding the new ones. The most urgent and important of the tasks should be noted at the top of the list. You may break the large ones into 3-5 steps, noting it down on your list. 3. Reviewing the Calendar Now, go through your daily planner (assuming that you are now finally using one!). Check your next days appointments and block off those times on the planner, not forgetting the travel time. Now you can plan how to set aside some of your remaining time for the jobs on the to-do list. Thus, spending just 15 minutes on planning the schedule can take away the everyday stress from the life of an adult with ADD, and can help one move ahead.