Comments on: ADHD Symptoms Los Angeles – ADHD Brain has difficulty understanding how long things take in life http://addspecialists.com/blog/adhd/adhd-brain-has-difficulty-understanding-how-long-things-take-in-life/ ADHD BLOG | ADD ADHD BLOG | ADHD SPECIALISTS BLOG Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Steve Krug http://addspecialists.com/blog/adhd/adhd-brain-has-difficulty-understanding-how-long-things-take-in-life/comment-page-1/#comment-883 Steve Krug Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:06:12 +0000 http://addspecialists.com/blog/?p=198#comment-883 This article is a relief to me. I think I'm lucky that with my ADHD, one of the things that I get hyperfocused on is planning and organization - I spend lots of time thinking about and planning the next few hours, next few days, the next _____. Guessing how much time these tasks take is quite another story. There always seems to be something that I don't account for, and sometimes it is distraction - who knows when I get on the computer if I will get an email that requires attention, or I'll mosey on over to Facebook, or I'll have a light bulb go off and it's off to another realm. The reason this article hits a nerve with me is it might be one of the big reasons I lost my last job. Some feedback for me was "He takes too long. He doesn't allow enough time to finish a project. He's over-budget." This now explains that my struggles with time weren't entirely my fault, or my laziness, or JUST discontent with the job - they could have been external. My current tactic, since I am even MORE busy now than I ever was with my job with getting ready to move, finding the right job, finishing a thesis, and working as-needed for my current employer (and they need me alot) - is to break my to-do list into categories based on contexts (where and what is required for it to get done, such as - computer focus, computer short or fun, physical, relaxation, while traveling, etc.). I set a time for a reasonable amount of time (say 50 minutes), and then focus on those types of tasks. I mix them up - first some focused computer time, then some exercise, then some fun time, back to focus time. I get as much done during the time period that I can and when the timer goes off, that's it! I know that I did what I could in the time allotted and if I got off track, I stop what I'm doing and know that I'm back on track. I'm getting SO much more done knowing that I won't get "lost" on a tangent. I wish others, including my partner, could understand what this is like... why ADDers even get off track in the first place. I can only describe it as standing under a tree that has low-hanging fruit or candy on it and I grab a piece. After enjoying a little bit of it, I look up and see a better piece, so I drop the one I have and grab that one. I keep doing that since I don't have the impulse control to stick with one and finish. Another tactic is taking good notes. My iPhone is an appendage to me, a lifesaver. I use AwesomeNotes - organized very well into descriptive folders, to write down those things that distract me, especially ideas. I have a task (I use Toodledo as my task keeper), that tells me to look at these things I've written down and either do, defer, delegate, or throw away as a bad idea. This way, I don't forget the good ideas (sometimes they're brilliant), and keep the bad ones from ruining my focus at a time when I need it most. This article is a relief to me. I think I’m lucky that with my ADHD, one of the things that I get hyperfocused on is planning and organization – I spend lots of time thinking about and planning the next few hours, next few days, the next _____. Guessing how much time these tasks take is quite another story. There always seems to be something that I don’t account for, and sometimes it is distraction – who knows when I get on the computer if I will get an email that requires attention, or I’ll mosey on over to Facebook, or I’ll have a light bulb go off and it’s off to another realm.

The reason this article hits a nerve with me is it might be one of the big reasons I lost my last job. Some feedback for me was “He takes too long. He doesn’t allow enough time to finish a project. He’s over-budget.” This now explains that my struggles with time weren’t entirely my fault, or my laziness, or JUST discontent with the job – they could have been external.

My current tactic, since I am even MORE busy now than I ever was with my job with getting ready to move, finding the right job, finishing a thesis, and working as-needed for my current employer (and they need me alot) – is to break my to-do list into categories based on contexts (where and what is required for it to get done, such as – computer focus, computer short or fun, physical, relaxation, while traveling, etc.). I set a time for a reasonable amount of time (say 50 minutes), and then focus on those types of tasks. I mix them up – first some focused computer time, then some exercise, then some fun time, back to focus time. I get as much done during the time period that I can and when the timer goes off, that’s it! I know that I did what I could in the time allotted and if I got off track, I stop what I’m doing and know that I’m back on track. I’m getting SO much more done knowing that I won’t get “lost” on a tangent.

I wish others, including my partner, could understand what this is like… why ADDers even get off track in the first place. I can only describe it as standing under a tree that has low-hanging fruit or candy on it and I grab a piece. After enjoying a little bit of it, I look up and see a better piece, so I drop the one I have and grab that one. I keep doing that since I don’t have the impulse control to stick with one and finish.

Another tactic is taking good notes. My iPhone is an appendage to me, a lifesaver. I use AwesomeNotes – organized very well into descriptive folders, to write down those things that distract me, especially ideas. I have a task (I use Toodledo as my task keeper), that tells me to look at these things I’ve written down and either do, defer, delegate, or throw away as a bad idea. This way, I don’t forget the good ideas (sometimes they’re brilliant), and keep the bad ones from ruining my focus at a time when I need it most.

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