Executive Functioning: Organization and Time Management

In this post, I will be continuing my series on executive functioning skills specifically I will be discussing organization and time management for women with ADHD.

While many people think of someone with executive functioning skills, they probably picture someone who is well organized and on top of everything. Even though EF has many other aspects, organization and time management are both essential skills that have a significant and lasting impact for women with ADHD. Many women with ADHD believe that organization refers to having everything in its place, but organization is actually the ability to use time, energy and resources to effectively achieve a goal. When your materials are easy to find, it saves you time and prevents certain setbacks like lost or misplaced belongings.

Time management is the process of planning and controlling the amount of time you spend on certain tasks, activities or projects. Learning how to use time management effectively encompasses your ability to focus more time on important tasks while spending time less on others.

Like I mentioned above organization and time management work closely together. These are both underlying EF skills that are important to just every facet of a women with ADHD life and these areas can lead to many positive outcomes. For one, a reduction in stress! When everything is where you expect it to be and you know what you need to spend time doing, your life will run smoothly. Whether it’s finding your keys, your cell phone or paperwork the faster you can retrieve them, the less stressed you will feel. These skills also make you much more efficient and productive. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the amount of time you have to spend on different tasks, you might have poor time management (or you may have taken on way too much!). If you take a step back to organize your schedule and plan your day, it will run flow better and you will accomplish a lot more. Being organized can also save you money and resources. Think about it. If you are constantly misplacing things, you will have to spend money to replace them or take extra time to find or redo them. People who are well organized, then, can save both time and money by being able to access materials when they are needed.

How can I improve these skills?

Make a schedule. Schedules help you organize your tasks and your time. Whether you prefer a large calendar, a daily planner, or your phone, having a way to make a plan and keep track of your day is important. Consider organizing your schedule by color coding different types of tasks. You might choose red for school or work tasks, blue for chores or responsibilities at home, and green for social activities. This acts as a visual cue for how much time you are spending on each of the different types of activities in your life and can alert you to any imbalances. For example, if you see a lot of blue, you may want to spend more time on red activities. If you prefer to use an app instead of drawing out your schedule by hand, try downloading Cal or a Calendar.

Make a checklist of daily tasks. Using your schedule, try making a daily checklist of everything you need to complete. From there, prioritize the order in which you should complete the tasks and note how much time you will spend on each task. Remember, scheduling time for yourself is necessary! If you struggle when making a to-do list, give Trello a try.

Analyze how you use your time. When you understand how you spend your time, you’re better able to make decisions to improve your time management. Do you fully focus on a task, or are you distracted by outside things like social media or surfing the web? If it’s hard for you to tell how much time you spend on different tasks, try an app like Rescue Time to help you keep track—it will give you a detailed report! If you find that you are constantly being distracted, apps like Self-control can help you avoid certain websites while you work.

Prioritize your work. Even if you don’t make an actual checklist, you still need to prioritize your tasks. A good way to prioritize is to label your tasks as “must do,” “may do,” or “want to do.” “Must do” items are those that need to be completed that day and include things like homework or going to a club meeting. “May do” items are things that need to be done but can be put off if you are out of time. They include things like writing a term paper that’s due at the end of the month and doing your laundry. Remember, though, eventually your “may do” items will turn into “must dos,” so don’t push them off for too long. “Want to do” items are those that are desirable, but you don’t have to do them at all. Think watching a Netflix show or going out to dinner. Again, it’s important to note that you need a balance. If you organize your schedule and use your time wisely, you should have enough time to complete everything!

Break down large tasks into small, manageable pieces. This will help you organize your tasks by forcing you to plan out each step. Once you do that, you can manage your time by accomplishing a few pieces each day. A warning, though. If you procrastinate, this strategy will not work.

Set time limits and take breaks. Did you know that the average attention span for adults is 20 minutes and dropping? While you should be able to focus on tasks, this statistic shows that setting a time limit for each of your tasks could be necessary. You’re not a machine, so it’s not realistic to expect yourself to focus for four straight hours. Instead, try working for 30 minutes and then give yourself a five- or ten-minute break (to check Facebook or eat a snack). This will keep your mind fresh and prevent you from burning out when you get back to work.

Set deadlines. In addition to time limits, it’s important to have deadlines. The pressure of an upcoming deadline will help you use your time more efficiently. Don’t just rely on external deadlines from your teachers or your boss. Rather, set your own personal deadlines for each of the smaller tasks you have created.

Reward yourself. When you accomplish a task, celebrate!! You deserve it! Making time to give yourself a little reward for accomplishing a goal is extremely important. Maybe you take yourself out for a treat or spend an evening with friends. Knowing a reward is coming is more motivation to get organized and use your time well.

Some of these strategies might seem familiar, and they should! Lots of the same strategies can help improve a variety of executive functioning skills simultaneously, since so many EF skills work closely together. When used correctly, these strategies will help your executive functioning skills improve as a whole.