Do you have a hard time getting things done? Many of my clients with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD) do. And for many years, so did I. My daily to-do lists used to read like the stream-of-consciousness scribblings of a deranged novelist, lots of words with little structure.
I would forget to add some tasks to the lists, while listing others more than once. Even on ADD "superstar days," when I'd get 50 things done, I would always miss an important item or two - and feel that I had wasted the day.
Then I tried ADHD tools: calendar/task-management software, of the sort that comes with Internet-based e-mail accounts, such as Hotmail and Yahoo, as well as in programs like Microsoft Outlook and Entourage. These programs are much clearer than handwritten to-do lists. You simply enter the date, time, and task that needs doing, and the computer automatically sends you a heads-up chime or an e-mail at the appropriate time. You can even have the reminder text-messaged directly to your cell phone.
But what comes out of these programs is only as good as what goes into them. If you forget to list a task, you'll never get a reminder to do it. If you list too many tasks, you'll get a torrent of reminders - and be overwhelmed. Perhaps most galling, if you don't include enough detail about the tasks and appointments (time of day, location, people involved, and so on), you may be unable to figure out exactly what it is you're being reminded to do.
Case in point: I was working at my computer the other day, and up popped a reminder: "WEDDING." But whose wedding? Where was it? What time? That's when I decided I needed a calendar/to-do list system with some intelligence. Something that could take up the slack when I got sloppy about entering details, something that would help me set priorities and then push me to get things done. "WEDDING" wasn't enough. What I needed was "Smith-Jones wedding, 554 Main Street, 11 a.m., 303-555-1212."
ADD Planner
A program called ADD Planner makes it extremely easy to add detailed notes about tasks to be done. And the reminders it generates are impossible to ignore: colorful full-screen alerts with eye-popping fonts and icons and, if you like, even music and speech. In short, ADD Planner gives me the "whack with a railroad tie" that I need to switch gears and attend to the task at hand.
ADD Planner even has a recurring alert that pops up on your screen with a simple message like, "Are you staying on track?" I've found this to be an effective way to bring my focus back to wherever it's supposed to be.
ADD Planner also has a "project view" that lets me break large, potentially overwhelming tasks into a series of smaller, step-by-step tasks. Instead of being left with a "do taxes" reminder (kind of daunting, huh?), I get a series of reminders for the component tasks: "Find documents... collect receipts... fill out forms." I can add or delete steps later on, assign a time for each step, or change the order. I can even attach Quicken files.
- for Windows and Palm Pilots, $59.95 available from addplanner.com
Life Balance
Unfortunately, some adults with ADD, including me, need even more help with organization and structure and tend to be visual in the way we organize ourselves.
If that describes you, Life Balance may be worth a look. It lets you create to-do lists that are filled with checkboxes, highlights, tabs, and rating scales that help you see what you need to do, when you need to do it, and whether it's getting done. There's even a continuously updated pie chart that lets you know if your priorities are out of whack.
It compares what you think you should be doing to what you're actually doing. For instance, if you worry that you're spending too much time at work and not enough time with the kids, it'll let you know if you're right - and, if necessary, even help you rebalance your life.
This article comes from the December/January 2006 issue of ADDitude.
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