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Here’s my process for getting work done with ADHD! Feel free to take parts you like and ignore parts that don’t appeal to you to create your own effective workflow!

Write your to-do list (for the day/week/project.)

Break every task down as far as it can go. Instead of “write essay,” break it up into “outline paragraph 1,” “outline paragraph 2,” “write paragraph 1” etc.) Don’t be afraid to get silly! If breaking it down all the way to “set up computer,” “open Word document,” “format document,” helps you stay on track, then do it!!

Estimate the length of each task. You may say “but my ADHD means I am terrible at conceptualizing time!!” and trust me yo, I understand. But just go for it. Try finding the smallest unit and using it to measure, like this: “I want to write 6 sentences in paragraph 1, and I can definitely write 1 sentence in 5 minutes, so paragraph 1 should take me 30min.” When in doubt, always overestimate.

Prepare your schedule. I use Google calendar, but you can use any other app, a real calendar, or just a piece of paper! Google is nice because it gives you alerts when you have a new task coming up.

Block in all mandatory activities. First put in things that are mandatory/set in time, like classes, events, meals, and sleeping!! (Yes, treat meals and sleeping as mandatory, time-locked activities. You’ll find yourself a lot more productive if you take care of yourself!)

Lay in blocks of work + scheduled breaks. Scheduled breaks are really important! 5 minute breaks every 20 minutes of work is a good rule of thumb, and maybe a longer 10-15 minute break whenever you reach a milestone as a reward!

 Use timers when you’re working and during breaks. 30/30 is an amazing timed to-do list app for staying on track, and Forest is really good to keep your phone from being a distraction.

If you hyperfocus, make use of it! If you hyperfocus on your work, it’s okay to deviate from schedule as long as you’re still being productive! Just make sure you remember to take care of yourself (try not to skip meals/sleep) and make sure you can still finish the other tasks you had on your list.

If you can’t focus, mix it up! If you totally can’t focus on the assigned task, instead of just getting distracted, see if there is another task that is more appealing to you that you could get done in that time slot instead. You can always go back to the original task later.

Try to make it fun! Sing about whatever you’re working on, write funny comments in the margins, color code things and make them look interesting! Anything you need to do to engage yourself more, go for it.

Don’t freak out. If you completely mess up and fall way behind schedule, the most important thing is not to freak out!! Stay calm, tell yourself that it’s okay. Take a quick breather, splash some cold water on your face, eat a little snack, anything to keep yourself from falling into an unproductive rut. Then sit down, readjust your schedule taking into account the trouble you’re experiencing (maybe you needed more time on a task, or maybe you need to lower your goals for the day), and then… keep trying your best!

(feel free to use this/spread it around even if you don’t have ADHD. it was just created with us in mind!)