Identifying Your Daily or Weekly “Big 3”

Some days (everyday?), even simple to-do lists can be too much because of competing priorities and neurodivergent nervous system overwhelm. To-do lists are GREAT, they’re a fantastic tool, however, it is a huge challenge for ADHDers to discern what’s most important and where to begin. This is one of the biggest challenges of life with ADHD.

Logically we know all of our to-dos can’t possibly have the same importance, but as ADHDers with executive functioning challenges, prioritization is typically very difficult. We can get stuck just looking over a to-do list. Additionally, we get mired in the idea that success will only be achieved when we’ve checked all the boxes. But if you can’t get started, another day can go by when nothing gets done.

For many of the women I work with, focusing on a very small list of to-dos and hiding the five-page brain dump has been key to making progress. The idea is to identify ONLY one to three items or tasks that when complete will make you feel the most accomplished, like you’ve won the day or week.

Use whatever tracking method or visual cue that works the best for you (Bullet Journal, phone app, Post-it Notes, whiteboard) and list no more than three things. Create visual prompts or digital reminders where you'll see or hear them throughout the day. Be flexible and creative! If you need to put sticky notes in every room, do it. Prompts are key to success; I cannot stress this enough.

Listing just three things doesn’t mean you won’t or can’t get anything else done, but it will narrow your focus and help ensure you have the most important things complete. What could that feel like at the end of the day to have moved three things off your list?Magical!

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