Four Strategies To Regain Control Of Your Time
- Jul 5, 2024
- 4 min read
Christine L Robinson, M.Ed is the founder of ADD Action Coach Inc and a Master Certified ADHD Coach. With over 20,000 hours of professional coaching experience she comes ready to help entrepreneurs, corporate clientele, students, parents and couples overcome the negatives of ADHD through proven strategies and techniques.
As a Certified ADHD Coach with over 20,000 hours of coaching clients exclusively with ADHD, I have worked with many creative and talented entrepreneurs, corporate employees, and small business owners. My clients always have an abundance of ideas and goals but feel overwhelmed with the number of choices they need to make each day to progress their venture. They often feel “stuck”. I frequently get asked, “Where do I start?” How do I know that this task is the most important to prioritize?” “How do I manage my time, so I feel more effective?” Here are four strategies that can result in increased productivity and less stress!
Break down those tasks
How are these decisions made when you want to do everything? Is this really attention deficit or is a result of “too much” attention? Let’s think of it this way: If I don’t do this today, what will happen? If I complete this task tomorrow, what are the benefits, either long term or short tern? Examine how successful transitions can occur between tasks and keep track of how long the task takes. Was there time lost between tasks or was a break needed to recharge? Always examine previous results and why they were successful. We want to build and replicate prior successes, no need to recreate the wheel every day!
“Smart“ smartphone use
This is a global issue that includes everyone, whether they have ADHD or not. Scrolling is a significant time waster and can lead to increased anxiety and depression over time. Try and put your phone away for 20 minutes in a drawer, in another room just so you can get accustomed to not having it with you all the time. Most people, when they truly put their phone out of sight and out of reach, feel a sense of nervousness or anxiety. As you do this more and more, this feeling will diminish. We must use our devices intentionally, so it does not compromise the tasks we need to complete in our lives and more importantly, negatively impact our relationships and family.
Visualize, visualize, visualize
Visualization is often a game changer for those with ADHD since it is not only an effective way to plan your day in advance, but this process will feel like you have already lived it! This often takes away anxiety of completing your daily tasks since all the planning was done the day before. Today you are just executing and following your schedule. No more planning in “the moment.” I am passionate about this practice, and it has made a large impact on many of my client’s lives.
Hour by hour tracking
I encourage clients to track their activity and tasks each hour at least two days of the week so we can review and evaluate their time management. It is important that we look at current functioning and productivity and establish data points. Many people diagnosed with ADHD have time blindness, so it is very important, for example, to know what one hour “feels” like. I strongly encourage the purchase of analog clocks. Remember those old clocks with hands! Research indicates, as well as years of working with clients, that when an analog clock is used consistently that a better understanding of time is maintained. We can see the passage of time and internalize it, thereby making it a different experience than just looking at a digital clock to measure time.
When working with coaching clients individually, I get very detailed with all the above-mentioned strategies as well as providing many more that are unique based on their individual needs. My goal for my clients is to make defined improvement in their lives by increasing productivity and performance. These strategies, when utilized consistently, will gradually lessen stress and result in a more balanced life. Please feel free to reach out to me to schedule a complimentary consultation. Send me a request on my website.
Read more from Christine L. Robinson, M.Ed
Christine L. Robinson, M.Ed, ADD Action Coach Inc.
Christine L. Robinson, M.Ed is the founder of ADD Action Coach Inc and is a Master Certified ADHD Coach and Educational Consultant. Christine looks to unlock the power of ADHD with all of her clients, whether they are entrepreneurs, corporate clientele, students, parents or couples struggling with ADHD symptoms. When Christine's child was diagnosed it drove her to find answers to help her own child which then led to her own coaching journey helping others since 2006. This passion has driven her to learn proven techniques and strategies and also to help the "whole person" beyond their diagnosis. She is currently working on a webinar and podcast that will increase her reach to help even more people.
