Executives have a lot on their plates. From managing people and processes to carving out your company’s niche and separating yourself from the competition, there’s a lot to do on a day-to-day basis.
Careers are built over many years, as individuals hone specific “hard” and “soft” skills. Some of the critical ones include organization, time management, problem solving, active listening, and overcoming challenges.
For executives with ADHD, time management can prove very challenging. While each individual with ADHD is affected in unique ways, struggles with organization and time management are very common for adults with the disorder.
This doesn’t mean, of course, that time management for ADHD executives is a lost cause. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of coming up with strategic ways to find proper support and set yourself up for success, keeping in mind the challenges you face.
There are many strategies that can help improve ADHD time management and useful tools such as PLAUD NOTE that can support you along the way.
Below, we’ll dive deeper into how to master time management for ADHD executives.
Does ADHD affect time management?
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is not a one-size-fits-all diagnosis. Since it’s a developmental disorder, symptoms often first appear early in life.
There is no “cure” for ADHD, so it will affect people for their entire lives. Because of this, interventions treat the disorder’s symptoms.
Symptoms that adults with ADHD might face include:
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Inattention: Which can affect how they are able to be organized, stay on task and pay attention
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Hyperactivity: Including difficulty remaining quiet, being restless, or engaging in excessive activity
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Impulsivity: Including struggling to maintain self-control or acting before thinking
Time management challenges are a common symptom. This is mainly because those who have it are often hyper-focused on what’s around them in the present moment.
It’s harder for them to strike a balance between the present — and the immediate satisfaction from stimuli — and the future. People with ADHD have a much tougher time preparing for what’s ahead than they do with enjoying what’s here today.
This is why coming up with thoughtful strategies on time management for ADHD executives is so important.
ADHD time management tips for ADHD executives
Executives who have ADHD often struggle with many essential time management skills. This includes estimating time, which can lead to unfinished tasks and lateness.
In this guide, we’ll outline three key areas that will help executives with ADHD time management, allowing them to build better planning and time awareness skills.
Break tasks into smaller steps
Executives are often faced with rather large tasks and projects. Yet, individuals with ADHD can become overwhelmed easily because it might be hard to fully digest these tasks.
If this is the case, it may be that the task itself is just too big. A good way to approach this is to break down tasks into smaller and more manageable parts.
Doing so makes the larger tasks more manageable and provides a step-by-step process for how you can get them done. Once you break the tasks into smaller parts, you can add them as separate items on your to-do list.
PLAUD NOTE can be a very effective tool for helping you do this, too. The device uses AI transcription technology, which can assist in keeping your to-do list straight with these manageable tasks.
Ensure constant access to time
If you’re going to build solid ADHD time management skills, you’re going to need to know what time it is. Using your phone to see the time isn’t a viable solution if you have ADHD.
Instead, try putting clocks in strategic places and wearing a watch. Having a watch on your wrist allows the time to always be within reach.
Having a clock in rooms you frequent often in both the home and office can also keep you on track. It’s easy to peek at a clock in your bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and home office so you never lose track of time.
The more effort needed to check the time, the more likely you are to act without regard for the time. This could result in unexpected delays when your quick shower ultimately takes a half hour, for instance.
Having constant access to the time makes awareness a natural flow.
Estimate and track time for your usual tasks
Another key aspect of effective time management for ADHD executives is knowing how long different things actually take to complete, rather than just thinking you know. This is vital for finishing tasks and effective planning.
A good way to figure this out is to time your routine activities. Start by making a list of all the tasks you do regularly, such as chores and responsibilities around the house and getting ready, for example.
Over a few days, use a log so you can record how long each task takes by recording the exact start and finish times. It’s important to truly track the time for each task rather than just guessing.
During this process, you might find that certain large tasks are problematic for you and that you frequently leave them unfinished. If this is the case, break these larger tasks into smaller parts and time each separate part.
What this exercise will do is help you identify how you’re spending your time. It’ll ultimately reveal things you are wasting time on —such as spending 30 minutes searching for clothes every morning.
You’ll gain valuable insights about ADHD time management through this process, which will enable you to improve efficiency.
Use a planner consistently
Planners are crucial time management tools for ADHD executives. They act as external memory, helping you overcome the “out of sight, out of mind” tendency of individuals who have ADHD.
There are two types of planners that you should consider:
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Daily: This planner should record your daily to-do list, obligations, and appointments.
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Weekly/Monthly: A weekly or monthly at-a-glance planner can give you a bigger picture of what’s happening and coming up, which can aid the organization of your daily planner more effectively.
It’s not enough to simply have these planners, though. You need to have them accessible at all times, carrying them with you, whether it’s on paper or as an app on your smartphone.
You also need to use the planners. Don’t rely on your brain to remember everything. Instead, write everything down, as your ADHD brain tends to “purge” information you need, which can lead to forgetting tasks.
Another key to improving ADHD time management is to review your planner twice a day. A morning check gives you an overview of what’s ahead for the day. Another check in the evening allows you to review what went right and what is still unfinished. It also gives you the opportunity to plan for the day ahead and reschedule anything that’s incomplete.
ADHD time management tools for ADHD executives
Fortunately, there are a lot of tools today that can help improve time management for ADHD executives. They can help you get past that “stuck” feeling that often leads to you putting things off.
Some effective time management tools you can try are daily planners and online calendars, digital reminder systems, to-do lists, and sticky notes.
Again, it’s important to keep in mind that each individual with ADHD is unique, and they face unique challenges and obstacles. To that point, what tools work well for one person with ADHD might not be as effective for someone else.
So, experiment with different ADHD time management tools to find the ones that are best for you.
Tool to deal with Meetings and Information Overload
One of the biggest challenges that any executive faces is the meetings after meetings that often fill their daily calendar. This leaves little time for processing information or for taking deep dives into their work.
Those who have ADHD may find it even harder to maintain focus through longer discussions, recall details from previous meetings, and prioritize the key takeaways that need to be turned into action items.
PLAUD NOTE can be a powerful ally for ADHD executives, helping them to automate key aspects of information capture and organization. Powered by AI technology, PLAUD Intelligence can free up your mental bandwidth for strategic thinking and decision-making.
During endless meetings, executives with ADHD can easily lose focus, which can result in key details being lost. With PLAUD NOTE, you can record every meeting and get a full transcript that you can revisit afterward. This means that even if your attention drifts during the meeting, you’ll never miss any important details.
The AI summarization feature provides you with the key takeaways instantly, which can help you to quickly recall decisions and action items from multiple meetings without the need to listen to the full recording.
PLAUD NOTE can also record meetings where tasks are assigned to different individuals, with the AI technology able to extract action items, assigned owners, and deadlines directly from the transcript. This is done using the Meeting Summary template feature, which provides you with a reliable digital “agreement list” that’s easily shareable and searchable, not only keeping you on task but keeping your team members on task, too.
Conclusion
For executives with ADHD, time management can be challenging to master. Their developmental disorder can impact some of the key executive functions that lead to effective time management, which can cause them to become overwhelmed, lose track of time, and “drop the ball,” so to speak.
Luckily, there are many strategies and tools available today that can help improve time management for ADHD executives. By following some of the strategies outlined above and harnessing the power of PLAUD NOTE and AI technology, you can ensure that you’re always on top of everything.
Learn more about what PLAUD can do for you online.
FAQ
What is the best time management technique for ADHD?
The best time management technique for ADHD is to break down complicated tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Then, track those steps on an individual basis.
What is the 1-3-5 rule for ADHD?
The 1-3-5 rule for ADHD helps individuals manage and prioritize tasks. It says that you should identify one large task, three medium-sized tasks, and five smaller tasks that you can accomplish every day.
What is the 30-minute rule for ADHD?
The 30-minute rule for ADHD helps individuals stay on track. It involves getting involved in work sessions that are 25 minutes long, which are then followed by taking a five-minute break. After doing four of these sessions, you then take a longer 15- to 30-minute break to refresh.
What is the 10-3 rule for ADHD?
The 10-3 rule for ADHD is another effective time management technique. You will work on an individual task for 10 minutes straight, then engage in a short three-minute break. You’ll continue this process until the task is done.
