Improve Your Planning Skills When You Have ADHD

ADHD is a mental health disorder which, among many other symptoms, affects an individual's ability to focus and plan. It can have a significant impact on one's life, making it difficult to stay organized and motivated. It also affects one’s productivity, and leads to becoming overwhelmed as it’s impossible to prioritise tasks.

ADHD also creates problems with impulse control, and challenges with distractions and seeing tasks through to the end. Over time most people with ADHD develop their own strategies for dealing with the problems which these symptoms of the condition create. Getting there can be a case of trial and error over a long period, but eventually an individual's ability to plan and develop strategies for managing the disorder means they can function just as well as anyone else. However, what’s unseen is the incredible effort that goes into doing what other people seem to be able to just get on with without any trouble at all.

ADHD can cause significant problems in daily functioning due to its effects on concentration, attention, organization, emotional regulation, memory, and impulse control. Fortunately, there are many approaches which can be learned to help manage ADHD symptoms such as planning ahead and utilizing various strategies to make life more manageable. Some people’s techniques for coping with the triggers they recognise can be incredible. For example, doodling during meetings. For most people with ADHD a business meeting is terrifying. The prospect of sitting still in a room full of people droning on about something which holds no interest for them makes them break out in a cold sweat. However, instead of note-taking or simply gazing out of the window until it’s your turn to speak and hoping that you’re not asked any awkward questions about what was just said, how about doodling? If you put your focus into a drawing while someone else is speaking, you could find that you absorb what they’re talking about unconsciously, so when you go back to look at your doodle later on when you look at a certain part of the drawing you remember reasonably accurately what was being talked about.

Unfortunately neurotypical people don’t understand this form of recording speech, so try not to get caught!

ADHD is a disorder which affects roughly 8.4 percent children, and slightly fewer adults, although the lower rate in adults could be down to their having learned to mask their condition, having been punished for their bad behaviour throughout their childhood. ADHD can have a significant impact on daily life but not all people with ADHD experience the same symptoms or difficulties; and, through careful planning and structure, individuals with ADHD can learn to manage their symptoms and lead successful lives.

Planning is an important tool for individuals who suffer from ADHD. Developing plans to help break down tasks into smaller steps can make completing projects much easier. Additionally, it may be beneficial to plan ahead for situations that may be difficult or overwhelming; this allows time to practice coping strategies or ask for assistance as needed. Finally, scheduling regular breaks throughout the day can help boost concentration levels so that tasks become less daunting—and more manageable—for those living with ADHD.

As well as problems with boredom, daydreaming and an inability to follow instructions or complete tasks, a person with ADHD may experience frequent episodes of distractedness or disorganization in their daily lives. Symptoms such as restlessness, speaking without thinking, and being easily distracted can interfere with educational performance, relationships and employment opportunities.

Research has found that these symptoms are caused by changes in brain chemistry which affect the way certain areas of the brain process information. People who have ADHD have been found to produce less dopamine than is found in the neurotypical brain, and it’s this lack which is thought to lead to the behaviour we see commonly associated with ADHD: Daydreaming puts you in a happier place than a boring lesson or task at work, getting distracted by new things creates a little bump in dopamine production, hyper fixation on something which the person finds fun or interesting, or simply running around and being disruptive when bored or frustrated are all common in children who have been diagnosed with ADHD as their way of restoring or resetting their brain’s dopamine balance.

Adults who’ve been socialised not to behave that way but who still have ADHD find other ways to overcome their symptoms. One of the most basic is learning how to plan out a task from inception to completion. Writing down instructions, setting goals, scheduling breaks for snacks and distractions all help because it eliminates the unexpected, it lets you manage the time you have to spend on each step, and you get to reward yourself at regular intervals for doing a great job, right up until the end!

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