ADHD and Prioritization
It seems like ADHDers are only good at prioritizing when there is something urgent. We can get a lot done when up against a deadline. However, there are important things that are not urgent. For example, exercise usually has no deadline, but it is important. How do we get all of the important things done when they are not all urgent?
Awareness
Take time to pause every once in a while and think about what you are doing. Ask yourself, “Is this important?” (HINT: Social media seldom is important.) It takes practice to build up this awareness muscle. The more you seek awareness of what is and is not important, the better you will be able to prioritize.
Being aware of what is and is not important will help you know if you should continue what you are currently doing. Better yet, you will be more likely to stop yourself from doing something unimportant when there are important things to be done.
What if Everything Seems Important?
Not everything is important. Although, when you have ADHD, everything can seem important. Therefore, it is imperative to build up that muscle that scrutinizes what needs or wants to get done, so you can be better able to say, “That’s not important.”
Schedule Important Things
Some things are important but do not have a deadline. Give them a deadline by putting them in your schedule. Whether you have a paper schedule or use your phone, put it in there. Decided when you are going to get it done. Buying a birthday present for your mom is important, but it is not urgent until the day before her birthday. If you wait until the last minute to do your shopping, you risk getting an inferior gift or, if you order it online, having it arrive after her birthday. It is best to plan when you will buy her gift ahead of time, so you are not rushed and can get her a thoughtful gift.
Urgent Does Not Always Mean Important
If you think of something to look up on the internet, that is urgent because you might forget what it is you wanted to google (something that happens quite often with ADHDers). However, a random thought about something to google is usually not important. For me, I often find myself wanting to read up on the Arizona Coyotes’ never-ending stadium situation. It is never important for me to look that up. What is important for me to do is work or chores around the house. Those are the things I should be putting in my schedule.
What this highlights is the fact that not everything that is urgent is important. Yes, you might miss out on something fun. However, if you chase the fun, urgent thing, you risk missing out on the important, not urgent thing.
What Comes First?
Be ready to ask yourself, “What comes first?“ when you have a list of tasks to do. The first tasks to be done are those that are urgent and important. That assignment that is due for school or work tomorrow is both urgent and important.
Ah, but what comes after that? When you finish what needs to be done first, you may wonder what to do next. The best answer to that question is the important but not urgent tasks.
Isn’t What you Have Written about in This Blog Post Just the Eisenhower Matrix?
Yep! I did not intend on writing about the Eisenhower Matrix when I set about writing this blog post, but it just sort of happened. I hope this at least was an ADHD-friendly explanation of it.