Did you know that the answer to your productivity depends on the first 15 minutes of your day? Physically we know having breakfast in the morning is important to getting the right fuel to sustain our energy and metabolism throughout the day. What we may not realize is that fueling our brain with what it needs to sustain focus and productivity is equally as important. Similar to how we will grab and eat whatever is quickest when unplanned hunger strikes, we will grab aimlessly for something "to do" which may not be the most helpful or productive or valuable thing for us to focus on during the day.
After a night of sleep, your ADHD brain is raring to go for a new day. Be sure to provide it with something that it can "sink its teeth" into every morning! As you prepare for the day:
• Take 15 minutes every morning to review what is now the most important thing for you to accomplish during that day. Ideally, this will include looking over your "to do" list, reminding yourself what is most important and setting up a plan to complete three things on the list.
• Identify the things that are least important for you to accomplish that day. It is equally important to remind your brain what is not important. This may include crossing things off your list that magically overnight became no longer important. For instance maybe an appointment you had scheduled can be crossed off because there was a call last night that the doctor was out of town.
• Remind yourself about those things you don't want to do that day. These activities are the time wasters - like surfing randomly on the internet or sitting in front of the TV – that may be required downtime at the end of the day, but not when you are trying to be productive.
• Fill in the blanks. When you have determined what is and what is not important for the day, you may discover time you didn't realize you had. It's important to consciously and purposely fill in this new found time with something that is important.
• Write it down. There is a reason we sign important documents. Even in this age of technology there is still a bit of unease when we can't put pen to paper to make it official. Writing down what you are committing to accomplish that day is a vital part of completing it.
So tomorrow morning, start your day right and take those 15 minutes to fuel your ADHD brain with the items it needs to be productive and successful!
Would love to hear other tips that keep you productive and on task…comment below.
Laurie Dupar, Senior Certified ADHD Coach and trained Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, specializes in working with clients who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and entrepreneurs who want to finally understand how their brain works, minimize their challenges and get things done! Through individual/group coaching, live speaking, and her writing, she helps clients and their loved ones use effective strategies to utilize their innate brain traits so they experience success. She is the co-author and editor of The ADHD Awareness Book Project Series, More Ways to Succeed with ADHD and author of Unlock the Secrets to Your Entrepreneurial Brain Style. For more information, please visit http://www.coachingforadhd.com.