Category: Tools

Put a Time Limit on Your Breaks

Breaks are great!

The hard part is remembering to get back on task.*

Set a timer so you can really enjoy your break, confident you’ll get back to work after ten minutes or however long you’ve decided to get away.

—–

*”Let’s see, I just did a good hour of work, so I ought to take a break. Maybe I’ll go check the mail. Oh, look, an article about fitness. Hey, maybe I’ll take a walk — it’s beautiful outside. No, I don’t really have time for that — smart ADHD management! Time to get back to… oh, geez, look at my car’s headlights. Foggy. I really ought to fix that. Isn’t there some spray I can buy to buff that out? I’ll look online as soon as I get back inside. It’ll only take a second…just quick search on Google and… [four hours later] HOW IS IT FIVE O’CLOCK ALREADY?“

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0

Lists are Helpful :-)

Lists are helpful. Don’t lose them ☺

In 1996 two escaped prisoners from Marble Valley, Vermont, were forced to abandon a stolen car when a police officer approached them. Inside was a very helpful list the forgetful fugitives wrote to help them remember what to do:

  • Drive to Maine
  • Get a safer place to stay
  • Buy guns
  • Get Marie
  • Get car
    …
  • Do robbery
  • Go to New York

The prisoners were later picked up in Manhattan getting off a Maine-to-New-York bus.

–1,000 Unforgettable Senior Moments, Tom Friedman

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0

“The Next Physical Action”: Break Out of Churn-Paralysis

“What is “the very next physical action required to move the situation forward”?”

— David Allen, author of Getting Things Done

If you know your objective but are stuck churning over what to “do” next, break the mental paralysis via physical action.

From David Allen’s Getting Things Done site:
90+ % of the to do lists I’ve seen are incomplete inventories of still-unclear things. The Next Action definition (if you’re really getting down to having no ambiguity about the next visible physical activity required to move something forward), actually finishes the thinking you’ve implicitly agreed with yourself that you’ll do. “Mom ” is an unclarified to do item. But when “Mom ” is translated into “Celebrate Mom’s birthday with a party” as a project outcome, then “Call Sis about what we should do for Mom’s birthday ” is a clear next action. Because “Mom ” is vague, it still triggers stress when you look at it on a list. “Call Sis . . . ” triggers action and positive engagement.

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0

“26 Great Apps for ADD Minds” – Eric Tivers


In 26 Great Apps for ADHD Minds, Eric Tivers at ADDitude Magazine reviews apps he’s actually tried, and actually likes.

Tapping into apps didn’t cure my ADHD, just like taking that salmon-colored pill didn’t make my symptoms disappear. But using a range of apps has allowed me to evolve from tech geek to productivity geek. I have organized the list to address areas that challenge ADHDers the most: managing distractions; managing information; managing time; enhancing creativity; getting more sleep and being more productive.

Here’s his writeup on RescueTime:

1. RescueTime
(rescuetime.com; PC, Mac, Android, Linux; free to $9 per month, depending on the version)

I’ve used RescueTime for several months. I use the free version, which allows me to see how I spend my time on my computer. If you’re looking for ways to save time, you have to know how you’re spending it.

I have ADHD and I work with people with ADHD. We all need to improve our awareness of time. There is a difference in how long you think you spent doing something and how long you actually spent. While it runs in the background, the Rescue Time app quietly tracks all of your activities. You might be surprised, as I was, to realize that you looked at cat videos for two hours. It allows you to rate each activity from “Very Distracting” to “Very Productive.” You set goals and track your progress.

In the Premium version, which I have used for a month, I have limited my time on certain websites based on my day’s goals. If I want to be on Facebook for only 30 minutes a day, it will block Facebook after half an hour.

Posted on by Phil Marsosudiro 0