| Copyright (c) 2010 Jennifer Koretsky | | | | different state that's a few hours away. |
| Planning is something that adults with Attention Deficit | | | | Would you get in the car and start driving without a |
| Disorder (ADD) have a lot of difficulty with. | | | | map, or directions, or a GPS? In theory, you could get |
| So many things in life require planning. Getting | | | | on the highway and follow the road signs. But your trip |
| organized requires a plan. Doing a project (like a report | | | | would be pretty stressful, and you'd probably take a lot |
| at work or a paper at school) requires a plan. And time | | | | of wrong turns! |
| management, especially, requires a plan. | | | | It's much easier to get to your destination when you're |
| Now before we go any further, let me be really clear | | | | being guided, and you have a tool that instructs you on |
| about this: | | | | where to go next. |
| While it's true that ADDers have difficulty planning, this | | | | This is what planning in daily life is all about. Your plan is |
| doesn't mean that we can't plan. The problem is that | | | | the roadmap that tells you were to go next, and |
| we usually don't think we need a plan! | | | | makes your whole life easier. |
| We often don't want to "waste time" by creating a | | | | And I have to tell you, nowhere is your plan so |
| plan in advance, and we trust ourselves to just wing it. | | | | important as when it comes to time management. |
| But this rarely works. It just leads to a lot of | | | | Planning your day alleviates so much stress! When |
| procrastination, indecision, and overwhelm! | | | | you take just a little bit of time each day to create |
| So those few minutes that you didn't want to "waste" | | | | your plan, you're essentially creating a roadmap for |
| on planning actually cost you a whole lot more time in | | | | yourself that guides you on what to do, and when to |
| the end. | | | | do it. |
| There really is no underestimating the importance of | | | | When you create a plan for your day, you take control |
| planning. And because it may not come naturally to us, | | | | of your time and tasks. Planning eliminates a whole lot |
| I believe that planning is one of those skills that many | | | | of procrastination, indecision, and overwhelm. Best of |
| adults with ADD have to learn later in life. I know I | | | | all, it helps you to be more productive and get things |
| certainly did. | | | | done! |
| And there's good reason for learning how to plan, | | | | And believe me, even if you're not used to planning, |
| even if you do end up learning this skill later in life. The | | | | you absolutely can do it. You can learn this skill and |
| thing is, planning makes your life a whole lot easier. | | | | benefit from it at any point in your life. And better late |
| Think about it this way: | | | | than never, right? |
| Imagine you're going on vacation. You're driving to a | | | | |