Ewen Bell 📸Mar 22
Realised today that "calendars/to-do-lists" used to be a really good thing in my life but that is no longer that case and I wonder if other ADHD brains have experienced this?

Pre-digital I always had lists of things that I needed to get done, and of course a fraction of things ever made it off the list BUT some things did and that was a win.

I feel now my to-do-list via calendar gets list inside tiny little boxes on a tiny little screen and I don't look at my calendar anyway it's rubbish. Thanks Google. I tried using a to-do-list in my note-taking system (UpNote) but again that is a deluge of information and I can barely focus attention on the most urgent note I'm working on and the to-do-list gets looked once every three months instead.

I am not doing any of this well, and that's making me unhappy.

Not saying it will cure my procrastination or lack of focus, but maybe someone else is doing this better and can share.

#ADHD
Show threadSheldonMar 22

@ewen fellow #ADHD brain here. I've long known that lists and schedules are dangerous for me. I not only can't follow them, they actually disrupt how I track things.

I do use lists, I just use them differently. My problem is if I make extensive use of them, I automatically disengage from remembering my plan and my memory for near term things is complete shit.

I don't just forget what I planned to do. I actually forget that there was even something I was supposed to remember.

Lists only work for me when they're used to help me organize my thoughts and form a strategy of how I want to attack a problem. If I write down loose unrelated items it all becomes background noise to me.

The paradox is that by the time I finish my list, I mostly don't need it anymore. It has shape and context in my head.

I use computer sticky notes or small text docs that I edit frequently. I also try to only do this when absolutely needed so I don't habituate and it starts becoming more noise I'll forget about as well.

Show threadEwen Bell 📸Mar 22
@sysop408

That's a great way to think of the challenge... Avoiding turning a list into noise!

I also find the process of writing down my thoughts tend to offload them as well. I even wrote about this recently when discussing my process of writing.
Show threadSheldon

@ewen remember how Day Planners were all the rage?

I never liked them, but someone gave me one as a gift when I was a graduate student so I gave it a shot. I immediately became less punctual and went from forgetting one appointment a month to one every week.

I'm glad I tried that because it made me realize early on that rigid organization techniques cause my brain to short circuit.

Mar 22 at 1:39pmWeb
Show threadEwen Bell 📸Mar 23
@sysop408

Yeah I totally hate them and totally need them.

It's hard to focus on the things that exist beyond the current week. Seeing a few months at a time makes a big difference.