kashiichan’s Reviews > ADHD Unpacked: From the hosts of The ADHD Adults Podcast > Status Update

"We think it is vital to include a measure of personal success and well-being to any priority list… when you are building a task list to get something done, it is important to include questions such as these:
1. Is that task or activity something that will make you feel better about yourself?
2. If it is, it should be a higher priority. ls it something you tend to do well?
3. Is it something you tend to enjoy doing?"

"…might have heard that many people do the exact opposite. This is sometimes called ‘eat the frog first’, where if you do the most difficult thing at the start, the rest of a task is easier. Of course, this might work for some adults with ADHD, but in our experience, this is a classic example of strategies that aren't designed for the neurodivergent ADHD community."

"With some people with ADHD (including both of us), it sometimes helps to start the day with a task that is ‘low-hanging fruit’. By picking an easy win, and trying to complete it, we can give ourselves a little ‘bump of dopamine’ because we have achieved something (we know it isn't really just dopamine). This achievement can then be used to kickstart our day, so we might tackle other more difficult tasks. / You…"

"Many adults with ADHD struggle to figure out the order in which to do things and where to begin in the first place. It isn't as simple as ‘do them in order of priority’ if you don't know how to choose the priority."

"…incredibly overwhelming. / The simple act of logging onto the computer or opening that bill in the first place can feel impossibly hard. So we hide from it. Or we put it off. We do this for many reasons, but usually people struggle with completing tasks due to issues with prioritisation, procrastination or perfectionism."

"…productive and genuinely intend to get those tasks done. / Dr Russell Barkley, the godfather of ADHD research, sometimes calls ADHD ‘Intention Deficit Disorder’ because there is a gap between what we intend to do and our actions (known as the intention-action gap). For example, we may fully intend to pay our tax bill, but when we go to fill in the forms, something stops us and that simple task can suddenly feel…"

"ADHD & the 4 Ps: prioritisation, procrastination perfectionism and productivity /
Of all the issues that ADHD causes, engaging with tasks that *we want to engage with* is probably one of the most frustrating. People often wrongly assume that we never want to do those tasks or we are being dishonest when we say we are planning to do them. The reality is that we can often struggle, even if we do want to be…"

S.M.A.R.T:
* Specific: know what a win looks like. Make this as small a task as possible.
* Measurable: Will you know you have won? (Tidying up is never measurable; emptying a dishwasher is.)
* Achievable: Are you able to do this task?
* Realistic: Even if you are able, is it realistic for you here and now?
* Time-bound: Do you have time? Do you know how long it will take? Have you assigned time to this?

"We've talked a few times about breaking tasks down. It is very useful to make a task clearly ‘winnable’ by knowing exactly what tiny thing you have to do first (that IS the task, the next step is a second task). You also have to be clear how to do it, and know whether it is actually realistic. There are no rules for this but we quite like the S.M.A.R.T goal model where you make each task for the S.M.A.R.T acronym."

"…productivity barriers and start to write [S.M.A.R.T] goals in line with their different way of doing things."