Life can be overwhelming.  There are constant demands that come in quickly through email, text, and more that require action. Many of these are constant invisible decisions as well.  The invisible load includes remembering appointments, deciding on purchases, tracking school information, monitoring everyone’s schedule, remembering and planning for birthdays, and being the person who notices what needs to be done when. For someone with ADHD, this can become especially exhausting because working memory, planning, prioritizing, task initiation, and emotional regulation can all affect how these responsibilities are managed.

The solution isn’t to remember more. It’s to create systems that remember for you. I am excited to share with you systems that help you carry the load more easily.

Start with A Mental Load Audit

So many tasks and decisions are a part of life.  Start by writing a list of the tasks that need to be done and the timeline needed for completion.  You can do a simple brain dump with a stream of tasks or categorize the tasks. Those categories might be a timeline of months of the year, or areas of your home, work, and life, or a category that works with the way you approach actions.

Create a System that Tracks and Simplifies the Load

After your list, it is time to assess where systems can help.

Remember → Write it down

• Choose a capture tool that works for you. That could be an analog or digital notebook
• Capture information as quickly as possible, but at least have a recap each day.

Repeat → Create a routine

• Routines are a type of automation. As you link habits together,  you are moving from less thought to more action.
• Give yourself grace as routines develop. Start small. Add reminders with alerts. Start again once a routine falters.

Decide repeatedly → Create a rule

• Many decisions can be simplified. Dinner on repeat with Taco Tuesdays simplifies what to eat. A capsule wardrobe helps you get ready every day.
• Create one or two rules to start with that align with how you think.

Do it often → Create a system

• I love the saying, “Let’s not reinvent the wheel.”  Your Standard Operating Procedure at work or home is a life saver
• Simple systems work best. Keep from overthinking by having a 3–5 step system.
• Write out your system to keep it easy to practice at first.

Don’t need to do it → Delegate

• Who can do a task better than you can? Rely on those around you by focusing on strengths. Speak to the fun of delegation as learning a new skill if no one has a strength to rely on. (Think -> kiddos learning laundry or cooking.)
• Start small and check in often for accountability.
• Delegating means that you are not micromanaging. You are letting the other person choose how to complete the task.

Don’t need it → Eliminate

• Life moves quickly. There is a lot of stuff around us in our space that we don’t need. Carry a trash bag around and collect 10 items to donate. Make a game of selling items. You choose how to most easily let items go.
• Let it go and get it out into the universe.

 

Many of these responsibilities are tasks we love. And many are not. Creating systems that work with the way you think lightens the load.