I can’t count the times that I have been super excited because I foresee a block of time which I consider “my time”. This is time where nobody is in the house, I have nowhere to be and I have no commitments. These are the chunks of time that I usually tell myself “I’m going to spend the evening getting sh!t done…”
A chunk of time is like a gift that gets snatched away from me. Or better yet – a gift that I launch into the stratosphere.
Let me explain…
I’ve been away from home for the past few days and I have had a monster list of “want to do’s” running through my head. Now that I am home, I CAN DO THE THINGS!
You would think.. but I have sat on the couch and watched TV. I’m trying my best to be kind to myself but I can’t help but think of all the projects that I wish I could have completed that I thought up months, if not years ago. I have so, so many ideas that are up in Neverland.
Here’s what I realized happens…
I think to myself YES! I have time to do things! Then I start to think of all the things that I want to do. Then my super fast ADHD brain goes “I can do A and I can do B and I can do C and I can do D, oh, oh, oh, I can do E! I have been meaning to do E for a LONG time!! I could also do F and probably G. It would be really nice if I could complete G” …and enter OVERWHELM. So then I don’t do anything and I sit on the couch and turn off my brain (but not really).
Fear not… I HAVE A SOLUTION!
Here is what I did for myself at work that I’m going to start to experiment with for myself on a personal level.
The other day I was overwhelmed and I didn’t seem to be doing anything; it was like I was spinning in circles. Then my friend suggested I sit down and write all of the projects that I am trying to do on a paper. Essentially a brain dump. There were SIXTEEN projects. And by project I don’t mean “call grandma”. These were projects like “make a website” or “network”. These all have MANY action steps.
Once I got all the projects down on paper I decided to make one sheet of looseleaf paper per project (don’t worry I put them all on a clipboard labeled “projects” so as not to lose them). Then I was like “hey! I can coach myself through these”!! So here’s what I did:
Step 1: Write the name of the project at the top of the looseleaf.
Step 2: Write the reason why I want to do this project.
Step 3: Write the outcome that I am looking for from my project.
Step 4: Write down how I know that I will be successful in reaching that outcome.
Step 5: Write down all of the action steps that it will take to reach that outcome.
This way I have a roadmap for each project! When I get lost or down on myself about the project I can look back to my handy dandy project sheet and figure out:
a) Why I want to do the project in the first place (what’s my motivation).
b) What my next action step is!
Also, it’s worth mentioning that my energy at the end of the day is less than optimal for working on projects. Working on projects is more of a roll out of bed and start when my energy tank is full and my mind is less cluttered.
I challenge you: How many projects do you have on the go?!
Remember: the more projects you try and complete at once, the harder it will be to complete any of them; there is no such thing as multitasking!!
This sounds like we have something in common. Growing up, I was always told I was “scatterbrained” and had my “head in the clouds”. I have often felt frustration for time lost, or overwhelmed to the point of saying, “Just forget it,” and walking away from everything.
I have created my project list, and will follow your plan to see if it helps me. Thanks for the post!
I’m sorry to hear that you relate but it’s nice to hear that I’m not alone!!
Good luck with your project list! I would love to hear how it works for you 🙂