I'm wrapping up one of those weeks that blows up on midway on Monday and rolls like a boulder down a hill from there- which has me thinking about 'planning.'
When I work with individuals on organization, my first tip is always to eliminate the unnecessary, or to contain it to a predetermined space. I've found quite a few of us fit a 'ready for anything' profile- don't you carry a flashlight, and hand sanitizer, and a protein bar, and hand wipes, and a first aid kit, and backup notebooks, etc in your backpack? No? The line can be tough to toe, and for those of us with ADHD, organization is only one example of an area where 'minimizing' is key. I've found great success with one planner in particular- I love my Panda Planner. It has a vertical layout, and my daily routine is to identify up to five priorities. I self monitor and can see my time. I have a series of tasks in my weekly section I can tick off, so some flexibility, and a place- and this is important- to reflect each evening on what went well, and what I need to adjust. Self-awareness is HUGE. I'm writing this post for two reasons. One, to introduce the idea that planning is an incredible strategy and teaching tool for anyone struggling with some executive functioning issues, for a lot of reasons. It can help set priorities, monitor progress, organize tasks, teach time estimation... But second, to connect with this idea that reflecting on both parts of the process in the title. Without reflection, it's tough to develop a realistic, effective plan. And stepping back to evaluate how the execution went increases the likelihood that you'l be able to adapt and succeed in the future. When I work with families, I emphasize that outlining initial expectations and following up to evaluate and learn are a big part of my approach. Still, some weeks look like that second graphic- and that's were the 'cognitive flexibility' comes in. :) Leave a Reply. |