Cards and Lists, Help for ADD ADHD, for Momma — ADD Tip o the Day 464

add,adhd,adult add,adult adhd,strategies,cards,procrastination

The Red Card

Momma asked for details about how to use the card system for ADD ADHD.   So:

First, red card for the to do list, limited to 5 things.  That’s the tasks for today, tho may not get all five done.

When a new  to do comes up, the red card usually has five already, so the new one goes on the orange card.  I use a star or underlining or numbering on the orange card to indicate importance.   When I have crossed something off the red card, then I look at the orange for the next one to put on.

The yellow card is for things I might do someday, maybe.  Sometimes one moves up to the orange or even the red.  Sometimes I have spare time and just do one.

Added Comments:

1. I also use green cards for movie and book titles, blue for memory, and white for things I’m trying to learn or misc.

2. This system may be outmoded if I could use the iPhone better, but it doesn’t have colors, but I expect there are good apps for this.  But the cards seem easier than typing on the phone, and I’m terrified of losing it, or even something happening, like, oh, I don’t know, maybe sending it thru the washing machine?

3. Homey sent a great strategy for priorities, a real problem for me – ” If you could only do one thing on your list, which one would it be?” That’s your number one priority then.

4. I confess I do not stick strictly to the system all the time; maybe sometimes there’s more than five things on the red card, but that is a mistake and I’m working on doing better, cause then my life goes better.  Momma’s questions have helped me refocus on this.

Hope this covers Momma’s questions and maybe is a good review for some of us.

What is your system?  and    What apps do you use??   Hoping for comments (as always)

doug

good ADHD facts on flash cards

another kind of ADHD cards

but “lists don’t work”

the power of lists

About doug with ADHD

I am a psychiatric physician. I learned I have ADHD at age 64, and then wrote four ADHD books for adults, focusing on strategies for making your life better. I also published a novel, Alma Means Soul. The books are available at amazon.com (soft cover or E book), or smashwords.com (only E books). The prices are as low as they are allowed to be. Managing Your ADHD Your Life Can Be Better; strategies for adults with ADD/ADHD Living Daily With Adult ADD or ADHD: 365 Tips O the Day ( e-book). This is one tip at a time, one page at a time, at your own pace. It's meant to last a year.
This entry was posted in add, ADD strategies, organize, strategies and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

8 Responses to Cards and Lists, Help for ADD ADHD, for Momma — ADD Tip o the Day 464

  1. Pingback: Do a To- Do List or Don’t Do a To-Do List? — ADHD Tip O the Day 740 | ADDadultstrategies

  2. Pingback: It’s In the Cards – Another ADD ADHD Strategy — ADD Tip O the Day | ADDadultstrategies

  3. Pingback: My Best ADD ADHD Strategy – Overdone?– – – ADD Tip o the Day 554 | ADDadultstrategies

  4. homemakersdaily says:

    Prioritizing is tough! I’ve tried the ABC 123 system promoted by time management folks but I can’t do it at all. My brain just doesn’t work that way. I use symbols and circles and arrows to prioritize.

    I do a lot better if I have a master list of my tasks so I know what needs done. It’s really hard to prioritize if you don’t know what you need to do.

    Like

    • homey – yes! prioritizing is a booger for me too. and i also do the great big enormous list of everything I need to do, want to do, maybe will do. I look at it every month or so. try to underline or star the things that seem important. then the big list of things that really might get done, and also try to underline or star the important ones. look at at it maybe weekly.
      but thats still way way too many so then i have to use my orange cards (and star and underline) and then the red five things card. But Then—–!

      someone (maybe you??) just gave me the strategy of –
      “if i could only do one, which one would i do?” That is the priority!!!
      then i have a list on ONE, and i need to focus on that til its done, forget the others.
      it helps.
      thanks for the comment
      doug

      Like

  5. Anonymous says:

    ken –
    glad you like it. Maybe helpful if you comment on your system and on how you incorporate the cards.
    thanks always for your comments.
    doug

    Like

  6. I like this! I shall see if I can modify my own system to incorporate the red card idea into it! 🙂

    Like

  7. Pingback: Cards and Lists, Tools for ADD ADHD | Living Daily With Adult ADD or ADHD

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.