Why a New ADD ADHD Strategy?
One of Puryear’s Principles of Human Behavior:
Once we finally find something that works, we quit doing it.
I have strategies that work, and make my life better, but sometimes I drift away from them.
Do We Need Novelty?
So, do we need to keep changing our strategies? I’m taking a little different approach to my desktop used envelope immediate to – do list. ( my DUEITL)
I turn the envelope long wise and put a line down the middle. On the right, I list the next 5 to 10 things I need to do. On the left, I list the next two or three things I’m going to do. When I get one done, I cross it off, and pull one over from the right to the left and cross it off on the right.
Obviously, as life goes on, I can keep adding things to the right, but never let the list on the left get over three.
So far, it seems to be helping.
doug
To Do List, New format, To Do List, New Format
Close Up
Bonus New Strategy:
If you noticed the list on the bottom left, that’s my early morning schedule, what I need to do when I first get up. Since my life has gotten a little disarranged, I keep forgetting to do the basic things, and so I write down the schedule – walk the dog,eat breakfast, brush my teeth, etc. It helps, but you probably don’t need that.
More Links:
Bonnie Mincu’s new course on being productive
ADDadultstrategies 
Great plan! shall adapt me own To Do list accordingly 🙂
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ken- thanks. It’s still working for me. Maybe you can let us know how it goes for you?
Thank you for commenting.
Doug
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Thanks Doug!
This is a great strategy! I’m going to try it. I like that it keeps both lists in the same place.
As for finding something that works and then stopping doing it, one thing I’m trying is I have a pile of 3X5 cards with quotes I have collected on them. Each day or so I take the card from the top and put it on the bottom, revealing a new quote for the day. When I find something that works (and remember to do this) I sometimes write it down as if it were a quote and put it in the pile so I will run into it some day in the future. Sometimes that gets me started doing it again. Also, I don’t always put the old card on the bottom of the pile. If it is something I want to run into again sooner I will put it somewhere in the middle of the pile.
Thanks again for your great strategy!
All the best,
Scott
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Scott- thanks. keeping both lists in the same place is a help if i don’t let the right hand list get too long – (then it can be overwhelming and hard to choose priorities.)
i like your strategy of the cards- it’s like a custom made reminder calendar. ingenious. will try it.
thank you for commenting and for the new strategy.
doug
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I write down many of my basics every day or I will forget them. I just get so caught up in everything going on that I forget important things like dinner or laundry or blogging. It’s silly, I know, but it’s the way it is. I accepted the fact a long time ago that I need my dailies on my to-do list.
And I think about this statement you made all the time: Once we finally find something that works, we quit doing it. It’s just so darn true.
I do think we get bored. I know I do. Part of the fun, I guess, is the problem solving part. So once I come up with a planner or to-do list that works, it’s not fun any more.
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Homey –
isn’t that a mess? Guess that’s just the way we’re made.
writing down the basics is new to me but seems to be necessary. Now.
How could I forget to eat breakfast, or brush my teeth – next I’ll be walking out of the apartment without my pants on. So I’m trying to write down a routine schedule. I do try to keep it separate from my to do list.
As always, thank you for your good comments
Doug
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Thing with novelty is: it’s so shiny and new and interesting…
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