Scheduling Really Will Improve Your Life

Overcoming resistance to using a calendar helps you become the person you want to be.

Alexa from Pixabay

A high school friend pings you about the latest political outrage. A co-worker emails you for help with a problem. Your partner texts to remind you to pick up dinner on the way home. Many of us face almost constant interruptions. How on earth can one get things done?

A major focus of my work with adults with ADHD over the past 30 years has been solving the challenge of initiating, organizing and completing tasks. Increasingly over the last decade, more and more of my non-ADHD patients have requested help with similar problems. In a survey by Ohio State Medical Center, a quarter of adults worry that they have ADHD. Even among people who clearly do not have the clinical condition, plugging our brains into the internet means we’re constantly bombarded by countless disruptions, distractions, and demands for immediate responses, which can overwhelm human brains that evolved to handle a narrower range of daily challenges.

Some people are naturally organized and motivated, and maintain high levels of productivity. If that describes you, you don’t need this article, but it’s possible you’ll still learn a thing or two about being productive while staying sane. For the rest of us who struggle…