On a Scale of One to Ten

Effective time management is based on several things. One of these is prioritizing.

When you are at a decision point—deciding whether to do something—a good question is “on a scale of one to ten how important is this right now?” Due to the impulsivity those of you with ADHD experience, right now seems ideal for whatever has caught your attention. That is until later when you realize something really important got forgotten or pushed back.

When you invest time in a lower priority, but maybe really interesting action, you’re withdrawing time from something that maybe had a closer due date, or start date, or commitment.

For example: I’ve been studying Spanish for quite a while. I have numerous means for learning which include flash cards and short video lessons. I see the flash cards in my peripheral vision as I type, but I can also see my Kindle which holds the interesting story I’m in the middle of reading. It’s easy for me to tell myself I put in my study time by reading a letter in Spanish without using Google translate. But that’s really an excuse. Spanish is necessary for me to communicate with the Mexican friends, neighbors, and business people I encounter daily. Reading a novel…well.

The two things that work best for me involving other people. I speak Spanish with whoever has the patience to listen, and often get small corrections. Most important is the Spanish class I have every Sunday at 1 p.m. Showing up for others seems to be easier than showing up for oneself.