ADHD Time Management Worksheet
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If you’re a therapist looking for an ADHD time management worksheet, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, we break down the critical components to effective time management for clients with ADHD and explain how an ADHD focus plan can support clients to increase their productivity. Plus, you can download a free ADHD time management worksheet to save to your electronic health record (EHR) for repeated use with clients.
Key facts about ADHD
People with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) typically struggle with daily functioning.
Clients might experience this through a pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, and symptoms include:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Talking excessively
- Forgetfulness or losing everyday things (e.g., keys, phone, or wallet)
- Making careless mistakes
- Trouble multitasking
- Disorganization
- Interrupting and/or difficulty waiting their turn
- Social challenges
- Low frustration tolerance
- Difficulty managing stress
- Impulsivity
- Risk-taking
- Frequent squirming or fidgeting
Time management can be challenging for many individuals with ADHD, as they may struggle with executive functioning. This is where an ADHD time management worksheet can be helpful.
According to psychologist Megan Anna Neff, PsyD, it is common for people with neurodivergence to struggle with executive functioning, which can cause fatigue due to the cognitive load required for goal-directed tasks and behaviors and the skills involved in controlling cognition.
Specifically, this includes tasks like:
- Task initiation
- Inhibition
- Novel problem-solving
- Mental flexibility
- Time management
- Self-awareness
For more information about ADHD to share with clients, you might find our ADHD Handout Guide helpful.
Benefits of an ADHD focus plan
ADHD therapy worksheets, such as an ADHD focus plan, can help clients in the following ways:
- Improve time management
- Stay organized
- Complete tasks efficiently
- Reduces cognitive load by providing a structure
- Overcome procrastination
- More accurately assess how low a task may take
- Provides reminders and cues for tasks
An ADHD focus plan follows a structured format that allows clients to plan, prioritize, and track their progress.
Tips for ADHD time management
Here are ways clients with ADHD can improve their time management:
Use a daily/weekly schedule
Highlight important tasks, list them by level of priority, and color code them by type of task.
Establish a routine
This might involve putting keys and other essential items by the front door every evening or ensuring you get out of bed every morning before picking up your phone (and potentially distracting yourself from your morning tasks).
Reminders
Set automated reminders to complete daily and weekly tasks on your phone or computer.
Use apps for ADHD
Here are some apps that can be useful for clients with ADHD:
- RescueTime: This logs phone activity and asks the user to rate and track their time on their phone.
- Google Voice: Forwards a phone number to another device. It requires callers to state their names and allows the user to decide whether or not to answer the call. It also translates voice messages into text, which requires less reading capacity.
- Todoist: This task manager app can set reminders and recurring due dates. It also provides over 80 integrations with other apps and mail.
- Boomerang: Allows users to schedule emails and send reminders if an email hasn’t been answered. It also provides helpful follow-up reminders.
- If This Then That (IFTTT): Facilitates automation. For example, if the user misses a call from a specific person, it may open Evernote or Todoist and create a task to return the call.
- Asana: A project management app that allows users to create project boards, threads of tasks, due dates, and even integrate calendars.
- SimpleMind: Helps create mind maps to organize thoughts, remember information, and create.
- Grammarly: A proofreader and editor in one that spellchecks and ensures any written communication is grammatically correct. It also features AI-generated suggestions. It can be used across applications, including your phone, email, and Google.
Use time-blocking techniques
The Pomodoro method, or setting alarms in intervals for each task, can help people stay on task and not lose track of time.
Ask for help
Consider which tasks—like house cleaning, scheduling, or bookkeeping—can be outsourced to a third party or partner.
Visual reminders
Many folks with ADHD have multiple planners and whiteboards to serve as reminders in places where they will see it.
For instance, a client might want to use a weekly desk planner to record appointments, a daily desk pad to list essential tasks and appointments for the day, and a monthly planner on a wall—as another visual reminder of their to-do list and commitments.
How to use the ADHD time management worksheet
Therapists can use the ADHD time management worksheet in several ways:
- As a handout, during an in-person or telehealth session
- To demonstrate time management skills
- As a handout or homework for clients to take home and complete the ADHD focus plan on their own
- To provide feedback or to discuss challenges when trying new time management techniques
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Data and statistics on ADHD.
- Neff, MA. (n.d). Executive function helpers. Neurodivergent Insights.
- Tivers, E. (2024). 25 Great mobile apps for ADHD minds. ADDitude.
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