We will continually add more and more tips and techniques as they develop!

If you are like most of us, you will have a large list of actions that you are not doing at the moment. So how do you figure out what to do and what not to do, and feel good about your choices?

The answer is at once simple and complex – trust your gut/intuition. If you have worked through the first four steps, then you can use your gut along with your thought processes to make good decisions. The author, David Allen, came up with three models that will help in your decision-making process. And while you won’t be given any answers, you will be able to frame your options more intelligently and practically.

The Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment

You are sitting at your desk at 9:00 AM trying to figure out how you will choose what to do. There are four criteria you can apply.

1. Context: While some actions can be done anywhere (phone calls, drafting a letter, etc.), there are others that require a specific location (sitting at your computer, etc.). This is the first factor in deciding what you can do now.
2. Time Available: When do you have to do something, or how much time will it take to do it? If you have an action that will require 30 minutes, but you have a meeting in 15 minutes, you won’t be able to do that particular action now.
3. Energy Available: Are you tired? Some actions require more mental and physical effort than others.
4. Priority: Given your responses to the first three criteria, what action will give you the best payoff? This is where your “gut” comes in to play. You have to learn to trust your judgment right now!

The Threefold Model for Evaluating Daily Work

When you are busy getting things done, there are 3 different kinds of activities that you can be engaged in.

1. Doing Predefined Work: This means you are working from your “Next Actions” list. This is the stuff you previously determined need to be done.
2. Doing Work as It Shows Up: We’ve all been there – things pop up without any warning. It’s up to you to decide if you really need to attend to them at that moment or if you can put them off.
3. Defining Your Work: This means you need to clear up your in-basket, emails, voice mails, and breaking down your new projects into actionable steps. You will be defining things that need to be done at some point, but not right now. You are adding to your lists so that they are complete and your ADD brain is free from distractions.

The Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Own Work

In order to know what your priorities are, you have to know what you must work on. This model helps you decide what your priorities need to be. Allen uses an aerospace analogy.

• 50,000+ feet: Life
• 40,000 feet: 3-5 year vision
• 30,000 feet: 1-2 year goals
• 20,000 feet: Areas of responsibility
• 10,000 feet: Current Projects
• Runway: Current Actions

Runway: Current Actions – This is the entire list of accumulated actions you need to take – calls, errands, emails, social activities, etc. This makes up for a ton of hours, about 300-500 hours worth, if you stopped and began doing everything now.

10,000 Feet: Current Projects - There are probably about 30-100 things you have to do. Most of these things are short-term activities but need to be done now.

20,000 Feet: Areas of Responsibility – Most of the projects or actions that you need to take are because you have certain responsibilities. Your job holds different responsibilities than those of your family, your personal life, etc. Listing and knowing these responsibilities helps you determine what to do now versus later.

30,000 Feet: 1-2 Year Goals – These are things that you either want to do or to get rid of to accomplish your goals.

40,000 Feet: 3-5 Year Vision - These are your even more long-term goals that have the possibility of changing what it is you need to do now.

50,000 Feet: Life – This is your “big picture” view of what you want your life to be like, to stand for, what you ultimately want to accomplish.

Neither of these models is better than the other. It is purely a matter of your choosing what works best for you. It is also a choice of what makes the most sense to you and to your gut.

Now you have the entire plan for getting your ADD brain and life organized and running smoothly. Get out there and get going!

Just to review, there are five stages involved in the mastering of your workflow:

- Collecting

- Processing

- Organizing

- Reviewing

- Doing

We have reached the third stage in the process: organizing your “stuff.” If you

have been “working” this program, then you will now have nonactionable and actionable items. You will take these two groups and use the categories below to make up a total system for organizing.

Nonactionable Items Actionable Items

Trash List of projects

Incubation Tools Storage/files for project plans & materials

Reference Storage Calendar

List of reminders of next actions

List of reminders of things you’re waiting for

All of the organizational categories have to be physically contained somehow. A list merely refers to some sort of reviewable reminders. An example would be a list of “To Do” and “Projects List.”

An incubation tool is a file, list, etc., of things that “someday” or “might be” actionable, but not now. It is information that you don’t necessarily want to throw away because it “might” be important later. It can also be a reminder to do something in the future, such as: “After January 1, set up doctors’ appointments for the coming year.” You can probably see where the word “incubating” is appropriate here. This is a particularly good tool for the ADDer since we can become quite scattered and not remember things that need to be done at a later time.

Reference storage is pretty self-explanatory. It contains files, letters, etc., that you can retrieve when required, but no real action is necessary.

A project list is really any desired result that requires more than one action step. So it really isn’t about the total project, but rather it should include all of the steps that you’ll be taking to complete it. The author recommends doing this so that you will have “markers” along the way to remind you there are more left to complete.

Don’t worry that your list isn’t prioritized or has no order to it at all. Remember, we are trying to “empty” the ADD brain onto this list so that you have an idea about what needs to be done.

Storage/Files for project plans and materials is where you keep all the reference materials for your projects. If you are used to keeping computerized files, then I would suggest keeping all of your files that way. If you keep physical files, keep all physical files. It becomes confusing to keep files in different places and in various manners. Also, try to keep your folders out of your sight. The ADD brain has a hard enough time trying to stay on task. It is easy to become distracted by things sitting on your desk. Not seeing them constantly will help you to remain focused.

The Next action category is an important one. This is where you will list every action that needs to be taken “next” on each project. You need not track things that must be done in less than 2-3 minutes. What does need to be listed is every action that needs to be taken and when it should be taken.

A calendar is where you might rack a lot of the “next action” items. There are only three things that go on this calendar:

• Time-specific actions: appointments such as a meeting, lunch planning session, etc.
• Day-specific actions: things that need to be done on a certain day, but not at a certain time such as the completion of a report or the purchase of airline tickets, etc.
• Day-specific information: this is the information you may need to know that doesn’t necessarily require action – information such as directions to the beach, or the name of the new babysitter coming that night

What this does is help you eliminate those “To Do” lists that you may have scribbled everywhere on your calendar. You are streamlining your system and your ADHD brain will thank you!

The Next actions list is where your action reminders go. These are all of the “over 2-3 minute” tasks that you cannot delegate. For example, “call the Jones about dinner on Friday,” or “get with Sarah to brainstorm ideas for sales meeting” are action reminders.

What if you have too many action reminders? Break them into smaller sub-categories such as “calls,” or “errands.”

So get to work – streamline your workflow – and you will begin to see almost immediate results! And you know how anyone with ADHD hates to wait!

We began this series by introducing you to author David Allen’s book that addresses stress-free productivity.  As you recall, there are five stages of mastering your flow of work:  Collect; Process; Organize; Review; and Do.  This article will focus on the second stage – Process.

Remember that your goal is to “empty” your brain of these things you must do if you want to decrease your level of stress.  In order to do that, you must identify and collect those things that are on your mind and then make a plan about how you will handle them.

Why is there so much stuff in your brain?  Simple. 

• You have not determined what you ultimately want the outcome to be
• You have not determined what the very next physical action should be that will move you toward completion
• You have no system for keeping reminders of what needs to be done, when, how, etc.

There are three basic requirements for managing your tasks if you want to be stress-free rather than frazzled, exhausted, and overwhelmed!

1. If it is on your mind, then you can’t clear your mind.  This is where the “collect” stage comes from.  You take what’s on your mind and collect into various categories that you will address at some point.
2. In order to complete a task, you need to clarify what it is you must do.
3. Once you’ve got the decisions made about your plan of action, you will need to develop a system of reminders that you can view on a regular basis – this makes up stage 2 – organize!

The first step in organizing your “stuff” is the ask yourself a simple question:

What do you need to do about each email, voice-mail, memo, or self-generated ideas that are collected?

The answer to this will form the basis for how you organize your work.  So rather than throwing all of your emails, for example, into a pile, you will organize your emails based on the action you have determined to take on each one.  Here’s how you do it.

Let’s say your basket of emails is full.  Take those emails and use as practice to learn the process for organizing.

1.      What is It?

Stupid question?  Not at all!  What is the email about?  Is it a company memo sent via email about the change in dress code?  Maybe it’s an email that outlines the process for using the company insurance.  Take the time to look at each one so that you know what it is.

2.      Is it Actionable?

Obviously, there are two answers:  Yes or No

If no action is required, you’ve got three choices about how to handle that email.

-         Throw it in the trash

-         No action is needed now, but might need it later (incubate)

-         This is useful info that you may need for later (reference)

If action is required, you’ll have to determine two things about each item.

-         What “project” or outcome have you committed to?

-         What’s the next action required?

If it’s about a project, you can start a “Projects” list where it will serve as a reminder that action is required.  The

next action” is the very next physical, visible activity that needs to be done in order to move toward completion.

3.      Do It, Delegate It, or Defer It.

Once you have decided what action needs to be taken, you have three options.

-         Do It:  If your action can be done in less than two minutes, then do it as soon as you make your decision to act.

-         Delegate It:  If your “action” will take longer than two minutes, ask yourself if you really have to be the one to do it?  If someone else can just as easily take the action, delegate it right away.

-         Defer It:  If it may take longer than two minutes, but you are the one who must do the action, you can defer acting upon it until later.  You can put it on your calendar with a specific due date or you can determine that you will do it as soon as you can.

You are well on  your way to getting a handle on your workflow if you begin using the first two stages.  Next time, we will look at organizing your results!

One of the hardest things for a person with ADD to do is to “get” and “stay” productive. Remember the ADD brain is on overload. It doesn’t always know how to filter important stimuli from all of the rest distractions. The result? You can’t pay appropriate attention to anything!

Understanding that concept gives you further insight into why productivity is often very difficult for a person with ADD to achieve and maintain. But is it entirely possible for you to be overwhelmed with your “TO DO” list and still get things done in an efficient manner.

How do you do that? In his book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, author David Allen, says that we stress ourselves out to the extent that everything seems like an urgent matter, and in the wake of fretting about all o fit, we end up getting very little done! Add to that our ADD organizational weaknesses, and you have a fine mess on your hands!

David Allen maintains that even those of us with the worst organizational abilities can find new ways of getting things done. In fact, he believes that it is possible for us to be productive and relaxed at the same time. Sounds to good to be true, doesn’t it?

Allen first suggests that you take an inventory of your life. What do you value most? Time with your family? A job well done? Free time? Whatever it is, he says that this will give you an edge to deciding how to go about getting your life organized. In other words, when you realize what is the most important to you, you begin to see tasks differently. You are better able to determine what is keeping you from doing what you value most and you can find a way to change. He has devised the “five stages of mastering workflow” to help you get started:

• Collect
• Process
• Organize
• Review
• Do

For this article, let’s talk about the first stage. What are all of the things that demand our attention? For most of us, the list seems to never end. But it is important to know how to collect those things in order to process them and begin to get some sort of hold on them.

First, try to define what items on your “To Do” list require some sort of action – i.e., emails, letters, etc. These are “incomplete” items that take up a lot of worry space in your brain and can actually keep you from moving ahead because you are too overwhelmed to do anything! In order to manage what he calls “incompletes,” you will need a collection process.

A collection process is merely a way to organize these items into a system that resides outside of your brain. This includes both low- and high-tech tools such as:

Paper Calendars: to put items that require attention by a certain time

Paper and Pads: notebooks, pads, spiral notebooks, etc. to help you keep “To Do” lists, random ideas, shopping lists

In-Baskets: easy and basic way to “sort” your items into a system that makes sense to you (i.e., a basket or tray for bills, letters that need a response, phone calls, etc.)

Electronic Note-Taking: the computer, PDA, your phone

Auditory Capture: perhaps by using a voice recorder on your phone or a handheld microcassette recorder

E-mail: to send yourself a reminder, organize your emails for responding, etc.

Whatever you use, the most important thing to remember is that you MUST get all of this information out of your head and somewhere externally. And don’t let your system become so elaborate that it is nonfunctional. Too many in-baskets, for example, will tend to cause you to become even slower in your productivity.

The other factor in collecting is to make sure you empty your “buckets” of items on a regular basis. You need not finish everything to “empty” it, but you do need to look at an item, decide what needs to be done, and then either do it or decide what action needs to be taken.

In the next article in this series, we will look at the second stage, “Process.”