Arrows

So many of the good things about ADHD are also double-edged swords; they can harm just as easily as they help. One great thing about this brain type is the incredible flow of ideas and projects we come up with. Then, of course, we deal with the other edge, the paralysis of indecision when everything is so exciting and important! We can’t decide what to start on first!

I’ve talked about how to determine what to start first, but what about the rest of the projects? What happens when the top priority will take weeks, months, years? How will we remember to start work on these other goals, once the first one is complete?

When my husband began learning the programming language C++, he went through several apps for teaching it. One was a game that even I, totally illiterate in the languages, found really fun. The basic idea is to guide little guys, who only walk forward, into their color’s end zone. The main way you accomplish this is by placing arrows in their path that will change their direction.

The game is called “Bit By Bit”.

I’ve begun doing this in real life. There are several projects I really, really want to work on, but for the past 18 months, my main focus has been my coaching business. So I place arrows in my path. Anytime I come up with a project, I roughly estimate when I might be able to begin working on it, and set a reminder for that time.

I use my reminder app for this, but you can use your smartphone’s proprietary reminder app, Google Tasks, or Gmail's Schedule Send as well.

Some of these arrows will be years in the future, but it doesn’t matter. By the time the arrow arrives in my path, I may no longer care about that subject, but that isn’t the point. The really important part of this, for me, is the opportunity. I have peace of mind knowing those projects will not be lost to my terrible memory and that I won’t interfere with my current goals by overloading myself.

What future goal would you like to place in your path?