Lindsey Plans

Planning your time may seem extra daunting when you have ADHD, AuDHD, or any neurodivergence, but it can be the most important tool in your arsenal.

After years of trial and error, I’ve discovered the best methods for planning center around planning your processes rather than planning for an end goal. Structure is not the enemy – it can actually help you focus and achieve the life you want with more consistency. You just have to know how to do it.

Here are the two most important things to remember when sitting down to plan your day, week, or month:

• Plan for the processes that you want to incorporate into your routine.
• Use what I call “chaotic order.” Plan blocks of time for work, for play, and leave ample breathing room for when things change.

Here’s an example of these two things in action. Let’s say you want to start a fitness routine where you work out 3x a week. Create 5 time blocks for working out (bonus if they’re first thing in the morning when you don’t have time to think about it), with the knowledge that 2 of those are “backup blocks.” If you miss a workout, that’s cool, you’ve got a set time when you can make it up already scheduled. And if you do hit your workouts, those 2 time blocks are bonus free time!

Being compassionate with yourself and your time is one of the best things you can do – studies show that those that are kind to themselves when they mess up are more likely to end up succeeding. Adding extra time in your schedule is a form of self love.