Use In Case Of Task Overflow (ADHD perhaps)

Stop Moving

To start, stop and regroup, breathe, anything that is less urgent than ~5 minutes should be suspended.

Find something to write with, small notebooks or notepads preferred, any physical paper preferred over digital.

Now start taking a Todo inventory.

• This is not a Todo List, though you can use it as one as desired
• The primary goal of the Todo inventory is to get the tasks out of your head and into a concrete, visible representation
• Mark urgent items in an easy to notice way (such as different pen color or large symbol)
• Avoid marking importance or exactly how urgent, keep descriptions as short as recognizable to you
• This is not a Todo List, you do not need to do all these things, or even all the urgent items
• Expect to not list all tasks, expect to discard Todo inventory before most tasks are done
• Stop uisng your phone if possible, perhaps enabling do not disturb if you need to use your phone to write

Regain Control

Read the inventory, recognize urgent things that should be done next, identify easiest and quickest urgent tasks, knocking out lots of quick urgent tasks will reduce the total number of urgent tasks to a more managable number hopefully. Keep adding to inventory as you think of more tasks or you find requirements for tasks you plan to do soon. Cross out any already completed tasks as soon as you read the inventory again.

Tips

• Completing a task, reducing the total number, is more beneficial than figuring out how to most efficiently complete as many tasks as possible. One at a time is the default method
• If motivated to complete a large number of tasks, use inventory to create a focussed todo list and/or plan
• Record important, incomplete tasks in places suitable for making sure they are remembered. Physical location and visibility is important
• Quick and easy tasks that can't or shouldn't be completed immediately shouldn't need to live in your head, set timers, add notifying calendar events (if notifications from calendar are effective), write them into physical calendar (if you have and use one), or otherwise modify the environment to provide the reminder at the proper time and/or place

Be Prepared

It will happen again, when it does, it isn't a failure of yourself or your strategies necessarily, it is just part of being you.

It can be more easily dealt with if you are prepared to tackle it immediately when it happens.

• Have a notebook or pad (and writing implements) ready and within reach, if it could happen in multiple places put a notebook at each one so you cannot forget to bring it with you. Immediacy is essential, the time and space between you and your notebook can hold many pitfalls
• Proactively externalise tasks:
  • For tasks with a specific time, an effective reminder will cause that task to disapear until whatever point in the future it needs to be addressed
  • Have a whiteboard or other writable surface set up, including wall calendars, pin boards etc. Use it to contain things you should have on your mind, put it where you will see it often.
  • All forms of notes/reminders/notifications/events/lists etc have a maximum capacity, if it is exceeded you will simply no longer use them, reduce usage until they become useful again. Acquire more instances to increase total capacity. (another whiteboard in a different location, a digital & a physical calendar etc)
  • Use smaller calendars for day-to-day use, e.g. 1 week at a time. Localizes thoughts to things which are within reach
• Simply noticing a Task Overflow and remembering that you should stop and regain control is progress in and of itself. The habit is forming, it will be useful later
• Write things down, if it works well for you, do it more. If it doesn't work well for you do it anyway, get used to doing it so it's easier to remember and start when you need it most
• The mind is part of the body, take care of the body so it can do it's job properly
  • Part of the body is the mind, taking care of your social interactions is a required part of taking care of your mind, you are social
• Find out how you work, expirement with organization, routine, types of reminders. Don't do what people say you should, do what seems cool or interesting or you're curious about
  • Something that works only temporarily is not a failed experiment, it's not even just something to learn from. It is a success. No success is forever, you are not static, time moves on
• Know what your goals and priorities are ahead of time. Tasks without context are much harder to organize and complete
• Learn how to relax, not all downtime is created equal, when you can't relax in the way you want/are used to then adapt to your current situation
• Make plans that don't work out. This type of plan is very nearly all plans, including this one, planning gets easier and better through practice and reflection
  • If you are reading this, and you aren't me, this plan is less useful to you than it is to me, much of the use is in the experience of creating it. Try making one yourself
• If you do have ADHD or even think you might or are simmilarish, look for advice about how to deal with it, also look into diagnosis + medication if you can and aren't already

Chill

Take a breath

There is much to be done, much to see and do, much to improve, but it can't all happen at once. Some of it will be left undone unimproved and unexperienced, even if it seems like this isn't fine, it must be fine because it always was and will continue to be like this. Trying to do it all is a mistake, but it's not because that's impossible. It's only technically impossible, practically, it can be done, it's just that some of the details will always be unresolved. Trying to do it all is a mistake because there is always too much to do, so it will necessarily just lead to a Task Overflow. Try to do some, when you've done enough or too much, take a break. You will get more done this way, trying too hard is more like not trying than it is like being effictive. You aren't a computer but even a computer can overheat. Biting off more than you can chew is dangerous and it's not even a good way to enjoy food. Sometimes you gotta half-ass it a few times before you can even try to full-ass it. It is possible to learn better, but you are already good at learning even if you aren't trying, doing is progress, failing is still doing.

One of the worst things about having too much to do is that you can't afford to take a break. Sometimes that means that as soon as you take a break, you no longer have too many things to do.

Take a breath, hydrate, take a load off, play some video games, read a story, watch a story, send your friends memes, post something stupid, go pet an animal, kick some grass, go watch people stare at art, get cold in warm clothes, get your clothes sweaty, make something pretty, make something sick, window shop, buy something, eat something tasty, go on a date, become a gremlin, watch pointless videos on your couch, watch educational videos on your phone, give someone a present, listen to music, dream while you're awake, sleep while you should be awake, do something you'll regret a little bit, do something you'll never regret, do something you'll never remember, try something you've never thought of, be someone you've never been, laugh your ass off, make someone laugh theirs off, live a lot, wear something nice, wear something stupid, tell the truth, tell a lie, delete an app from your phone, throw away something you've had for years, get something you haven't, smell a garden, smell your feet, break something you can fix, fix something you thought you couldn't, get wet, get tired, get warm, get comfy, get sad, get angry, get lost, get lucky, take another breath. And then get back at it.

-Cammymoop
2024.12.1