Scheduling Transition Times

transition from task to task

Some people seem to have a built-in timekeeper that helps them go from activity to activity without thinking about the transition.

Others, especially those with ADHD, have a difficult time transitioning from one task to another. This is especially true if one task is easy and rewarding and the next task is more difficult and will show little immediate reward. Becoming aware that transition times need to be scheduled will help with setting up a more realistic budget of time.

If you think back to your elementary school days, teachers who had classes that ran well built in transitions all the time.

Teachers would cue the transitions with phrases and timers:

·        In 5 minutes, we will clear up our project and get ready for lunch

·        In 10 minutes, we will stop our work and do our end-of-the-day tasks to get ready to go home

·        When the timer gets to the 10-minute spot, start filling in answers even if guessing – all answers not filled in will be marked wrong

As adults we need to build in our own transitions and set our own alarms.

·        I need to set my alarm for 10 minutes before my Zoom call to allow time for me to go to the bathroom, comb my hair, get my coffee……

·        I need to set my alarm for 10 minutes before I need to leave for my client to allow time for gathering my paperwork, going to the bathroom, closing down my house and getting to my car

It is easy to get so into an activity that you lose track of time. During my workday I often have many different projects that I plan on doing. Many of these are regularly scheduled tasks. On Monday if I have scheduled to work from 1:00 to 2:00 on my blog and then follow that task with paying my bills, I need to set an alarm for that transition. Working on my blog at my desk does not cause clutter that I need to clear away but for me, I like to work on my weekly budget and paying my bills at my kitchen table. That means I need to gather up my basket with my bills and ledger, my purse which has my checkbook and receipts for the week, my phone to use as a calculator, a pen, and a fresh cup of coffee. I may take a walk out to my mailbox to see if any new bills have come in. All of this is in my transition time from blogging to actually paying bills and recording spending in my ledger.  And when I have finished this task, I need to allow time to put everything away and file some of the papers.  

Another transition scheduling task that is hard for ADHD clients is allowing enough time for an appointment.

I have a doctor’s appointment at 8:00 am. They want me to check in by 7:45. I know from past experience that the appointment will last about an hour. I also know that it usually takes about 30 minutes to get to the office. But that 30 minutes is really the time between my driving out of my driveway and getting to the parking lot. I need to add 10 minutes to gather everything, go to the bathroom, put on my coat, get a cup of coffee, lock the door and get into the car. Then another 10 minutes to park the car (more if I have to find a spot in a large parking garage) and get to the office. Once the appointment is over, I still have to drive home. Then I will need more time to put away everything before moving on to my next scheduled task.

Scheduling one hour for that appointment would be a fantasy. With transition times you would need to block out two and a half to three hours for that one appointment.

Even moving from one task to another that are both seated at my desk and on my computer, I need to allow a few transition moments just to stand up and stretch and clear my mind in order to move on to a new task.

By building in your transition times into your calendar, you will be less likely to overschedule and less likely to be frustrated at the end of the day because you did not get accomplished all that you had planned on doing.

If you need some help setting up a time management plan, jumpstarting a project or some guidance with organizing paperwork, reach out and we can schedule a consultation.

Phone: 404-299-5111 – call and leave a message or text

jonda@timespaceorg.com 

Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients.