Using time efficiently and being productive is key to success, be that in business or elsewhere in life. However, everyone lacks motivation and fails to be productive at times, and for entrepreneurs with the gift of ADHD, our productivity is affected more often due to our difficulties in paying attention and keeping focused.
Having ADHD myself, I learnt to use my busy and overactive mind to my advantage. To help me do so, I rely on five productivity tools. Here, I talk about why these tools increase my work efficiency and how they too can help you be more successful.
1: Google or Apple Calendar
As anyone with ADHD will know, keeping on schedule is a difficult task. Using free calendar apps such as Google Calendar or Apple Calendar can help us become more organised and less overwhelmed. In your calendar, write important deadlines that you need to work towards, as well as essential meetings and events so that you never turn up late to an appointment again.
2: Otter
Having a hyperactive mind is not necessarily a bad thing. It means we often come up with fresh new ideas, which is why ADHD is more common among entrepreneurs than in the general population. Otter is a transcription app that captures meeting notes and conversations in real-time. However, I use this app to conveniently transcribe all my ideas from a voice note, keeping my potential business ideas in one handy place.
3: Pomodoro Timer
The Pomodoro Technique is a productivity system whereby you work solidly for a set period, before having a timed break. For people with ADHD, it can help increase efficiency while ensuring we don’t get too absorbed in one project and miss other important jobs and deadlines. I use the Pomodoro Timer app to time my work period and breaks to boost productivity.
4: Evernote
Another great free application for organising your ideas and life in general is Evernote. As someone with ADHD, continually misplacing items is a frequent occurrence. Whereas Evernote cannot help you find your missing car keys, it is a great app for keeping track of receipts, boarding passes, important articles, and everything in between.
5: Finish
Finally, Finish is a great anti-procrastination app that helps you to organise tasks and set time limits for each. Having ADHD can make it impossible to prioritise work and pay attention to the tasks we find duller, yet Finish can help to set precedence over certain projects and ensure all our efforts get shared between equally important tasks.
