I want to check in with you all about how we pace ourselves. I’ve talked about time blindness before, and I think our pace that we do things can also suffer from time blindness. Maybe it’s speed blindness would be a better term to use when checking in on our pacing of tasks on our to do list.
When we look at the systems in place to manage ADHD symptoms, what is the pace, speed, or production rate we are giving ourselves to make these systems work?
How are your ADHD symptoms impacted by the pacing of your tasks?
Is the speed that you have set for your system sustainable? Is it flexible? Does it need to be a certain degree of rigid or flexible?
What pace do you need to give yourself if you consider your current energy level today? Is it different than other days?
Does a faster or slower pace mean it’s better? Why or why not?
Would breaking up tasks to steady the pace of work be helpful or hurtful? What about that would work or not?
Same thing for bulk-grouping tasks together- would this be helpful or hurtful? What about this would work or not?
Just because you set a pace at one speed, does that mean it always has to be that speed? What does it mean when the speed you need (be it faster or slower) changes?
What are you telling yourself about your current pacing? Is it rational? If needed, is there a more helpful and rational message you can tell yourself?
How does your pace impact your motivation and inspiration?
How will you know when you’re working at a pace that is right for you that will not trigger burnout?
How can you tell when your pace needs adjusting? What happens to trigger this?
When you think about your ideal pace, speed, or rhythm of work, what does it look like, feel like, and/or sound like?
What would cause your current pacing to turn into procrastination? Is this a concern? How can you combat this from happening?
Are there any external factors that impact your pace for work? Deadlines or due dates? What do these mean for your pace? How can we make these deadlines work for us?
Since we are humans and not robots, we cannot work at the exact same rate, speed, or rhythm 100% of the time. It is okay to check in with yourself and adjust your pacing as needed. Some days you may be able to work faster and do more, some days you may need to slow down. Just because you were fast one day and slow the next does not mean you are failing. We just need to take each day as it comes and honor the pace we need to stay healthy.
