There are always ways to reduce overwhelm when dealing with all parts of ADHD management and life. Technology is no different. And in this age of focal disaster, I felt it was my duty to at least provide a short guide on how to reduce your overwhelm while using technology.
1. Keeping up with Email
Keeping up with email is a huge problem for so many ADHDers, I know. Today we just get a constant stream of email. Anybody who does have an email address (or more than one email address) knows exactly what I mean and just how many hours out of the week we lose to email. Here are a few tips for managing this specific of tech overwhelm:
- Just like in real life, every messages in your inbox need a home.
- Respond to emails immediately when read.
- Also, I recommend instituting a personal policy that any email message you write will be fewer than five sentences. Add a link (in your email signature) to a free webpage or blog that explains this policy (just be logical) so anybody who wants to know why can quickly understand.
2. Multiple Devices, One Focus
It is crucial to focus on one thing at a time in this day and age. But it’s easy to look at multiple screens and get less done so to counter that effect, practice focusing, without distractions, on one task. One focus. I recommend blocking out time to make yourself inaccessible by scheduling time to focus and do re-occurring tasks.
3. Understanding Technology
If you don’t understand the technology available to you, search for video solutions on YouTube.com or Howcast.com or feel free to ask me in the comments below and I will do my very best to help you with your specific needs.
How do you manage tech overwhelm? How does technology challenge your ADHD? Tell us about it in the comments!
About Mark Kawate
It’s hard for me to delete emails that I’m not sure I might need to refer back to so my space is constantly full or at 98 percent or whatever. Is there a way for me to save emails without keeping my “space” full? Also I am no longer going to have my university email account open to me. Is there any pros or cons to the different free email accounts out there?
I have the same problem. This is what helps me:
1. Decide if it is important to current operations. If YES, then:
a. If it is easily accessible on line, then I dump it – you can always find it if you really do need it.
b. If I need to have it “on hand”, either create a file for it in my email OR print it out and make a file for it
2. If it is NOT important to current operations, then:
a. If it is easily accessible on line, then dump it – probably, I will never need it
b. If I feel like I HAVE to keep it, make a file for it in my email or print it and make a file folder for it.
Also, ask yourself: Do I REALLY need this or am i just “information hording”. I have found so many times that I keep information “just in case”, then I never read it again and it just piles up.
Also, every day or so I go through my old emails from a day at a time, like all the emails from May1st, then May 2nd, etc and just delete stuff I don’t need anymore. It is very freeing !! Good luck!