How to make sure your project gets off the ground
Do you have plans for a project this summer?
When you have a large block of time to work with, it would seem that you could finally turn your attention to that project you've been putting off. But I've found, after 15 years of coaching ADD / ADHD Adults, that it doesn't usually work out that way. In fact, it's often just the opposite.
With ADD / ADHD, the longer the block of unstructured time that you have, the LESS likely you are to work on something you've been putting off.
Once you realize NOW is the perfect time to work on that project, you hit a wall.
I think there are a number of reasons why this is so:
- You’re not sure where to start.
- You don't know what all the steps are.
- There was something that needed to be done first.
- You don't know where the material or information is.
- The project is more complicated / long / unpleasant than you thought.
- You can think of so many possible ways to do it that you can’t narrow them down.
So instead of finishing the project, you barely get started on it. In short, you're STUCK.
Get unstuck with mind-mapping
There’s a simple technique you can use to make sure you don’t get stopped by these kinds of roadblocks. It’s called Mind-Mapping.
I learned about mind-mapping back in my corporate days, when I facilitated brainstorming meetings. Back before technology programs and apps, mind-mapping was a visual way of capturing people's ideas as they called them out. We used to line the walls of the conference room with brown paper and map the ideas on the paper so everyone could see them. Instead of just listing a bunch of phrases on a flip chart, the mind-map process tied the thoughts together in a way that made sense. Although it looked chaotic, we could come back to the mind-map days later and follow what it was telling us.
Once I started coaching ADD / ADHD adults, I found that showing my coaching clients how to mind-map was a huge breakthrough for them in helping them plan through a project. I devoted a whole training module in my Productivity training program just to writing from a mind-map.
Why mind-mapping is perfect for people with ADD (or anyone with a creative mind!)
It allows you to follow your thoughts in whatever leaping, meandering way your mind works, instead of you having to force yourself to think in a linear “logical” structure. So you end up with a blueprint for what you need to do, but you created it YOUR way.
Although there are now wonderful apps for mind-mapping, you don't need any technology at all. You can create a mind-map anywhere, even scribbled on the back of a napkin (but don't lose the napkin!)
Tonight (Tuesday, June 21) I'm giving a live webinar through ADD Classes called “Get Unstuck with Mind-Mapping.” In the webinar, I'll show you how to mind-map for projects, planning, writing or study. Just register and you can see a free replay until June 28.
FREE LIVE WEBINAR: “Get Unstuck with Mind-Mapping”
Tuesday, June 21, 2016 – 9:00 pm Eastern time
REPLAY available free until June 28
Click Here to REGISTER
I hope you can join me!
