One of my guiding values is that life should not be all about to-do lists. This is one of the reasons that I recently decided to drop from a 40+ hour work week to a 30 hour work week. I found that the more I worked, the more work I created. In my new structure, I find myself feeling more balanced and enjoying my life outside of work.

Adults with ADD often fall into the trap of over focusing on their to-do lists. Perhaps you know the feeling? Here's what the trap looks and feels like:

    * You beat yourself up for having unfinished projects.
    * You spend less time with your family and friends, and more time working.
    * You put off taking a class or attending an interesting meeting because you have too much to do.
    * You don't allow yourself much fun because you think you don't deserve it.

Sometimes this type of thinking is warranted. We all have to make decisions about the priorities in our lives, and at times our to-do's really are more important than fun. The problem, however, is that adults with ADD often find themselves thinking this way all the time. Instead of balancing productivity with family, friends, and fun, to-do's run the show. As a result, life becomes a drag. What good is all that office work, house work, home work, etc., if there is nothing to look forward to at the other end?

A great way to put a stop to this stressful behavior is to take one day off each week. During that day, ignore your to-do list. Put it away or Hide it - don't look at it! If you don't have a written or typed to-do list, then release all those to-do's that you're carrying around in your head by writing them down. Then, ignore the list! Next, have fun. Spend an entire day doing what you want to do instead of what you think you should be doing. You’ll soon notice that this one day of freedom from to-do's energizes you when it's time to get back to your daily tasks.

Jennifer Koretsky is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of the ADD Management Group, LLC. Jennifer and her team work with ADD adults who are overwhelmed with everyday life in order to help them simplify, focus, and succeed. For free resources and more information, visit http://www.ADDmanagement.com

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