Managing 'Unplanned Tasks'
Things Won’t Always Go to Plan!
Organisation strategies tend to be pretty standard; to-do lists, colour coding, prioritisation and so on. But what happens when our task lists are up to date and something doesn’t go to plan? Or a new task comes in that we weren’t expecting, thus throwing us off course?
Many neurodiverse individuals with dyslexia and ADHD find to-do lists a life saver, to ensure they’re kept reminded of all their tasks. At the same time, many will acknowledge that it can be difficult to keep on track when the unforeseen happens.
How to Plan for the Unplanned
Below are a few tips on what you can do to try and make your organisation much easier.
Plan For Unplanned Tasks - Depending on the job role, some people find that they have unexpected tasks coming in every week. I’d suggest roughly working out how much of your time these tasks are taking up, first over a period of a week and then averaging this out over a month. By doing this, you can then allocate time each week, or even each day, to allow for these impromptu tasks.
Reflect - Another idea is to create a period of catch up/reflective time. This allows time to think and process more complex work events and projects, but also time that you can use to catch up on things.
Ask for help - If an unexpected task comes in that you don’t have time for, although it can be hard to do this, an effective strategy is simply asking for help or even assistance in reprioritising work.
Sometimes it can be hard to ask for help, particularly if you have dyslexia or ADHD. I know I spent a long time developing strategies to help me not to be so reliant on other people, therefore I sometimes associated asking for help as failing or not feeling good enough. However, I now realise asking for help is a great way to learn and progress personally. I am getting much better at asking for help even though it feels like a vulnerable thing to do.
Be brave, ask for help and advice!
I hope this helps you next time you work with an unplanned task.
Nicola James
Psychologist and Founder at Lexxic
Did you enjoy this read? Take a look at Dyslexia – Do You Feel Like You’re Not Good Enough?