Big rocks

The only productivity system that’s ever really worked for me is Zen to Done (ZTD) by Leo Babauta, a stripped-down version of the grossly over-engineered Getting Things Done.

Even then, I use a minimalist version of ZTD that focuses on just three of Leo’s key points.

1. Collect
2. Process
3. Do

We already talked about the first one: Collect. That’s why I recommend having a second brain to capture all-the-things. We also talked a little bit about Do and following your ADHD flow.

But one of the core principles in ZTD is around picking one to three Big Rocks to focus on each day.

Big Rocks are the most important tasks you want to get done that day. You can then “fill in the gaps” with a handful of smaller tasks.

Most neurotypical advice tells you to tackle those Big Rocks first, then work on the smaller stuff. But that doesn’t always work for an ADHD brain.

For us, getting started is often the hard part, and a big task feels, well… big!

I often start my day with one or two of the smaller tasks on my list to get myself going, before shifting over to something bigger.

You can find a free copy of Zen to Done in the Internet Archive. Leo now charges a small fee for the ebook.