I’ve struggled with some form of ADD throughout different phases of my life. It hasn’t always been diagnosed, and it hasn’t always looked the same, but it’s been there. Some days it’s just a low-level fog. Other days, corralling my thoughts is like chasing 37 cats around the room.
Over time, I’ve tried a number of approaches to get things done. Some worked for a while. Others just added to the noise. But recently I’ve been trying something that’s surprisingly effective: pick three tasks. Only three.
Write them down. Do them. Then pick three more.
That’s it. No complicated system. No color-coded productivity apps. Just a short list with a clear finish line.
It works because it lowers the pressure. With ADD, it’s easy to freeze under the weight of everything you could or should be doing. The three-task rule cuts through that. It gives your brain a place to start. It creates momentum. And maybe most importantly, it gives you a win.
There’s research to back this up. Studies on attention and executive function suggest that people with ADD/ADHD perform better when goals are broken into small, specific, and achievable steps. Three is enough to create progress, but not enough to overwhelm.
Once those three are done, you don’t quit, you just build the next list of three. You stay in motion. You stay out of the spiral.
I’m not saying this solves everything. But on the days where my brain feels like it’s bouncing between a dozen half-finished ideas, this simple rule helps me get back in the game.