Time Management and Autism

Does your time slip away without you realizing it? Does it feel like there’s not enough hours in the day? This article is for you.

When I was younger, it was difficult for me to get anything done. It was a monster of a task just to get out of bed in the morning, let alone get moving with schoolwork. I couldn’t work a job– the day felt like it only had about 2 or 3 hours of workable time total in it.

I felt, in a word, stuck. It felt like everyone around me had the superpower of energy and I was perpetually falling behind.

The days slipped away.

I didn’t manage myself properly.

I didn’t even take care of myself.

My grades suffered, and I struggled in school and work. However, there were some key choices that helped change that around for me. Let’s dive into them.

Body-doubling
Habit-forming
Accountability tools
Bullet journaling
Pomodoro apps
Awareness
Reviewing
Final thoughts

"Body-doubling”

When I was feeling lonely while studying for my classes, I came to a realization: I wanted study groups, but with more academically-minded people. When I organized study groups at my college, everyone goofed off and talked. I was the only one who put effort into trying to get things done.

I wanted to sit in a group, silent, working on my studies.

I found what I was looking for online.

Virtual study groups are offered on a variety of platforms, however I used Discord as it was the first platform I found.

Once I discovered an online study group, I studied with them for upwards of 10 hours a day. At first it was just schoolwork, then it branched out into all of my tasks.

Getting out of bed in the morning? Study group.

Chores and cleaning? Study group.

Sometimes I would use a study group for tasks as simple as combing my hair or brushing my teeth-- simple tasks that felt completely impossible before.

So what is body-doubling? How did it help?

Body-doubling is the concept of doing a similar task with others at the same time. It adds pressure for yourself to complete the task, because multiple other people are doing the same task as well. It's very common in ADHD/Autism communities.

I would turn on my webcam, and I would stream either my desk or my face. Either way it was effective. People would see me working, and the pressure of knowing they were watching helped me massively. If I turned on the screenshare option, they would even be able to see what was on my screen– a good benefit if I was goofing off particularly hard that day.

Instead of trying to force myself to work alone, I now worked for the majority of my day.

If you are feeling uncertain about streaming yourself to strangers, this same thing can be accomplished with friends. It’s particularly effective if your friends are as focused as you are.

I also recommend setting goals, and in particular SMART goals. SMART stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound

Changing my goals to be more achievable has been life-changing for me. My entire mindset has changed. I’m more able to get things done, and I’m more optimistic that any task can be broken down into the tiniest steps. It’s really worked for me.

But why is this recommended for Autistic folks?

The concept of “bodydoubling” actually first emerged within the ADHD community. It can be useful for when you’re struggling to clean your house, do your chores, and much more! I recommend giving it a try!

Habit-forming

However, even before body-doubling you might want to work on your habit-forming skills.

For this, I can only recommend the habit bible– James Clear’s Atomic Habits. It’s wonderfully written, based on science, and explains everything in very simple terms. It has been very effective for my own life.

To summarize the basics of what the book recommends, here are some key tenents:

Link the habits to follow a certain activity instead of a time. E.g. “after dinner I will go for a walk.” Instead of a specific time, which is amorphous, pick something stable– e.g. after you get back from work each weekday.

Make them easy. If you want to go to the gym more, lay out your gym clothes the night before you go.

Make bad choices hard. If you watch too much TV, unplug it and put it in the closet. So if you want to watch TV you have to take it back out and set it up again.

Celebrate your accomplishments. The human brain is meant to linger on failures, not accomplishments. So intentionally take some time to think about what you managed to get done that day.

This is a vital skill. I highly recommend learning more about it, and practicing it, where you can. While it is particularly difficult for us Autistics (and especially those of us who are AudHD) it's worth experimenting to find what works for you!

Accountability tools

There are a variety of accountability tools I use to personally keep myself on the right track. All of these are relatively intuitive, but introductory guides to them also exist online as well. Maybe some of these would be helpful for you!

Google Calendar

Can be incredibly helpful for scheduling and planning out tasks and project accomplishments.

It may feel intimidating, however it can be very useful for simple deadline management. Maybe you schedule that you will begin a task on Tuesday, but also a reminder that the task is due Friday.

It’s very intuitive to use– you just click and drag to schedule a task or event!

Todoist

This is a very simple to-do list website and app.

It’s easy to use, with intuitive usability. For example, while you’re typing a task name you can also type “every other Tuesday at 1pm” and it will schedule it without you having to click elsewhere!

Very good for use with other people on a large project.

Finch

Has gamification, which can make achieving things feel much easier. This may be quite appealing for Autistics.

Very cute and appealing!

Works just like a to-do list app, except perhaps a little more cumbersome to use, not the easiest to use for large projects or a LOT of tasks

Habitica

Works the same as Finch, however it has a website equivalent that makes it much easier to use for inputting tasks and projects.

Also has gamification built right in, which can be quite appealing for some people.

Can be complicated however, with in-depth systems such as guilds that could be confusing.

Forest app

Timer apps can be incredibly useful for monitoring yourself and keeping yourself working

In the past I would set a timer for how long I’m allowed to be in bed before I MUST get up. Frequently it was the only reason I would get out of bed within 2-3 hours of waking up in the morning

Don’t underestimate the power of creating pressure for yourself!

Another option is bullet journaling. While all the above recommendations are virtual, bullet journaling is a nice, physical way to keep track of your tasks, projects, moods, and more!

Bullet journaling

Bullet journaling actually originated within the neurodiversity community, specifically ADHD. It originated as a way to keep track of your life, specifically to-dos that may otherwise be fleeting through your mind.

I like bullet journaling because it’s a physical object to remind me of my tasks. It can also serve any purpose I want-- between containing to-do lists, notes, brainstorming, and journal entries, it's incredibly useful as a catch-all.

I ensure mine isn’t an aesthetic, Pinterest-able bullet journal– but instead a functional one. I make sure it works for me instead of being the prettiest thing it could possibly be. I use it for whatever purpose I need, including normal journal entries, writing messy to-do lists, taking notes on where I am in project completion, and weekly reviews of my progress. I tape polaroid photos in there, as well as all other manner of things.

The point is: it needs to work for YOU and what YOU need.

If you haven’t tried bullet journaling before, I recommend giving it an honest try! Who knows, it might work perfectly for you as it did for me. Before bullet journaling I was very against the idea of writing todolists altogether (“Who doesn’t remember what they have to do?” I wondered) but, over time, I realized they were amazing at increasing my effectiveness. Often, simply, through increasing my awareness of the tasks on my plate.

Pomodoro apps

Similarly to bullet journaling, I was very skeptical of pomodoro apps at first. It seemed a waste of time, to keep perfect track of how much time you spend studying.

However, it functions as a bit of a promise. As you schedule an amount of time to focus and hit the button, you’re promising yourself (and others, if you’re sharing a timer) that you’re going to be working for the entire length of the timer.

Even if you only start with 10 minute work intervals with 5 minute breaks, it still works very effectively.

The classic pomodoro technique is four 25-minute sessions, alternating with 5-minute breaks, and then a longer 15 minute break after the four are done. However, all manner of permutations of this setup exist. Find what works for you!

For Autistics this can add the structure and routine that helps many of us.

Awareness

A big skill to develop with time management is to develop an awareness of how you’re spending your time.

This can be as simple as using the feature on cell phones that informs you how much you use certain apps. You can set timers when you’re browsing social media, and write down how much you use over a day. Get in the habit of measuring time. In this way you’ll realize that you have much more of it than you expected. You’ll be able to figure out where, exactly, your day is going.

Being confronted with the realization that you spent 5 hours on video games each day might have you make the decision to change your life and how you’re spending it.

Reviewing

At the end of a day, I recommend reviewing your day– being completely honest with yourself. How much did you get done compared to how much you usually do? What worked? What didn’t?

It’s a good idea to post this somewhere publically, depending on your level of comfort. It’s a good idea to even just tell your friends, partner, or family about it. They’ll be able to add in some more pressure, which might help you stay more on track.

In my opinion, reviewing is as vital as writing a todo list.

Final thoughts

There’s a lot of different methods available to you for time management. Give one of these a go and let us know how it worked for you!