Since living alone I have been struggling a lot to do anything, because there is so much to do all the time and I get overwhelmed and have no one to tell me what I need to do next. My friends and therapist tell me I need to prioritize tasks, but I don’t know how and they can’t help me with daily decisions, only give general advice that hasn’t been super helpful.
For example, at the moment there is a pile of dishes I need to do, there are some emails I have to answer, I have to make two doctor’s appointments, I need to buy a present for a friend, I need to write an essay, and so on. I can’t do all of this today and don’t need to, but all of it is important and and every task has a different (often ambiguous) deadline and nothing is so urgent I need to do it right now. But I do have to start with something, plan some time for longer tasks (like writing the essay) otherwise I will run out of time, but I don’t know how so the stress builds up and in the end I don’t do anything and just lie in bed all day. Sometimes if I have a lot of energy (which happens on a good day every few weeks) I try to get everything done at once and usually overwork myself and get a migraine and lose 3 days again because I’m not able to work at all during that time.
I’ve been recommended Goblin Tools and it helps with breaking down tasks into smaller ones, but it doesn’t help with what to prioritize. I already have 3 different planners to keep track of everything and that also helps, at least with not forgetting appointments and stuff, but it doesn’t help with daily planning and getting into a routine, at least not as much as I would need.
I have less support then I used to and won’t be able to get more in the forseeable future, unfortunately. So if you have any tools and/or strategies you could recommend that don’t rely on other people reminding me, that would be great!


Not a therapist but I am someone who is going through it. What worked for me, initially, was to use a task management app (Google tasks, super Productivity, tasks.org, etc). You mentioned having a planner so just roll a dice and go with one. My first step was to create some daily reminder in my phone. My phone works best for me but anything that will remind you to check your planned works. My first one goes off at 630am (normally a bit after I wake up but before my kids are up) and use this opportunity to check my planner/master task list. I have a daily task list that I have divided into three levels: A, B, and C. A level tasks are things that need to be done in the next 24 hours. Think appointments, assignments that are due, social events, personal tasks, etc. I was also encouraged to put personal hygiene things that I wasn’t doing well. For example I had a “floss your teeth” repeating task that went off at 10pm. B level tasks were things that were a medium priority and often tasks part of a greater project. You mentioned already breaking down tasks so that would be an example. Another example could be dishes (assuming they are from that day), or a paragraph of your essay. C Level are little things that are easy to accomplish. Things like reading your emails, check the mail, ect. These tasks don’t really have an importance as long as they aren’t required to be done in the next 24 hours and take less than 10 min. When my first reminder came in on my phone, I would then go into my master task list (which for me is broken into tasks for tasks for the next month and tasks beyond) and I look to move them from the master list into the daily tasks list under the above categories. I had multiple reminders in my phone each day to check my list. My phone would vibrate and a notification would pop up to prompt me. However, I never clicked the tasks as done unless it was done. Driving to do something? Doesn’t matter until it is done. My biggest struggle was being realistic. So some days I would only have one thing in the A level, 2-3 things in the B and C. Then, as I got more used to the structure I created I was able to do less and more. For example, I have kids and initially I was putting in “pick up kids” in the A level. But then I learned that wasn’t really necessary anymore because I always prioritized that and didn’t forget so I stopped. I also created repeatable tasks for things around the house: laundry, dishes, tidy, etc so that I wouldn’t have to repeat it. A few closing points, 1) this is a system that works for me. I don’t know if it will work for you and you may want to discuss prioritization as a skill with your therapist. 2) You don’t have to accomplish 100% of you tasks (outside of the A) ever single day. This is a marathon not a sprint and self care is important. 3) you can also put self care things in. An hour of video games, exercise, a walk, reading, etc. 4) If you don’t finish something on your daily list, make a mental or physical note and it becomes slightly more important the next day. Didn’t do the dishes? Still a B but after 2 days probably an A. Emails? Now that I haven’t read them for 5 days, the number is high and now it may take me longer to read them all so it’s a B. Lastly, try to have fun with it. Gamify yourself (I like chocolate as a reward) and know that this is a lifelong skill that will take practice. There is no magic solution here. Best of luck 🤞.
Thank you, this is actually really helpful! I just downloaded tasks.org and will try out your ABC system. Also having tasks increase in importance the longer I wait to do them seems like a good idea
Sorry for the wall of text. Lemmy is now not letting me edit it to add in double lines between my paragraphs.