Write task lists that start with a verb
“Taxes” is a project. “Find last year’s return” is a task.
The short version: try one today
- Start every line with an action word.
- If it takes more than an hour, split it.
- Add where it happens: phone, desk, shop.
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'Taxes.' 'Flat.' 'Mum.' 'Dissertation???' If your ADHD task list reads like a series of ominous one-word telegrams, you already know how it feels to look at it. Each word is technically a reminder. None of them tells you what to do next.
A small change in how you write each line fixes more than you would expect. Start with a verb, keep it under an hour, and say where it happens.
Projects in disguise
'Taxes' is a project. It contains finding last year's return, digging out payslips, remembering a password and probably crying a little. When you write one word for all of that, your brain has to unpack the whole project every time it reads the line.
That unpacking is planning, and planning uses working memory. So the line gets skipped, again and again, while you do easier things around it. From the outside it looks like avoidance. Underneath, the instruction was missing.
'Find last year's return' is a task. You can picture yourself doing it. That mental picture is most of what your brain needs to get moving.
Rewrite your ADHD task list in three passes
Take the list you have now and go through it three times. It takes about ten minutes and saves that many times over.
- Pass one: start every line with an action word. Email, call, find, book, draft, wash, pay. If you can't think of a verb, you have found a project or a worry, and it needs a first step.
- Pass two: if a line would take more than an hour, split it. 'Write essay' becomes 'outline three main points', 'draft the intro', 'find two sources for section one'.
- Pass three: add where it happens. Phone, desk, laptop, shop, kitchen. Then you can scan for everything doable from the bus or everything that needs you at home.
The location tag does a surprising amount. Standing in the supermarket, you only need the 'shop' lines. Lying on the sofa with your phone, three 'phone' tasks are suddenly possible without getting up.
Before and after
Here is a real-looking list from someone in a shared flat with a new job. Before: 'Bills. Laundry. Work stuff. Sara birthday. Dentist.'
After: 'Send flatmates my share of the gas bill (phone). Put a dark wash on (home). Reply to Dan about Thursday's meeting (laptop). Order Sara's card (phone). Call the dentist to book a check-up (phone, before 5pm).'
Same five things. The second version could be handed to a stranger and they would know what to do. That is a good test for any line you write: could someone else follow it without asking you questions?
When a line still won't move
Sometimes a well-written task sits there anyway. Usually it is still too big, or there is a feeling attached. Calling the dentist might really be 'admit I haven't been in three years'. Many women with ADHD describe shame gluing tasks in place like this.
Try cutting the step in half. 'Call the dentist' becomes 'find the dentist's number and save it'. If it needs to be smaller, go smaller. The piece on the open the document rule explains why a tiny first move works so well.
And once your lines are clear, keep the daily list short. A long list of beautifully worded tasks is still a long list, so pair this with a today list of three.
Quick questions
How do you write a task list for ADHD?
Begin every line with an action word, keep each task under about an hour and note where it happens. That turns vague reminders into clear next steps your brain can picture. If you can't find a verb for a line, break it into a smaller first step.
What is the difference between a task and a project?
A project is anything that needs several steps, like doing your taxes or moving flat. A task is one concrete action you could finish in a single sitting, like finding last year's return. Lists work much better when they hold tasks and the projects are broken down.