Review the coming week
Spot a deadline while there's still time to get ready for it.
Not ratedADHD evidence
Start with the time you have
1 minute
Pick a regular slot in your week for a short look ahead.
5 minutes
Check the next few calendar entries and identify one preparation task.
15 minutes
Review the coming week, select important next actions and remove a plan that no longer fits.
30 minutes
Complete the weekly check and use the remaining time to start one preparation task.
A plan
Keep the review small
- Check only the next few days.
- Add a task inbox check if that is manageable.
- Keep a weekly slot, shortening it when it becomes a barrier.
How sure the science is
Not rated, ADHD evidence
No pooled trials to rate. This rests on single studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Measured in people with ADHD.
ADHD clinical guidance and programme content; the isolated strategy has no separately rated efficacy estimate.
The number, drawn
Weekly planning and daily catch-ups can help
Why it matters
A short review brings what's coming back into view. NHS ADHD advice includes weekly planning, and Solanto's adult trial tested a broader time management and organisation programme over 12 weeks. That trial does not establish a separate benefit for a weekly review.
How to do it
- Pick a time you can repeat for a quick look at your calendar and tasks.
- Look ahead for appointments, deadlines and anything to prepare.
- Pick a next action you can manage for the most important commitment.
- Move or drop plans that don't fit any more.
Putting it into practice
In real life
- Notice the school form deadline and find the document before the final evening.
- Check travel details for next week's appointment while you have time to ask for help.
Watch out for
- Common mistakeTurning the review into a full life redesign makes it hard to repeat. Stick to the coming week.
- Common mistakeA missed review doesn't mean you owe a catch-up ritual. Restart with the next few days.
Trusted guides
How we rated it
- Evidence grade
- C Small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- The number
- Weekly planning and daily catch-ups can help (Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (PDF hosted by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust), 2013)
- Benefit
- 40/100 The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.
- Effort
- Some effort
Sources
- Tier 1 guidelineMaking Sense: A Guide to Living with Adult ADHDNottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (PDF hosted by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust), 2013
- Tier 2 studyEfficacy of meta-cognitive therapy for adult ADHDAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 2010
General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.