Hi ADHD community!!! I recently started my dream job while I’m trying to finish my Master’s degree. I have been enjoying it a lot so far but struggling so much with time management, especially with school. I’m on meds (36 mg concerta) which helps improve my focus and impulse control and minimizes my anxious pacing around looking for something I don’t really need that minute.

I think I’m honestly delusional about how much time i think it takes me to do something vs how long it actually takes. This is a core part of my job, since I have to bill my time to specific clients/projects and I have a limit on how much I can bill so I have to monitor really carefully. I also have to submit a “forecasting” sheet where I report how many hours I have committed to projects coming up so people know I’m advance if I’m available to work on something. I have a planner where I do a rough schedule of my day which has really helped so far but I have trouble sticking to the schedule with enough precision working from home with stuff that comes up….or things taking longer than I expected. I’m overwhelmed spending 12 hours on the computer every day and there has to be a way I can plan more efficiently so I know when I can take a break. I never take breaks for hobbies or to see people because I always feel I don’t have time.

Does anyone have tips or tools they use? I’m ideally looking for something where I can create “tasks” and then have a timer going for that task on my phone or computer and I can stop or start it and it will log the time. I have tried spreadsheets but really need something with less steps bc I lose track. I have tried Routinery as well but it’s not quite what I need since it’s more oriented towards doing a sequence of short activities.

Edit to add a little vent: it’s really hard to explain to people who don’t have ADHD….burnout is really normalized and it feels UNBEARABLE for me because my relationships with family and friends start to deteriorate which makes me even more stressed