Time management is arguably an essential skill that sounds incredibly simple on paper, but can be notoriously tricky to execute. Sometimes life just gets in the way no matter how much you want to stick to certain routines or achieve personal milestones within a set time.
For PWDs, effective time management can feel even more elusive, given that many such individuals have to contend with added challenges. This can include, but are not limited to greater limits in mobility, increased pain during physical exertion, or simply requiring more time to complete certain tasks.
But none of this means that it’s impossible to manage your time well. With the right strategies, and perhaps a bit of patience, you can ensure that your disability won’t prevent you from taking control of your time and getting things done, when you want them done.
Maintain Mental Wellness Via Assistive Apps
With improvements in AI technology, assistive tools are now more commonly utilised than ever, regardless of whether one has a disability or not. That said, many assistive tools are arguably underutilised, such as guided meditation software applications.
Such apps may seem useless, but studies have shown that almost any amount of daily meditation — even if it’s only for no more than 30 seconds — can yield surprising benefits for your mental health and productivity.
Many PWDs may struggle with increased stress when living with their disability, and finding the right time and place to meditate can be very difficult, especially during working hours. To address this, you could apt for one of the many guided meditation apps to help create the right environment to relax, no matter when and where you are.
Several of these apps are particularly user-friendly, and can be used hands-free for the convenience of those with limited mobility.
Decide Your Task Priorities Every Day
Over two decades ago, motivational speaker and author Brian Tracy introduced a productivity method called ‘Eat the Frog’. The method was based on a quote by Mark Twain, which essentially said that if you have to eat a live frog, do it first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen for the rest of the day.
In other words, if you have a variety of tasks on any given day, start with the most tedious, difficult, and important one. By doing the least desirable task first, all other following tasks will seem easy or relaxing by comparison, which in turn would likely make you more efficient, productive and emotionally positive while completing them.
Alongside the ‘Eat the Frog’ method, you could also use the 1-3-5 Rule when managing your time, which involves dividing your activities into 1 big task, 3 medium tasks and 5 small tasks. Structuring your tasks by breaking them into a clear hierarchy of importance and scope can make managing your time feel less daunting.
You could also consider utilising apps to create clear guides for schedules or steps needed in a given task, which can be a particularly huge help for those with learning limitations, anxiety, or developmental conditions such as autism.
Work In Short, Focused Bursts
Even if you must work long hours, there’s no rule against taking short breaks at specific intervals to relax, refocus and reorganise your thoughts. If you’re unsure when and how you should pace yourself, consider using the Pomodoro Technique.
All you need is a timer that reminds you to take a break for 5 minutes after every 25 minutes of work. Then after repeating this cycle of work and breaks 4 consecutive times, take a longer break, spanning anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, before resuming your work and repeating the cycle.
This technique is known to be rather effective at preventing burnout, improving focus, and reducing procrastination, which in turn means you’re making much better use of your time.
De-Stress With Buffer Time
While this may not always be feasible, always look for ways to include some buffer time between activities you have planned for the day. What this means is that you give yourself additional time before or after any task and appointment, even if you believe that activity will take less than your allocated time to accomplish.
For example, if you have a task that is expected to take 30 minutes to complete, give yourself 50 minutes instead. This not only gives you more time to rest before your next task, it also acts as a safety net just in case the activity is delayed, or takes longer than assumed. This can be especially important if you tend to face unexpected hurdles due to a disability.
Unless you’re truly unable to or just love stressful situations, include buffer times throughout your day to allow yourself some flexibility and relaxation in time management.
References
Nexus Human Services (2024) Time Management and Work-Life Balance for People with Disabilities [Accessed 13 April 2025] Available at: https://nexushumanservices.com.au/time-management-and-worklife-balance/
Pacific Lutheran University (2022) Time Management for Student with Learning Disabilities and ADD/ADHD [Accessed 13 April 2025] Available at: https://disabilityfoundation.org/time-management-for-students-with-learning-disabilities-and-add-adhd/
Galt (2022) Improve Focus and Productivity: 11 Organization Tips for People with Disabilities [Accessed 13 April 2025] Available at: https://galtstaffing.com/2022/02/17/tips-to-help-manage-interruptions-and-stay-organized-for-people-with-disabilities/