Green Light Planning

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Are you prone to Green Light Planning?

Do you wait until only the most ideal scenario will work to get you where you are going on time? To finish that work project?

GLP is a fascinating phenomenon and is the result of several ADHD challenges. Most people will point to challenges with time estimation which is certainly a factor. This is an easy culprit, though. Look closer and you can see more going on here. I once had a client who was let go from a job (before we worked with each other) because of his habit of missing flights. He suffered from a rampant case of Green Light Planning. He would leave only enough time to get to the airport based on his fastest trip times. For him every trip to the airport became a game of high stakes poker, “Can I beat my best time?”

In addition to time estimation challenges, my client struggled with two other important dilemmas. One was structural in nature and the other emotional in nature. Structural in the sense of anticipating and planning for transitions and changes to the most ideal outcome - the one with all green lights. Those of us with ADHD struggle to sense and anticipate variations of an outcome we create in our brain, especially the periods between events - the time between the shower, packing and eating breakfast. Specifically, this is a challenge with planning for transitions - both planned and unplanned. Emotionally we can engage in a mini Zig Ziglar positive thinking exercise with the belief that our positive energy will somehow open an express lane to our destination. This is actually more of an emotional auto-pilot move to lock out unsavory thoughts if we are not successful in our plan.

To overcome Green Light Planning address these three areas - time, structure and emotion - equally with an eye for balance.

What’s something I am not anticipating will take much time?

Have I considered time and attention for all of the transitions?

How will I feel if I am late? How will I feel if I am early?

When we explore the parameters of a future event beyond just time estimation we can start to better match the picture in our head and the reality on the ground.