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Transition reminders

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Summary

  • Set an active reminder for a task’s end, with the next action written in to reduce last-minute decisions.
  • Judge reminders by whether the task changes; an alarm sounding or a clock check is not a completed transition.

Ways to apply

  1. On your own

    Free, no special equipment to buy

    1. Choose when to finish the current task and write down the first action for the next one.
    2. Set an active reminder with the action, such as “Close the document, grab the bag, and leave.”
    3. When the reminder arrives, follow the written action, then move into the next task.
    4. Check whether you switched on time. If you dismissed it and continued, note where you stalled.

A timer needs an active alert to signal when to finish

Proposed in research

In her treatment manual for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Solanto recommends timers to signal when to finish and switch tasks. Her advice aims to compensate for difficulty keeping track of time associated with time blindness(Solanto, 2013).

Even a visible timer does not guarantee that someone will check it. In a study of children aged 7–9, some never checked the timer, while about a quarter checked it more than seven times in five minutes(Hallez & Vallier, 2025).

Reminders can store what to do, not just when

Proposed in research

Gilbert and colleagues’ review describes phone reminders, calendars, and deliberately placed objects as ways to store intended actions outside the mind, beyond simply displaying time(Gilbert et al., 2022).

One application is to write the next action into a reminder. “18:00” gives only a time; “Close the document, grab the bag, and leave” also specifies what to do.

Judge reminders by whether the task actually changes

Proposed in research

In an experiment with children, the ADHD group completed fewer intended actions on time. Yet the groups did not differ significantly in how often or how accurately they checked the clock(Zinke et al., 2010). Clock checks cannot stand in for acting at the intended time.

When trying transition reminders, the relevant outcome is whether the current task actually stops and the next one starts. An alarm sounding or being dismissed is not enough to show that the transition happened.

Evidence

References (4)
  1. BookCognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD: Targeting Executive DysfunctionSolanto MV (2013). Guilford Press
  2. Cohort studyTime on Their Side: How Visual Timers Affect Anticipatory Anxiety, Performance, and On-Task Behavior in Elementary Math AssessmentsHallez Q, Vallier V (2025). European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education
  3. ReviewOutsourcing Memory to External Tools: A Review of ‘Intention Offloading’Gilbert, Boldt, Sachdeva, Scarampi, Tsai (2022). Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
  4. Cohort studyTime-Based Prospective Memory Performance and Time-Monitoring in Children with ADHDZinke K, Altgassen M, Mackinlay RJ, Rizzo P, Drechsler R, Kliegel M (2010). Child Neuropsychology