The essentials
A calm starting point
- A transition needs a visible ending and a clear new beginning.
- Information known in advance and a realistic buffer reduce unresolved decisions.
- A plan B should show the next reliable anchor, rather than require a second perfect day.
01
Why the space between activities needs its own plan
The calendar usually shows only activity A and activity B. Several tasks lie between them, but remain invisible when the switch is abrupt.
End the previous activity
Saving, tidying, saying goodbye or capturing an unfinished thought are real steps. Without an ending, your attention can still be tied to the previous situation.
Understand the new situation
The place, people, sequence, duration and sensory conditions may change. The more you clarify beforehand, the less you need to reconstruct on the spot during the transition.
Account for capacity after the switch
A successful transition can still be tiring. Do not automatically schedule the most demanding task immediately after a social, spatial or sensory transition.
02
Prepare a transition in five steps
The plan is there to give direction, rather than control every possible change. Five short pieces of information are enough for many everyday situations.
1. Name the ending
Define how activity A visibly ends: save the file, write one sentence to help you return, put materials in a box or leave the room.
2. Gather reliable facts
Note the start, place, journey, expected duration, people involved and what you need to bring. Explicitly mark unknowns instead of filling them with guesses.
3. Include a real buffer
A buffer includes more than travel time. It can cover using the bathroom, changing clothes, putting on headphones, waiting or ten quiet minutes before your next interaction.
4. Define the first step at your destination
Name an action that does not need a new major decision: check in at reception, open your workspace or get water and look at the day plan.
5. Note a small plan B
If the place, time or sequence changes, choose just the next reliable anchor again. The rest of the day can stay open for now.
03
Make the plan usable alone or with others
A transition plan helps only when the person using it can understand and adapt it quickly. The format can look very different from person to person.
Choose a suitable format
Short text, a checklist, a sequence of pictures, a calendar block or familiar objects can give direction. Symbols are optional; the presentation needs to be unambiguous for you.
Communicate changes clearly
A useful message says what is changing, what stays the same, when new information will arrive and what choices are available. Visibly remove conflicting old information.
Adjust after the transition
Review just the point with the most friction. The journey may have been clear while the previous task lacked an ending. In that case, the whole plan does not need more detail.
A practical example
Example: move from working at home to a doctor's appointment
The appointment starts at 15:00. The transition gets a short sequence of its own.
- 14:00
- Note your last work sentence, close the file and shut the laptop
- 14:10
- Use the bathroom; check water, headphones and documents
- 14:25
- Leave home; the route is already saved
- At the destination
- Check in at reception, then wait in a quiet area
- Plan B
- Let the practice know if you are late; after the appointment, plan only the journey home and a break
Scope and reliable sources
This page combines lived experience with general information. It does not replace diagnosis or treatment. Official health information is available from the German federal guides on ADHD and autism.
Written by Max Anton Schneider, founder of meinsystem.app. About Max
Sources for the background information
- NICE: Autism spectrum disorder in adults ↗Guideline covering the importance of predictability, clarity, structure, autonomy and individually suitable visual information.
Published and reviewed on · About the author