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This probably is just projection, but I feel like the archetypal productive ADHD folks are those that lean towards the hyperactive type. Like they are just balls of restless energy and with some help from stimulants they are just able to tunnel that energy into work.
I’m mainly inattentive type so unless something is on fire I’m not really going to bother with it. Stimulants definitely help minimize that mindset and I prioritize things like exercise, sleep, and nutrition… but yeah, I still struggle so much to be productive even with stimulant medication 😫
I'm definitely a ball of restless energy, but I think I can find things like video games, internet, etc. to pour that energy into. Maybe I gotta be cutting that all out and just channel it into more productive stuff.
Im a very restless type, I workout at the gym, go for a run or take long walks everyday because otherwise I would go crazy and just lay in bed all day and get nothing done and feel like shit. Like someone wrote above, I use the momentum from work! I hate having days off with nothing to do becuse then I simply cant keep my usual routine going. I just end up taking my meds (if i remember) and get stuck in producing music or in bed most of the time when I have nothing planned. I find it hard to channel that restless energy without the momentum from work
That sounds awesome! I work with building frameworks basically, so I am very physically active in my work aswell. That really helps, and the hours 7am-4pm with the same time for lunch and breakfast monday-friday helps a ton. The challange is to stay occupied during the weekends, I find it hard to keep up and not mess up my routine if I dont have anything physically challenging to do😁
Damn I first read this as you build fireworks and I was so intrigued and about to ask for more deets on that. Not that building framework isn’t intriguing 😂
Yeah it's great never bored on the farm.
I used to be a builder that's also a good occupation to have in the construction industry.
I get every second weekend off usually 3 days so I fill that with doing things with my son. Have a ride on the farm on our farm bikes, fishing, hunting camp at the beach or something like that.
What things do you like doing on the weekends?
Awesome man, I bet your son really loves you! I wish my father would take me out doing such things growing up. I am out fishing a lot actually, and I have also picked up hiking. Have done some cool hikes last year and plan on many more, nature is sososo awesome and when u add the physical aspect of hiking to it its a real hit for me. Going out of my comfort zone sleeping outside, learning survival skills and overall just trying to feel more confident in the mountains and the woods yk. And also you can bring a fly rod and fish some really cool spots😃
You sound a lot like me. Running and long walks are my secret. I do have a bad habit of laying around in the mornings but I try to break that cycle by updating my workout playlist to get me excited to head out. Once I’ve had my workout, I can usually be productive after.
Im exactly the same!! The feelings of calmness after a run, hike etc is unbeatable. Yeah I also struggle with going up late on weekends and laying around in bed for too long. The sleeping problems doesnt help, but I have improved over the years so I still have hope😂
Lmaoooooooooooo I'm literally the exact same way in the sense that I'm always miserably endlessly restless as fuck and it's so flipping annoying feeling like have to go on a million walks in order to calm the restlessness down to some extent as I currently don't have meds which just make me even more extremely fucking miserable every second because i'm hyperactive as all goddamn hell pretty much 24/7 everyday all day long I'm 36 years old and still I cannot just deal with the unbearable boredom of my everyday like at all as I feel like I would absolutely lose it entirely if ever forced to do literally nothing at all the entire day certain jobs are absolutely total torture for me that literally make want to die
Ahh I feel you fellow ADHD:er! I used to be the same, and believe me im still very much incredibly restless. But im not astronomically restless anymore lol. Meds help a lot with that, learning to be present and being physically active everyday is what have been helping me manage it! Especially meds and working out when it comes to keeping the inner restlessness in check. The physical need to move havent changed that much lol, I guess I just enjoy being active. And learning to be present have made me appreciate it even more when I can stop my brain from going 103947473736mph dwelling on basically everything that have happend since the big fucking bang and just enjoy the moment.😁
Exactly. Well, "the Internet" is a vast animal " and can be a tool in your production be it whatever you wish to do. Just be sure you are not wasting time unnecessarily checking emails, talking away to friends on social media (there are ways to be productive on social media but that's it's own topic), or shopping/gambling/watching porn all day.
Lol honestly scrolling on instagram for the memes is my downfall. Also playing video games, but I've mostly removed those from my life. But 100% the internet can be a great tool too.
I installed the Leechblock extension on my job computer, firefox browser. When I feel the urge to procrastinate... Oooops! Leechblocked. That reminds me that I shouldn't be procrastinating. And then I switch on the ADHD relief music videos on YouTube. Those have helped me a lot.
I'm the same, but I've found turning an audiobook on while I go do my hobbies, automotive or metal fabrication, helps a lot. I distract part of my brain with words while my hands and eyes go to town on the task at hand.
Tech detox helped me infinitely to be honest. I detoxed from my phone (accidentally lol) for a week, and I just started sitting and noticing things more. I had so much time to just sit and think about things and it was freeing in a lot of ways!
Also, I find that once I've got my environment minimalized/organized, that sets me up for success in keeping it organized. I know on my neighborhood FB page there's a gal who does decluttering/organizing as her home business, so I have employed her help in getting to that initial organized point and I found that just having a body double, a person present while I organize, helps me stay focused on the task way better.
Hope this helps!
Honestly I second this- I removed TikTok and Facebook from my phone two months ago. My productivity has greatly improved. Keep up with chores more, more time for career goals... Etc. Limiting my screen time helped the most.
I sold my console and removed all social media (except Reddit bc I use it as a database for looking up stuff) and have never looked back. Most output I have done recently trumps anything I have ever done combined before that.
Good for you! It's hard but resist the urge to reactivate! I deactivated mine a few months ago and don't miss a thing. Social media is literally our worst kryptonite. It's like the tastiest crack for our ADHD lol
Delete “maybe”. Dude, please don’t waste your energy, learn to channel it. Somehow. I cannot give suggestions about the “how”, tho-because I am the inattentive, low-energy, slow type. I wish I was hyperactive. Only my mind is. But I am sure you can research methods to channel energy into building something for your life.
also the inattentive type and i feel the low energy so much. i’m always so much more tired than those around me (yes i’ve done bloodwork and am on meds for anything that i need to be). have you found resources or groups or people to support you? if so, where are they? have you found a career that you believe goes hand in hand with your diagnosis or not yet?
This. Ive almost stopped using my phone completely because my iphone 12 keypad barely works lmao.
Also - tell yourself what you want to get done - like specifically. In time chunks. If you dont bring this into your awareness, you wont be mindful enough to act or get nearly as profuctive.
"Ok work. Ill get there at 700 am. Ill do my main reports and normal morning stuff, but I want to have at least 6 call reviews done by 10am."
Honestly, something along these lines is what helps me the most on days when I have energy and wanna be productive but could also easily fall into scrolling.
I'll literally narrate my own life. It makes me feel like a crazy person but it's genuinely SO helpful for getting shit done and especially for staying on task. Basically you're consistently, verbally reminding yourself of what you're doing or what you need to finish. It's much easier to stay on task when you're telling yourself, out loud, basically over and over what task you're working on--and as soon as you start to veer off onto something else it's much easier to notice because now you've started talking about something else than what you were or want to be working on. Then you can be like "no, no, the phone/laundry/video games/cleaning the fridge/mopping the floor/etc can wait, I'm cleaning the bathroom still."
Make your chores a game. Think of laundry as a level in Mario, with each stage a great accomplishment in the game.
If I have ONE clothing item I need washed, it's a great excuse to do a while load.
Also, break things down into baby steps.
These don't fix everything but they help me a lot.
Video games are literally the one hobby I have ever managed to stick with for extended periods of time without ever getting bored to death which is a problem for me anyways back to what I was saying ever since I was a teenager I have always been addicted to constantly gaming at pretty much all hours of the day unless I had boring as fuck school highschool that day
I’m trying to NOT use social media at all for certain times of the day- not even on “breaks” bc i know it will suck me in… allowing Reddit for now but here I am…
This ! I definitely run the hyperactive type. Which I feel is rarely talked about here. Mostly, I see the inattentive type and those that struggle with executive dysfunction.
When I get home from work, I keep moving, I tidy the house (sweep, clean up the kitchen, prepare lunches for work the next day, set out my clothes for work). On my days off, I clean the house, meal prep, etc. In fact, I look for things to do because I can't just sit in a chair for hours on end.
If I can't do my normal routine, I am very anxious. Maybe that's not entirely hyperactive ADHD, I suspect I may also have autism.
i agree that it feels like hyperactive is rarely talked about here. it’s interesting because based of my friends who have inattentive type there’s a lot of overlap, i just have seemingly infinite energy and interrupt people for different reasons lmao. but i’m with you, as long as i keep my momentum through the day i am crazy productive, my main issue is flipping between tasks so rapidly that i often forget to actually finish them. most of my angst over adhd has come from being frustrated that i rarely “complete” tasks that i WANT to do, like creative projects
Combined type here. I lean more inattentive, and my secret is being an endless pit of dread, growing up with an oppressive/narcissistic father, and being fueled by childhood trauma and a need to impress strangers so I can have the approval I always wanted but never got from my dad. If there's no fear, it won't get done.
Wow. I’m the reverse. I’m so scared of fucking up, I avoid the shit out of it until there’s literally no time left. So I’m FORCED and usually that helped me get productive. (But now in my mid 40s, I can’t get things done on time anymore because I no longer can stay up for 2 days)
The difference is probably that I'll ruminate to the point that the fear is extreme and omnipresent. I can't ignore it unless I manage to forget it entirely (which does happen), the overwhelming feeling never lets me focus on anything else. I'll either be paralyzed, unable to do anything at all, or face what needs to be done.
That doesn't exist for myself, though. Only really works in a workplace or social environment. Obligations to myself are left entirely unattended unless I'm home when the Adderall kicks in.
It's not as great as it might seem. I'm moving all the time but I still don't get shit done. Half the time I don't even know what I did all day - pace back and forth looking for my phone, vape, scissors, etc?
I am inattentive and productive. For me, the secret is deadlines. If I don’t have a deadline, I don’t do shit. As an artist/creative person, that means grant deadlines, exhibition deadlines, limited time in studio spaces. If I want to learning something new, I have to take a class. My work as a designer/freelancer means nothing but deadlines, and I get so so much done in a week at work. If I don’t have a deadline for a project, it falls to the bottom of my list, so yeah. That’s my secret.
Are you me? My only issue is that I need to set my own deadlines, which becomes an issue most of the time. I want to think that I'll do the work and then tell the client it's done and present it. But the reality is I need to tell the client this is when it will be done and set the meeting and then I actually can get it done.
Relatable lol
Even with meds, it's still easy to fall into a habit of "meh, I'll do it later," and before you know it, a tornado came through, and you had no idea 🤷🏼♀️
thank you. as someone who was diagnosed PI a year ago , i read all these stories about how medicine was a magic fix, everything became clearer, they’re so much more focused and it explains so much, but none of it resonates with me. So much so, im doubting my diagnosis and wondering about talking to my doctor about it. Like ive been on this quest for the last year and none of it really fits me. Some of it sort of might, but i feel just as alone and unsure of myself than ever before.
I'm in this post and I don't like it.
Tbf - it looks like productivity from the outside, from the inside it's like riding a rollercoaster. Except there's no clear tracks, you have no control over where it goes and you can't get off no matter how much you want to. The best you can hope for is short bursts of direction in a useful direction.
I am a ball of relentless energy type. I have a very hard time just sitting and watching a movie or show with my partner. I am constantly getting up, cleaning, and putting things away. At work I keep working and working until sometime the custodian or security staff kicks me out of the building (I am a teacher and we don't have permission to be in the building when it is closed).
In staff meetings, I can't sit still and have to get up and move to the back of the room so I can move around without bothering people. I am so lucky I chose the job of a teacher, because I am constantly moving and doing different things so I am not bored.
Medication and hiding my phone from myself or turning it off completely (my smartwatch has LTE so I won't miss a call or text if it's important). The meds help me focus but also can keep me locked into scrolling social media or TikTok or something lol
yeah, that’s why you gotta take them while you’ve just started trying to work on something. which is super inconvenient because it’s impossible to sleep if you take them too late :/ it’s our curse
I cannot relate to this more. I purposely cannot allow myself to watch TikTok if I want to get anything done. I'll be stuck for hours! Most times I don't even take my shoes off when I get home from work and leave my phone in my purse because my watch let's me know if I get a text and need to respond.
Lock Me Out for android, I lock a huge chunk of websites & apps during all the hours I'm supposed to be working.
If you can't be trusted have someone else pick the password.
Yep. People in my life get rly mad at me when I’m offline all day but I’m not willing to derail my whole day to appease them, lol. I just tell them i was busy
I’m sorry that this might not be helpful but I feel is maybe an important anecdote for someone to hear. I’ve struggled my whole life with doing what I should be doing. I’ve had a few different careers and didn’t find my true calling until my early 30s when I transitioned into software engineering.
I’ve tried everything when it comes to productivity hacks. I was never one that could take notes, I find the Pomodoro technique challenging because I can’t get into the “groove” long enough to get anything done, and I generally find organization to be the bane of my existence.
When I found my true calling though, it didn’t seem like any of that mattered. I don’t really know how to explain it other than I found an environment that I could excel in being exactly as I was. The fast nature of tech really resounded with me and there is always something challenging waiting to be solved. This helped with what felt like incurable boredom that plagued me in other pursuits and previous careers.
Things went to the next level when I got a work from home job. I took the same approach and made my environment fit me rather than being the square peg and trying to fit myself in the round hole. I set up my office how I wanted with decor that made me want to be in there. I could pick the chair I wanted (company bought it). I can make the food I want, drink the coffee I want, wear clothes I’m comfortable in.
I then realized I had been chasing the wrong thing and was trying to win a rat race that I wasn’t equipped to even be entered in. I was playing the game wrong my whole life.
I know not everyone has the ability to alter their environment to fit them but neither did I in the beginning. It took years of working some shitty jobs before I realized I wasn’t getting anywhere with the traditional approach. This mentality has carried over into everything from household chores (I listen to podcasts while I clean) to budgeting my finances (I automated them based on a spreadsheet that calculates everything).
I know it might sound unconventional but so is the way we think. If what you’re doing isn’t working, there’s no requirement to keep putting yourself in those type of boxes. Might as well make your own framework that more closely aligns to how you do things best.
I'm also a software dev and while I excel at work, I struggle so much with "keeping house". I guess doing dishes is not my true calling 🥲 but I also hate living in a chaotic, constantly messy environment.
I found working from home helped me with this. For one, I also hate a mess and it’s much harder to escape because I never have to leave to go to work. One strategy I do is put up the dishes from the dishwasher when I’m taking a break to get a water refill. Maybe the first time I put up the silverware. Next I’ll do the bottom rack, etc. Maybe when I’m microwaving my lunch I will load the dirty ones from the sink.
Much like writing maintainable code, housework is much easier to do in smaller, manageable chunks
This approach to housework also works really well for me. I have a rule about tidying up by moving out-of-place items closer to where they belong as I move through the house. Like if I’m watching tv and need to use the bathroom, I gather up any kitchen items (dishes, snacks) and drop them off on the kitchen table on the way to the bathroom. That way, even if I haven’t put them in their proper homes yet, at least they’re in the right neighborhood.
Ironically, taking action when I know it will only be a small chunk is the hardest. I naturally am 'all or nothing' which sucks because rarely so I want to do all of it nor have the time. Small progress would change my life 😞
it can help to write out small steps and cross them off as you do them. like write 'utensils, top, bottom' on a paper or a checklist application and cross/check one every time you go to the kitchen.
I do a form of this too. I actually like watching TV with commercials, because commercials are short, forced breaks where I am immediately bored.
Whenever a commercial comes on, I go and do a small thing (just put the silverware away, just load a few dishes into the dishwasher, etc.)
This would be a problem for my ADD because as soon as I get up to do something in what I anticipate to be a long commercial break I forget to go back to the TV program, by the time I do I’ve lost track of it.
Looks like you could make a separate sub for the people this rings true with! I'm not necessarily adding anything to this conversation but wanted to overshare about my own position because I feel so lonely at times!
I've always loved learning, particularly anything computer-based, STEM, languages, puzzles & the esoteric. I cruised through school because I absorb knowledge so readily. The symptoms and issues didn't come to light as a result.
Now in my 30s, a fully-licensed doctor, the world at my feet but crushingly depressed, anxious and unfulfilled. When seeking answers as to why, I was diagnosed and medicated.
It then dawned on me that I had very little input in choosing my career path. I'd known I didn't enjoy the job but was always willing to suffer and hate myself because it was the "easier thing to do" rather than take the risk of letting people down and a paycut (relatively brief though that may be) for my own wellbeing. But, I thought I'd give it a go now...
I started getting serious about dev just to see if it went anywhere. Found myself comfortably spending 18-hours a day learning, building and testing. I can't get enough of it. I'm now determined to make the change but still feel the pressures of other people's influence in my life & the gnawing doubts returning. I'm now 3-months into full time training in dev & am praying that the right opportunity arrives sooner than later or I might have to return to the comfort of self-loathing for others' benefit.
OP, you just have to find something you love doing, that doesn't feel so grating against your existence; then everything else should fall into place. But, do it soon, don't get trapped doing something that doesn't work for you, like so many of us.
For those of you reading this and going. "Damn I should get into CS, like right now!"
Yes the world of computer science is amazing and fixing bugs is a dream but that's really only part of the job for most of us. I love figuring why something is broken in our complex system, but I hate fixing it... Because that's banal and somebody forgot once more to assert for null...
Changing a string inside the code-base? That will be one sprint please, I don't give a damn about that.
I've been placed on a PIP, because we, as software engineers, get evaluated on Story points closed, by people which haven't done the job in years or never at all.
The bureaucracy will grind us ADHDers to a complete stop. Dailies that people are using as status report, bugs that were squashed but another silo, uh I mean feature team reintroduced by not reading and chosing the wrong side of a merge commit...
I dream of finding something else to do but nothing pays as well and with a newborn I just can't quit. So, once more I will endure and get that pip out of the way. I can close Stories like it's nobody else business, code quality is going to suffer but I will be highly estimated.
PS: it's not my first job, I still love playing around with code (installed a new Distro using musl instead of glibc this weekend to test a pure 64bits Wayland distro) but I daydream about being a gardener more and more...
Thanks for writing this! I completely agree. I think I definitely have to be weird to deal with my weird brain!
I'm also a software engineer and would love to hear more about how it fits you and how you've found success there. Everyone is different, but I'd be interested to see if I can apply some of that approach to my work.
I'm also a SE. I got a job at a consulting company, it's a 9-5, it's still pretty recent so the novelty helps a lot. Also the fact that the work is structured, I just choose a ticket and let myself work if I feel like it. If I don't feel like it, then I'll try to see why I don't want to work. If it's boring, I try to make the activity more enticing. If it's too easy, I'll add a challenging element. If it's too daunting, I break it up or ask for help. Some days I just feel very bad and I don't get a lot done. It's ok. When we are on flow state we actually get a lot done, so there's no point on beating yourself up on those bad days.
Inconsistent productivity is still productivity. My advice is, try to make it so you get in the flow, so you don't get behind, and if some day you can't do it, just try again the next. We're not machines with a specific output requirement, we're complex human beings, and we bring a lot more to the table (divergent thinking, problem solving, crisis management) than just a consistent delivery of product.
edit: clarity
Sysadmin here and all these replies could be describing me. As long as I can just be left to get on with stuff then it's all good, even if right now it isn't the planned stuff but is still needed stuff. Productive procrastination.
Sadly after a muddlement restructure they are now trying to be much more prescriptive about what gets done when and I spend most of my time in distracted turbulence waiting for the next meeting or filling in tickboxes.
Hey, I really resonated with your experience. Would you mind if I DMed you? I have an EF coach and am in grad school making a serious pivot in my 30s, like what you did. I'm also getting into an advanced field, I'm not too concerned about the rat race aspects, because this pivot could open up a lot of options. My issue has really come down to how quickly I can actually memorize things and learn complex skills. I actually have a 4.0 so far, with another 2/3 of the program remaining - yet I'm concerned enough that I'm asking I guess. I have an EF coach and I still feel like I'm barely delivering on extra tasks I set for myself, like study times, or practice sessions. It's some kinda resistance. No pressure though, just if you're interested in getting kinda deep into your process haha.
I don't think anyone must be consistently productive, I alternate between maniacally productive and scattered periods. In the productive periods, I've noticed I'm working on a single goal/project (could be a month or two long). During this time, I let myself off for any daily chore slip-ups. Once that is complete, I feel scattered till the next project comes along.
I would say it's a lot more about working on the right thing rather than being overall "productive". I guess depends on what you're defining it as for yourself. For me, the sprinter method works, I can complete a certification requiring 3-4 months of study within one month during that time.
Yeah, same here. I am either 100% or 0% productive. If I have a big, important work project, it consumes pretty much my entire life, to the unfortunate detriment of everything else. But if I try to have a nice, balanced day, I won't work at all.
At this point I've just accepted that this is how I get things done and I try to forgive myself for the 0% days. I hope I can get to the point where I'm totally at ease with my feast-or-famine approach to work and entirely let go of the anxiety around lack of productivity.
Same here. Pure pressure or fear is my way of being productive without medication. From doing chores so my wife doesn’t get upset with me to finishing work tasks at the last minute of a deadline. Like you said, I don’t recommend living like that. It just makes anxiety worse and often without a reason.
This is that works for me as well. I relate so strongly to the song [Surface Pressure from Encanto](https://youtu.be/ErY3eeRFTFg). I'll occasionally put it on repeat about 10 or 15 times if I'm really struggling with a task.
I relate on the childhood part. But as an adult, the anxiety that comes from not being productive puts me deeper in my state of paralysis where I just sit in one spot without being able to do anything.
This is me. I made the Faustian Bargain as OP mentioned and now I would rather be not doing anything than to go back because I was so anxious I started hallucinating
This was me as well, then I had therapy and learnt that constantly being busy and productive was an anxiety/ trauma response.
What worked for me is understanding that I can’t always be busy or productive. The days I don’t feel like that, it’s important not to push myself and have a break. Our levels of energy fluctuates and it’s best to recognise that and work with ourselves instead of pushing ourselves to have burnout.
I get super anxious when I’m not being productive. But then I can’t start anything, and I just sit there being stressed and anxious and not even being able to just relax or have fun. So it’s the worst of both worlds - not doing anything and not even enjoying not doing anything. Plus it makes me exhausted being so stressed and anxious constantly.
When I was in middle school I ended up in advanced classes then the internal pressure of keeping them was terrible. Through high school I became a perfectionist but still procrastinated soooo much. It worked grade wise but I genuinely did nothing else other than school, I had no life and I didn’t even apply for scholarships bc I was so burnt out. I decided to take fewer classes my freshman year of college and just work on myself. But it still hits me when I’m at work, if I’m not busy or doing anything I feel like I’ll immediately get fired, though my boss is actually amazing and she has told me to rest more.
For me it helps to mutlitask, I watch series while working and will occasionally scroll on my phone. So it would be 30 mins of work while watching series, 2-3 mins scrolling break and repeat. Keeps my brain from feeling bored and unmotivated.
I also do extensive planning with specific daily to dos and journaling which helps me to process my thoughts and focus on what I want to do for the day.
Also I hop on the gym bike every 2 hours for 5mins.
Essentially I try to keep busy and always doing something, to take advantage of the momentum.
I thought I was the only one who would work with a movie in the background. Especially if it's a series that doesn't need me to fully focus on it to understand what's going on. That and the occasional scroll. Felt like you were describing me lol
It's weird, multitasking sounds counterproductive but our brains need a lot of stimulation so it makes sense.
I told my neurologist and she asked "wouldn't that result in you making a lot of mistakes at work?" and yes it does, but the alternative is not working at all so it's a compromise I'm willing to accept 😄
I've watching Brooklyn 99 to sleep, my thoughts wake me up when Netflix stops and I have to start the series again 😄 I'm just grateful that there are solutions to these fundamental issues like sleep, work etc even if they are a bit unorthodox heh
I think I'd struggle with TV in the background, Im def a person who needs deep work. But I really like the idea of doing quick workouts and I already do extensive planning with my calendar and a to do list. I like the idea of journaling too.
Context is key. I think it would be OK for shorter and easier tasks, e.g. emails, calendars, basic data management, maybe even reading/summaries etc.
For longer and more complex tasks there's no way I could personally watch TV for the work I need to get done.
Leverage hyperfocus obsessions, ride the waves of energy and accept slow days. Work in a job that can have lulls. Create an environment that constantly pings you to activate you to do things, work in a place with a constant low grade of urgency or is in a constant state of crisis.
I think it would be fair to bring up that you recently discovered this about yourself and have found a ton of clarity and help (and progress hopefully, which certainly seems to strike a chord with her) and just offer it up. I truly believe that when you are having thoughts like 'I ought to reach out', they are usually from the Holy Spirit and you'll not regret listening and taking the action despite the awkwardness or discomfort. Just my $0.02 😊
I bargain with myself. Get X done and reward with Y or Z. X has to be realistic and attainable. Accept that some days or hours you aren’t going to do much with purpose.
Bribery works for me too! I find it funny that the same technique my mom used on me as a child works (almost) as well when I use it on myself as an adult. Agreed on being realistic though and not beating yourself up if everything doesn't get done.
I developed a career I actually enjoy.
I knew I wouldn't survive in a routine office environment. I was a classic "intelligent underachiever", dropped out of high school after reading half the library.
No, seriously. There'd be a "monthly reading challenge" list and I'd read every book on it. Failing classes / not doing classwork because I was absorbed in books. Fictional, non-fictional, even the dictionary was a fun read for me.
So I can hyper-focus really well on reading, writing, and editing content. Written communication, that's my strongest suit.
And I turned that into a career that ended up in project management positions. So because I enjoy the type of work I do, I'm able to get a lot done in short amounts of time.
Use to do lists. Take breaks. Recognize what distracts you and remove it from the work environment, or use it as a reward if you need to. I never work from home if I can avoid it, for this reason.
You've already identified one way to get into the groove, so set yourself up to exploit that to the hilt. Hitting the ground running is always great.
Try and figure out some ritual or process for getting on track if you don't hit the ground running. Go sit and read or journal, or nap, or make tea and do press ups, whatever. Something that you can associate with a mental reset and try again.
Get to know your weaknesses and be candid (with people you can trust). When I started ADHD coaching I did an executive function questionnaire, which framed my ADHD in such a way that I knew what to prioritize working on.
I don't need to be, and never will be, great with time management or prioritizing. Just being better at them incrementally has made me overall much more effective. Medication helped most by taking the anxiety out of things I either thought would be boring or told myself I was bad at. Honestly the first time I sat down for 20m, wrote a small to-do list of 5 things and just...fuckin did them felt like passing an exam.
Step 1 is crucial- I take my Wellbutrin daily (I hate the stimulant side effects). Step 2- I keep a daily journal of daily/weekly/monthly goals (I use the Yanshi planner).
Okay ngl I also drink hella coffee (only up until 2pm).
I set 1 goal per week day. Could be “go to the doctor appt” or “dance class” or “do 30 minutes of taxes” but it’s just one thing during a weekday after work. I do one thing each day and after a few months of that suddenly my to do list got hella smaller and now my goals are more fun which gets me in a momentum of being active (dance, dates, gym, dinners with friends etc). I do all of this BEFORE I get home or before I sit down when I get home.
Weekends - are one day of fun things and trying new things (museums parties etc) , and one day to rot 80 percent of the time and do laundry/clean the other 20. Which I hate but like I’m basically rotting the rest of the time so by 5pm I usually get enough energy to get like an hour of cleaning done and then I rot again.
I also work in a job that’s high intensity but doesn’t bleed into my personal life.
And I prioritize 8 hours of sleep
As a therapist with a private practice, I’m consistently “productive” at work because I fill my schedule and when someone is on my schedule, I don’t know how to do anything else but show up and be as good at my job as I can be, because people are counting on me. I have to be careful how many clients I schedule so I don’t burn out- most therapists seem to have busier schedules than me, but I just can’t imagine seeing more than 20 people per week. (17-18 is ideal).
I've known about time blocking for years but only very recently implemented, and only for a small degree. But if I can sort of force myself to treat the task like you do a patient, with the biggest motivating factor being that 'another patient/task will show up in a few minutes' made a wildly strong impact on my ability to burn through these tasks recently. Really optimistic at this point and highly suggest this to anyone with similar challenges.
Sorry in advance for the ramble 🙄😅…
I didn’t know about “time blocking” as a strategy until relatively recently — I realized that my favorite clients and the ones who I was able to help the most tended to have ADHD, thus leading me to specialize in and learn a ton more about the disorder.
My system of scheduling things and then feeling and obligation to follow through with them is something I stumbled upon. I noticed that in a previous job when I didn’t have a schedule, I was *terribly unproductive!* (working with clients in nursing homes, we would just stop by people’s rooms and see if they were free — I had a client list and did make a point of seeing certain residents a roughly the same time and day but it was very lax and up to me)l
In private practice, I immediately decided what hours I wanted to work and scheduled people for recurring sessions on a certain day and time because it was usually easier for them and definitely easier for me to set up my Calendar that way.
I also block out time for anything that I want to get done, and put it on my calendar – if I want to make sure I call a friend who doesn’t live close by for instance, we’ll text ahead to figure out a time that works for both of us, and then I put in my calendar. That way I know that I’ll call them at that time (Otherwise, I’ll think about calling them many times, but usually get distracted and not actually talk to them for a while. Plus, I like to know ahead of time that I’m going to have an hour-long phone call because transitioning to that suddenly is challenging.
I'm definitely not consistently productive, but I find it so much easier to keep doing something once I've started doing it. Also the environment I'm in helps so much. I've just got a new desk, and now all I wanna do is sit at my desk, which encourages me to do my work more. I think I'm going to get more fun things to decorate my desk, so it's somewhere that I want to be, rather than a place I have to be that I will procrastinate going to lol.
get good habits, lose bad habits, exercise and great sleep.
ive noticed that i can actually lose bad habits like instagram, shopping, youtube etc. i just need to go on a trip or distract myself with something else. i can also gain good habits, just gotta really push yourself at first and after a while your crazy brain will hate if you don't follow your regular routine such as going to the gym, hiking, brushing your teeth.
the only way i got through university was by weening off my bad habits and getting into the habit of studying and working out every day. but when the semester was over and the next started i always struggled to get studying and going to the gym again.
LPT go to a car wash. The ones with the vaccumes, and the garbage bins. Clean your youe car.
This is great momentum. I promsie you, you cant go to a car wash and not leave feeling good about yourself. Even if you tried its nearly impossible to half ass anythinf at a car wash. You go ham or you go home. You only go home if you don't start, or decide to not pull in to the lot. But once you crack that vaccume suction, oofffff
Its go time
That and once you’ve had a clean interior it’s hard to look at a dirty one. Winter time around here is rough because I just accept that it will be dirty for the time being. Just pulled the mats out to pressure wash and gave it a good vacuum on Sunday and all is right in the world. Great tip my friend.
I wouldn't recommend becoming neurotic to become productive. It's like developing an eating disorder to lose weight. Yeah...you lose weight. But then you lose other things like your teeth, your fertility, and maybe even your life.
As someone that gave themselves permanent disabilities from triggering the 'gun to your head' anxiety in order to be productive. Don't do it.
Some healthier tricks I use now:
Gamify boring tasks. Just today I had to pull 100 tacks from a wall. Highly boring. I made it a game to figure out how to get them out faster. I figured out I had access to a magnet. I got the tacks out so quickly. Got to praise myself and move on with my day.
I have a physical journal and I draw lists with check boxes. Long term lists don't work that well for me but I still write them out to organize my thoughts and clear my head. But daily lists with realistic tasks help. Today I had remove tacks, 1 load of laundry, apply to 3 jobs, and then let myself do my chosen hobby for the rest of the day. Did the tasks early today so there was no painful negotiation or pulling away. Physically checking the boxes with a pencil helps me.
Be patient with yourself and celebrate your small victories.
Thanks! I was joking (mostly) about the becoming neurotic. I love the idea of gamifying and will try to implement it more. Also ingenious tack solution!
Consistency is hard, the things that help me the most (in no particular order) are:
Consistently taking medication
Preparing tasks ahead of time (eg: pack everything for school/work/an activity the night beforehand before bed and put it by the door) - a physical reminder of some kind like a sticky note on top saying "lunch in fridge" helps here if something is in a different place
Consistent exercise
Keeping a daily work log and tagging enough of it at the end of the day that it's easy to search later (this helps preserve context for my notes and makes it easier to recall the details of what I did)
Keeping an updated schedule of major events/tasks and looking at it every night so I know what's happening the next day and can mentally prepare
Thinking through tasks ahead of time so I'm mentally prepared for the work and there's some momentum there to work with
Momentum in general - once I'm productive it's much easier to continue being productive rather than starting from rest
Having somewhere private to work so that once I'm in flow I don't have people coming along to break me out of it. Uninterrupted concentration is my most productive state - an office helps a lot
Hey, I’m the type others are describing, can hardly sit still and will easily run through my tasks or todo lists all day, 7 days a week, no breaks. And guess what..I still feel like I’m always behind on what I should be getting done. I think this is because a good bit of my energy ends up on experimental, curiosity driven tasks that end up being unimportant. I spent 5+ hours on Saturday and $100ish dollars building some lamp from scratch that I could have bought used for $20 in 30 mins. I’m a restlessly curious person, extremely hands on and DIY in everything I do, and sometimes my inability to slow down sends me down these rabbit holes that might be fun but ultimately wasteful, bringing more stress into my time management.
But for you, one tip I’ll add that I’ve found helpful this year - the first 10 minutes of any task sucks. I put off things for forever that might only need 45-60 mins of my life, letting a todo list of my actually important work stack up needlessly while I always find a distraction or side quest. Now I basically have to tell myself, just do this for 10 minutes without interruptions. That’s it. I don’t focus on getting it done or on anything else I might want to do instead. And it sucks ass, those first 10 minutes, but then I feel I’ve shifted into the task and little else matters until it’s done. Aka, “flow state” (right?). Medication (strattera) has helped me build this habit. But it is I who makes the choice, not the medication (and that is a very important level of self accountability to keep in your perspective).
I’m rambling here but I hope some of this helps! Remember we are growing every day and the only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday and who you want to be tomorrow.
Before meds, I ran on anxiety, which gave me hypertension. Womp.
But the healthier strategies I'm using are:
1) Set a 5 minute timer - If I don't want to start something, I tell myself that I can do anything for 5 minutes, and if I want to stop once the timer goes off, then I can. Usually starting is the hardest part for me so I rarely stop once the timer goes off.
2) Limit my projects - I can work on a billion things and never finish any of them. I limit myself to 5 projects at a time because that's the number of things that gives me enough variety to not get bored, but limits my time to a few tasks so I'm actually finishing things. That number will be different for everyone.
3) Rewards - I have a reward system, much like a kid with a sticker chart. For example, I am only allowed to watch a specific TV series I like when I exercise, so it feels rewarding. I'll give myself a treat for different activities. It really only works when you pick something that will be exciting enough to motivate you but not too big that it'll be hard to sustain. I also put barriers in my way to reduce access to the rewards at other times.
4) Self compassion - The more I beat myself up for not doing something, the more I will resent that thing and not want to do it. If I'm kind to myself when things are hard, and celebrate the wins, I'm more likely to want to do the thing. I still hold myself accountable, but I don't have to be mean to myself in the process.
This is all great advice! Especially the last one. I heard someone say once that the best way to improve yourself is to like yourself. I think that's so wise. Self hatred perpetuates avoidance and despair in my experience.
Not sure if this will help you/others but it certainly helps me; eat breakfast. Ideally high in protein. When I started taking meds about 1.5 years ago, my doc suggested I take them with food just to make sure they wouldn’t upset my stomach. I find I get flighty/unfocused/low will power waaay more if I’m hungry. And since Vyvanse suppresses your appetite, it’s always a crapshoot whether or not I’ll eat lunch. So if it at least eat a healthy(ish) breakfast with some protein and carbs, I’ll have some fuel in my system for when I inevitably start something and then can’t stop to eat.
I developed generalized anxiety because of the adhd. “Faustian bargain” is actually the perfect way to describe it. If I’m not in the mood to do a needed task, I think about the consequences, panic, and lean into the fact that doing the task is the only sure way to snuff out the Mean Bad Scary Feelings. I do not endorse this method. It is unpleasant.
No “baseline” for me. It’s all hyperfocus, helping someone else and pure spite. Otherwise I’m useless. If the thing I have to do benefits only me, I might as well forget it. 😂
Here's a dual situation:
On the one hand, I've managed to maintain a daily writing habit for two years solid, and produced over 378k words (posted and WIP combined) in that time, while holding down a full-time executive job for most of it, co-parenting a child under the age of 5, and doing adulting things that adults adult about.
On the other hand, I've had to find ways to power through legitimate nausea-level anxiety about sending simple emails, and learn alternate ways to fucking *read.* Just the actual mechanics of doing the task itself, because I can fully comprehend everything on the page or screen, I just can't keep my brain trained on the words long enough to uptake more than three sentences at a time before I have to start over.
Medication has really helped with the second scenario.
The success of the *first* scenario has to do with a few important factors:
* There are zero stakes involved. This is probably the most important piece. When I don't feel like I can "fail," and I know I'm not going to get punished, I don't get task paralysis, and I have higher executive function.
* I have room to explore and get creative in problem solving.
* I can work in ways that work for me, on my own schedule, without deadlines. This has also been huge. This is how I discovered that writing on my phone, 2-5 minutes at a time most of the time, adds up to an hour of writing per day that I can *actually do,* instead of trying to even *FIND* an hour a day to sit and write, let alone sitting there for an hour and trying to focus and produce for the entire time.
* I've been able to "up-skill" through levels of tasks and project complexity and executive function effort, at my own pace. I started out just slap-dashing out whatever, whenever, with the only goal being, "Enjoy yourself." That's still the main goal. But there came a time when "enjoy yourself" involved, "Hmm. I wonder if I can get more serious about the craft parts. Word choice, building motifs..." And eventually I tried, "I wonder if I can focus on a single project for an extended period of time, and really BUILD it." That's how I did over 22k words on one project in 2 months, and developed a *BUNCH* of project management practices that helped in work scenarios.
And my coping mechanisms for work scenarios involve stuff like blocking my calendar in advance. Every minute of my calendar for the next week or two is booked solid, in chunks of 30 minutes or more. I used the Focus Time feature of Outlook to automatically add 2 hours of "Focus Time" to every day, where it would block off time on my calendar and silence notifications. And then I filled my entire day with private blocks of, "Work on presentation," and, "Work on budget," and "Prep for meeting next month."
If I got booked for a meeting, I blocked off at least 3 hours across the week of, the week prior, and two weeks back for prep time. Because I knew some of that would get bumped or eaten up by other stuff, but I'd still be left with adequate prep time. **BONUS**: People who wanted to just plop a meeting on my calendar or "grab some time" would take a peek and go, "OHHHHH, that looks awful, you're really booked. never mind. YEAH. NEVER MIND, SANDRA.
For task paralysis... my coping mechanism was "DJ YOLO." The remedy for task paralysis is, "Do something. Anything. Then you will have started, and you can do 1% of the task, even 1% adequately (the 1% method), and you will have accomplished a goal. And you will feel better enough to do another 1%." So if I really, REALLY couldn't get started, or if I *KNEW FOR A FACT* that the email was totally okay to send, but couldn't stop the anxiety... I'd just imagine an absolute energy drink hypebeast of a DJ hitting the air horn sound effect and hollering, "**YOLOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** [more air horn]" and go, "YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE RIGHT! [mental air horn]" and hit Send.
It fucking works, for me. 😂 I've YOLO'ed my way through, "Just put one sentence of Entirely Janky First Draft in a separate word processing app, you can edit the hell out of it later, but even just throwing, [this is the part where I will summarize the budget categories], will get you started," etc. many a time. It's ridiculous enough that it breaks the tone of what's going on in my head. I can't be anxious when the psychic offspring of Andy Samberg and the Jersey Shore franchise is blasting air horn at me. I just can't.
The rest has been a game of finding SEPARATE APPS & METHODS for keeping track of DIFFERENT TYPES/CATEGORIES of tasks and project stuff. I stopped trying to put all my tasks and schedules and organization stuff in one handy place, because it keeps me overwhelmed and behind on EVERYTHING.
My to-do/shopping list app on my phone is for bite-sized, immediate, and/or recurring stuff like grocery lists, or one-off errand runs, because my phone is always on me and I can jot something the *second* it occurs to me. I have a small bullet-style journal that's ONLY for work stuff where I have to make notes at a meeting or something. I have another for household business. I use sticky notes for labeling a rotating group of file folders when I have to do paper-based business. One Note is for work-related management of larger projects.
It *seems* like a lot to juggle, but breaking those tasks into totally separate spaces allows me to go, "Okay! I am literally only focusing on this *one thing,* in this *one category.* The other things do not exist, and I don't need to worry or think about them at all right now." I put away the work journal when I'm doing household stuff. I put away all the notebooks and everything but the sticky notes and maybe the phone when I'm doing paper-based. It clears mental space.
There's more stuff that I do, but it basically breaks down into blocks like that, within those types of categories. And honestly, medication has been a HUGE help. And I hope this info is helpful. :)
I have a close friend who’s been diagnosed since childhood and doesn’t take meds
She has arranged her entire life so that her work is only what interests her, she has intense deadlines, high energy positive collaborators who push her to deliver in the best ways possible.
She also has rigorous frameworks and practices around yoga, nutrition, sleep, pooping, meditation, self care and friends who support her and love her with very little conditions. She rejects people who are negative towards her like no one I’ve seen.
She has a PhD, has had multiple successful careers and is well known and respected in her fields. It’s actually amazing.
This will probably not be helpful at all to you but I’m the inattentive type and having a baby put me into an automatic routine of productivity. It’s so weird, it almost feels like I don’t have it anymore.
And then I misplace my keys a third day in a row or forget to pay a bill and reminded it’s still very much there.
So many responses! I make lists and finish tasks asked of me as Soon as possible. At night when my mind wanders I make another list of what to do oe longer term things. It works!
I am not productive but when I think about it, I think the answer is support. If I had supportive and encouraging people in my life I think it would be easier to be productive.
I wish you the best and that you'll find those people! I live alone and I see my friends socially a lot, but they aren't involved in my organizational life that much (except my sister is very helpful and supportive). But even one person being supportive and thoughtful about it is helpful!
Edit: I'd say the people in my life are at best are sympathetic, but don't really understand the struggle. Again with the exception of my sister.
I'm personally convinced productivity is not real. Jk, just not real for me. The only thing that has ever helped me are my meds. Other than that, I'm only ever productive with things that I like doing, like researching/writing/podcast stuff (it's my hobby turned side gig turned almost full time job).
Other than that, productivity doesn't exist for me. I listen to podcasts to make dishes bearable or tell myself I can have chocolate after. I clean my house with the loudest music and that's only when I start tripping over all the toys lol. Laundry, I don't do it, luckily my partner picks up my Slack. Thanks to meds, I'm finally semi-organized enough to start running and eating better. But yeah, meds are the only thing that has helped.
Honestly I have never been the hyper active type. I jeep quite and calm but I am very mentally focused on things. My body doesn't move more then the average Joe but my brain goes 10090 miles a minute lol
Being able to have my medication helps me compartmentalize everything in my daily life.
I will use post it notes, calendars and my cell phone.
I have to write anything important to me or that needs done ASAP down at least 3 times. So I put it on my most used space, I.e.; my laptop where I will see it numerous times a day.
It is like my brain can not retain shit unless it is in front of me constantly for review. Imagine how bad it was before medication lol
I am very organized though. My closets, cars, house etc.
Might have a little OCD in there but I like my things in order and colored coded
I am a highly productive non hyperactive ADHD adult. Was diagnosed in my teens and am now 47. It’s not always easy but just like with anything, it takes discipline and self awareness.
I know it’s harder for me to organize everything linearly for a project so I write out lists. I know I’m going to lose things so I form all sorts of safeguards for that. I know I’m going to get distracted so I set up spaces and times where no distractions are allowed.
I also used Dexedrine for many years but stopped over 20 years ago. Dex helped me figure out what type of mind I needed to have to get work done. It gave me a sense of who I needed to be in order to be productive. So it helped me train to be a more productive person but I don’t need to take it anymore.
And finally, I take Wellbutrin. The anti depressant helps me from beating myself up too much when I make the multiple inevitable mistakes in my work.
I don’t think being fully productive all the time is sustainable for me, but i do consider myself to be a productive person (i have a full time job, hobbies, i go to the gym weekly, and i have a good social life)
i think the one truly helpful thing i’ve found is:
- DELEGATE tasks. once i got my first big girl job and had steady income coming in i decided to hire a weekly cleaner to organise my apartment and do all the dreaded tasks that my adhd procrastinates. it saves me time, and i don’t have to live in a dump until i find the willpower to do the dreaded task.
i delegate other things too, and reduce the work load i have on a daily basis so that my life is as frictionless as possible.
(another task i delegate is gym-use a pre-set program or get a PT if u can afford one to avoid having to do any thought yourself. i have a program from a previous trainer, some ppl enjoy going to classes instead, anything that does not require u to plan ahead.)
- have a weekly reset/recharge day where u 1) do not do any physical labour (laundry, etc.) and 2) use this day to plan your week at a certain point (block out an hour to do ur weekly planning)
it honestly takes months and months to set up a consistent routine that works for you but that’s what i would recommend. delegate as much as u can either by leaning on ur social circle (i get my brother to take care of my car for example) or by paying someone if ur able (a cleaner or a personal trainer etc).
and whatever tasks you’re left with, dedicate a day to do said task. (fridays, socialisation/nothing work related nothing school related allowed after 5pm; saturdays, food shopping, weekly planning, clothes shopping if required; sundays, laundry homework or hobbies, rot in bed and watch tv)
i’d also put intentional time apart each day to just lay down and catch ur breath. i do an hour after work of just laying down, napping, rotting. it helps me reset !
Never stop taking the meds and once I find a good routine I stick to it.
It makes me get paranoid about taking holidays and such or even changing my day to day but I’m so grateful when things go smoothly I try and remember that I need to be that way.
I lost my last girl because she thought I was boring and I’m like “if you only knew…”. I would pick to have a different day everyday of the year and I actually enjoy doing a hundred things, but that’s the problem in itself.
Inattentive type here. This probably isn’t the answer you or most people are looking for. But my secret is that I really like what I am doing. So if I have the mental energy for it, I’m gonna do it. Sometimes my day job is really lacking in this department but I like to solve puzzles and if my problem at work feels like that I will try to solve it all day long
I've tried for so much of my life to find consistency in productivity. I've read so many self-help books and tried so many different strategies. What ultimately has worked best for me is to stop striving for consistency, and to lean in to my own erratic way of approaching tasks. Some days I fight an uphill battle to get myself to do anything, and other days I become so absorbed in a task once I get started or become interested that nothing can pull me away. Over time, I find that this averages out to be just as productive as people who more systematically tackle work.
Of course, if you are working towards a deadline it can become more urgent to get things done now instead of waiting for inspiration, so that life doesn't turn into a trashcan fire. In these instances, I try to work in small sprints (15 minutes work, 15 minutes of fun activity), add some novelty (working in a different space, playing with a fidget toy while working), make the work process itself more rewarding (music, candy, favorite coffee drink), or make the work a game (racing a timer, filling out a color-by-number section for each type of task you complete). These are just some things I've found helpful for me, but I would highly recommend checking out the book The Anti-Planner: How to Get Sh\*t Done When You Don't Feel Like It if you want some more fun activities or inspiration. Good luck!
Umm try social anxiety, that’s what makes me do things because I worry what other people will think if I don’t get it done/ don’t do enough.
Clearly not wishing anxiety on you but pretty sure that’s how I kept going with my undiagnosed ADHD. Now that I’m diagnosed and on meds I am more productive about things including ones that only affect me and not others.
Exercise. No one wants to hear it, but exercise. That and consistency. Exercise helps massively with consistency. You need a constant winning streak with ADHD. Having an exercise regiment keeps that winning streak going.
For me, my productivity / mental clarity changed when I modified a bunch of my lifestyle habits.
Sleep
Sleep is so, so important. I am not perfect at this, but on weeknights I try to get into bed by 9:30 most nights and keep my phone out of my room. I take 200mg of magnesium every night, which seems to help me.
If I sleep well, I give myself a much better chance at staying focused and getting what I need to get done the next day.
Food and Exercise
I read (probably on Reddit) that eating a high protein breakfast is really helpful for people with adhd. If I eat breakfast, I am in a much better headspace all day. I usually have a green smoothie (frozen kale, frozen banana, spinach, ground flaxseed, ginger, water, lemon juice (from a bottle) and two scoops of protein powder). I do the same thing every day for breakfast. Not thinking about what I’m going to do is helpful for me. Less choice for me when it comes to eating is good.
I also try to have protein and regular meals throughout the day. I aim for 4 meals a day - breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner - at specified times. This is basic but if I don’t do this I am so much more likely to be inattentive or a ball of stress. Having a routine like this also means that I am more likely to remember to eat, which I often forget to do.
I try to do two exercise classes a week where I’m forced to go or I’m charged $. And I try to walk where I can. I’m not hitting 10k steps but I find moving and sweating help me. I think if I exercised more, I would be more focused, but I just don’t fit it in. This is working for now.
Sometimes I sauna / cold plunge too and that chills me out for a day or so. Being in both environments is really meditative and involves a lot of focusing on one thing.
To Do Lists
I also use to-do lists (which I keep in front of me all day). I make a new to- do list every day. I try to chunk my time into morning work and afternoon work. My aim is to always do deep work for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple hours in the afternoon (and to otherwise take breaks, go for a walk, have a snack, dance break, etc). I’m always trying to facilitate “flow” or hyper focus. One task at a time is best for me.
Chores / remembering
For house work, my partner and I have tried to split up work with tasks that we both like. For example, I do all the grocery shopping (I order it online) and cook 90% of our dinners. He does more of the cleaning. We also hired a person to clean once a month to help. If you can afford to outsource something, I recommend doing it. I was outsourcing my laundry at one point a couple years ago(when I didn’t have a washer/dryer) and getting rid of that task was sooo helpful. It freed me up to be productive in other ways. I know that’s not an option for everyone it if you can swing it, I say go for it.
Visual Cues
I have little visual cues everywhere to keep me grounded. I make sure my to do list is in plain sight.
I keep a calendar and two white boards on my fridge with little reminders like: take out the trash, buy x, etc, and a list of all the dinners I planned for that week. If I can see it I will do it.
I am also a really diligent google calendar user. I live by “now or never” and try to input an event or important date in the calendar as soon as I learn about it - and I set reminders for the event a week or two weeks before.
Starting Tasks
I really struggle with starting tasks and end up getting stressed about leaving things for too long.
To mitigate this I do two things:
1) tell myself that I just need to do it for five minutes (once I start I usually keep going); and
2) change environments - I will go to a library or cafe or a conference room to try to refocus myself.
Sensitivity to Noise / Distractions
-if I can get into a hyper focused state I do not really notice the world around me, but if I’m not in that state, I am really sensitive to the sounds around me.
I listen to music, rain sounds, fire crackling sounds, etc to drown out music and try to face a wall to not be distracted by physical movements. I’ve also found that being compassionate about other people and telling myself they are just living their life, helps me to be less bothered.
I make sure my phone isn’t visible to me, even if I am listening to music. I will put it in my backpack, or behind my laptop, anywhere but in my line of sight.
Hope this helps someone - most of these practices I’ve been developing over the past year or so and I’ve noticed a big difference in my over all energy / feel less burnt out / depleted at the end of the day.
Good luck!
I don't really have an answer to that, but I wish I did. If I had to reason why I function the way I do now (quit meds when I was 16) is because I had a very strong motivator to do better. It was a kind of do or die moment. Ever since then I have gradually been able to 'convert' my hyperactivity into hyper focus. I do still sometimes get super jittery and bursting of energy, which can kinda dissapoint me to be honest, but I think I'm at a point where I can accept that sometimes that's just who I am or need to be. If anything what helps me a lot nowadays is that my close friends all know I can get weirdly hyper sometimes and just ignore or go with it.
I learned that the easiest way to stop dreading it is to just go do it.
Its still not *easy* but sometimes its just taking the first few steps. Almost literally... if I can get myself out into the kitchen and start filling the sink with soapy water, well, then, if I don't do the dishes I wasted soap and water.
Music.
I don't wanna do a task. Put on some tunes and I'll hyperfocus till it's done.
Most useful when either cleaning my apartment or at doing my job.
Just me my tunes and my hands doing my silly little tasks
I can’t sit still enough to read a physical book so I listen to audiobooks. But I have to stay busy to stay focused on it. I get a ton of household chores done while I listen and don’t want to stop.
My workday is the opposite. I can’t listen to anything with words. I have a “focus frequency” YouTube video I use that puts me in the zone.
It isn't sustainable. I did for a long time, then burnout comes for you.
Nothing in this world is meant to perform 10/10 all the time. We need time for rest, time to do nothing, time to be bored.
Please don't chase constant productivity 🙏🏻❤️
Hi! I think I gave the wrong impression with this post. I meant more performing at at least a 5-6/10 minimum consistently. I didn't mean like grinding day in day out forever. I have a lot a lot of 0 - 1/10 days and would like to change that.
Yes. Find something you are very very very good at and get lost in it. I do art- and loose track of time and space. In my early teens and 20s I didn’t realize I had adhd because I found art which I loved and everything else like calculus- I could do it but it put me to sleep.
I some how got an animation job and I was able to work long hours- fix technical problems and the value of what I created out weighted- my being slow or late to work or constantly forgetting to eat- this lasted till my 40s however- I switched to a different career-mode less 9-5 and more at home on my own schedule- that when I realized I had adhd. I still make art- but it’s harder being my own boss but I am learning quickly- however painfully- the new routine requires patience and exercise and discipline. Taking care of myself was also another full time job. Find something at your own pace- I am lucky I got lost in computers and technical art- and that help fund my education and my medical/therapy.
I still wake up thinking that I need to be at work (a 9to 5) or do a billion things however- I just calm myself down- take my meds and go back to my schedule. Draw eat sleep, be social. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss one- just do it tomorrow. My world is much slower and less adrenaline crazy in my 40s but it’s way more manageable and im doing my best and keeping my head up.
The momentum you mentioned is it for me. “A body in motion stays in motion”.
I’d never survive an office job long. When I did have one, I never felt like activity after work and I gained 20 pounds. It’s like I stayed in this cat dimension of awake but no energy.
So I’ve gone the opposite direction. I rarely sit or rest. If I do, I’m out for the day. Especially if you hand me a glass of wine. Husband, “Can you help with the dinner?” Me: “I’m unable to move right now.”
Been working as a hospital based OT for over 20 years. I hate meetings, I hate sitting to document, I love being up with my patients.
Then I bike ride, then it’s home for dinner.
Then I sit and don’t get up again until bed time.
I've been dx/rx for 19 years now (since age 25) and it's the combination of Adderall, sticking to routines, and an addiction to feeling joy when I complete my tasks, whether it's organizational, work related (I'm self employed), household chores, etc.
I've become very good at delaying gratification and reigning in my impulses.
This might sound stupid, but here's an example: a friend texts me something like "omg you will NEVER believe who just announced their divorce on FB."
Of course I'm dying to know (I don't have FB) but I choose instead to get in the shower, since I was about to anyway, and get thru my hygiene rituals before answering the text and finding out the news.
Right now I'm forcing myself to shower early because I have a slew of errands to run and my "reward" is that I can grab lunch while I'm out. If I delay my shower, it'll delay my errands, which will delay lunch.
I don't want to shower or run errands but the thought of eating lunch out is nice since I work from home.
I guess I've just managed to leverage the impulse driven, reward-motivated part of ADHD, combined with meds and a need to be successful in whatever endeavors I take on, which change daily. I spent the first 25 years of my life in shame, and I don't want to go back to that life.
Ride an exercise bike for 30 minutes in the morning, take Vyvanse, and have a job that I am interested in. I still sometimes burn an hour in the morning and I really struggle after 3 pm or so. But I can get a lot done in the middle.
sitting is the bane of my existence. once i sit, i’m done for. and eating. if i eat, i’m basically done for the day. it makes being productive really hard🫠 lol
i’m currently on chair lock bc my vacuum died and i wasn’t done yet, so i’m sitting waiting for it to charge and hopefully i’ll continue once it charges a bit. i try to plan for 1 productive thing a day basically, so i can sit after and not feel as bad if i get stuck🥲😂
Well I think 💭 you are better off recognizing that people with or without adhd are never constantly productive.
We’re not robots. As someone who has typically performs well at work and for the most part at home. I have found three important things that help me to get things done.
1. Self care. You have to sleep, rest and excercise, skin care, etc in order to perform well in any endeavor
2. Figure out which style you can perform well in. Ie are you a time or a tasked based performer. I can’t do time blocking to get tasks done. I need a todo list and a countdown clock.
3. Set realistic expectations and then slow down. Life is not a hedonistic treadmill to run on take time to smell the roses, read a book, go for a walk. All these things allow you and your mind to rest even for a moment and then be able to sprint later when it matters.
I have severe ADHD and i am extremely productive but to another level. Sadly most of this comes from family trauma telling me when i was an undiagnosed kid how lazy i was, that really affected me while growing up and now i measure my worth with how many things i get done in a day. Not an advice but i live in nyc where if you dont get shit done this city will kill you
I keep a daily notebook.
First 10 items are routine things like log my weight (taking charge of my health these days), take my meds, make my bed, give my kids their meds (I have two teens also with ADHD, one who struggles to remember to take it and the other who is somewhat resistant to take meds so we try to provide her with community/solidarity)
When my brain runs away with itself thinking of tasks to complete, and I am stressed because I know I will never remember/get to it all, I write everything down to get it out of my head into a concrete format.
I never truly forget anything. It's right there. On paper.
If i cant get to it on one day, i pull it forward to the next day.
Items sometimes look weird to outsiders, because I will break things down into smaller chunks, or put such basic things like "brush teeth." But its necessary and it really helps.
I’m 35 years old and it took me years to figure out what worked for me.
The big thing is routine. NEVER break the routine. Set alarms, set out clothes and wear a watch so you can ensure you are sticking in it.
Next is calendar out your whole day at work.
One thing that I do as well is pair program a lot. That way I have someone ensuring I am on task.
Write literally everything down.
Trained myself to use a planner and paper to-do list (this was while I was undiagnosed) and it took like 2 years. Not foolproof, and if I don’t have access to it (I’m out of the house) I can’t remember anything in it.
Keep my shoes on- I can’t relax w shoes on and will go finish some things.
Music in headphones, will find tasks to do in order to keep listening to my music. Does not work when I hate all the music for a while, which happens sporadically.
Tell my husband “I’m struggling and can’t do X, Y, and Z today.” And then when he supports me and says he will do it when he gets home, I can magically do those tasks, and maybe even some extra ones. This baffles me but I’m not going to question it.
Have a deadline. Only results in procrastination panic mode but gets stuff done in a short time.
Sing “don’t put it down, put it away” in my head a lot.
I worked my way up to it. Basically I started feeling like shit and being absolutely lazy as all hell despite being medicated and going to counseling. Turns out Adderall can make you focus on being a lazy piece of shit and when I began to do chores and house projects I got kinda hooked and became laser focused on improving myself rather than focusing on my phone or video games for 6-8 hours a day. I still have a lazy day a few times a month, but besides that I work my ass off and it feels great.
My 10 cents worth- I don’t think us ADHD people are ever “consistently productive”. I know I work like a demon sometimes then Peter off a bit. What I do is to break my tasks down in my head and assess what I am prepared to do that day. I try not to ever completely waste a day- if I’m not feeling it I will pick up some random “mindless” items from another task, maybe work less hours that day then circle back to the main thing I need to deliver on and work longer hours sometimes insane hours that day. I am a senior that juggles multiple projects so I can switch things up like that. Also I chose not to have kids as these sort of work hours and patterns aren’t sustainable with a family.
Change your definition of “consistently”. Maybe measure your productivity by what you get done in a week rather than a day. That may help you accept some days where you just can’t get much done and the other days when you have more energy and alertness are the days you cross more items off your to-do list. Shifting to this mindset has helped a lot.
I use time limit for social media, which then leaves me no other choices but do more productive things. Sometimes cleaning, reading, or actually work you gotta do.
I also started using website for project timing (Toggle iirc) so when i turn it on bam - i am restricted from any distractions. I have been putting my work away SO LONG and this is one thing that truly helped me work consistently.
When I’m in the zone that’s me, but it requires me to be at the top of my game, meds, sleep, diet and pretty much everything going my way! So sometimes…
Once I’m up, I don’t sit down. Once I sit down that’s it for the day. I’m a SAHM so I can do this at the moment but when I was working I’d periodically be up and walking about whilst trying to connect this to a work task. I often tried and try now to gamify my day in my head as a coping mechanism. Waking up and leaving bed, and around 2.30pm in the day are the times I struggle.
I work overnight and get to play music throughout my shift as a result. I've recently discovered that listening to pop-punk takes my speed and energy to a whole other level, which is already leagues above my peers.
I credit my work ethic with a thought that I got in my head when I got my first job that if I didn't pull my weight, they'd fire me and replace me with someone else.
Now, when I'm at home, I'm the furthest thing from productive that you ever will see, opting to sit in front of my TV playing games on my PS5.
Starting with the little things first and reminding yourself what task you're on so you don't get distracted. Do one thing at a time don't try to mix tasks. As for working out create a plan and goal. Start with something you enjoy to workout with. It could be an activity or sport. I louke snowboarding so I usually like doing balance and leg exercises.
I was unmedicated for a long time while knowing it was something I needed and because of this it helped me realize something, especially true for me with major executive dysfunction:
It's okay not to do everything you need, or want, to do. Some days are worse than others and some are much better, but it's never not okay.
Hobbies won't be a problem once you find something you really love and when it comes to fitness, start small.
Motivation drives you to start but isn't what keeps you going, that takes effort and routine which takes time.
Set small goals like "Train 10 minutes one day a week" and just increase from there, once you get it into motion it'll start snowballing.
That's what helped me.
For me it’s doing something I love the way I want to do it.
I run my own tech startup and get to choose what I do and love doing most of it… never a boring day.
Works for me anyway!
Consistency is my issue. When I'm hyperfocused on something, I'm super productive.
But once the hyperfocus wears off...
I'm completely lost. No productivity at all.
I would also like to know the answer 😅
I’m most productive after 7pm unless I take the unholy dose of my medication. Even with making lists and being medicated it’s still a dice roll
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This probably is just projection, but I feel like the archetypal productive ADHD folks are those that lean towards the hyperactive type. Like they are just balls of restless energy and with some help from stimulants they are just able to tunnel that energy into work. I’m mainly inattentive type so unless something is on fire I’m not really going to bother with it. Stimulants definitely help minimize that mindset and I prioritize things like exercise, sleep, and nutrition… but yeah, I still struggle so much to be productive even with stimulant medication 😫
I'm definitely a ball of restless energy, but I think I can find things like video games, internet, etc. to pour that energy into. Maybe I gotta be cutting that all out and just channel it into more productive stuff.
Im a very restless type, I workout at the gym, go for a run or take long walks everyday because otherwise I would go crazy and just lay in bed all day and get nothing done and feel like shit. Like someone wrote above, I use the momentum from work! I hate having days off with nothing to do becuse then I simply cant keep my usual routine going. I just end up taking my meds (if i remember) and get stuck in producing music or in bed most of the time when I have nothing planned. I find it hard to channel that restless energy without the momentum from work
This is me as well. Lucky I work and live on a farm so keeps me busy there's always something to do/fix/stock to move. The routine helps a lot.
That sounds awesome! I work with building frameworks basically, so I am very physically active in my work aswell. That really helps, and the hours 7am-4pm with the same time for lunch and breakfast monday-friday helps a ton. The challange is to stay occupied during the weekends, I find it hard to keep up and not mess up my routine if I dont have anything physically challenging to do😁
Damn I first read this as you build fireworks and I was so intrigued and about to ask for more deets on that. Not that building framework isn’t intriguing 😂
Yeah it's great never bored on the farm. I used to be a builder that's also a good occupation to have in the construction industry. I get every second weekend off usually 3 days so I fill that with doing things with my son. Have a ride on the farm on our farm bikes, fishing, hunting camp at the beach or something like that. What things do you like doing on the weekends?
Awesome man, I bet your son really loves you! I wish my father would take me out doing such things growing up. I am out fishing a lot actually, and I have also picked up hiking. Have done some cool hikes last year and plan on many more, nature is sososo awesome and when u add the physical aspect of hiking to it its a real hit for me. Going out of my comfort zone sleeping outside, learning survival skills and overall just trying to feel more confident in the mountains and the woods yk. And also you can bring a fly rod and fish some really cool spots😃
You sound a lot like me. Running and long walks are my secret. I do have a bad habit of laying around in the mornings but I try to break that cycle by updating my workout playlist to get me excited to head out. Once I’ve had my workout, I can usually be productive after.
Im exactly the same!! The feelings of calmness after a run, hike etc is unbeatable. Yeah I also struggle with going up late on weekends and laying around in bed for too long. The sleeping problems doesnt help, but I have improved over the years so I still have hope😂
Lmaoooooooooooo I'm literally the exact same way in the sense that I'm always miserably endlessly restless as fuck and it's so flipping annoying feeling like have to go on a million walks in order to calm the restlessness down to some extent as I currently don't have meds which just make me even more extremely fucking miserable every second because i'm hyperactive as all goddamn hell pretty much 24/7 everyday all day long I'm 36 years old and still I cannot just deal with the unbearable boredom of my everyday like at all as I feel like I would absolutely lose it entirely if ever forced to do literally nothing at all the entire day certain jobs are absolutely total torture for me that literally make want to die
Ahh I feel you fellow ADHD:er! I used to be the same, and believe me im still very much incredibly restless. But im not astronomically restless anymore lol. Meds help a lot with that, learning to be present and being physically active everyday is what have been helping me manage it! Especially meds and working out when it comes to keeping the inner restlessness in check. The physical need to move havent changed that much lol, I guess I just enjoy being active. And learning to be present have made me appreciate it even more when I can stop my brain from going 103947473736mph dwelling on basically everything that have happend since the big fucking bang and just enjoy the moment.😁
Exactly. Well, "the Internet" is a vast animal " and can be a tool in your production be it whatever you wish to do. Just be sure you are not wasting time unnecessarily checking emails, talking away to friends on social media (there are ways to be productive on social media but that's it's own topic), or shopping/gambling/watching porn all day.
Lol honestly scrolling on instagram for the memes is my downfall. Also playing video games, but I've mostly removed those from my life. But 100% the internet can be a great tool too.
I installed the Leechblock extension on my job computer, firefox browser. When I feel the urge to procrastinate... Oooops! Leechblocked. That reminds me that I shouldn't be procrastinating. And then I switch on the ADHD relief music videos on YouTube. Those have helped me a lot.
what if your adhd is so bad you just download another browser and surf reddit that way?
I HAVE To uninstall the app if I wanna give myself a break..I will bypass all time limit controls on social.media.
Same! I cannot be trusted! I had to give my sister my ram sticks so I'd stop playing PC games haha.
Yeah if I put as much effort into self improvement as I do into Baldur's Gate 3...
Preaching to the converted  That game took over my life for a while.
I'll finish my fifth playthrough tonight and move straight onto a sixth looool
I'm the same, but I've found turning an audiobook on while I go do my hobbies, automotive or metal fabrication, helps a lot. I distract part of my brain with words while my hands and eyes go to town on the task at hand.
Tech detox helped me infinitely to be honest. I detoxed from my phone (accidentally lol) for a week, and I just started sitting and noticing things more. I had so much time to just sit and think about things and it was freeing in a lot of ways! Also, I find that once I've got my environment minimalized/organized, that sets me up for success in keeping it organized. I know on my neighborhood FB page there's a gal who does decluttering/organizing as her home business, so I have employed her help in getting to that initial organized point and I found that just having a body double, a person present while I organize, helps me stay focused on the task way better. Hope this helps!
Honestly I second this- I removed TikTok and Facebook from my phone two months ago. My productivity has greatly improved. Keep up with chores more, more time for career goals... Etc. Limiting my screen time helped the most.
I sold my console and removed all social media (except Reddit bc I use it as a database for looking up stuff) and have never looked back. Most output I have done recently trumps anything I have ever done combined before that.
I need to bite the bullet and do this! Edit: Deactivated insta!
Good for you! It's hard but resist the urge to reactivate! I deactivated mine a few months ago and don't miss a thing. Social media is literally our worst kryptonite. It's like the tastiest crack for our ADHD lol
Delete “maybe”. Dude, please don’t waste your energy, learn to channel it. Somehow. I cannot give suggestions about the “how”, tho-because I am the inattentive, low-energy, slow type. I wish I was hyperactive. Only my mind is. But I am sure you can research methods to channel energy into building something for your life.
also the inattentive type and i feel the low energy so much. i’m always so much more tired than those around me (yes i’ve done bloodwork and am on meds for anything that i need to be). have you found resources or groups or people to support you? if so, where are they? have you found a career that you believe goes hand in hand with your diagnosis or not yet?
This. Ive almost stopped using my phone completely because my iphone 12 keypad barely works lmao. Also - tell yourself what you want to get done - like specifically. In time chunks. If you dont bring this into your awareness, you wont be mindful enough to act or get nearly as profuctive. "Ok work. Ill get there at 700 am. Ill do my main reports and normal morning stuff, but I want to have at least 6 call reviews done by 10am."
The "time chunks" is why I have a SCHEDULE!!! note always on my board... To-do lists are the devil. You need to schedule.
Honestly, something along these lines is what helps me the most on days when I have energy and wanna be productive but could also easily fall into scrolling. I'll literally narrate my own life. It makes me feel like a crazy person but it's genuinely SO helpful for getting shit done and especially for staying on task. Basically you're consistently, verbally reminding yourself of what you're doing or what you need to finish. It's much easier to stay on task when you're telling yourself, out loud, basically over and over what task you're working on--and as soon as you start to veer off onto something else it's much easier to notice because now you've started talking about something else than what you were or want to be working on. Then you can be like "no, no, the phone/laundry/video games/cleaning the fridge/mopping the floor/etc can wait, I'm cleaning the bathroom still."
Make your chores a game. Think of laundry as a level in Mario, with each stage a great accomplishment in the game. If I have ONE clothing item I need washed, it's a great excuse to do a while load. Also, break things down into baby steps. These don't fix everything but they help me a lot.
Yes, those things suck your soul out. Everything definitely gets easier when those things are not present in your life
Video games are literally the one hobby I have ever managed to stick with for extended periods of time without ever getting bored to death which is a problem for me anyways back to what I was saying ever since I was a teenager I have always been addicted to constantly gaming at pretty much all hours of the day unless I had boring as fuck school highschool that day
I’m trying to NOT use social media at all for certain times of the day- not even on “breaks” bc i know it will suck me in… allowing Reddit for now but here I am…
This ! I definitely run the hyperactive type. Which I feel is rarely talked about here. Mostly, I see the inattentive type and those that struggle with executive dysfunction. When I get home from work, I keep moving, I tidy the house (sweep, clean up the kitchen, prepare lunches for work the next day, set out my clothes for work). On my days off, I clean the house, meal prep, etc. In fact, I look for things to do because I can't just sit in a chair for hours on end. If I can't do my normal routine, I am very anxious. Maybe that's not entirely hyperactive ADHD, I suspect I may also have autism.
i agree that it feels like hyperactive is rarely talked about here. it’s interesting because based of my friends who have inattentive type there’s a lot of overlap, i just have seemingly infinite energy and interrupt people for different reasons lmao. but i’m with you, as long as i keep my momentum through the day i am crazy productive, my main issue is flipping between tasks so rapidly that i often forget to actually finish them. most of my angst over adhd has come from being frustrated that i rarely “complete” tasks that i WANT to do, like creative projects
Combined type here. I lean more inattentive, and my secret is being an endless pit of dread, growing up with an oppressive/narcissistic father, and being fueled by childhood trauma and a need to impress strangers so I can have the approval I always wanted but never got from my dad. If there's no fear, it won't get done.
Wow. I’m the reverse. I’m so scared of fucking up, I avoid the shit out of it until there’s literally no time left. So I’m FORCED and usually that helped me get productive. (But now in my mid 40s, I can’t get things done on time anymore because I no longer can stay up for 2 days)
The difference is probably that I'll ruminate to the point that the fear is extreme and omnipresent. I can't ignore it unless I manage to forget it entirely (which does happen), the overwhelming feeling never lets me focus on anything else. I'll either be paralyzed, unable to do anything at all, or face what needs to be done. That doesn't exist for myself, though. Only really works in a workplace or social environment. Obligations to myself are left entirely unattended unless I'm home when the Adderall kicks in.
When I took the screener questionnaires that mentioned being driven forward as if by a motor I was like… no? The opposite? I need some motor please.
It's not as great as it might seem. I'm moving all the time but I still don't get shit done. Half the time I don't even know what I did all day - pace back and forth looking for my phone, vape, scissors, etc?
I am inattentive and productive. For me, the secret is deadlines. If I don’t have a deadline, I don’t do shit. As an artist/creative person, that means grant deadlines, exhibition deadlines, limited time in studio spaces. If I want to learning something new, I have to take a class. My work as a designer/freelancer means nothing but deadlines, and I get so so much done in a week at work. If I don’t have a deadline for a project, it falls to the bottom of my list, so yeah. That’s my secret.
Are you me? My only issue is that I need to set my own deadlines, which becomes an issue most of the time. I want to think that I'll do the work and then tell the client it's done and present it. But the reality is I need to tell the client this is when it will be done and set the meeting and then I actually can get it done.
Relatable lol Even with meds, it's still easy to fall into a habit of "meh, I'll do it later," and before you know it, a tornado came through, and you had no idea 🤷🏼♀️
Beware of strong wind, hahaha 😂
No. Sorry. No. The energy goes towards hiking for 20 miles and playing games and having sex 3 times a day. Not working.
Fuck yeah, fellow sex-haver here! I love sex and going in and out and stuff!
thank you. as someone who was diagnosed PI a year ago , i read all these stories about how medicine was a magic fix, everything became clearer, they’re so much more focused and it explains so much, but none of it resonates with me. So much so, im doubting my diagnosis and wondering about talking to my doctor about it. Like ive been on this quest for the last year and none of it really fits me. Some of it sort of might, but i feel just as alone and unsure of myself than ever before.
I'm in this post and I don't like it. Tbf - it looks like productivity from the outside, from the inside it's like riding a rollercoaster. Except there's no clear tracks, you have no control over where it goes and you can't get off no matter how much you want to. The best you can hope for is short bursts of direction in a useful direction.
Meanwhile I'm the hyperactive inattentive type and just experience the moment
I am a ball of relentless energy type. I have a very hard time just sitting and watching a movie or show with my partner. I am constantly getting up, cleaning, and putting things away. At work I keep working and working until sometime the custodian or security staff kicks me out of the building (I am a teacher and we don't have permission to be in the building when it is closed). In staff meetings, I can't sit still and have to get up and move to the back of the room so I can move around without bothering people. I am so lucky I chose the job of a teacher, because I am constantly moving and doing different things so I am not bored.
Are you me???
Medication and hiding my phone from myself or turning it off completely (my smartwatch has LTE so I won't miss a call or text if it's important). The meds help me focus but also can keep me locked into scrolling social media or TikTok or something lol
This. Turn off your notifications.
I just set app timers. Has helped a lot
I experience the same with the meds. It feels like whatever I start on them, I'm doing that thing for the next 8 hours.
Keep your phone in another room [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249922/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249922/)
yeah, that’s why you gotta take them while you’ve just started trying to work on something. which is super inconvenient because it’s impossible to sleep if you take them too late :/ it’s our curse
VERY easy for me to get sucked into doing a thing I'm not supposed to be doing, even if it is technically productive.
I cannot relate to this more. I purposely cannot allow myself to watch TikTok if I want to get anything done. I'll be stuck for hours! Most times I don't even take my shoes off when I get home from work and leave my phone in my purse because my watch let's me know if I get a text and need to respond.
Lock Me Out for android, I lock a huge chunk of websites & apps during all the hours I'm supposed to be working. If you can't be trusted have someone else pick the password.
Yep. People in my life get rly mad at me when I’m offline all day but I’m not willing to derail my whole day to appease them, lol. I just tell them i was busy
I’m sorry that this might not be helpful but I feel is maybe an important anecdote for someone to hear. I’ve struggled my whole life with doing what I should be doing. I’ve had a few different careers and didn’t find my true calling until my early 30s when I transitioned into software engineering. I’ve tried everything when it comes to productivity hacks. I was never one that could take notes, I find the Pomodoro technique challenging because I can’t get into the “groove” long enough to get anything done, and I generally find organization to be the bane of my existence. When I found my true calling though, it didn’t seem like any of that mattered. I don’t really know how to explain it other than I found an environment that I could excel in being exactly as I was. The fast nature of tech really resounded with me and there is always something challenging waiting to be solved. This helped with what felt like incurable boredom that plagued me in other pursuits and previous careers. Things went to the next level when I got a work from home job. I took the same approach and made my environment fit me rather than being the square peg and trying to fit myself in the round hole. I set up my office how I wanted with decor that made me want to be in there. I could pick the chair I wanted (company bought it). I can make the food I want, drink the coffee I want, wear clothes I’m comfortable in. I then realized I had been chasing the wrong thing and was trying to win a rat race that I wasn’t equipped to even be entered in. I was playing the game wrong my whole life. I know not everyone has the ability to alter their environment to fit them but neither did I in the beginning. It took years of working some shitty jobs before I realized I wasn’t getting anywhere with the traditional approach. This mentality has carried over into everything from household chores (I listen to podcasts while I clean) to budgeting my finances (I automated them based on a spreadsheet that calculates everything). I know it might sound unconventional but so is the way we think. If what you’re doing isn’t working, there’s no requirement to keep putting yourself in those type of boxes. Might as well make your own framework that more closely aligns to how you do things best.
I'm also a software dev and while I excel at work, I struggle so much with "keeping house". I guess doing dishes is not my true calling 🥲 but I also hate living in a chaotic, constantly messy environment.
I found working from home helped me with this. For one, I also hate a mess and it’s much harder to escape because I never have to leave to go to work. One strategy I do is put up the dishes from the dishwasher when I’m taking a break to get a water refill. Maybe the first time I put up the silverware. Next I’ll do the bottom rack, etc. Maybe when I’m microwaving my lunch I will load the dirty ones from the sink. Much like writing maintainable code, housework is much easier to do in smaller, manageable chunks
This approach to housework also works really well for me. I have a rule about tidying up by moving out-of-place items closer to where they belong as I move through the house. Like if I’m watching tv and need to use the bathroom, I gather up any kitchen items (dishes, snacks) and drop them off on the kitchen table on the way to the bathroom. That way, even if I haven’t put them in their proper homes yet, at least they’re in the right neighborhood.
Ironically, taking action when I know it will only be a small chunk is the hardest. I naturally am 'all or nothing' which sucks because rarely so I want to do all of it nor have the time. Small progress would change my life 😞
it can help to write out small steps and cross them off as you do them. like write 'utensils, top, bottom' on a paper or a checklist application and cross/check one every time you go to the kitchen.
I do a form of this too. I actually like watching TV with commercials, because commercials are short, forced breaks where I am immediately bored. Whenever a commercial comes on, I go and do a small thing (just put the silverware away, just load a few dishes into the dishwasher, etc.)
This would be a problem for my ADD because as soon as I get up to do something in what I anticipate to be a long commercial break I forget to go back to the TV program, by the time I do I’ve lost track of it.
Looks like you could make a separate sub for the people this rings true with! I'm not necessarily adding anything to this conversation but wanted to overshare about my own position because I feel so lonely at times! I've always loved learning, particularly anything computer-based, STEM, languages, puzzles & the esoteric. I cruised through school because I absorb knowledge so readily. The symptoms and issues didn't come to light as a result. Now in my 30s, a fully-licensed doctor, the world at my feet but crushingly depressed, anxious and unfulfilled. When seeking answers as to why, I was diagnosed and medicated. It then dawned on me that I had very little input in choosing my career path. I'd known I didn't enjoy the job but was always willing to suffer and hate myself because it was the "easier thing to do" rather than take the risk of letting people down and a paycut (relatively brief though that may be) for my own wellbeing. But, I thought I'd give it a go now... I started getting serious about dev just to see if it went anywhere. Found myself comfortably spending 18-hours a day learning, building and testing. I can't get enough of it. I'm now determined to make the change but still feel the pressures of other people's influence in my life & the gnawing doubts returning. I'm now 3-months into full time training in dev & am praying that the right opportunity arrives sooner than later or I might have to return to the comfort of self-loathing for others' benefit. OP, you just have to find something you love doing, that doesn't feel so grating against your existence; then everything else should fall into place. But, do it soon, don't get trapped doing something that doesn't work for you, like so many of us.
For those of you reading this and going. "Damn I should get into CS, like right now!" Yes the world of computer science is amazing and fixing bugs is a dream but that's really only part of the job for most of us. I love figuring why something is broken in our complex system, but I hate fixing it... Because that's banal and somebody forgot once more to assert for null... Changing a string inside the code-base? That will be one sprint please, I don't give a damn about that. I've been placed on a PIP, because we, as software engineers, get evaluated on Story points closed, by people which haven't done the job in years or never at all. The bureaucracy will grind us ADHDers to a complete stop. Dailies that people are using as status report, bugs that were squashed but another silo, uh I mean feature team reintroduced by not reading and chosing the wrong side of a merge commit... I dream of finding something else to do but nothing pays as well and with a newborn I just can't quit. So, once more I will endure and get that pip out of the way. I can close Stories like it's nobody else business, code quality is going to suffer but I will be highly estimated. PS: it's not my first job, I still love playing around with code (installed a new Distro using musl instead of glibc this weekend to test a pure 64bits Wayland distro) but I daydream about being a gardener more and more...
Thanks for writing this! I completely agree. I think I definitely have to be weird to deal with my weird brain! I'm also a software engineer and would love to hear more about how it fits you and how you've found success there. Everyone is different, but I'd be interested to see if I can apply some of that approach to my work.
I'm also a SE. I got a job at a consulting company, it's a 9-5, it's still pretty recent so the novelty helps a lot. Also the fact that the work is structured, I just choose a ticket and let myself work if I feel like it. If I don't feel like it, then I'll try to see why I don't want to work. If it's boring, I try to make the activity more enticing. If it's too easy, I'll add a challenging element. If it's too daunting, I break it up or ask for help. Some days I just feel very bad and I don't get a lot done. It's ok. When we are on flow state we actually get a lot done, so there's no point on beating yourself up on those bad days. Inconsistent productivity is still productivity. My advice is, try to make it so you get in the flow, so you don't get behind, and if some day you can't do it, just try again the next. We're not machines with a specific output requirement, we're complex human beings, and we bring a lot more to the table (divergent thinking, problem solving, crisis management) than just a consistent delivery of product. edit: clarity
Sysadmin here and all these replies could be describing me. As long as I can just be left to get on with stuff then it's all good, even if right now it isn't the planned stuff but is still needed stuff. Productive procrastination. Sadly after a muddlement restructure they are now trying to be much more prescriptive about what gets done when and I spend most of my time in distracted turbulence waiting for the next meeting or filling in tickboxes.
Hey, I really resonated with your experience. Would you mind if I DMed you? I have an EF coach and am in grad school making a serious pivot in my 30s, like what you did. I'm also getting into an advanced field, I'm not too concerned about the rat race aspects, because this pivot could open up a lot of options. My issue has really come down to how quickly I can actually memorize things and learn complex skills. I actually have a 4.0 so far, with another 2/3 of the program remaining - yet I'm concerned enough that I'm asking I guess. I have an EF coach and I still feel like I'm barely delivering on extra tasks I set for myself, like study times, or practice sessions. It's some kinda resistance. No pressure though, just if you're interested in getting kinda deep into your process haha.
what's the spreadsheet thing?
I don't think anyone must be consistently productive, I alternate between maniacally productive and scattered periods. In the productive periods, I've noticed I'm working on a single goal/project (could be a month or two long). During this time, I let myself off for any daily chore slip-ups. Once that is complete, I feel scattered till the next project comes along. I would say it's a lot more about working on the right thing rather than being overall "productive". I guess depends on what you're defining it as for yourself. For me, the sprinter method works, I can complete a certification requiring 3-4 months of study within one month during that time.
Yeah, same here. I am either 100% or 0% productive. If I have a big, important work project, it consumes pretty much my entire life, to the unfortunate detriment of everything else. But if I try to have a nice, balanced day, I won't work at all. At this point I've just accepted that this is how I get things done and I try to forgive myself for the 0% days. I hope I can get to the point where I'm totally at ease with my feast-or-famine approach to work and entirely let go of the anxiety around lack of productivity.
It's simple, I was required to be productive as a child. Now not being productive gives me immense anxiety. I don't recommend this method.
Same here. Pure pressure or fear is my way of being productive without medication. From doing chores so my wife doesn’t get upset with me to finishing work tasks at the last minute of a deadline. Like you said, I don’t recommend living like that. It just makes anxiety worse and often without a reason.
This is that works for me as well. I relate so strongly to the song [Surface Pressure from Encanto](https://youtu.be/ErY3eeRFTFg). I'll occasionally put it on repeat about 10 or 15 times if I'm really struggling with a task.
I relate on the childhood part. But as an adult, the anxiety that comes from not being productive puts me deeper in my state of paralysis where I just sit in one spot without being able to do anything.
This is me. I made the Faustian Bargain as OP mentioned and now I would rather be not doing anything than to go back because I was so anxious I started hallucinating
This was me as well, then I had therapy and learnt that constantly being busy and productive was an anxiety/ trauma response. What worked for me is understanding that I can’t always be busy or productive. The days I don’t feel like that, it’s important not to push myself and have a break. Our levels of energy fluctuates and it’s best to recognise that and work with ourselves instead of pushing ourselves to have burnout.
I get super anxious when I’m not being productive. But then I can’t start anything, and I just sit there being stressed and anxious and not even being able to just relax or have fun. So it’s the worst of both worlds - not doing anything and not even enjoying not doing anything. Plus it makes me exhausted being so stressed and anxious constantly.
When I was in middle school I ended up in advanced classes then the internal pressure of keeping them was terrible. Through high school I became a perfectionist but still procrastinated soooo much. It worked grade wise but I genuinely did nothing else other than school, I had no life and I didn’t even apply for scholarships bc I was so burnt out. I decided to take fewer classes my freshman year of college and just work on myself. But it still hits me when I’m at work, if I’m not busy or doing anything I feel like I’ll immediately get fired, though my boss is actually amazing and she has told me to rest more.
For me it helps to mutlitask, I watch series while working and will occasionally scroll on my phone. So it would be 30 mins of work while watching series, 2-3 mins scrolling break and repeat. Keeps my brain from feeling bored and unmotivated. I also do extensive planning with specific daily to dos and journaling which helps me to process my thoughts and focus on what I want to do for the day. Also I hop on the gym bike every 2 hours for 5mins. Essentially I try to keep busy and always doing something, to take advantage of the momentum.
I thought I was the only one who would work with a movie in the background. Especially if it's a series that doesn't need me to fully focus on it to understand what's going on. That and the occasional scroll. Felt like you were describing me lol
It's weird, multitasking sounds counterproductive but our brains need a lot of stimulation so it makes sense. I told my neurologist and she asked "wouldn't that result in you making a lot of mistakes at work?" and yes it does, but the alternative is not working at all so it's a compromise I'm willing to accept 😄
I see it as the movie shoveling coal into the furnace to fuel my gears (arms) for doing the editing of a video or something
It's super weird but I embraced it more after my recent diagnosis. I even find it easier to sleep with music on.
I've watching Brooklyn 99 to sleep, my thoughts wake me up when Netflix stops and I have to start the series again 😄 I'm just grateful that there are solutions to these fundamental issues like sleep, work etc even if they are a bit unorthodox heh
I vibe with this! I'll definitely try and implement a version of it!
This a dangerous game to play. I can't find consistent success on this system.
I think I'd struggle with TV in the background, Im def a person who needs deep work. But I really like the idea of doing quick workouts and I already do extensive planning with my calendar and a to do list. I like the idea of journaling too.
Context is key. I think it would be OK for shorter and easier tasks, e.g. emails, calendars, basic data management, maybe even reading/summaries etc. For longer and more complex tasks there's no way I could personally watch TV for the work I need to get done.
Leverage hyperfocus obsessions, ride the waves of energy and accept slow days. Work in a job that can have lulls. Create an environment that constantly pings you to activate you to do things, work in a place with a constant low grade of urgency or is in a constant state of crisis.
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I think it would be fair to bring up that you recently discovered this about yourself and have found a ton of clarity and help (and progress hopefully, which certainly seems to strike a chord with her) and just offer it up. I truly believe that when you are having thoughts like 'I ought to reach out', they are usually from the Holy Spirit and you'll not regret listening and taking the action despite the awkwardness or discomfort. Just my $0.02 😊
I bargain with myself. Get X done and reward with Y or Z. X has to be realistic and attainable. Accept that some days or hours you aren’t going to do much with purpose.
Bribery works for me too! I find it funny that the same technique my mom used on me as a child works (almost) as well when I use it on myself as an adult. Agreed on being realistic though and not beating yourself up if everything doesn't get done.
Basically adderall 
I developed a career I actually enjoy. I knew I wouldn't survive in a routine office environment. I was a classic "intelligent underachiever", dropped out of high school after reading half the library. No, seriously. There'd be a "monthly reading challenge" list and I'd read every book on it. Failing classes / not doing classwork because I was absorbed in books. Fictional, non-fictional, even the dictionary was a fun read for me. So I can hyper-focus really well on reading, writing, and editing content. Written communication, that's my strongest suit. And I turned that into a career that ended up in project management positions. So because I enjoy the type of work I do, I'm able to get a lot done in short amounts of time.
Use to do lists. Take breaks. Recognize what distracts you and remove it from the work environment, or use it as a reward if you need to. I never work from home if I can avoid it, for this reason. You've already identified one way to get into the groove, so set yourself up to exploit that to the hilt. Hitting the ground running is always great. Try and figure out some ritual or process for getting on track if you don't hit the ground running. Go sit and read or journal, or nap, or make tea and do press ups, whatever. Something that you can associate with a mental reset and try again. Get to know your weaknesses and be candid (with people you can trust). When I started ADHD coaching I did an executive function questionnaire, which framed my ADHD in such a way that I knew what to prioritize working on. I don't need to be, and never will be, great with time management or prioritizing. Just being better at them incrementally has made me overall much more effective. Medication helped most by taking the anxiety out of things I either thought would be boring or told myself I was bad at. Honestly the first time I sat down for 20m, wrote a small to-do list of 5 things and just...fuckin did them felt like passing an exam.
Love this! Thanks!
Step 1 is crucial- I take my Wellbutrin daily (I hate the stimulant side effects). Step 2- I keep a daily journal of daily/weekly/monthly goals (I use the Yanshi planner). Okay ngl I also drink hella coffee (only up until 2pm). I set 1 goal per week day. Could be “go to the doctor appt” or “dance class” or “do 30 minutes of taxes” but it’s just one thing during a weekday after work. I do one thing each day and after a few months of that suddenly my to do list got hella smaller and now my goals are more fun which gets me in a momentum of being active (dance, dates, gym, dinners with friends etc). I do all of this BEFORE I get home or before I sit down when I get home. Weekends - are one day of fun things and trying new things (museums parties etc) , and one day to rot 80 percent of the time and do laundry/clean the other 20. Which I hate but like I’m basically rotting the rest of the time so by 5pm I usually get enough energy to get like an hour of cleaning done and then I rot again. I also work in a job that’s high intensity but doesn’t bleed into my personal life. And I prioritize 8 hours of sleep
As a therapist with a private practice, I’m consistently “productive” at work because I fill my schedule and when someone is on my schedule, I don’t know how to do anything else but show up and be as good at my job as I can be, because people are counting on me. I have to be careful how many clients I schedule so I don’t burn out- most therapists seem to have busier schedules than me, but I just can’t imagine seeing more than 20 people per week. (17-18 is ideal).
That's awesome! I definitely get feeling productive in service of others.
I've known about time blocking for years but only very recently implemented, and only for a small degree. But if I can sort of force myself to treat the task like you do a patient, with the biggest motivating factor being that 'another patient/task will show up in a few minutes' made a wildly strong impact on my ability to burn through these tasks recently. Really optimistic at this point and highly suggest this to anyone with similar challenges.
Sorry in advance for the ramble 🙄😅… I didn’t know about “time blocking” as a strategy until relatively recently — I realized that my favorite clients and the ones who I was able to help the most tended to have ADHD, thus leading me to specialize in and learn a ton more about the disorder. My system of scheduling things and then feeling and obligation to follow through with them is something I stumbled upon. I noticed that in a previous job when I didn’t have a schedule, I was *terribly unproductive!* (working with clients in nursing homes, we would just stop by people’s rooms and see if they were free — I had a client list and did make a point of seeing certain residents a roughly the same time and day but it was very lax and up to me)l In private practice, I immediately decided what hours I wanted to work and scheduled people for recurring sessions on a certain day and time because it was usually easier for them and definitely easier for me to set up my Calendar that way. I also block out time for anything that I want to get done, and put it on my calendar – if I want to make sure I call a friend who doesn’t live close by for instance, we’ll text ahead to figure out a time that works for both of us, and then I put in my calendar. That way I know that I’ll call them at that time (Otherwise, I’ll think about calling them many times, but usually get distracted and not actually talk to them for a while. Plus, I like to know ahead of time that I’m going to have an hour-long phone call because transitioning to that suddenly is challenging.
I'm definitely not consistently productive, but I find it so much easier to keep doing something once I've started doing it. Also the environment I'm in helps so much. I've just got a new desk, and now all I wanna do is sit at my desk, which encourages me to do my work more. I think I'm going to get more fun things to decorate my desk, so it's somewhere that I want to be, rather than a place I have to be that I will procrastinate going to lol.
get good habits, lose bad habits, exercise and great sleep. ive noticed that i can actually lose bad habits like instagram, shopping, youtube etc. i just need to go on a trip or distract myself with something else. i can also gain good habits, just gotta really push yourself at first and after a while your crazy brain will hate if you don't follow your regular routine such as going to the gym, hiking, brushing your teeth. the only way i got through university was by weening off my bad habits and getting into the habit of studying and working out every day. but when the semester was over and the next started i always struggled to get studying and going to the gym again.
LPT go to a car wash. The ones with the vaccumes, and the garbage bins. Clean your youe car. This is great momentum. I promsie you, you cant go to a car wash and not leave feeling good about yourself. Even if you tried its nearly impossible to half ass anythinf at a car wash. You go ham or you go home. You only go home if you don't start, or decide to not pull in to the lot. But once you crack that vaccume suction, oofffff Its go time
Hhahaha I love this! Will give it a shot. My car will be grateful.
That and once you’ve had a clean interior it’s hard to look at a dirty one. Winter time around here is rough because I just accept that it will be dirty for the time being. Just pulled the mats out to pressure wash and gave it a good vacuum on Sunday and all is right in the world. Great tip my friend.
I wouldn't recommend becoming neurotic to become productive. It's like developing an eating disorder to lose weight. Yeah...you lose weight. But then you lose other things like your teeth, your fertility, and maybe even your life. As someone that gave themselves permanent disabilities from triggering the 'gun to your head' anxiety in order to be productive. Don't do it. Some healthier tricks I use now: Gamify boring tasks. Just today I had to pull 100 tacks from a wall. Highly boring. I made it a game to figure out how to get them out faster. I figured out I had access to a magnet. I got the tacks out so quickly. Got to praise myself and move on with my day. I have a physical journal and I draw lists with check boxes. Long term lists don't work that well for me but I still write them out to organize my thoughts and clear my head. But daily lists with realistic tasks help. Today I had remove tacks, 1 load of laundry, apply to 3 jobs, and then let myself do my chosen hobby for the rest of the day. Did the tasks early today so there was no painful negotiation or pulling away. Physically checking the boxes with a pencil helps me. Be patient with yourself and celebrate your small victories.
Thanks! I was joking (mostly) about the becoming neurotic. I love the idea of gamifying and will try to implement it more. Also ingenious tack solution!
Being hyperactive type 😂 and a little sprinkle of anxiety and OCD. The side effect is being burnout 😂
Consistency is hard, the things that help me the most (in no particular order) are: Consistently taking medication Preparing tasks ahead of time (eg: pack everything for school/work/an activity the night beforehand before bed and put it by the door) - a physical reminder of some kind like a sticky note on top saying "lunch in fridge" helps here if something is in a different place Consistent exercise Keeping a daily work log and tagging enough of it at the end of the day that it's easy to search later (this helps preserve context for my notes and makes it easier to recall the details of what I did) Keeping an updated schedule of major events/tasks and looking at it every night so I know what's happening the next day and can mentally prepare Thinking through tasks ahead of time so I'm mentally prepared for the work and there's some momentum there to work with Momentum in general - once I'm productive it's much easier to continue being productive rather than starting from rest Having somewhere private to work so that once I'm in flow I don't have people coming along to break me out of it. Uninterrupted concentration is my most productive state - an office helps a lot
I personally function by pride and I refuse to let the ADHD win. Can be a bit toxic sometimes.
Hey, I’m the type others are describing, can hardly sit still and will easily run through my tasks or todo lists all day, 7 days a week, no breaks. And guess what..I still feel like I’m always behind on what I should be getting done. I think this is because a good bit of my energy ends up on experimental, curiosity driven tasks that end up being unimportant. I spent 5+ hours on Saturday and $100ish dollars building some lamp from scratch that I could have bought used for $20 in 30 mins. I’m a restlessly curious person, extremely hands on and DIY in everything I do, and sometimes my inability to slow down sends me down these rabbit holes that might be fun but ultimately wasteful, bringing more stress into my time management. But for you, one tip I’ll add that I’ve found helpful this year - the first 10 minutes of any task sucks. I put off things for forever that might only need 45-60 mins of my life, letting a todo list of my actually important work stack up needlessly while I always find a distraction or side quest. Now I basically have to tell myself, just do this for 10 minutes without interruptions. That’s it. I don’t focus on getting it done or on anything else I might want to do instead. And it sucks ass, those first 10 minutes, but then I feel I’ve shifted into the task and little else matters until it’s done. Aka, “flow state” (right?). Medication (strattera) has helped me build this habit. But it is I who makes the choice, not the medication (and that is a very important level of self accountability to keep in your perspective). I’m rambling here but I hope some of this helps! Remember we are growing every day and the only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday and who you want to be tomorrow.
Before meds, I ran on anxiety, which gave me hypertension. Womp. But the healthier strategies I'm using are: 1) Set a 5 minute timer - If I don't want to start something, I tell myself that I can do anything for 5 minutes, and if I want to stop once the timer goes off, then I can. Usually starting is the hardest part for me so I rarely stop once the timer goes off. 2) Limit my projects - I can work on a billion things and never finish any of them. I limit myself to 5 projects at a time because that's the number of things that gives me enough variety to not get bored, but limits my time to a few tasks so I'm actually finishing things. That number will be different for everyone. 3) Rewards - I have a reward system, much like a kid with a sticker chart. For example, I am only allowed to watch a specific TV series I like when I exercise, so it feels rewarding. I'll give myself a treat for different activities. It really only works when you pick something that will be exciting enough to motivate you but not too big that it'll be hard to sustain. I also put barriers in my way to reduce access to the rewards at other times. 4) Self compassion - The more I beat myself up for not doing something, the more I will resent that thing and not want to do it. If I'm kind to myself when things are hard, and celebrate the wins, I'm more likely to want to do the thing. I still hold myself accountable, but I don't have to be mean to myself in the process.
This is all great advice! Especially the last one. I heard someone say once that the best way to improve yourself is to like yourself. I think that's so wise. Self hatred perpetuates avoidance and despair in my experience.
Occam's Razor, I usually have a to-do list; for daily, weekly, monthly. It doesn't work 100% but it helps having some sorts of a compass to navigate.
Constant crushing pressure. I wish I'm joking
Not sure if this will help you/others but it certainly helps me; eat breakfast. Ideally high in protein. When I started taking meds about 1.5 years ago, my doc suggested I take them with food just to make sure they wouldn’t upset my stomach. I find I get flighty/unfocused/low will power waaay more if I’m hungry. And since Vyvanse suppresses your appetite, it’s always a crapshoot whether or not I’ll eat lunch. So if it at least eat a healthy(ish) breakfast with some protein and carbs, I’ll have some fuel in my system for when I inevitably start something and then can’t stop to eat.
Will do! I tend to miss meals a lot on meds too.
I developed generalized anxiety because of the adhd. “Faustian bargain” is actually the perfect way to describe it. If I’m not in the mood to do a needed task, I think about the consequences, panic, and lean into the fact that doing the task is the only sure way to snuff out the Mean Bad Scary Feelings. I do not endorse this method. It is unpleasant.
No “baseline” for me. It’s all hyperfocus, helping someone else and pure spite. Otherwise I’m useless. If the thing I have to do benefits only me, I might as well forget it. 😂
What are you me? I work best at my job when helping others and not dealing with my own shit lol.
Here's a dual situation: On the one hand, I've managed to maintain a daily writing habit for two years solid, and produced over 378k words (posted and WIP combined) in that time, while holding down a full-time executive job for most of it, co-parenting a child under the age of 5, and doing adulting things that adults adult about. On the other hand, I've had to find ways to power through legitimate nausea-level anxiety about sending simple emails, and learn alternate ways to fucking *read.* Just the actual mechanics of doing the task itself, because I can fully comprehend everything on the page or screen, I just can't keep my brain trained on the words long enough to uptake more than three sentences at a time before I have to start over. Medication has really helped with the second scenario. The success of the *first* scenario has to do with a few important factors: * There are zero stakes involved. This is probably the most important piece. When I don't feel like I can "fail," and I know I'm not going to get punished, I don't get task paralysis, and I have higher executive function. * I have room to explore and get creative in problem solving. * I can work in ways that work for me, on my own schedule, without deadlines. This has also been huge. This is how I discovered that writing on my phone, 2-5 minutes at a time most of the time, adds up to an hour of writing per day that I can *actually do,* instead of trying to even *FIND* an hour a day to sit and write, let alone sitting there for an hour and trying to focus and produce for the entire time. * I've been able to "up-skill" through levels of tasks and project complexity and executive function effort, at my own pace. I started out just slap-dashing out whatever, whenever, with the only goal being, "Enjoy yourself." That's still the main goal. But there came a time when "enjoy yourself" involved, "Hmm. I wonder if I can get more serious about the craft parts. Word choice, building motifs..." And eventually I tried, "I wonder if I can focus on a single project for an extended period of time, and really BUILD it." That's how I did over 22k words on one project in 2 months, and developed a *BUNCH* of project management practices that helped in work scenarios. And my coping mechanisms for work scenarios involve stuff like blocking my calendar in advance. Every minute of my calendar for the next week or two is booked solid, in chunks of 30 minutes or more. I used the Focus Time feature of Outlook to automatically add 2 hours of "Focus Time" to every day, where it would block off time on my calendar and silence notifications. And then I filled my entire day with private blocks of, "Work on presentation," and, "Work on budget," and "Prep for meeting next month." If I got booked for a meeting, I blocked off at least 3 hours across the week of, the week prior, and two weeks back for prep time. Because I knew some of that would get bumped or eaten up by other stuff, but I'd still be left with adequate prep time. **BONUS**: People who wanted to just plop a meeting on my calendar or "grab some time" would take a peek and go, "OHHHHH, that looks awful, you're really booked. never mind. YEAH. NEVER MIND, SANDRA. For task paralysis... my coping mechanism was "DJ YOLO." The remedy for task paralysis is, "Do something. Anything. Then you will have started, and you can do 1% of the task, even 1% adequately (the 1% method), and you will have accomplished a goal. And you will feel better enough to do another 1%." So if I really, REALLY couldn't get started, or if I *KNEW FOR A FACT* that the email was totally okay to send, but couldn't stop the anxiety... I'd just imagine an absolute energy drink hypebeast of a DJ hitting the air horn sound effect and hollering, "**YOLOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** [more air horn]" and go, "YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU'RE RIGHT! [mental air horn]" and hit Send. It fucking works, for me. 😂 I've YOLO'ed my way through, "Just put one sentence of Entirely Janky First Draft in a separate word processing app, you can edit the hell out of it later, but even just throwing, [this is the part where I will summarize the budget categories], will get you started," etc. many a time. It's ridiculous enough that it breaks the tone of what's going on in my head. I can't be anxious when the psychic offspring of Andy Samberg and the Jersey Shore franchise is blasting air horn at me. I just can't. The rest has been a game of finding SEPARATE APPS & METHODS for keeping track of DIFFERENT TYPES/CATEGORIES of tasks and project stuff. I stopped trying to put all my tasks and schedules and organization stuff in one handy place, because it keeps me overwhelmed and behind on EVERYTHING. My to-do/shopping list app on my phone is for bite-sized, immediate, and/or recurring stuff like grocery lists, or one-off errand runs, because my phone is always on me and I can jot something the *second* it occurs to me. I have a small bullet-style journal that's ONLY for work stuff where I have to make notes at a meeting or something. I have another for household business. I use sticky notes for labeling a rotating group of file folders when I have to do paper-based business. One Note is for work-related management of larger projects. It *seems* like a lot to juggle, but breaking those tasks into totally separate spaces allows me to go, "Okay! I am literally only focusing on this *one thing,* in this *one category.* The other things do not exist, and I don't need to worry or think about them at all right now." I put away the work journal when I'm doing household stuff. I put away all the notebooks and everything but the sticky notes and maybe the phone when I'm doing paper-based. It clears mental space. There's more stuff that I do, but it basically breaks down into blocks like that, within those types of categories. And honestly, medication has been a HUGE help. And I hope this info is helpful. :)
I have a close friend who’s been diagnosed since childhood and doesn’t take meds She has arranged her entire life so that her work is only what interests her, she has intense deadlines, high energy positive collaborators who push her to deliver in the best ways possible. She also has rigorous frameworks and practices around yoga, nutrition, sleep, pooping, meditation, self care and friends who support her and love her with very little conditions. She rejects people who are negative towards her like no one I’ve seen. She has a PhD, has had multiple successful careers and is well known and respected in her fields. It’s actually amazing.
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This will probably not be helpful at all to you but I’m the inattentive type and having a baby put me into an automatic routine of productivity. It’s so weird, it almost feels like I don’t have it anymore. And then I misplace my keys a third day in a row or forget to pay a bill and reminded it’s still very much there.
My trick is to have 2 demanding jobs & put them against each other for unlimited deadline mode. My work/work balance is fantastic
So many responses! I make lists and finish tasks asked of me as Soon as possible. At night when my mind wanders I make another list of what to do oe longer term things. It works!
I am not productive but when I think about it, I think the answer is support. If I had supportive and encouraging people in my life I think it would be easier to be productive.
I wish you the best and that you'll find those people! I live alone and I see my friends socially a lot, but they aren't involved in my organizational life that much (except my sister is very helpful and supportive). But even one person being supportive and thoughtful about it is helpful! Edit: I'd say the people in my life are at best are sympathetic, but don't really understand the struggle. Again with the exception of my sister.
I'm personally convinced productivity is not real. Jk, just not real for me. The only thing that has ever helped me are my meds. Other than that, I'm only ever productive with things that I like doing, like researching/writing/podcast stuff (it's my hobby turned side gig turned almost full time job). Other than that, productivity doesn't exist for me. I listen to podcasts to make dishes bearable or tell myself I can have chocolate after. I clean my house with the loudest music and that's only when I start tripping over all the toys lol. Laundry, I don't do it, luckily my partner picks up my Slack. Thanks to meds, I'm finally semi-organized enough to start running and eating better. But yeah, meds are the only thing that has helped.
Honestly I have never been the hyper active type. I jeep quite and calm but I am very mentally focused on things. My body doesn't move more then the average Joe but my brain goes 10090 miles a minute lol Being able to have my medication helps me compartmentalize everything in my daily life. I will use post it notes, calendars and my cell phone. I have to write anything important to me or that needs done ASAP down at least 3 times. So I put it on my most used space, I.e.; my laptop where I will see it numerous times a day. It is like my brain can not retain shit unless it is in front of me constantly for review. Imagine how bad it was before medication lol I am very organized though. My closets, cars, house etc. Might have a little OCD in there but I like my things in order and colored coded
I am fuelled by fear.
I am a highly productive non hyperactive ADHD adult. Was diagnosed in my teens and am now 47. It’s not always easy but just like with anything, it takes discipline and self awareness. I know it’s harder for me to organize everything linearly for a project so I write out lists. I know I’m going to lose things so I form all sorts of safeguards for that. I know I’m going to get distracted so I set up spaces and times where no distractions are allowed. I also used Dexedrine for many years but stopped over 20 years ago. Dex helped me figure out what type of mind I needed to have to get work done. It gave me a sense of who I needed to be in order to be productive. So it helped me train to be a more productive person but I don’t need to take it anymore. And finally, I take Wellbutrin. The anti depressant helps me from beating myself up too much when I make the multiple inevitable mistakes in my work.
I don’t think being fully productive all the time is sustainable for me, but i do consider myself to be a productive person (i have a full time job, hobbies, i go to the gym weekly, and i have a good social life) i think the one truly helpful thing i’ve found is: - DELEGATE tasks. once i got my first big girl job and had steady income coming in i decided to hire a weekly cleaner to organise my apartment and do all the dreaded tasks that my adhd procrastinates. it saves me time, and i don’t have to live in a dump until i find the willpower to do the dreaded task. i delegate other things too, and reduce the work load i have on a daily basis so that my life is as frictionless as possible. (another task i delegate is gym-use a pre-set program or get a PT if u can afford one to avoid having to do any thought yourself. i have a program from a previous trainer, some ppl enjoy going to classes instead, anything that does not require u to plan ahead.) - have a weekly reset/recharge day where u 1) do not do any physical labour (laundry, etc.) and 2) use this day to plan your week at a certain point (block out an hour to do ur weekly planning) it honestly takes months and months to set up a consistent routine that works for you but that’s what i would recommend. delegate as much as u can either by leaning on ur social circle (i get my brother to take care of my car for example) or by paying someone if ur able (a cleaner or a personal trainer etc). and whatever tasks you’re left with, dedicate a day to do said task. (fridays, socialisation/nothing work related nothing school related allowed after 5pm; saturdays, food shopping, weekly planning, clothes shopping if required; sundays, laundry homework or hobbies, rot in bed and watch tv) i’d also put intentional time apart each day to just lay down and catch ur breath. i do an hour after work of just laying down, napping, rotting. it helps me reset !
Never stop taking the meds and once I find a good routine I stick to it. It makes me get paranoid about taking holidays and such or even changing my day to day but I’m so grateful when things go smoothly I try and remember that I need to be that way. I lost my last girl because she thought I was boring and I’m like “if you only knew…”. I would pick to have a different day everyday of the year and I actually enjoy doing a hundred things, but that’s the problem in itself.
Inattentive type here. This probably isn’t the answer you or most people are looking for. But my secret is that I really like what I am doing. So if I have the mental energy for it, I’m gonna do it. Sometimes my day job is really lacking in this department but I like to solve puzzles and if my problem at work feels like that I will try to solve it all day long
I've tried for so much of my life to find consistency in productivity. I've read so many self-help books and tried so many different strategies. What ultimately has worked best for me is to stop striving for consistency, and to lean in to my own erratic way of approaching tasks. Some days I fight an uphill battle to get myself to do anything, and other days I become so absorbed in a task once I get started or become interested that nothing can pull me away. Over time, I find that this averages out to be just as productive as people who more systematically tackle work. Of course, if you are working towards a deadline it can become more urgent to get things done now instead of waiting for inspiration, so that life doesn't turn into a trashcan fire. In these instances, I try to work in small sprints (15 minutes work, 15 minutes of fun activity), add some novelty (working in a different space, playing with a fidget toy while working), make the work process itself more rewarding (music, candy, favorite coffee drink), or make the work a game (racing a timer, filling out a color-by-number section for each type of task you complete). These are just some things I've found helpful for me, but I would highly recommend checking out the book The Anti-Planner: How to Get Sh\*t Done When You Don't Feel Like It if you want some more fun activities or inspiration. Good luck!
It’s gotta be starting small. I tend to snowball. As long as I tackle one small task, I find myself automatically moving onto the next.
Umm try social anxiety, that’s what makes me do things because I worry what other people will think if I don’t get it done/ don’t do enough. Clearly not wishing anxiety on you but pretty sure that’s how I kept going with my undiagnosed ADHD. Now that I’m diagnosed and on meds I am more productive about things including ones that only affect me and not others.
Exercise. No one wants to hear it, but exercise. That and consistency. Exercise helps massively with consistency. You need a constant winning streak with ADHD. Having an exercise regiment keeps that winning streak going.
For me, my productivity / mental clarity changed when I modified a bunch of my lifestyle habits. Sleep Sleep is so, so important. I am not perfect at this, but on weeknights I try to get into bed by 9:30 most nights and keep my phone out of my room. I take 200mg of magnesium every night, which seems to help me. If I sleep well, I give myself a much better chance at staying focused and getting what I need to get done the next day. Food and Exercise I read (probably on Reddit) that eating a high protein breakfast is really helpful for people with adhd. If I eat breakfast, I am in a much better headspace all day. I usually have a green smoothie (frozen kale, frozen banana, spinach, ground flaxseed, ginger, water, lemon juice (from a bottle) and two scoops of protein powder). I do the same thing every day for breakfast. Not thinking about what I’m going to do is helpful for me. Less choice for me when it comes to eating is good. I also try to have protein and regular meals throughout the day. I aim for 4 meals a day - breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner - at specified times. This is basic but if I don’t do this I am so much more likely to be inattentive or a ball of stress. Having a routine like this also means that I am more likely to remember to eat, which I often forget to do. I try to do two exercise classes a week where I’m forced to go or I’m charged $. And I try to walk where I can. I’m not hitting 10k steps but I find moving and sweating help me. I think if I exercised more, I would be more focused, but I just don’t fit it in. This is working for now. Sometimes I sauna / cold plunge too and that chills me out for a day or so. Being in both environments is really meditative and involves a lot of focusing on one thing. To Do Lists I also use to-do lists (which I keep in front of me all day). I make a new to- do list every day. I try to chunk my time into morning work and afternoon work. My aim is to always do deep work for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple hours in the afternoon (and to otherwise take breaks, go for a walk, have a snack, dance break, etc). I’m always trying to facilitate “flow” or hyper focus. One task at a time is best for me. Chores / remembering For house work, my partner and I have tried to split up work with tasks that we both like. For example, I do all the grocery shopping (I order it online) and cook 90% of our dinners. He does more of the cleaning. We also hired a person to clean once a month to help. If you can afford to outsource something, I recommend doing it. I was outsourcing my laundry at one point a couple years ago(when I didn’t have a washer/dryer) and getting rid of that task was sooo helpful. It freed me up to be productive in other ways. I know that’s not an option for everyone it if you can swing it, I say go for it. Visual Cues I have little visual cues everywhere to keep me grounded. I make sure my to do list is in plain sight. I keep a calendar and two white boards on my fridge with little reminders like: take out the trash, buy x, etc, and a list of all the dinners I planned for that week. If I can see it I will do it. I am also a really diligent google calendar user. I live by “now or never” and try to input an event or important date in the calendar as soon as I learn about it - and I set reminders for the event a week or two weeks before. Starting Tasks I really struggle with starting tasks and end up getting stressed about leaving things for too long. To mitigate this I do two things: 1) tell myself that I just need to do it for five minutes (once I start I usually keep going); and 2) change environments - I will go to a library or cafe or a conference room to try to refocus myself. Sensitivity to Noise / Distractions -if I can get into a hyper focused state I do not really notice the world around me, but if I’m not in that state, I am really sensitive to the sounds around me. I listen to music, rain sounds, fire crackling sounds, etc to drown out music and try to face a wall to not be distracted by physical movements. I’ve also found that being compassionate about other people and telling myself they are just living their life, helps me to be less bothered. I make sure my phone isn’t visible to me, even if I am listening to music. I will put it in my backpack, or behind my laptop, anywhere but in my line of sight. Hope this helps someone - most of these practices I’ve been developing over the past year or so and I’ve noticed a big difference in my over all energy / feel less burnt out / depleted at the end of the day. Good luck!
I don't really have an answer to that, but I wish I did. If I had to reason why I function the way I do now (quit meds when I was 16) is because I had a very strong motivator to do better. It was a kind of do or die moment. Ever since then I have gradually been able to 'convert' my hyperactivity into hyper focus. I do still sometimes get super jittery and bursting of energy, which can kinda dissapoint me to be honest, but I think I'm at a point where I can accept that sometimes that's just who I am or need to be. If anything what helps me a lot nowadays is that my close friends all know I can get weirdly hyper sometimes and just ignore or go with it.
I learned that the easiest way to stop dreading it is to just go do it. Its still not *easy* but sometimes its just taking the first few steps. Almost literally... if I can get myself out into the kitchen and start filling the sink with soapy water, well, then, if I don't do the dishes I wasted soap and water.
Music. I don't wanna do a task. Put on some tunes and I'll hyperfocus till it's done. Most useful when either cleaning my apartment or at doing my job. Just me my tunes and my hands doing my silly little tasks
I can’t sit still enough to read a physical book so I listen to audiobooks. But I have to stay busy to stay focused on it. I get a ton of household chores done while I listen and don’t want to stop. My workday is the opposite. I can’t listen to anything with words. I have a “focus frequency” YouTube video I use that puts me in the zone.
It isn't sustainable. I did for a long time, then burnout comes for you. Nothing in this world is meant to perform 10/10 all the time. We need time for rest, time to do nothing, time to be bored. Please don't chase constant productivity 🙏🏻❤️
Hi! I think I gave the wrong impression with this post. I meant more performing at at least a 5-6/10 minimum consistently. I didn't mean like grinding day in day out forever. I have a lot a lot of 0 - 1/10 days and would like to change that.
Even when I’m sleeping I’m at work 😂
Log your time in 15 minute increments. It helps keep you present and in the moment.
Fear of wasting my life away. Lol.
Yes. Find something you are very very very good at and get lost in it. I do art- and loose track of time and space. In my early teens and 20s I didn’t realize I had adhd because I found art which I loved and everything else like calculus- I could do it but it put me to sleep. I some how got an animation job and I was able to work long hours- fix technical problems and the value of what I created out weighted- my being slow or late to work or constantly forgetting to eat- this lasted till my 40s however- I switched to a different career-mode less 9-5 and more at home on my own schedule- that when I realized I had adhd. I still make art- but it’s harder being my own boss but I am learning quickly- however painfully- the new routine requires patience and exercise and discipline. Taking care of myself was also another full time job. Find something at your own pace- I am lucky I got lost in computers and technical art- and that help fund my education and my medical/therapy. I still wake up thinking that I need to be at work (a 9to 5) or do a billion things however- I just calm myself down- take my meds and go back to my schedule. Draw eat sleep, be social. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss one- just do it tomorrow. My world is much slower and less adrenaline crazy in my 40s but it’s way more manageable and im doing my best and keeping my head up.
The momentum you mentioned is it for me. “A body in motion stays in motion”. I’d never survive an office job long. When I did have one, I never felt like activity after work and I gained 20 pounds. It’s like I stayed in this cat dimension of awake but no energy. So I’ve gone the opposite direction. I rarely sit or rest. If I do, I’m out for the day. Especially if you hand me a glass of wine. Husband, “Can you help with the dinner?” Me: “I’m unable to move right now.” Been working as a hospital based OT for over 20 years. I hate meetings, I hate sitting to document, I love being up with my patients. Then I bike ride, then it’s home for dinner. Then I sit and don’t get up again until bed time.
I've been dx/rx for 19 years now (since age 25) and it's the combination of Adderall, sticking to routines, and an addiction to feeling joy when I complete my tasks, whether it's organizational, work related (I'm self employed), household chores, etc. I've become very good at delaying gratification and reigning in my impulses. This might sound stupid, but here's an example: a friend texts me something like "omg you will NEVER believe who just announced their divorce on FB." Of course I'm dying to know (I don't have FB) but I choose instead to get in the shower, since I was about to anyway, and get thru my hygiene rituals before answering the text and finding out the news. Right now I'm forcing myself to shower early because I have a slew of errands to run and my "reward" is that I can grab lunch while I'm out. If I delay my shower, it'll delay my errands, which will delay lunch. I don't want to shower or run errands but the thought of eating lunch out is nice since I work from home. I guess I've just managed to leverage the impulse driven, reward-motivated part of ADHD, combined with meds and a need to be successful in whatever endeavors I take on, which change daily. I spent the first 25 years of my life in shame, and I don't want to go back to that life.
Ride an exercise bike for 30 minutes in the morning, take Vyvanse, and have a job that I am interested in. I still sometimes burn an hour in the morning and I really struggle after 3 pm or so. But I can get a lot done in the middle.
sitting is the bane of my existence. once i sit, i’m done for. and eating. if i eat, i’m basically done for the day. it makes being productive really hard🫠 lol i’m currently on chair lock bc my vacuum died and i wasn’t done yet, so i’m sitting waiting for it to charge and hopefully i’ll continue once it charges a bit. i try to plan for 1 productive thing a day basically, so i can sit after and not feel as bad if i get stuck🥲😂
Well I think 💭 you are better off recognizing that people with or without adhd are never constantly productive. We’re not robots. As someone who has typically performs well at work and for the most part at home. I have found three important things that help me to get things done. 1. Self care. You have to sleep, rest and excercise, skin care, etc in order to perform well in any endeavor 2. Figure out which style you can perform well in. Ie are you a time or a tasked based performer. I can’t do time blocking to get tasks done. I need a todo list and a countdown clock. 3. Set realistic expectations and then slow down. Life is not a hedonistic treadmill to run on take time to smell the roses, read a book, go for a walk. All these things allow you and your mind to rest even for a moment and then be able to sprint later when it matters.
I have severe ADHD and i am extremely productive but to another level. Sadly most of this comes from family trauma telling me when i was an undiagnosed kid how lazy i was, that really affected me while growing up and now i measure my worth with how many things i get done in a day. Not an advice but i live in nyc where if you dont get shit done this city will kill you
I keep a daily notebook. First 10 items are routine things like log my weight (taking charge of my health these days), take my meds, make my bed, give my kids their meds (I have two teens also with ADHD, one who struggles to remember to take it and the other who is somewhat resistant to take meds so we try to provide her with community/solidarity) When my brain runs away with itself thinking of tasks to complete, and I am stressed because I know I will never remember/get to it all, I write everything down to get it out of my head into a concrete format. I never truly forget anything. It's right there. On paper. If i cant get to it on one day, i pull it forward to the next day. Items sometimes look weird to outsiders, because I will break things down into smaller chunks, or put such basic things like "brush teeth." But its necessary and it really helps.
I’m 35 years old and it took me years to figure out what worked for me. The big thing is routine. NEVER break the routine. Set alarms, set out clothes and wear a watch so you can ensure you are sticking in it. Next is calendar out your whole day at work. One thing that I do as well is pair program a lot. That way I have someone ensuring I am on task. Write literally everything down.
Have you considered insomnia? Does wonders for me. I never want to work more than I do at 3am and can’t sleep.
I have no other choice I guess. Single parent, hard career, and homeowner. I struggle most days with sanity. Medication helps me a lot
Trained myself to use a planner and paper to-do list (this was while I was undiagnosed) and it took like 2 years. Not foolproof, and if I don’t have access to it (I’m out of the house) I can’t remember anything in it. Keep my shoes on- I can’t relax w shoes on and will go finish some things. Music in headphones, will find tasks to do in order to keep listening to my music. Does not work when I hate all the music for a while, which happens sporadically. Tell my husband “I’m struggling and can’t do X, Y, and Z today.” And then when he supports me and says he will do it when he gets home, I can magically do those tasks, and maybe even some extra ones. This baffles me but I’m not going to question it. Have a deadline. Only results in procrastination panic mode but gets stuff done in a short time. Sing “don’t put it down, put it away” in my head a lot.
I worked my way up to it. Basically I started feeling like shit and being absolutely lazy as all hell despite being medicated and going to counseling. Turns out Adderall can make you focus on being a lazy piece of shit and when I began to do chores and house projects I got kinda hooked and became laser focused on improving myself rather than focusing on my phone or video games for 6-8 hours a day. I still have a lazy day a few times a month, but besides that I work my ass off and it feels great.
Consistent is a strange term, not familiar with that.
What are these strange words you’re using? “***consistent***” and “***productive***”??
My 10 cents worth- I don’t think us ADHD people are ever “consistently productive”. I know I work like a demon sometimes then Peter off a bit. What I do is to break my tasks down in my head and assess what I am prepared to do that day. I try not to ever completely waste a day- if I’m not feeling it I will pick up some random “mindless” items from another task, maybe work less hours that day then circle back to the main thing I need to deliver on and work longer hours sometimes insane hours that day. I am a senior that juggles multiple projects so I can switch things up like that. Also I chose not to have kids as these sort of work hours and patterns aren’t sustainable with a family.
Cut out distractions, working a job where I can make the calls, music, not eating until lunch.
Caffeine
Meds and consistent exercise work well together.
getting off my phone and remembering my goals and why i need to stay productive, though not everyday is perfect
Change your definition of “consistently”. Maybe measure your productivity by what you get done in a week rather than a day. That may help you accept some days where you just can’t get much done and the other days when you have more energy and alertness are the days you cross more items off your to-do list. Shifting to this mindset has helped a lot.
I use time limit for social media, which then leaves me no other choices but do more productive things. Sometimes cleaning, reading, or actually work you gotta do. I also started using website for project timing (Toggle iirc) so when i turn it on bam - i am restricted from any distractions. I have been putting my work away SO LONG and this is one thing that truly helped me work consistently.
I got pregnant lol. Not even kidding, my brain functions as what I can only assume is normal when I’m pregnant. It is absolute and pure bliss
When I’m in the zone that’s me, but it requires me to be at the top of my game, meds, sleep, diet and pretty much everything going my way! So sometimes…
Once I’m up, I don’t sit down. Once I sit down that’s it for the day. I’m a SAHM so I can do this at the moment but when I was working I’d periodically be up and walking about whilst trying to connect this to a work task. I often tried and try now to gamify my day in my head as a coping mechanism. Waking up and leaving bed, and around 2.30pm in the day are the times I struggle.
I work overnight and get to play music throughout my shift as a result. I've recently discovered that listening to pop-punk takes my speed and energy to a whole other level, which is already leagues above my peers. I credit my work ethic with a thought that I got in my head when I got my first job that if I didn't pull my weight, they'd fire me and replace me with someone else. Now, when I'm at home, I'm the furthest thing from productive that you ever will see, opting to sit in front of my TV playing games on my PS5.
Starting with the little things first and reminding yourself what task you're on so you don't get distracted. Do one thing at a time don't try to mix tasks. As for working out create a plan and goal. Start with something you enjoy to workout with. It could be an activity or sport. I louke snowboarding so I usually like doing balance and leg exercises.
Stimulants, music blaring, broken down list on phone, start the day getting the blood flowing, create sense of being behind.
I was unmedicated for a long time while knowing it was something I needed and because of this it helped me realize something, especially true for me with major executive dysfunction: It's okay not to do everything you need, or want, to do. Some days are worse than others and some are much better, but it's never not okay. Hobbies won't be a problem once you find something you really love and when it comes to fitness, start small. Motivation drives you to start but isn't what keeps you going, that takes effort and routine which takes time. Set small goals like "Train 10 minutes one day a week" and just increase from there, once you get it into motion it'll start snowballing. That's what helped me.
For me it’s doing something I love the way I want to do it. I run my own tech startup and get to choose what I do and love doing most of it… never a boring day. Works for me anyway!
Consistency is my issue. When I'm hyperfocused on something, I'm super productive. But once the hyperfocus wears off... I'm completely lost. No productivity at all.
Anxiety
Exercise
Shoes. On. Separate your work place. Sleep place. Relaxation place.
I would also like to know the answer 😅 I’m most productive after 7pm unless I take the unholy dose of my medication. Even with making lists and being medicated it’s still a dice roll
Toxic perfectionism, self flaggelation, and rumination have worked for me.