Oh boy, my social media company wants me to come up with a tip sheet! Okay, I’m feeling distracted right now.
Not always, but often enough, distraction is a form of resistance. It’s why many writers have such clean kitchens. Nothing gets the housework going like having an essay due.
However, if you have ADHD, this is not exclusively the case. In fact, it’s cruel to just call it ‘resistance’ because it is also brain wiring, and there is more and more brain wiring like it with and without that diagnosis because the world is moving so fast and we’re bombarded with more information in a day than people early in the last century were in a lifetime. So brains are literally changing. Our attention spans are diminishing and we have to be aware of that to manage them. I’m just riffing here, and this is a blog so I think I have the license to do that, but there are probably studies.
ANY-hoo, you know the drill..but maybe you’ll pick up something new here:
- Don’t check your email first thing in the morning. Have an auto-responder to let you off the hook like ‘I only check email sporadically so if this is a time-sensitive matter please text or call 555-5555’ (funny how Hollywood always uses 5s in fake phone numbers. There’s actually a reason for that. But coincidentally, I digress. Check that link out later and use your real number.)
- Avoid ‘rabbit-holeing’ by resisting clicking internal links within searches. Bookmark, finish what you’re doing, and reward yourself by coming back for the brain candy.
- Use the Pomodoro Method to stay focused
- Take your Adderall. Or whatever. Just comply with medication as prescribed. It’s a tool, not a crutch.
What else?
- Oh yeah. Don’t believe what you feel. Your feelings are lying to you, especially when you’re overwhelmed. Now we’re getting into ‘story cycles’ but that’s a blog for another time.
- Get out of your head and into your body through mindfulness techniques like meditation and Positive Intelligence, which is a type of ‘mental fitness training’ (very de rigueur these days). In fact, I’ve integrated it into my coaching offerings.
- Don’t try to do stuff alone. I’m being quite literal here. If it’s so boring it gives you a headache, like finding citations for something, find a co-working group that meets in person or virtually. Check-in at the beginning of the time you’ve all agreed upon with your goals for the session, and share your achievements at the end.
- Deal with your dyscalculia. Pretty word, right? Dyscalculia is a learning disability that makes it hard to do math, ergo accurately calculate things like how long it will take to shop, cook, do a project. Break it down by talking it through with a coach or a friend.
I hope one or two of the above generated a bit of an ‘A-ha!’ or an ‘Oh yeah, I remember that!’. Good luck following through and finishing whatever actions are at hand and let me know how it goes!
