Productivity Tips (Especially for ADHD)

As an independent contractor / freelancer / digital nomad who gets bored easily and has the tendency to become fixated on one thing at a time (regardless of whether or not that thing is important in the grand scheme of things), I've discovered a few things about how to trick yourself to do work.

It was actually working for myself that initially gave me the idea that I might have ADHD. I realized that I often had trouble with deadlines, with finishing my to-do list, or with completing tasks that I did not want to do. I had never thought of myself as a non-productive person. That made me feel lazy, and I knew I wasn't lazy. I have also been fairly bright all my life, and I did fine in school. All my teachers liked me and I was interested in almost all my subjects. Or so I remember it. But as I learned what ADHD people experience, I began to realize I related to a lot of those things. Yet, I never considered myself a person who struggled with completing tasks. Then, I remembered some of the issues that I had had at work. For the last few years, I had been a nanny, and that was a breeze for me because the kids took all my attention and there was always something to do, but it never lasted very long. But I work for myself now.

Three years ago, while I was still nannying, I started a side-hustle. Audiobook narration. It was kind of a pipe dream of mine, made possible by amazon's shipping times, the internet, and a website I'd found after googling "how do you become a narrator?". I worked a lot in the evenings after feeding the kids and giving them off to their parents, and after a while, I thought I would take the leap and focus on that full time. I wasn't making much money, so I lived with my grandparents and when they got sick of me, I moved in with my partner. We already had a study, which we turned into my office, and I worked from there every day.

In the evenings, I would talk to my partner because I had no coworkers or mentors to bounce ideas off of. He put up a giant chalkboard for me. He listened, and so did my friend, the only other American friend I had in the European country of the Netherlands. Often, I felt unmotivated or useless for having decided to go out on my own. I got overwhelmed with the magnitude of tasks that needed to be done and questioned my ability to do it. Sometimes I just didn't want to. Sometimes I felt like I couldn't because the house was dirty and that's all I was thinking about. Sometimes I'd take breaks to pull weeds in the garden. My partner would say things to me like, "You're not lazy, you just have a hard time prioritizing."

Finally, I came around to the idea that I might have "a problem". Or the "dysfunction" that is ADHD. I struggled with it for a while, becaue I don't believe in disorders. Let me say something about "disorders." To have a disorder, there must be an order that they cannot accomplish. But I suspect that this so-called order is just one type of order to have. The "regular" type. The linear type. ADHD is a way to refer to a set of daily tasks or activities that are challenging for this person to complete. These tasks are set about by what is normal at that time for society. Like going to school and completing a list of items, starting at the top and working your way down. Holding a job that starts at 9 am and ends at 5 pm, full of productivity and checking tasks off a list in those hours.

These habits are based on what "most people do in social situations," but that's just what we do in 2022. What about in 1980? or 1920? Or in a Native American tribe in 1801? Or on a boat in 1830, out to sea for 6 months? There used to be a lot more down time. People used to spend their hours differently. This all changes over time.

Besides, the "disorder" of "not being able to pay attention" is really not being able to pay attention in a certain way: to one thing for a long time. That does not have an effect on how productive or how genius the person can be. At all. An ADHDer can actually be quite brilliant. They can hold a lot of thoughts in their brain at once and conceptualize them beautifully. The only thing ADHD means is that the person works differently than what's "normal." But then "differently" is not really fair because -- differently to who? There are a considerable amount of children and growing more popular, adults, who have this "disorder". Shouldn't it instead be considered one way to be... one way to work?

ADHD is the term they are currently using in the medical / scientific fields, but I don't believe it is going to stay, because I don't believe it accurately describes the experience. I don't see it as a disorder. For this article, though, we'll use it.

ADHD describes a set of thinking patterns, specifically when it comes to focus and attention. It stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as I'm sure you already know. I have heard it said that it's not actually a deficit of attention, but rather a whole lot of attention spread out over multiple areas of interest in the person's brain. This means that the average ADHD person is multitasking all day long.

Normally, during waking hours, their brain is busy with a hundred different thoughts, relating to different parts of their lives. In the morning, as they are planning their day or getting ready for what the day holds, they might be wondering what the most efficient way to do laundry is as they walk up the stairs. They might be formulating that in the hour until they have before they must leave the house, they might be able to complete 3 or 4 chores, meaning they won't have to do them tonight and they can do something else, maybe what they really want to be doing all day long -- their latest obsession or interest... unless they're really wishing they were doing that thing right now instead of doing chores, but thinking they might have time to do it anyway, if they're able to get 2 or 3 of their chores done really quickly and still have 5 or 10 minutes on their guilty pleasure before leaving the house for the day. Deciding that yes, they can manage 2 or 3 chores in such a short amount of time if they really optimize their time, making a plan in their head for how exactly to do it, and then setting about doing it, their mind will then probably wander while they're folding clothes to land on a brilliant idea that they just have to write down before they forget, and they will feel so pulled in that direction that they want to throw the laundry all over the floor and give up.

Everything interests them. They find life to be complicated and intricate and fascinating. They are curious. They can get into moods where they just have boundless energy. They want to study things and pursue things and follow their whims.

This might sound wonderful to be this inspired and curious, but you could see how it is unrealistic. They sometimes get excited and chase something that they really only have surface-level interest in, after all. Then, it might take a while to recalibrate and come to terms with the fact that the new interest isn't really that exciting. They might find themselves wondering what in the hell they are doing in life, why anyone trusts them to be an adult, and so on. (Take it from me, don't let yourself get stuck here, doubting yourself endlessly and feeling worthless. Just take a few breaths and recalibrate.)

I don't have to tell you that this is not ideal for business. In order to be successful in anything as complex as making money in a changing world and economy, you have to remain focused and work steadily on it for years. How is this possible for an ADHD mind? I have a few things that have helped me.

For starters: you have to ride the wave. Meaning you have to work with your mind, not against it. Observe the way you perform tasks or how long you are able to pay attention to something. Learn something from that and use it to your advantage. Follow your whims as much as you can, but take your time with it. Do what you feel like doing and take note of how it affects you, how it makes you feel, how it affects your work, if the end result is good, if you will do that again next time or not if it is enjoyable or added to your life or work life, and so forth. Really, I think the best thing I've done for myself is to take my time and to allow myself to be. Give myself permission to do what I want.

Sometimes that even means taking naps.

Often, in the middle of the day -- say around 3 p.m. or so -- I get bored and tired of doing what I'm doing. I want to be doing anything else. Especially laying down. I get especially tired if I've been focusing on the same thing for a long time. I wish I could take a nap... so I do!

Here's how I manage it: I lay down and set an alarm for 25 or 35 minutes. If I really am tired, I will fall asleep in under 10 and I will get to snooze for 15 before having to rise. But what sometimes happens is I lay down, but I don't sleep. I'm not actually tired. Just bored I guess. But I lay there and I try to relax, and my thoughts go crazy, but I just let my mind run... and then a few thoughts sort of materialize and come together... then, an idea might be sparked... so I let the idea gain some speed... Just letting myself work it out... then I wonder, should I just get up now? I bet it's been 10 minutes already. I don't think I'm going to get a nap in. I might as well get up. Usually, I still stay lying down for a moment, making my thoughts into a list or a more manageable form until I think Oh! I have to write that down! Oh, I know what I'll do! And I actually return to work with more inspiration and vigor. (Now that I type it out, it sounds kind of crazy, doesn't it? That's just the way it works for me, and I've learned to allow it.)

This mind-racing-while-trying-to-sleep thing isn't confined to just naps for me.

Have you ever been unable to sleep at night because your mind is so busy?

It's very common for me to lay down at bedtime and try to sleep, only to think and strategize and plan for two hours instead of sleeping or even getting the slightest bit drowsy. So I just get up and work! I write, or I finish that podcast episode that I'm thinking about anyway, or I even sometimes just fix myself some tea, and watch tv with my notebook next to me. I found out that even if I stay up till 5 a.m., I can still wake up at noon or even a bit before, feeling totally rested. I can't even tell you how good it feels waking up at noon with all of your morning tasks done. It's amazing! I know that not everyone has a life that's structured to allow for things like that, but I urge everyone with ADHD to find some version of this for themselves. To work toward more flexibility and freedom in their personal and professional lives to allow for this type of thing to happen, because this is how we work! And there is nothing wrong with that.

I also have loads of other tips which I've picked up along the way. They are catered to me, so you might have to get creative with adapting them to your own life, but here they are:

For notes and ideas, paper works better than electronic. I do have an iPad, which I take some notes in and organize some notebooks around, but I find myself going back to paper. Especially smaller bits of paper, like notecards or post-its. I have chalkboards and large sheets of paper on the wall throughout the house for my lists and visions and ideas. Another thing I will do is section off a regular piece of paper in my journal (unlined) into 4 or 5 or 6 squares (things that I'm working on at the moment or things that are on my mind all at once) and put my ideas or to-dos in the respective squares, emptying my head. It helps tremendously to look at it all at once.

Sometimes I get to feeling like I have no idea what to start or what to do for the day, but I know I must have a million things and I have to get a start on them soon! When you're all worked up with no direction, get moving. Take a walk, take a shower (personal favorite... you can really sort your life out in there), or busy your hands. My favorite way to busy my hands is with crochet. It is repetitive and mindless, so it helps me calm down enough to get some things prioritized in my mind and formulate a plan for the day or the week or the project I need to work out. Sometimes, you will feel guilty about doing this step, because you don't think it is productive, but it is. As they say in Dutch, Een goed begin is het halve werk... A good beginning is half the work. This is an important step. Let your mind work itself out while your hands or busy or your body is moving. It'll come back around, and you'll make up for it later. (Maybe have voice notes ready, or a notebook nearby.)

Sometimes you have to approach your goal like a unicorn, slowly making your way toward it inch by inch, not making eye contact. As long as you're taking steps toward it and not away from it, you'll get there.

If you need to get something done, but you're lacking gusto. Use foreplay tactics. Warm up to it. Take your time to set up your area and get the right conditions ready for you to be in that headspace. If you need to write, clean up the space around you, sharpen your pencils, light a candle, get other books related to your topic of interest out and flip through them. Put on the right type of music to inspire the results you want. Make sure you have tea and cold, refreshing water nearby. Put your hair up and make yourself comfortable. If you need to, do your makeup, and so on. Make yourself ready for the task.

Another tip you might find useful is: Use deadlines or time limits to your advantage. You know you do your best work when you're supposed to be doing something else. So arrange for that to happen. I often get a lot done when I have somewhere to be in an hour, so if you need to, tell yourself you have to go to the grocery store, but first you're gunna just do this one thing, and then get busy! Two hours later, you will probably have lots more done than you thought and then, if you're like me, you will jet off to the grocery store like a bat out of hell. Probably get your whole grocery list done and start on dinner in less than an hour.

Speaking of this type of time-limit task-doing... you can play productive games with yourself. Set a timer for 20 minutes and say, I am going to do this task for 20 minutes and that's it. It helps you get your head down and get to it, because there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you know it won't last long.

And lastly, if you're going to sit still and do something for an extended period of time, have something to do with your hands. One thing I've grown to like is a long, beaded necklace I bought at a thrift store that has several layers. The plastics beads bump into each other and I like the sound it makes when I shake it; I like the way it feels in my hands. Feeling it between my fingers as I work something out with my mind helps me stay focused.

Otherwise, something to chew on that won't harm your mouth works, too. Hilariously, I got onto a kick where I'd chew on a silicone uhm... bedroom toy for a while because I liked how soft and squishy it was. I actually hung it on a pendant around my neck for a few days. My partner and I had several laughs about that. Sometimes, I keep a needlepoint project next to my computer or bring a crochet project (nothing that takes concentration, something with a simple stitch and no counting). You could try keeping a baseball around, or something else that you like. Anything to put your kinetic energy into as you concentrate.

That wraps it up! I hope you've enjoyed this article and learned something new!

Until next time!

Alison