“Think progress, not perfection” – Ryan Holiday
We are well on our way to the end of first term, and you might be starting to think about upcoming assessments. Getting through your work when you have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be tough – it can feel like you’re treading water, just about keeping your head above the surface and trying not to drown from your ever-growing to-do list. You’re likely dealing with executive dysfunction, which can cause difficulties with organising, prioritising and starting tasks.
The advice we receive often does not take the actual realities of ADHD symptoms into account (most techniques are no match for our lower dopamine levels). As someone that felt completely lost in their first year, I’ve compiled below a list of tips that helped me find my footing. It’s important to note that these are mitigating strategies rather than cures; many of them fail to work perfectly, but they make life slightly easier, while still being realistic.
1. Ditch your planner and use notebooks/calendars/notifications
If planners work for you, then great! But many people with ADHD find that once the planner closes, all thoughts of our carefully planned day also disappear. We tend to be perfectionists; I don’t know if it’s just me, but having a planner with pages of unfilled months just increases the feeling of being overwhelmed – it becomes another task I failed to achieve. The following tips can help to counteract this planner problem:
- A plain notebook allows you to write as much or as little as you need. There are no tiny (or overly large!) boxes to adhere to. Of course, it does still occasionally get put to the side and forgotten, but the lack of dates means you can fill every page without feeling pressured to write in it every day and finish the book within the year.
- A calendar is an easy way to quickly remind yourself of the day’s events, rather than flipping through a planner to find the right pages. I like to include fun things – even something as simple as grabbing lunch with a friend – to give me something to look forward to! (This can motivate you to actually check the calendar on a regular basis, which might not happen if it was just filled with deadlines.)
- Activating Notifications on your phone can be a are a great way to stay on top of your schedule when you’re on the go. Many ADHDers struggle with their working memory, and the visual and audible reminders from your phone can prompt you to tackle any urgent jobs.
2. Schedule time limits on your phone
Time blindness affects how you perceive time, which can lead to endless scrolling. Have you ever spent five minutes on your phone, only to realise two hours had passed? To prevent this, change the settings on your phone to block your access to certain apps after spending a certain amount of time on them.
Unfortunately, this does not always work perfectly in the real world. To bypass app restrictions, you can simply enter your passcode or turn off the feature. However, you can still set your phone to send you reminders every 15 minutes or so, which can help to reduce your screen time. – you might end up spending an extra half an hour on your phone, but the frequent reminders can stop those 30 minutes from turning into a full hour.
3. Use periods of hyperfocus to your advantage
Hyperfocus is a state of intense concentration experienced by some people with ADHD. This can be used to your advantage, as it’s always easier to perform a task when you’re in the middle of it. Executive dysfunction can get in the way of that, but the following methods can trigger your hyperfocus and get you in the zone.
- Body doubling is a tried and tested method for completing activities as an ADHDer. The presence of another person can ground you, helping you focus on your tasks. This tends to work even when the other person is doing a different activity, so you can do it in your flat’s kitchen, a café, your friend’s bedroom… anywhere that has another person!
- Play music! Blast your favourite playlist to complete boring chores. The problem is stopping the music when you need to sit back down, but I suppose that’s where body doubling comes in…
Finally, remember to be kind to yourself! We often put so much pressure on ourselves to get things right, but there is no shame in asking for accommodations when you need it. And when putting these tips into motion, make sure to designate time for fun as well – a happier mind leads to better productivity in the long run, and allows our positive aspects (like our creativity and spontaneity) to shine through.