The pressure is on and you’re finally working. Great. But getting the wheels turning before the last minute is a real challenge. It doesn’t always need to come to this.
If getting things done in a consistent and predictable way has always been a struggle for you, ADHD may be the culprit.
Unaddressed, it leads to too many embarrassing experiences of dropping the ball or just barely getting over the finish line on time. No matter how much you beat yourself up, your behavior doesn’t change enough next time. It’s demoralizing.
Manage Your ADHD So It Doesn’t Manage You
If you know or suspect you have ADHD, you will need to be more intentional about getting things done and staying centered. The reward is passionately pursuing your goals because you’re confident in your ability to achieve them.
1. Figure Out What Matters Most.
Being busy is not the same as being productive. It only counts if you’re doing what matters most. Life and work always have more tasks than time. If you’re not clear about priorities, and therefore what is less of a priority, then you will be ruled by whatever just happened or is noisiest. You will be a passenger in your own life. Instead, invest the cognitive effort to really think about what most deserves your energy. Then invest some emotional effort to tolerate the discomfort of letting some things go.
2. Kill the Competition.
ADHD makes it harder to filter out distractions and temptations. They hit your attention hard. So, rather than trying to not be distracted by distractions, it’s much more effective to block, minimize, or reduce them beforehand. Don’t roll those dice. Stay connected to your focus.
3. Yes, You Need a Real Schedule and To Do List.
Just remembering may work sometimes, but it also leads to a lot of last-minute scrambling and hits to your reputation. Yes, sometimes you will need to make yourself pause and put a task into your schedule or to do list. ADHD can feel like unstoppable momentum. Looking at a long list may just remind you of everything you still haven’t done. Remember that these are living documents. You will add events and tasks and also you will decide to delete some off. Writing something down doesn’t make it a blood oath.
4. Get Serious About Sleep
Stealing time from sleep can feel like a get out of jail free card. You may even tell yourself that you don’t need much sleep. You do. Sleep deprivation will suck away your productivity tomorrow and also make you less fun to hang out with. Your bedtime is a real deadline, not a suggestion. It will help you start your day felling alive and focused.
5. Admit It When You Blow It
If your batting average is sometimes lower than you wish it would be, then it’s extra important to be good at apologizing and making some amends. Since ADHD makes it harder to reliably convert intentions into actions, it’s also important to tell people in a genuine and believable way that you took the task seriously, that their happiness is important to you, and that you’re working hard even if it doesn’t always show. This is the brave part and a crucial component to your being effective.
6. Maybe It’s Time to Consider Medication
If you continue to feel like you’re working harder than you want to be and don’t have enough to show for it, then it might be time to consider medication. Most people with ADHD find that it works quite well and with manageable side effects. If you had diabetes, you wouldn’t chastise yourself that you just need to work harder. You still need to make wise choices, but medication makes it easier to follow that good plan.
This is bigger Than ADHD. The point of managing your ADHD bravely and more effectively is to create a life you can be excited about, where you feel valued as a contributor, and remain eager for the next opportunity.
