How to Get Stuff Done When You Have ADHD

Hello Brains! If you're anything like me you have a hard time getting stuff done. You especially have a hard time getting stuff done on time. [music intro] There are so many things working against us. First of all we have trouble getting started. As I've mentioned before, those of us with ADHD tend to have two timezones: now and not now It's usually "not now". To get going we need something to flip the switch in our brains from "not now" to "now". This isn't such an issue when we're kids because other people flip that switch for us and everything is always now. Now get in the car. Now do your homework. Put down your brother. Now. As adults it's a lot harder because we have to flip that switch ourselves and it's not always clear when to do it. That's one of the reasons we're great in a crisis. A crisis is always now. Second: even if we do get started we get distracted. This actually isn't our fault and anyone who told you to try harder was wrong. Our brains work a little differently than the average brain. Especially the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for being able to focus for one thing. If someone with a neuro-typical brain sits down to study the prefrontal cortex lights up with activity. If someone with an ADHD brain sits down to study and they really try hard to focus the activity in their prefrontal cortex actually decreases. There is one exception to this: if something really interests and engages us we go the other direction. Which brings me to the third problem. If we manage to get started and stay focused we don't know when to stop. We have a tendency to hyperfocus. I experience this every time I read the YouTube comments. Perhaps you've seen me. Perfectionism is another issue. If I know I still have time left before a deadline I'll keep messing with the project until it's due. Or past due. So getting started early often translates to "I'm working on it longer." That's one of the reasons we procrastinate. Putting things off til the very last minute solves all of these problems. We know when to to get started at the very last minute. We can stay focused because the pressure of the deadline keeps our brains engaged. And we know when to stop. As soon as possible. Here's the problem: if something goes wrong, we under estimated how long it would take - more on that in just a second - we get a flat tire. We discover we're not robots and actually have to eat occasionally. Our computer crashes and we forgot to save. We're screwed. Now we're late for class, late turning in homework, late completing a project for work. So, while waiting til the last minute to get started might be one solution, it's maybe not the best solution. But what if I told you there's a mystical fruit from a faraway land that can make all of your dreams come true. This is the magical pomodoro. It's a kitchen timer. But this kitchen timer can solve all of the issues your procrastination does. Plus it can help us finish... early. Here's how it works: Step 1: choose the task to work on. Sept 2: Set the timer for 25 minutes. Step 3: Work on that task and that task only for 25 minutes. You don't check your text messages. You don't check your email. You don't check your Facebook, Instagram. You don't Snapchat anybody. Nothing. If you find yourself doing something else - I'm looking at you video games - start the timer over and try again. If someone interrupts you let them know you'll get back to them and keep going. Step 4: Pizza! You get a 5 minute break even when you're slammed. Work for 25 minutes straight and you are rewarded with a delicious five minute break and possibly pizza. That's how it works now here's why it works: This is really good. Right. The video. You know when to get started. As soon as you set that timer not now becomes now. You can stay focused. The 25 minute deadline allows us to feel the same kind of pressure we normally only feel when we procrastinate. It also incentivizes us to work. It becomes kind of like a game: you get the prize, "five minute break!" If you win by staying focused. You know when to stop. The timer goes off, you're done. This can really help if you have a tendency to hyperfocus. Plus, you can decide in advance how many pomodoros you want to do. Which is great because it keeps whatever project you're working on from taking over your life. Boundaries: they're important. OK Advanced level. Remember how I said: "We underestimated how long it would take"? That's pretty common with ADHD. It's called magical thinking. "It won't take that long. I'll have time to do this tomorrow." Unless you have a fairy godmother this usually isn't realistic. Keeping track of how many pomodoros it takes you to finish things will help you get a better sense of how long things actually take, which will help you better plan your time and finish in time in future. That's it for this week. If you wanna learn more about the pomodoro technique there's links in the description below to articles and even the book. Check it out. Try it out for yourself. Leave a comment below telling me how you like the technique. Hit me up on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe. Bye brains! [ringing noise] Pizza! [music outro] My house is clean. For now.

Channel: How to ADHD

Views: 1,061,559

Keywords: add, adhd, attention, deficit, hyperactivity, disorder, pomodoro, gtd, technique, time management, timer, productivity, brain, hack, get stuff done, follow, through, tip, trick

Id: YLkOZhROvA4

Length: 4min 45sec (285 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 23 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/userthecruiser02]

Eh, I’ll watch it later

[u/way-too-much-effort]

Does this really belong on this sub? Not all advice is given as a cure. This channel’s all about possible strategies for working with your adhd. They know it’s a real problem that doesn’t have a magical cure, so they don’t present it that way. It’s genuine advice from adhd brains to adhd brains.