Why productivity hacks just don’t work for ADHD minds
When it comes to productivity tips and tricks, us ADHD-folk can often fall into the trap of thinking some new shiny thing will work for us. Anything for an easy life, right?! But the reality of it is that there is an assumption that we can prioritise, plan and follow through in the same way as our neurotypical friends. But endless to-do lists, trying to get up earlier or being more disciplined can just feel like impossible, even painful tasks!
We are interest driven, novelty seeking magpies, so the whiff of a new hack or tool to fix something is like hot buttered toast - we can’t get enough of it. But often we haven’t stopped to understand what’s happening underneath first. Often what’s underneath are things like task initiation - that thing about knowing what to do, but not being able to start, and really not understanding why. Without that understanding we’re just adding another system that we may struggle to maintain.
When we have ADHD, knowing what needs doing and then being able to take action by getting started or even following it through can be 2 very different things. It’s not that we don’t care or don’t want to do something, it can feel achingly impossible and there’s a gap between our intentions and actions. With this comes an emotional impact as well. We can put the laundry in the machine set it going, even hang it out to dry, but that final step of folding it and putting it away (because no one really irons unless they need to, right?) can feel impossible. We then might feel frustrated, guilty which can lead to self-criticism. Stack these up against years of comparing ourselves to our neurotypical friends and we add to that growing negative story we tell about ourselves,
One thing that we don’t take into account is how traditional systems often rely on consistency and routine, assuming that if one thing works today, it will work tomorrow, but we’re wired differently and ADHD can make consistency so much harder. That’s not to say that we don’t benefit from routines and systems, the problem is that systems that rely on us maintaining them consistently regardless of our energy, interest, demands or change in circumstances can be harder to sustain.
If there’s one thing I’d love you to take away from this short read it’s that we need to stop trying harder and stop assuming that we’re the problem and start looking at whether the approach works for us. Does it fit our values? Does it play to our strengths? So have a think, what works with my brain not against it? What makes tasks easier to start? How can I make something more interesting, meaningful or manageable? What support or adjustments do I need?
So before seeking out or subscribing to yet another tool, get curious, get to know your patterns, strengths and the things that are get in the way of getting things done.