It's a common story for people with ADHD, and the one I hear most from clients
If You Have ADHD, Do These 3 Things To Get Things Done
It's a common story for people with ADHD, and the one I hear most from clients: they just can't seem to follow through on the stuff they need to do.
And it can lead to debilitating anxiety, disappointment and shame. If you don't get proactive and make a plan and get visit to adhd psychiatrist london for how you work, your ADHD will sabotage your ability to get stuff done.
Here's what you can do instead. It's simple and doable, and will help you start following through on your work and getting stuff done.
Step 1: Use the Pomodoro Technique to break down your work into smaller chunks
With ADHD, if you don’t break your work down into smaller pieces, you’re going to get overwhelmed. This leads us to one the great secret tips for ADHD productivity: Use the Pomodoro Technique.
What is the Pomodoro Technique?
The Pomodoro Technique is just a fancy phrase for doing your work in 25-minute chunks with small breaks in between.
- Set timer for 25 mins.
- Work until timer goes off
- Take a small break (5-10 mins)
- Repeat
- Take a longer break after 4 Pomodoros
You can use a physical timer or an online, whatever works better for you. There's a variety of Pomodoro timers on the web. "After a while, you just kind of get used to it, and it’s a lot easier for me to work ‘cause sometimes when I sit down to do work, you get so much anxiety about having to think about sitting down for two hours and doing something for a long time. That’s what it helps me with.”
Step 2: Use App Blockers To Take As Much Distraction Off The Table As You Can
Using the Pomodoro Technique as your foundation for breaking your work into smaller chunks, now it's time to ADHD-proof it a little more by taking as much distraction off the table as possible. You must limit your access to distraction for the Pomodoro Technique to flourish.
Even if you know you can stay off your phone, or YouTube, etc., if you don't use App Blockers, you're still a rookie. Here's the deal, sure, maybe you can fight the temptation to get on your phone or open a new browser tab, the point is: you're still burning energy to do so.
Let me say this clearly. Having the willpower to avoid distraction is NOT THE POINT. The goal here is to power onward, follow through on the stuff that needs to get done. Take willpower out of it, and use the app blockers, and put your phone in Airplane Mode.
Step #3: Partner up with someone and work together in real time
Accountability can be tricky for people with ADHD, and how you approach it can be the difference between getting work done and doing absolutely nothing.
The best kind of accountability for private adhd assesment london when you're trying to get stuff done is simply working together with another person in real time.
Simply telling someone you’re going to do such and such and expecting yourself to follow through won’t work. Especially if it doesn’t matter to that person whether or not you get that particular work done.
FINDING A WORK PARTNER
Find a partner who also needs to get some work done and could benefit from working together. If there isn’t anybody in your immediate circle who you can work with in-person, that’s okay, find someone you can work with online.
Sometimes the thing you wanted to get done, doesn’t get done. Or sometimes an off day gets you down. These things happen. It’s important to schedule check-in times throughout the week. To see how you’re feeling and talk about it.
Sometimes your plan needs a simple change, so you keep your momentum going. Maybe it’s a quick phone call, or a text message. Checking-in with you throughout the week is an important tool for ADHD coaching.
