ADHD-ify your life #1: Making the boring stuff a little easier
We’ve all been there; giant piles of washing, cluttered home and an endless list of odd jobs. The tricky bit for us ADHDers is that even if we know we really need to do a task, we can find it almost impossible to start or to keep going with something that bores us. Beginning to ADHD-ify your life by building systems designed for your brain can be the secret to working WITH your ADHD to make life just that bit easier.
Here are my top 4 tips to try:
1. Make it a game
ADHD brains love a challenge or anything that offers a distraction from the ‘boring’ tasks. There are so many ways to do this but why not up the speed and make your task into a time trial. Stick on a timer and away you go- could you beat the latest record for rolling up socks or filling the dishwasher?
2. Up the Novelty Factor
There are few remedies to ADHD boredom or task initiation paralysis that are as satisfying as upping the novelty factor. There’s a reason why we seek out new pens, gym wear or sparkly planners. Could you help yourself along with a little household cleaning by having funky shaped sponges or barbie pink gloves? By giving your brain a little bit of fun, you may just coax it into participating in whatever task is on the menu.
3. Add a playlist!
It’s well known the multiple benefits that listening to music can have on our productivity and mood. For ADHD brains it has the added benefit of giving our brain a little something else to do at the same time as working through a task. Added bonus if this task allows for a little singing or dancing along the way!
4. Stepping Stones
Us ADHDers may find it hard to start or continue a task that isn’t holding our interest, but what we do get is a nice big kick of happy brain chemicals when we are able to tick a task off our to-do list. This is where the stone stepping analogy kicks in. Visualise a path of stepping stones, the smallest one first then increasing in size up to the end of the path. If we can accomplish a small task (perhaps with the aid of one of the top tips above!) then our brains can ride that wave to help us with the next task, and the next. Before you know it, you’re at the end of your to-do list and feeling a real sense of accomplishment.