Status Updates From ADHD Unpacked: From the hos...

"…no value in self-criticism for what your brain prefers. As with the routines and structures above, try different things and see what feels the easiest. There are structural barriers in society that restrict access to health and well-being, but the one you have more control of is choosing activities that feel positive for you as an individual."

"…massive arsenal of personal structures and routines that sometimes work for us. Embrace failure and try something else… / As with most ADHD elements, form follows function. If you have to force yourself to do a certain sport, it might not be the one for you. Some people hate running but will happily play tennis, go dancing or join a gym. Others can only do online fitness, and some actually like running. There is…"

"…yourself. / Establishing a consistent routine can be incredibly difficult, but it can support us with time management and reduce the chances of forgetting important tasks or appointments. Yet again, trying and failing at new structures and routines is the key to success. We learn what doesn't work, or what only works in certain situations. Accepting this enables us to move on, trying new ideas until we have a…"

"The key to staying in control with ADHD is routine and structure, which you have both chosen and have control over, and which might not be logical from the outside. This might adapt as you learn more and develop in your ADHD life. The lifelong challenge is trying to find a routine (as James puts it) ‘in the sweet spot between rigidity and flexibility’. Trying and failing IS a success because you learn about…"

"* Realistic: Even if you are able, is it realistic for you here and now?
* Time-bound: Do you have time? Do you know how long it will take? Have you assigned time to this?"

"…but we quite like the S.M.A.R.T goal model where you make each task for the S.M.A.R.T acronym:
* Specific: know what a win looks like. Make this as small a task as possible.
* Measurable: Will you know you have won? (Tidying up is never measurable, emptying a dishwasher is.)
* Achievable: Are you able to do this task?"

"We've talked a few times about breaking tasks down. It is very useful to make a task clearly ‘winnable’ by knowing exactly what tiny thing you have to do first (that IS the task, the next step is a second task). You also have to be clear how to do it, and know whether it is actually realistic. There are no rules for this…"

"…with the right strategies and support, adults with ADHD can overcome those productivity barriers and start to write goals in line with their different way of doing things."

"…problems with all of this. / Problems with prioritisation, perfectionism and procrastination arise because of the differences in the brain's executive functions. We know that all of those executive elements of our brain that direct our ability to manage tasks, focus attention and control our impulses can lead to decreased productivity. But…"

"If you want to be productive and get something done, you have to know why you are doing it and what to do first. You also need to have a measure of success clear in your head. Perfect is the enemy of good, so you need to know what constitutes a good-enough job. Even if you know what to do first, you need to be able to start that task and then persevere until that job is finished. People with ADHD often face…"

"We think it is vital to include a measure of personal success and well-being to any priority list… when you are building a task list to get something done, it is important to include questions such as these:
1. Is that task or activity something that will make you feel better about yourself?
2. If it is, it should be a higher priority. ls it something you tend to do well?
3. Is it something you tend to enjoy doing?"

"…might have heard that many people do the exact opposite. This is sometimes called ‘eat the frog first’, where if you do the most difficult thing at the start, the rest of a task is easier. Of course, this might work for some adults with ADHD, but in our experience, this is a classic example of strategies that aren't designed for the neurodivergent ADHD community."

"With some people with ADHD (including both of us), it sometimes helps to start the day with a task that is ‘low-hanging fruit’. By picking an easy win, and trying to complete it, we can give ourselves a little ‘bump of dopamine’ because we have achieved something (we know it isn't really just dopamine). This achievement can then be used to kickstart our day, so we might tackle other more difficult tasks. / You…"

"Many adults with ADHD struggle to figure out the order in which to do things and where to begin in the first place. It isn't as simple as ‘do them in order of priority’ if you don't know how to choose the priority."

"…incredibly overwhelming. / The simple act of logging onto the computer or opening that bill in the first place can feel impossibly hard. So we hide from it. Or we put it off. We do this for many reasons, but usually people struggle with completing tasks due to issues with prioritisation, procrastination or perfectionism."

"…productive and genuinely intend to get those tasks done. / Dr Russell Barkley, the godfather of ADHD research, sometimes calls ADHD ‘Intention Deficit Disorder’ because there is a gap between what we intend to do and our actions (known as the intention-action gap). For example, we may fully intend to pay our tax bill, but when we go to fill in the forms, something stops us and that simple task can suddenly feel…"

"ADHD & the 4 Ps: prioritisation, procrastination perfectionism and productivity /
Of all the issues that ADHD causes, engaging with tasks that *we want to engage with* is probably one of the most frustrating. People often wrongly assume that we never want to do those tasks or we are being dishonest when we say we are planning to do them. The reality is that we can often struggle, even if we do want to be…"

S.M.A.R.T:
* Specific: know what a win looks like. Make this as small a task as possible.
* Measurable: Will you know you have won? (Tidying up is never measurable; emptying a dishwasher is.)
* Achievable: Are you able to do this task?
* Realistic: Even if you are able, is it realistic for you here and now?
* Time-bound: Do you have time? Do you know how long it will take? Have you assigned time to this?

"We've talked a few times about breaking tasks down. It is very useful to make a task clearly ‘winnable’ by knowing exactly what tiny thing you have to do first (that IS the task, the next step is a second task). You also have to be clear how to do it, and know whether it is actually realistic. There are no rules for this but we quite like the S.M.A.R.T goal model where you make each task for the S.M.A.R.T acronym."

"…productivity barriers and start to write [S.M.A.R.T] goals in line with their different way of doing things."