The Artful Dodger

Do you excel at avoiding the most boring, uncomfortable, tedious priorities and tasks that your daily demands lay before you? Do you look the other way, search out a really shiny marble to fixate on, obsess over your task without taking action, focus on something less important and easier to do, call a friend, call a repair man, call anyone who can offer a distraction? Do you excel at any of these, all of them, or some not mentioned? Are you concerned with your effort and progress? You are not alone! As anyone with ADHD can attest to, painful avoidance and procrastination can offer significant roadblocks to successful results.  It is possible to render those roadblocks to mere “bumps on a log” status, or perhaps a superhighway with a small pothole here and there.

There is work to be done and new routines and behaviors to be developed and practiced.

There are numerous resources, strategies and techniques offered in books and online.

Many experts support medication as the most beneficial treatment option. Various strategies may still need to be implemented and medication can support and enhance your effort.

There are numerous tactics offered and suggested online. I find the use of Binaural music for concentration and focused work helpful, and strolling in nature calming.

Here are only a few of the strategies available and worth considering:

·      Body Doubling: Working alongside someone else. The quiet presence of another person can provide a feeling of being grounded and added accountability.

·      The 5-minute Rule: Set a timer and commit to working for 5 minutes. You can stop when the timer stops or keep working if you’re feeling energized, which is often the result.

·      Boost Your Dopamine: Create a list of activities that give you an emotional energy boost and activate one prior to beginning a difficult task.

·      Change the Venue: Change the setting, the lighting, sound etc. you typically work in, work in a library, the middle of a garden, on a moving train. Whatever stimulates focus and energy.

·      Fidget Tools: A squeezable cushy toy may render a distraction and a calmer state.

·      Audio-Assisted Starting: Use voice-to-text tools to dictate your thoughts out loud if typing or writing feels like too much physical friction.

·      Fortress Mode: Put your phone in another room or use strict digital blockers. Removing the friction of distraction works better than relying on discipline.

No one option will save the day every time or work equally for everyone. Some may not work at all. ADHD presents challenges that require commitment and persistence. It is important to find and utilize the ones that work for you and are beneficial for you.

Medication may be sufficient, or you may need to build supportive strategies into your routines to augment the benefits of medication. You may benefit from the services of a coach or therapist or a combination of the many available resources.

What’s most essential to your success is utilizing the resources and supports that comfortably fit for you, and will allow you to thrive in your own unique way. Don’t Give In! Don’t Give Up!