Stories Plus

My ADHD helps a lot in fast paced environments, like fast food, allowing me to focus on and compartmentalize a wide variety of tasks. Of course, this still holds many downsides. While I can have multiple conversations at once, like taking on order in-store and on the headset, I often leaves me overlooking other details, like refilling the fruit bins or finishing the one smoothie I started on a minute ago. It helps a lot having a team that understands my ADHD brain and helps me to stay focused and pick up the slack! That all works best when I have a team to do all of those things!

My writing interests require a lot of creativity and executive brain function that I often seem to misplace throughout the day. I often find myself immersed in multiple projects and struggle to complete one over the other. I shift between projects with my motivation which works well in theory, but when time is limited, it greatly affects my overall productivity.

A few months ago I started work on finishing edits on the first three chapters of my novel so I could send it in to a fellowship competition. The deadline is approaching fast and I find myself focusing on many other projects rather than the final edits due on the 15th of March. That’s only eight days away from today! Since my motivation for this particular project is very low right now, I’ve been resorting to a technique of working on it in short bursts then taking breaks. I simply set a timer for 10-20 minutes and work until it goes off before setting a new timer for a break and repeating the process. I have also found ADHD relief music on YouTube which really helps focus my mind to the task at hand!

The most obvious solution to my problems would be to remove any and all distractions, the biggest being, the internet and video games. Without the internet, though I can’t publish anything I write; so, it would have to be with pen and paper, which makes editing a little more difficult. I still use this method for some of my short stories, poems, and songs. Obviously, I rarely find myself in a position away from every distraction. Just this weekend, I was able to finish one of the short stories I was already handwriting because I was at a party and the internet was limited. I was there for my girlfriend, and I didn’t know that many people there, so it was a lot more comfortable to sit in a corner with a notebook than talk to strangers. However, I do still have to type up and edit everything I hand-wrote.

My timer method works for the most part; however, I often find myself getting distracted during the breaks and not returning to my work. The best way for me to stay on track is to have someone with me to keep me accountable. The trickiest part is finding someone willing to stay with me and actually make sure I’m doing my work. I often have to play this role myself so it is a constant argument with myself over taking a break and continuing my work. I find rewarding myself also helps a lot for example getting ice cream or takeout if I finish a chapter. I am highly motivated by food, but when I am stressed out, food is the last thing on my mind. The most tempting foods are also the unhealthy ones which just sends me back in my health goals.

At the end of the day, though, it is up to me to find ways to work with my various ADHD moods. Some days I’m able to just work without breaks and have no issues, except forgetting to do simple things like going to the bathroom or eating food. Other days, I can’t even keep myself in my chair. I often find that switching between various projects requiring different types of executive function help a lot in my overall productivity. For example, instead of just sitting down and writing a story, I just listen to podcast footage and edit the audio.

Everyone experiences ADHD differently. Listening to what works for others does help me find new coping mechanisms, but not all of them work for me. I find reminders and alarms are easy to brush away and ignore. My memory sucks and if I don’t have the executive function or motivation to do something, it just doesn’t get done. I am aware of how bad this affects my life, I have hundreds of dollars waiting for me if I just finish filling out the paperwork and mailing it in (long story I don’t want to get into) if only I would do that! It’s a constant struggle, especially when no one is verbally reminding me to do these simple tasks. ADHD is a struggle, and I am managing for the most part, but I feel the easiest way to manage is with a set routine to force my mind and body into a rhythm. The only way to do all of that, however, is having set hours with my jobs, but that is not currently possible. So, for now, I just sit and wait for things to calm down a bit.