🏁 Productivity
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Oct 8, 2024
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5 min read
"I knew I was smart, but I couldn’t sustain my focus or interest in anything long enough to succeed. Throughout my education, my grades did not reflect my capabilities. Full-time jobs always felt suffocating, leading to depression. Responsibility felt overwhelming and led to anxiety. And I was ruled by my emotions."
This is a testimony collected by Thriving with ADHD. If these words resonate with you, you’ve come to the right place. Today, we’ll talk a bit about what ADHD is and practices you can implement to stay productive despite it.
What is ADHD?
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a person's ability to concentrate, sit still, and control impulses. The most commonly cited symptoms are:
Inattention: Difficulty staying focused on a task, easily distracted, forgetting things, and trouble following instructions.
Hyperactivity: Constant need to move, difficulty staying seated, excessive talking.
Impulsivity: Acting without thinking, interrupting others, difficulty waiting your turn. These symptoms can vary in intensity and are not the same for everyone with ADHD.
We want to make an important point: ADHD is a real disorder, not a trend or an excuse for being easily distracted. Before self-diagnosing, consider consulting a healthcare professional who can conduct tests to confirm or refute the diagnosis.
What impact does it have on productivity?
This disorder affects personal life as well as the professional sphere. It’s important to note that people with ADHD are not looking for excuses or avoiding responsibility. Often, they are not even aware of their actions. Here are the main effects observed in people with ADHD in the workplace:
Difficulty concentrating: People with ADHD often struggle to focus on tasks for long periods, leading to errors or incomplete work.
Procrastination: Tendency to delay important tasks, causing delays and work pile-ups.
Disorganization: Time management and task organization can be challenging, making it hard to meet deadlines and manage priorities.
Impulsivity: Impulsive decisions can lead to mistakes or poorly thought-out choices, affecting work quality and overall productivity.
Hyperactivity: Hyperactivity can make it hard to stay seated and focused on a task, disrupting the normal workflow or studies.
Methods to better manage ADHD at work
🍅 The Pomodoro Method
Represented by a tomato, the Pomodoro Technique involves breaking work time into several series, separated by brief breaks. While it may seem counterintuitive to take breaks when seeking to focus, in reality, good breaks = good productivity. For more benefits and the history of this method, check out our great article!
How to implement the method: It’s quite simple. Start by setting clear and achievable goals for 25 minutes. List them on a physical note or apps like Reminders or Notes.
Next, use a timer to set a 25-minute countdown and start working. After the 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break away from screens: eat something, stretch, water plants, or relax outdoors.
After the 5 minutes, return to your list, start the timer again, and work for another 25 minutes. Repeat this 4 times, then take a longer 15-minute break.
Many people with ADHD appreciate having a physical framework or someone to accompany them. If you can’t have a work companion, use YouTube videos like Apple’s "Study With Me feat. Storm Reid x Apple".
⏰ The Time Blocking Method
There’s often a gap between theory and practice. We want to do many things, but once we start, time flies and tasks stagnate. The reason is simple: we’re overwhelmed by a thousand thoughts, starting one task and stopping to begin another. It can be dizzying!
"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." —Stephen Covey
How to implement the method: Time Blocking is a time management technique where you divide your day into specific blocks of time, each dedicated to a particular task or activity.
Pre-planning: Each night or at the start of each week, take a moment to plan the upcoming days.
Set priorities: Identify the most important and urgent tasks you need to accomplish.
Create time blocks: Allocate specific periods of the day to these tasks. For example, you might dedicate 9 am to 11 am to an important task, 11 am to 12 pm to meetings, etc.
Include breaks and personal activities: It’s also important to schedule breaks, meals, and other personal activities to avoid burnout.
Respect the time blocks: During each time block, focus only on the designated task. Avoid distractions and try not to exceed the allotted time.
Adjust and evaluate: At the end of each day or week, evaluate what worked well and what could be improved. Adjust your time blocks accordingly for the next planning session.
Having good tools is just as important as having a good method. Today, there are so many tools available, so how do you know which ones are best for people with ADHD?
Writing: Don’t choose a tool that's too complex, or you'll get lost in all the features, leading to procrastination and a scattered mind. To get started, the best tools are Pages or Notes, the free Apple tools.
Concentration/Sound ambiance: Music can help, but most platforms today are highly stimulating: YouTube shorts, Spotify with moving images. What to do? Favor apps like Endel, perfect for enhancing concentration without distractions. Yo can also make your YouTube less distracting and only keep music.
App blockers: Did you know you can block apps on your phone? The best tool for this is Jomo. Our blocking rules are built to last. Jomo skips the flashy animations, rewards, and distractions. It’s simple: block and focus.
"Studying for the medical board exam. Tried almost every screen time control app on the market. No other app beats Jomo for the purpose if you have ADHD." —Testimony from one of our users with ADHD.
Create a good work environment
We often think all our work and distractions come from our computer. But no! One reason we have trouble starting, especially when our brain is intrigued by everything that moves, is our environment. Poorly optimized, messy, disorganized environments can be significant sources of distraction. So, let’s clean, sort, and optimize!
"The mind's natural tendency is to wander. Attention has to be harnessed." —Daniel Goleman
Create a dedicated space: Set up a calm and well-lit workspace, reserved only for work.
Manage storage better: Use folders, boxes, or organizers to keep your workspace tidy.
Use time tools: Use timers or time management apps to stay focused on specific tasks.
Manage your schedule well: Establish a daily or weekly schedule to organize tasks and priorities.
Change posture: Alternate between sitting and standing if possible to avoid monotony and maintain your energy level.
Active breaks: Incorporate active breaks or light exercises to boost concentration and circulation.
We hope these tips help you organize more effectively. We know it won’t solve all your problems, but it may help you better manage these symptoms and have a successful professional career like anyone else!
