Popular Productivity Advice That Torpedoes the ADHD Brain
You know those best-selling productivity hacks that everyone swears by? Most of them don’t work for neurodiverse ADHD brains. In fact, standard tips may be counterproductive — and harmful to your self-esteem. Here, ADHD coach Linda Walker offers some better alternatives.
“I’ve tried everything — and none of it works!”
As an ADHD coach, I hear this all the time from clients desperately seeking time-management breakthroughs. First and foremost, I tell them this: There is nothing wrong with you. The problem, it turns out, is that most popular organization tips and plans are not geared to the neurodiverse ADHD brain. More often than not, these strategies sound like they should help, but end up posing yet another challenge for adults with ADHD.
Here are five best-selling productivity strategies that I advise my clients to avoid:
Bad Strategy #1: The “2-Minute Rule”
David Allen introduces the “2-minute rule” in his book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (#CommissionsEarned). In short, it says this: If you’re doing something and a task comes up that will only take two minutes, you should drop what you’re doing and quickly complete that 2-minute task. This seems reasonable enough until you consider the ADHD weakness of time estimation and time management, wherein the task you thought would take 2 minutes actually needs 10 or 15 minutes of focus, and then afterward you have to remember to go back to what you were doing before. This rule also asks you to prioritize what just came up instead of what you’ve determined is the most impactful thing you could be doing.
Every time we move from one task to the next, we are adding transition time — you pull yourself away from whatever you were doing, change the gears in your mind, and then move on to the next task. That process adds as much as 10-20 minutes between tasks.
Instead of stopping what you had planned to do, carry a notebook and write down the tasks that pop up in the middle of the important activity you’re currently doing. If you prefer to use technology, you might consider a tool like Evernote to save your list. Then carve out times during the day or week to go back and review what you’ve written in this “catch-all” list.
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Bad Strategy #2: “Eat That Frog!”
Brian Tracy’s book Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (#CommissionsEarned) recommends tackling your hardest task first thing in the morning so that everything afterward feels easy. This theory doesn’t account for our varying degrees of focus and physical or mental energy throughout the day. If you aren’t a morning person, this strategy is going to feel very overwhelming.
Our productivity capability can be divided into three energy patterns:
- Genius zone is the period of the day when you’re at peak mental ability and should tackle tasks that require more focus.
- Kinetic zone is a period of high physical energy or intense mental energy — your brain is moving a mile a minute and you’re able to focus, but for shorter periods of time. You should tackle shorter, more interactive tasks during this period since you’re going to want to jump from task to task.
- Recharge zone is the period where your energy is low, you can’t focus, and you feel very overwhelmed. For some people, this is the time of day when you feel like taking a nap. Take 10 to 15 minutes to recharge during this period — take a walk, stretch, or talk to someone.
[Get This Download: Focus Your ADHD Brain With 5 Helpful Hacks]
Warm up to daunting tasks by starting with easier ones. Every time you start losing traction on the more daunting task, return to a task that’s shorter or more energizing, and as soon as your brain kicks in, jump back into the more daunting task.
Bad Strategy #3: The Pickle Jar
The pickle jar plan asks you to imagine that time is a jar: The best way to manage it is to put big rocks, or tasks, in your jar first. Fill in the extra spaces with pebbles (your smaller tasks), and then fill in all remaining space with sand (quick/short tasks).
The “pickle jar” strategy assumes that doing more is always equal to success, and that is not true. You’ll always feel behind if you hold yourself to this kind of impossible standard. Doing more won’t make you thrive; doing the right thing will.
Bad Strategy #4: The To-Do List
Keeping a to-do list isn’t always the most productive time-management system. To-do lists can quickly become overwhelmingly long, making it more difficult to prioritize important tasks. Plus, all tasks are not created equal. Completing short tasks like checking your voicemail or cleaning your inbox can distract from bigger, more critical or time-sensitive projects.
Instead of keeping a to-do list, plan by project. Ask yourself: What are the projects I really need completed now? Then narrow down that project list to no more than seven, including any that are lingering unfinished. Once a week, look at your projects and ask yourself, “What do I need to do this week that would make that project progress?”
Bad Strategy #5: Time Management
Time management is a misnomer because time is not under your control. Time is a fluid thing. You can’t accumulate it or bottle it. When it’s gone, it’s gone. What you do have control over is what you do with your time and the energy you expend on a task. Manage your energy, not your time.
I recommend Daniel Pink’s book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing (#CommissionsEarned), if you’re interested in learning more about the different patterns of our energy.
This content came from the ADDitude webinar by Linda Walker, PCC, titled “ADD-Friendly Productivity Strategies for Adults with ADHD” That webinar is available for free replay here.
Productivity Advice Next Steps
- Download: How to Manage Your Time at Work
- Learn: 8 Secrets to Finding Focus While Working from Home with ADHD
- Read: How To Get Work Done (Instead of Getting Distracted Again)
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