“How My ADHD Brain Solved a Problem That Stumped Everyone Else”
Imaginative, resourceful, and fast-thinking ADHD brains can often solve problems that stump everyone else. Here, readers share their stories of seeing the solution everyone else missed.
When solving a particularly sticky problem, it helps if your brain is adept at divergent thinking — that is, generating original ideas by considering diverse and unprecedented possibilities.
Unsurprisingly, neurodivergent brains tend to be aces at divergent thinking. Folks with ADHD tend to think fast, dream big, and innovate solutions that are totally unexpected and brilliant, making them perfect people to turn to when there’s a problem that stumps everyone else.
From software snafus to construction conundrums, tough problems are no match for ADHD brains. Here, ADDitude readers share their problem-solving success stories.
“When I was buying a new mattress, the sales person told me I needed to rotate it top to bottom, once a month. I’m a single mum and having to handle a double mattress on my own didn’t sound fun. I thought for a second and said, ‘Can’t I just rotate my body instead of the mattress?’ The person looked at me for a second and said “Wow, actually yeah. No one has ever suggested that before.” —Emma, Scotland
“I came up with this crazy idea to design costumes for my colleagues and I to wear to a presentation for the higher-ups that really made this project idea hit home. It was fun and effective.” —Jen, Ontario
[Read: 17 Things to Love About Your ADHD!]
“Door handle fell off. Fixed it with a shoelace and two pencils.” —Miriam, Ireland
“An ability to see patterns allowed me to devise a flow chart that simplified an admissions process in a mental health facility. It also allowed me to ‘see’ an element that might be missing during an intake interview. This led to better diagnosis and care.” —Rinda
“I am often coming up with suggestions that are totally logical to me and not to others. Yesterday, I helped a friend and her daughter hang something in the stairwell. I suggested using one ladder as a base to support for the other ladder, which made the job easy.” —Lisa, Washington
[Read: What I Would Never Trade Away]
“I fix all temporary problems in my house with painter’s tape. It makes a great seal, picture hanger, cable organizer, label. The only thing it can’t do is my taxes!” —Yvette, Canada
“As a nurse practitioner working in a student health clinic, I unleashed my creativity and developed an on-line reference for students that was wildly popular! —An ADDitude Reader
“I can make the simplest dish for lunch even when my fridge is almost empty.” —Boon, Malaysia
“ADHD has allowed me to find workarounds within proprietary software at work faster and more frequently than others. Sharing workarounds when something is broken helps stop productivity loss until a permanent fix is made.” —An ADDitude Reader
“I saved a deadline once with my ADHD thinking. Pre-internet, my East Coast publishing company discovered that we forgot to fact check an important detail with a federal government bureau that had closed for the day. While my bosses pondered disaster, I realized that all we had to do was call other branches on Pacific Time that were still open, to get the info. We made our deadline!” —Dee
“At my first real job I was given a task that regularly took people three days to do. I found a different way of doing it that got the same results but took one day.” —Erin, Missouri
“At work, colleagues were attempting to reorganize a room so that a light fixture was not accessible when you stood on the bed. They were discussing moving wardrobes when I came in and said, ‘Why not cut the legs off the bed?’ So, we did, much easier!” —Lisa, Wales
ADHD & Problem Solving: Next Steps
- Free Download: Your Free Guide to All the Best Parts of ADHD
- Read: Who Says One Kind of Thinking Is Better Than Another?
- Quiz: ADHD Myth or ADHD Reality? Check Your Knowledge
- Read: How My ADHD Makes Me a More Dynamic, Resourceful, Passionate Leader”
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