Hello you
It’s been a little while! How has July been for you?
As always happens when I have an unplanned break from sharing here, I find it so difficult to get back into it and send the ‘first’ email. Strange isn’t it?
So, I thought I’d try something.
I listened to a fascinating episode of the Late Bloomers podcast earlier this week. It’s presented by social media sensations Rox & Rich aka ADHD love.
They talked through eight ‘hacks’ that work with our ADHD brains and help folks to get shit done. So I thought I’d put them to the test to write this for you.
You can find the full episode here or on your usual podcast platform.
1. It’s 300 seconds not 5 minutes
ADHD-ers can often struggle with accurate perception of time. When Rich started saying ‘we have 300 seconds until we leave the house’ instead of ‘we leave in five minutes’ it was a GAME CHANGER for Rox.
Her brain perceived five minutes as ample, open time. Time to complete a task, even, beforehand. But 300 seconds - she perceives that as being much more urgent and imminent.
I don’t experience ‘time blindness’ in exactly this way but I decided to set a 5 minute timer when I started writing this email. Let’s see how far I get!
2. Lesser of two evils
Rich uses this to support Rox in completing household admin and chores. These sorts of tasks can be really challenging to start and complete for ADHD brains.
[THE 5 MIN TIMER JUST WENT OFF!]]
Rich tried saying; “today we need to wash up and do three loads of laundry, which would you like to do?”
The ability to be able to choose the task that feels like the lesser of two evils apparently hits differently. The washing up feels less overwhelming than the laundry so there is then less friction to getting started.
It also helps with ‘demand avoidance’.
Get told to do something? = Absolute intolerance to doing it!
Choose to do the exact same task ourselves? = Less friction to getting started.
So, would I rather write this piece or do some life admin from my to do list?
THIS PLEASE.
3. Body Doubling
I already know body doubling works well for me. If someone sits with me whilst I complete a task, I can get it done more easily. I utilise the power of virtual body doubling sessions a lot. Shout out to
! And the Flown app which I use.Though I’m not body doubling now, I sort of get that effect because I’ve ‘told you’ that I’m trying out these hacks. So it feels a bit like you’re sitting alongside me as I try them out. I’ve got a little of that accountability juice.
4. Gamification/ Competition
Rox used the word ‘mission-ify’ for this section - love that. Turning something into a ‘mission’, a race or a game can really help to change the perception of it.
E.g. let’s set a timer for 10 minutes and see how much of this bedroom tidying we can get done.
Rather than ‘we have to tidy the bedroom today’.
My experimental mission to write this email is in progress.
5. Treats and rewards
This was an interesting one to listen to. Treats, rewards, bribery - whatever you want to call it.
Rich has found that the promise of a reward at the end of a long focused task e.g. a day of filming, can really help to counteract an midway energy slump.
If Rich says ; “we can go to the cinema after we complete two more videos this afternoon”, Rox reports that it can help to counteract the dopamine slump which can feel like a mini burnout.
So, once I’ve completed this email draft, my reward will be a little walk outside in the sunshine.*
NB apparently midway rewards for ‘you’re doing well woohoo’ are not advisable, because it’s very tricky to get the motivation back after this.
6. Jumping into the fantasy
This one was super interesting! Rox beautifully explained the feeling she gets when A SHINY IDEA takes hold. She gets a rush of energy and joy purely in the planning of the idea. Even if it’s something that she is very unlikely to see through (or is kinda not really possible).
One example was the idea decorating one of their kids’ bedrooms into a wonderland complete with slide going through the floor to transport her downstairs (amazing).
Rich could have just shot it down and burst the bubble there and then. But if he jumps into the fantasy with her for a little while, whilst dopamine is high and hyperfocus is in session, the planning and imagining can be an enjoyable and rewarding process in and of itself.
By the time it would actually come onto doing it, Rox has probably found another shiny new idea.
Thanks for jumping into the fantasy with me as I write this! I’m doing it very quickly before the idea buzz wears off. Because I know for a fact if I leave this half finished it will join the 28 other half drafts currently in Substack.
Also, it’s worth jumping into the fantasy because some ideas do actually come to fruition! It’s lovely to hear Rich celebrating all Rox’s ideas that became real. Including the podcast itself.
7. Changing location
I love how Rox explains this. She says that locations like rooms in the house all have a finite amount of daily energy that can run out. I totally get this!
If I’m working from home, I can run out steam in the main office room I’m supposed to work in. So I might move to the sofa, another table (or tbh bed) and I’m able to do a bit more.
I write all over the house. So far this email has been written at my desk.
But perhaps I’ll move to a different spot to edit.
8. Micro goals
I have to write a Substack email and send it to all my subscribers is quite a big chunky thing. There are many steps to it. Writing it, editing it, formatting it, finding a picture for it, the title etc etc
But spend 300 seconds on writing that email feels way more doable.
Once the 300 second timer went off, I was then in flow and I’ve carried on writing all the way to this point without stopping.
Often the getting started and the overthinking about getting started are the most challenging parts.
They use the example of running which I remember from Atomic Habits. Make the goal ‘put on your trainers’, instead of ‘go for a run’.
It’s about taking that first tiny action.
So that’s all eight hacks. That is one email successfully written! ✅ And dare I say it was actually quite easy.
Thank you again for jumping into the fantasy with me.
Now that I’ve shared this with you, I’ve got past the giant craggy bolder in front of my face and I look forward to getting back into a writing and sharing rhythm.
Do you use any of these hacks?
Are there any others that you would recommend?
I always love to read your comments if you’re up for sharing below.
A big thanks to Rox and Rich and to all the neurodivergent writers and artists out there who share your stories and your wisdom. I can’t actually explain how much you have helped me!
Take care you
Janelle x
* reward claimed! 🚶🏻♀️➡️
I love using timers. It sometimes also shows me how quickly you can get something done, or if something is boring, I would feel like I worked on something for ages, and only 20 minutes have gone by. I think timers work well because they are more about process, as opposed to finishing a project/task. We set the timer, and we do a bit of the work/the writing/whatever, as opposed to achieving an outcome/goal.
I work in different places too when working from home. I like the way you describe it, that a location has drained your energy.
That's interesting about the time perception of 5 minutes and 300 seconds for preparation and getting things done.
Sort of related to changing rooms and locations in a home for completing tasks, I read somewhere that each time we pass through a doorway into a room in a home, our brain does sense the change. Almost like refreshing a webpage.
Atomic Habits and the routines/habits methods has been such a great method for me. I'm more of a procrastinator and over analyze things sometimes, but those little habit-forming actions have really helped me.