Despite the diagnosis of “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,” ADHDers don’t have an attention deficit…many times, ADHD brains are interest-driven! They are just drawn to high stimulation, incentives, and rewards. If a project, task, or conversation isn’t doling out the dopamine, expect an ADHDer to lose interest rather quickly. Here are some survival tips for the “boring stuff.”
⏳ Put a time limit on it
Maybe you can’t fathom spending an hour on a particular task. Can you give it a go for 5 minutes? Being able to set a timer adds some gamification to the task, and promises your brain that you won’t have to do this miserable task for too long. Check out visual timers like Time Timers or these cool Hexagon Clocks to help manage those timed tasks.
Another free tool is the web-based Tomato Timers. This site uses the Pomodoro Method of tackling a to-do list, and provided scheduled breaks at regular intervals.
🏆 Reward or incentivize
Do you need something to get motivated? Incentives can be used before the task or conversation you’re concerned about:
- “If I make myself a snack the eat in the meeting, this won’t be as bad.”
- “I’ll go for a walk now while the sun is out, and then I’ll be able to sit down and tackle the work.”
Sometimes we need to celebrate our accomplishments. In these cases, we look for rewards after we complete the task we were dreading:
- “I finished all my reports for the day! I’m going to celebrate by scrolling social media for a while.”
- “I survived those tough performance conversations today. I’m stopping for a smoothie on the way home!”
📂 Manage expectations
Let your team know your strengths. Clarify how spending your time doing something outside of your strengths may take longer than anticipated. Not only does this help everyone communicate clearly, but it creates opportunity for someone else. If you don’t believe you are the right fit for a task, can you delegate it to another team member would is eager to flex that skillset?
MPG is here to help
If you are interested in learning more about your own ADHD and interest-driven brains, MPG can help. There are so many incredible resources for adults with ADHD. Follow us on Instagram, enroll in Lead with ADHD, subscribe to our newsletter, or reach out regarding coaching and workshops!
