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7 Habits of the Highly Effective ADD Adult Redux
December 13th, 2007 by StephenPosted in GTD, GTD with ADD, Workflow |
Welcome back! It's good to see you again. Please note that I am now publishing all new material at my hub site: StephenPSmith.com
I originally posted on this back in June, but now that I am not working at a “real” job, it occurred to me that I really need to pay attention to these tips in order to make the most of my day.
In order to get the most out of your ADD mind, and reap the benefits of traits like creativity and originality, Dr. Hallowell (the author of Delivered from Distraction) recommends a set of “Habits” for the ADD adult to engage in. Many people that I have spoken to about my ADD (who do not understand what ADD is and is not) poke fun at my need for structure. Those unfortunates mistake lack of focus for a lack of discipline, yet the truth is that our minds lust for structure.
The secret structure that engages our imagination
From Delivered from Distraction here is a list of positive qualities for adults that are looking for a way to harness the power of their Attention Deficit Disorder.
- Do what you’re good at. Don’t spend too much time to get good at what you’re bad at.
- Delegate what you’re bad at to others, as often as possible.
- Use your extra mental energy for something creative.
- Get well enough organized to achieve your goals. The important part of this phrase is “well enough”. That means that you can be fairly disorganized - just get well enough organized to achieve your goals.
- Ask for and heed advice from people you trust - and ignore, as best you can, the dream-breakers and finger-waggers. Do not be afraid to ask for help.
- Stay connected. Make sure you keep up regular contact with a few close friends.
- Go with your positive side. Don’t listen to the negative side, make decisions and run your life with your positive side.
Why is GTD good for your ADD?
- GTD has a workflow structure, a repetitive system of tracking your progress, and works with almost any organizational style. This is one of the instances where setting up a routine can be helpful
- Delegating can be hard, but it is very important. People with ADD have a very low tolerance for frustration, and these activities are to be avoided. Gaining the benefits of delegating is possible with GTD because the system provides you with a vehicle for keeping track of what (and who) you are Waiting For.
- Being creative is one of my greatest joys. I would be lost without my journal /”morning pages”. If I miss a day’s entry, I just don’t feel right for the rest of the day. Find The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, it is packed with exercises and strategies to increase your creativity and boost your productivity. Keep your journal or capture notebook handy. Looking back through these notes and journal entries is a good way of spotting trends in your behavior, saving good ideas from being lost, and tracking your progress to success during your Weekly Review.
- Your GTD practice can be as detailed or as unstructured as you need. Find what works for you and do it, every day.
- Join the GTD Community for advice from people that you can trust. There are quite a few very powerful resources for getting personal assistance from others who practice GTD or other organizational systems who will help you because they enjoy helping others. Roll over the above links, check them out.
- Keeping in contact with close friends is one of the hardest for me personally. I tend to have a larger number of shallower connections than, for example, my wife. She has a smaller network of people that she is very close to. I need to work on getting closer.
- I am a very positive person, confident that everything will be just fine. Since I have been practicing GTD, I have a much clearer picture of the total reality. I continue to subscribe to the “Always look on the bright side” philosophy. It can’t hurt. It might help.
Keeping up with these concepts will have a definite impact, as we can all use a little reminder now and again.
If you found this post useful, please share it with your friends on Twitter using the tinylink http://tinyurl.com/5sffdu. Thanks, I appreciate it! Feel free to comment below, I enjoy discussing these ideas. ~@Stephen
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September 27th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Stephen - as a young adult doing freelance web and music work who has grown up with all the awesome benefits and trying times of ADHD, I totally agree with your list. I have benefitted greatly from reading The Artist’s Way (not just for artists!!) and Getting Things Done cover to cover.
I think my weakest point is delegation - when I’m not good at something, I get a hunger to learn as much as I can about it that is unquenchable. Because of this I am now quite proficient at unix, for example, and I don’t regret it. Fun, but inefficient way to live.
I’d like to add one major helpful habit for ADD adults that completely counters what’s suggested in GTD: I schedule every minute of my day from wake until sleep, and set alarms and all sorts of reminders on my calendar, even for not-day-specific items. If I balance the structure with scheduled-in time to relax and “open” slots, this system interfaces well with my ADD. Each thing scheduled is one less thing I have to spend tons of energy arguing with myself whether I should do each day.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Thanks for coming by, Karl, I too use a definite structure for my day, for without it I will lurch from one thing to another - and not finish any of them.