Plans and Office Tasks
I’ve tried my whole life to be a planner girlie. To form good habits and use the cute planners and be on top of my shit. Unfortunately, it never worked for me, and I felt horrible about it. I’ve bought all styles of planners, wall calendars, wipe boards, books on forming habits and good executive practices. All the things. No matter what, I just couldn’t make any of it work.
Well, I later learned that it’s because I have ADHD… So, like, duh it didn’t work? Most of the systems we are taught to use for productivity and habit forming are created for neurotypical brains. That’s cool, fine, whatever. But they don’t work long-term for ADHD especially. And a really fun side-effect of that is this feeling of defeat. Feeling like everyone else can really nail this one thing, and meanwhile, you’re not even able to habitually do daily tasks, because everything is actually an item to complete at some point, and not a true habit. Super fun.
It took me a while to get to this point, where I realized that I’m not the problem, the systems I was trying to implement just weren’t right for me. No matter what I did, tasks that didn’t really light me up just absolutely did NOT happen. Bookkeeping? Trash. Easing into launches with a nice schedule in place? Didn’t get done. Literally any office work that I wasn’t 100% in the mood for did not happen. Once I realized it, I was able to create my own systems. So, what works for me that might benefit my fellow neurospicy members of the bodyworker squad? I’ll break it down in order for ya:
Planning
It looks a little different than the whole “schedule out an entire week, month, quarter, etc. and stick to it no matter what.” Some things I’ve tried that work for me and get utilized depending on what’s going on.
When planning for launches (courses, ebooks, whatever offer) I give myself certain timelines. Now, the strategy here comes in because of my appointment paralysis. Which means, generally, if I have a deadline, the task doesn’t exist to me until crunch time - when I panic and scramble to meet said deadline. So, I work around it. I plan backwards form my designated launch day - make that shit up, but set a date/month/week/whatever. And with the months leading up, I stick different tasks for each tiny piece of the puzzle, including marketing material. Then, in the weeks leading up, I check my “due dates” and decide what’s important to work on. I set a timer (more on that later) and work on it ahead of time.
For ADHD, something that’s been important to remember is that plans can change, but the goal doesn’t have to. Maybe I gave myself a due date for something, but that week got super busy, and I just don’t have it in me to get it done. Move the date. It’s okay!!! All of this is made-up and it’s our decision. No one has to know.
Distractions
Something super fun about ADHD is distractions. First of all, I’d like to point out that ADHD isn’t actually a deficit of attention (it’s pretty poorly named) - what it IS is an overwhelming amount of attention on things that would go unnoticed by neurotypical people. This is why being in public or driving can feel so exhausting - we’re noticing too many things and our brain is processing information that it could actually afford to skip over. This means we’re often struggling with focusing that attention on what we need or really want to focus on. How do I manage it?
I do everything in my power to limit my distractions, and I don’t beat myself up when I catch my brain on the wrong track. For office work, limiting distractions means removing every single thing that isn’t relevant to my intended task and could take my attention from it.
I put my phone on DND (this also applies to my computer as they share the Apple ecosystem)
I keep my email app closed
I don’t open any apps or tabs that aren’t necessary to my task
I set a timer for work
I give myself background noise
I move
Movement
Eventually, I realized another thing about my ADHD - I do my best brain work when I’m moving. Walking the Savage Pups? Ideas. Working out? Solved a problem I’d been struggling with. Driving? Literally the best gold content and shit I’ve ever thought of. I don’t have shower thoughts, usually (I’m often taking sensory showers - email me if you wanna talk about that lol, you’ll thank me later) I have “on the move” thoughts. Which got me thinking about something that took off during COVID: walking pads. The little treadmills made for going under your desk.
I decided to try it, and got myself a nice, cheap walking pad off amazon. She’s basic, but she gets the job done. And if you’re thinking “Jenn, I cannot walk AND type” or “Jenn, I cannot walk AND read my computer screen.” I raise you a “you use maps while driving, and you probably text while walking, you can handle a walking pad.” All-in-all, I think I spent about $250/300 on my office setup. Because, of course, if you get a walking pad, you need a desk that can lift to a standing position.
The science of movement works, though. Lots of ADHD people think better and can focus easier when their body is moving. That doesn’t mean you have to go fast - I usually work while my walking pad is at my usual walking pace now (3mph), but I worked up from like 1.5mph to get there. Anyway. It’ll all be linked below if you want!
Timers
Timers are my best friend when I’m doing office tasks that I don’t feeeeel like doing. It sounds super basic, but it works - usually so well that I keep working on the thing even after the timer has run out. How do I use them? Say I have to do some bookkeeping. Rather than deciding “I’m gonna do all my bookkeeping from the last 3 months AND prep for the next quarter!” (see how that’s overwhelming?) I tell myself “I’m gonna work on my books for 20 minutes” and when my timer goes off (aka my treadmill stops) I usually start it back up and keep going (the joys of hyperfocus).
Timers are a little work-around for tasks that might feel overwhelming. Rather than considering bookkeeping as being LOTS of tasks [i.e. 20 receipts to upload, a month’s work of clients to log, 37 invoices to send, and 62 bank transactions to classify] it’s a blanket timeline - 20 minutes to work on my bookkeeping.
Background noise
This one sounds counter-intuitive, but hear me out… Background noise is another way to help your brain focus on what it needs to focus on. Personally, I have two go-tos when it comes to background noise for office work - instrumental Sleep Token albums, and the complete Harry Potter soundtrack. I keep the volume pretty low usually, and it’s just enough to give my brain some ambiance while keeping it from straying too much from the task.
I actually discovered all of these pieces separately. They worked a bit, but my focus got better with each piece I added. ADHD is like a spectrum (just like the tism - hollaaaaaa) and not everyone will need the same amount or style of accommodations. What’s important is that you DO accommodate yourself. It doesn’t mean that you’re broken or you suck, but it DOES mean that you can now do tasks with greater focus and ease. You wouldn’t tell someone in a wheelchair they have to “walk like everyone else,” and you shouldn’t tell yourself you have to “function and work like everyone else.” Do what’s best for you, and try new things to accommodate yourself - find what works, and be kind to yourself in the process. I’m rooting for you. And if you want to talk more about it, email me! I’m always here for you.