How to get things done with ADHD

No matter whether it’s homework, household chores, or important job projects: you’re probably familiar with feeling like you can’t get anything done if you have ADHD.

Executive dysfunction is frustrating at best, and can be truly disabling at its worst. This article will try to give an overview of why it happens, and how you can deal with it in ADHD-friendly ways.

Feel free to skip ahead to the information you need right now, and to ignore anything that sounds irrelevant to you.

Why can’t I get things done?

Put simply: ADHD brains struggle with dopamine uptake.

Dopamine is known as the reward hormone: it’s released when you finish a task or experience something pleasant. It motivates us to fulfill our needs and desires, and to learn new things. Low dopamine levels result in symptoms that will sound familiar to you: trouble initiating or switching tasks, a hyperfocus on dopamine sources, problems with focus, memory, impulse control, emotional regulation, etc.

People with ADHD have an interest-based nervous system. We’re wired to seek out dopamine and to avoid tasks that require dopamine as fuel because our brain has trouble accessing it. This is why you get intense yet short-lived hyperfixations, why those Instagram likes matter more to you than you care to admit, why you’ll go through an entire box of cookies in one sitting even though you know you’ll feel bad afterwards, and why the boredom of doing your taxes is so intense it almost feels physically painful. It also explains why we seek out sensory stimulation and are more prone to addiction: once again, our brain’s seeking dopamine.

This is why ADHD medication works for most of us: it stabilises our neurotransmitter levels and brings them to a healthy level.

(All of this is a huge oversimplification, but you get the idea.)

Does this mean I’m a bad person?

Absolutely not. Struggling with executive functioning is not a character flaw, and neither is it a sign of laziness. It’s the result of a very real and potentially disabling neurological process.

Being lazy is supposed to be fun! It means being well aware of the consequences of not doing something, but choosing to postpone it anyway in favour of something that’s more relaxing. Executive dysfunction is the exact opposite: being acutely aware of the task you need to do, but finding yourself unable to do it even though postponing it causes you distress.

If you’ve internalised the idea that you’re lazy because you struggle with executive dysfunction, I’m afraid you’ve got some unlearning to do. Please be kind to yourself. You deserve to rest, and to ask for help with your struggles.

What do I do?

Now that we’ve pinpointed the crux of the problem, let’s take a look at how to get things done. Here are a few tips that many people with ADHD tend to find helpful when struggling with executive dysfunction.

Self care:

Make sure you’ve eaten, taken your medication, are drinking enough water, have gotten enough sleep, are physically comfortable, etc. If not, go fix that before you start working. There’s no point in trying to focus when your stomach is grumbling while greasy hair and itchy socks are overstimulating your senses. All of these things can be a big enough struggle on their own, after all.

Hack your RSD:

Most of us have Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria: social rejection hits us like a brick to the face. A lot of us also have something the internet has kindly nicknamed the “Mom Override”: our executive dysfunction won’t let us do anything for ourselves, but when a loved one asks for our help, we jump into action straight away.

While both of these phenomena are annoying to deal with, they can also be hacked to get ourselves into action mode. Ask your friends to message you to urge you to work on your project. When the request comes from someone other than yourself, you’re more likely to get started.

(Note that both RSD and the Mom Override are common trauma symptoms. Only use this technique if you’re confident it won’t cause you distress or make you cross a personal boundary.)

Parallel play:

Getting started is much easier when there’s someone else doing doing the same thing as you. Ask a friend if they want to hang out on Zoom while you both work on your task. If no one wants to join you, look up videos of people studying quietly on YouTube (or whichever activity you’re trying to get done).

Music:

Get yourself a good set of headphones, and look for music with the following requirements:

• Instrumental, or sung in a language you don’t understand a word of. If your brain catches a whiff of a lyric, it will latch onto it and distract you.
• Consistent beat, loudness, and speed. Avoid music with sudden changes.
• Long-lasting loop with no gaps between the loops.

If you have nothing that fits the bill, look up either Lofi Girl, 10 hour versions of repetitive video game music, or tracks like Weightless by Marconi Union on YouTube. Puzzle games tend to follow the same musical pattern I just outlined to help you focus while you play, so they’re usually a good choice.

Too overstimulated for music? Listen to white noise on YouTube. This will cancel out your surroundings while still giving your brain something to latch onto.

If you’re struggling with a more physical task, look for upbeat, high-energy music. Bonus points if you can dance to it!

Stimming:

Music not enough? Get some chewing gum or chewlery, a wiggle cushion, desk pedals, a heavy blanket,… Whatever stim tool works best for you and your current task.

Interests:

You’ve got an interest-based nervous system: make it work to your advantage. Figure out what triggers hyperfocus for you. Combine your work with something you enjoy, or somehow link it to your interests.

Enrichment:

Change your scenery. Go work at the library or a quiet coffee shop. Even just moving to a different room or a different spot in the same room might help. Work in the bathroom. Move your desk. Sit on your bed.

Structure:

Sometimes the problem is a lack of overview of what your task entails, rather than focus. Break down your to do’s into small chunks so you know what to work towards.

Go as small as you need. It doesn’t matter if you end up with “Write chapter X of paper” or “1) Look up bus schedule to library, 2) Make bag, 3) Go to bus stop, 4) Take bus, 5) Walk to library 6), Find empty table, 7) Open laptop, 8) Outline chapter, 9) Draft introduction, 10) …”. Both are equally valid.

Work method:

Are you working in a way that’s best suited to how your brain works? Some examples: using a screenreader to listen to a PDF can help if you have reading difficulties. Text-to-speech is a useful tool if you struggle with writing. Talking out loud to yourself, recording yourself while rubber ducking to your phone, or jotting down what’s on your mind might help when your brain refuses to hold onto thoughts. Going for a walk/run while you think things through is better than sitting behind your desk if you feel the need to move. Maybe those physical tasks will be easier if you have some disability aid to help you.

Everyone’s unique: adapt your work method to your personal needs.

ADHD wall:

You know how non-ADHD people seem to get better the longer they practice something? That doesn’t work for us. The moment we hit a wall, we get frustrated. The more we try to push through that wall, the less focused we get, and the worse our performance becomes. This in turn generates more frustration, which leads to a negative feedback loop.

Respect the wall. If you’ve hit it, stop working. Go do something else for a while, and only return to your work once you feel calmer. It’s better to take five breaks an hour but get some work done, than to waste the entire hour pushing against that wall and have nothing to show for it in the end.

Declutter:

What’s distracting you?

If it’s your environment, declutter your surroundings. If it’s your brain, then take a moment to write down everything that’s going through your mind right now. You’ll feel more focused once everything’s on paper. This exercise helps you define your thoughts, and takes away the worry of forgetting them once you stop engaging with your worries.

Need inspiration? Look up Ryder Carroll’s bullet journal method. His braindump and 54321 exercises are great ways to get started.

Phone:

Keep your phone nearby as you probably need it for whatever task you’re doing, but be wary of distractions. Get rid of notifications, pop ups, alarms, anything that could pull you away from your work. The same goes for your computer. Use an empty desktop space, mute notifications, use apps that limit what sites you can visit, etc.

Laptop:

Chances are you’re working on a screen. If so, are your eyes comfortable? Install F.lux or the Visual Snow Relief Overlay app. Change your document colour to light green instead of white. Use dark mode. Upsize your font. Do whatever you need to adjust your screen to your needs.

Half-assing:

You’ve probably heard the saying “Anything that’s worth doing, is worth doing well”. Erase it from your mind. Your new mantra as of today is “Anything that’s worth doing, is worth doing poorly”.

Half-assed work is better than no work. Three clean dishes are better than no clean dishes: you get to eat, after all! Handing in half-finished homework gives you a better shot at graduating than handing in nothing. Your friends prefer getting awkwardly phrased messages over being ghosted by you.

Don’t let perfectionism stop you. Practice makes perfect, and doing something poorly is the first step to learning how to do it well.

Neurotype:

You’re not neurotypical. What works for neurotypicals might not work for you. Even things that work for other people with ADHD might not work for you. We all have unique brains with unique needs. Drop the mask, and figure out what works for you on an individual level.

This goes for this article as well! Keep what works, make changes where appropriate, and drop the rest.

© Lora-Elly Vannieuwenhuysen, January 2023