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June 14, 2023Do you relate to these comments?
“I feel bored easily while doing a project.”
“I feel distracted while trying to focus on one thing I’m supposed to do.”
“That doesn’t sound fun. I will do it later.”
“I have half finished projects all over the place.”
For those of us with ADHD, you most likely relate to all of these statements. Because of the way our brains work, we need enough stimulation to actually push through and get things done. I recently attended a class called “How to Complete Tasks You’ve Put off for Months WITHOUT WILL POWER” by Aron Croft. I loved it.
Now what?
Here are a few of the gems I gathered from his class:
Craft an activation environment with the 3 S’s. These 3 things give your brain the motivation to get things done:
Soon – give yourself a deadline, you can break up the project into parts and focus on one at a time
Someone Checking – find yourself an accountability partner, someone willing to ask how it’s going
Stakes – offer yourself a reward, bet your accountability partner lunch, hold off on something you want to do until the project is finished.
Thinking about a task the month before it’s due uses brain power and causes undue stress when you then procrastinate. You will likely feel guilt or shame. Instead, make a plan with smaller benchmark due dates and the 3 S’s to ensure you don’t put everything together at the last minute.
Practice doing the tough tasks – start with the big things you don’t want to do for 10 minutes (or as much as you can handle). It’s easy to fill your time with busy work, but those tough tasks will still be looming. If you dedicate time to the tough tasks, you become better at doing them. Aron pointed out that at one point driving seemed scary, a tough task, but practice made it easier and now it’s not a tough task anymore. Get to that point with the things you always put off because it’s hard.
Several of the points made really helped me see my own tasks in a different light. I’ve been using the skills he suggested and have been able to get some things done that I procrastinated. Try it, see if it works for you.