ADHD: Scratch'n The Itch With Distraction (Part 2)

Yesterday I defined ADHD, talked about my early experiences with it and began to mention some ways to deal with it.  Today’s post will focus purely on ways of staying productive and focused without the aid of medication.  In doing so I will explain the dangers of ‘scratch’n the itch with distraction’.  So let’s get started…

How to NATURALLY keep yourself stimulated.

Getting stimulated (excited and focused) about specific things has always been easy for me.  Like I said yesterday, in the right environment, anyone can be stimulated.  Playing a video game is a perfect example of an activity that gave me instant excitement.  You have action and problem solving, interactive cartoons and so on.  A video game gives someone with ADHD the kind of quick bursts of random focus that keeps us on our toes.  But the challenge is to obtain that kind of focus while doing much less stimulating activities.

I also mentioned in yesterday’s post how I ended my high school experience on a positive note.  I was actually able to get my school work done and do quite well in the process.  So what was different about my situation that would enable this change?  To start, I was living a MUCH healthier lifestyle. Not only had I stopped using drugs (the normal blend of high school rebellion), but I had started exercising and eating healthy foods. (Read about the effects of sugar on ADHD.)  This alone allowed my brain to process life in a much stronger, clearer way.  By itself, this was a good first step, but not enough to ‘fix’ the problem.

There were 3 other habits I needed to acquire:

1. How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time. Don’t look at the whole project/task, just look at what needs to be done FIRST.  Get THAT done and then look at step 2.  Each step you accomplish will give you that much more motivation to tackle the next.  Next thing you know you’ve eaten the whole elephant and are ready for your next meal.  (Don’t get me wrong, I love elephants. )
2. Look forward to dessert while eating your brussel sprouts. I found that having a reward (carrot at the end of the stick) I could push through the boredom and still maintain a clear focus.  This ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ gave me a kind of natural stimulation to scratch my itch.  Without it, my focus would be constantly interrupted by that nagging ADHD uneasiness.  Just be sure the reward is healthy in its own right.  You don’t want to create a new NEED, but give yourself some simple rewards to look forward to.
3. Do what you love! Of course you will be stimulated while doing something that you naturally find interesting and are passionate about, but not everything is this way.  I’ve found that many of the less interesting tasks in life can be done in many different ways.  Try to tackle your goals as well as your daily to-dos in ways that tickle your tastes.  The closer you can get to doing the things you love and enjoy, the less problems you’ll have with ADHD.  I know this sounds silly in it’s simplistic demeanor, but I see far too many folks spending their time tapping away at their tasks with little satisfaction to show.  We not only need to be mindful of WHAT we do, but how we do it.  Adjust your daily dose of ritual to fit your personality and you will find that your focus as well as your drive will strengthen on their own.

As adults we have much greater freedom and flexibility with our schedules and daily routines.  We’re not stuck in a classroom, forced to feed on the voicings of a teacher.  Because of this we can find what works and stick with it.  I spoke with Leo about this a few months ago.  I asked him why he wrote so many list posts on zenhabits.  He basically said that it’s just the way he thinks.  That by taking little bites at a time he was able to tackle a large post with ease.  No one was forcing him to write a certain way, so he just found what worked and made it work FOR him.  We can all do this in every aspect of our lives.  Try many ways of tackling the same task and then stick with what works.  Think outside the box and be creative.  You’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll get done when it is done in the way that is right for YOU.

So what is this DANGER I’m talking about?

Well, often times, those with ADHD will scratch their itch with distraction.  Let’s take blogging for instance.  When I am creating a blog post and find myself at a less stimulating part of the process, I have a tendency to start checking email, stats, or whatever will give me a quick boost of stimulation.  Then I’ll come back to the blog post to continue the task.  Basically, when my stimulation levels dip low enough I feel fidgety and uneasy.  So I’m driven to look for a way to scratch the itch.

This can actually be a good thing if managed properly.  Sometimes we need a break and a small boost is just what the doctor ordered.  But the danger comes when we repeat this process over and over in a short period of time.  Or when the distraction takes up large chunks of time.  I’ll find myself taking a ‘break’ and checking out YouTube.  30 minutes later I’m watching some guy on roller blades jumping a fence and landing on his groin.  You get the point.

So just be careful when you find yourself seeking a form of scratching that doesn’t involve the task at hand.  Those of us with ADHD are prone to distraction, but this doesn’t mean we have to let this disorder keep us from getting things done.  Sure, self discipline is a must, but if we don’t know exactly WHAT we are dealing with, we can’t expect to make positive progress.  My hope is that these two posts have helped clarify some things that you can now use to get more done and waste less time.  Oh, and enjoy those not so entertaining tasks as well.