Doing Things

As an ADHD coach, I often work with clients who know what they want to do but just don't do it. These clients understand perfectly well how to plan and manage their time. They know what is important and what isn't. Yet they get up day after day and fail to plan, fail to review, fail to take action, fail to achieve their goals. They know why and what they need to, yet do not change. They suffer from "Bird in the Hand" Thinking, - "what give this nice bird up and try to catch two other birds instead, rediculous!". With ADHD myself, I get this only too well.

The key problem is that people with ADD are neurologically challenged in valuing "future reward" over immediate stimulation. The ADHD brain has insufficient dopamine for the frontal-lobes, home of our executive-functions, to properly communicate with the decision making apparatus of the brain to urge it to properly consider future events and rewards. For many with ADD, lower dopamine/nor-adrenaline levels make activation to any task a challenge, even activation to enjoyable tasks.

People with ADHD brains are challenged in "doing" but the hardest tasks are the low stimulation and future-oriented tasks. The ADD coach looks at "how" to do, more than "what" to do. There are many ADD-friendly ways to help with planning, organising and "starting"/activating. The essential rules to ADD "doing", are:

• reward the activity, as near immediately as possible - so we can value the reward
• break everything up into small chunks - just do 1st, but end up doing 2nd, 3rd too 
• mix bad with good - easier to "do" less attractives tasks if mixed up with attractive
• make simple "easy to achieve" changes - to gain confidence and learn reward of change
• fool yourself - by increasing urgency, priority to the task e.g. keep watch 10mins fast
• remember its "not that bad" - on completing the "hated task", realise its " not that bad"
• make a habit - make a habit of the task so you don't have to think about it

I work with all my clients keeping all these points in mind, when they are making changes and doing. Why not try my ADHD-friendly action-list, on way to work tomorrow morning. Think of three tasks for today:

1. A task that helps towards a goal
2. A task that is urgent that needs doing
3. A task that is for your own wellbeing today