How I Get Anything Done Ever

After a lifetime of struggle, I was diagnosed with ADHD at 36. I’d long suspected I was neurodivergent, but the diagnosis still hit me harder than I expected. So much grief. The question - what would my life have looked like if I’d known this as a child? The answer - a lot, lot easier.

One of the many benefits to diagnosis was the chance to try medication. And I remember vividly the first time I took it.

I smoothed out the information leaflet, scanning the list of possible side effects. Palpitations? Manageable. Psychosis? Less than ideal. Skin peeling off? Jesus Christ. Sudden death. I reread it, and yes, it did indeed say sudden death, somehow managing to be both completely vague and utterly definitive at the same time.

Methylphenidate works the day you take it. The hour you take it. And, fortunately, I neither died suddenly nor lost my skin.

For me, it’s been a bit of a magic pill, but that doesn’t mean I can rely on it entirely. My brain still wants to veer off into frivolous hyperfocus, still gets overwhelmed by the most basic tasks (post office phobia, anyone?). So I’ve had to put systems in place to stop myself from losing entire days to doom scrolling—on my phone, or in my own mind (the For You page of my brain is truly something).

How I Get Shit Done

I go to bed early (usually by 10 p.m.) and I rarely compromise on that. It’s not just because I love an early night, but because my brain functions so much better when I’m well-rested.

I use an app called Stay Free to limit my time on social media, the internet, and certain apps. The UI is simple, but turning off the restrictions requires me to type out a paragraph of text exactly as it appears. With ADHD in the mix, that takes me at least ten tries, so it’s usually not worth the effort. I also really limit how much news I consume. I find the state of the world extremely dysregulating.

If I have work to do, I start immediately after swallowing my meds. If I let myself get distracted, there’s a good chance my medication will kick in while I’m buried in a book, an unrelated task, or a rabbit hole of my own thoughts. And once that chemical hyperfocus locks in, breaking out of it is damn near impossible.

I break tasks into manageable chunks. I don’t have to write all day, I only have to write in 15 minute chunks. I don’t need to produce 2,000 words, I just need to write 200 words a bunch of times. If I’m heading downstairs to the toilet, I take the laundry basket with me. If I’m waiting for the kettle to boil, I finally write the address on that envelope I’ve been meaning to post for eight weeks.

Even though methylphenidate all but kills my appetite (until 7 p.m., when it comes back with a vengeance), my brain gets jittery and foggy without food. So I make sure to eat regularly, and to eat food that actually fuels me. I find food, in general, to be a massive pain in the arse, so I keep quick, easy snacks on hand: pineapple, yogurt, granola, cooked chicken breast, pickles etc. I can’t be mad at my brain if I don’t give it the fuel it needs. Same goes for water. This might sound basic, but for many people with ADHD, it’s not intuitive at all.

If I get off track (for example, googling the lyrics to "Step Out by Jose Gonzalez), I just get back on track. No self-berating, no frustration. (P.S. As soon as I wrote that sentence, I immediately got distracted listening to "Step Out" And then—I came back and finished writing.)

And most importantly, I remind myself that I’m working with a disadvantage. ADHD is complicated and constantly in flux affected by stress, exhaustion, hormones, mental health, diet, and more. Some days are easier than others.

But I also know that when I do work, I work intensely. What might take someone days, I can often get through in a few focused hours. So if I need to step away for a a whole day, or longer, as is often the case, that’s okay.

This is what generally works for me, but it’s a strange life, constantly working against your own brain, using tricks and subterfuge just to get a grocery shop done. So I am sending solidarity to all my fellow ADHDers out there. Some days you’re flying, some days you’re stuck in the slog, being shat on by your own brain...yep that's about it.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you being here.

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