Everyone knows the burn and desire to be done with demanding projects. If you haven't been able to start, or there's still a lot to do, it makes it even harder to show up and feel connected to what we know must be done. People with ADHD feel this challenge even more than others, because motivation is already an issue they contend with on a daily basis.

The thoughts in here are taken from a YT post "Avoiding Toxic Productivity Advice for ADHD" that seems pretty insightful. It offers ideas of how to get your self involved in the activity without forcing a connection to being motivated. The idea is if you can get the ball rolling in other ways, the momentum may be enough to get you to stay with it, and therefore, where you need to be.

Here's the hot tips summation:

Embrace the pivot
Start a project, or project phase, with acknowledging that things might not work or might change. Approach the work with the attitude of not putting everything you have into it, knowing that you'll probably need to adjust your path, perspective or actual content. By keeping part of your approach in reserve, you'll stay fresher and more on track when and if that pivot needs to happen.

Most of you know about this one, but do you use it? The premise is a work-break measured cycle. Work 20m and break 5m, or 15m and 10m, or 1h and 20m, whatever it is that works for you. The points are (1) that you need to refresh your self, and (2) doing mega long hauls defeats creativity, and willingness to return to a task because you begin to associate it with torture and feeling stuck. Set your phone or desktop timer and try it out for a day.

Look for Sidequests 
Looking for Sidequests is a way to capture the energy needed to start a project when you're stuck and feeling unmotivated or not knowing how to connect with the content as a whole. Look for something that is captivating to you within that project and start with that. Research it, explore it, sketch, write and collect things about it. It's a way to help you get rolling and gain momentum. You can convert this energy and interest into the project itself. 
Warning: This is a semi-dangerous one because this can easily derail and end up becoming an entire day. To prevent this, set timers to limit this type of activity.

Micro-commitments
Sometimes getting started is overwhelming if you see it as a large task. Instead, break it into a portion of the task. This is not just breaking everything down into all the steps. For example, instead of saying "I'm going to finish the entire background for this shot", say "I'm going to do the layout." This feels so much easier, and you might find that's all you needed to get the ball rolling for doing the whole task, and if not, you can feel good that you completed that micro-commitment.

Make time-based goals
Instead of saying "I'm going to animate 200 frames today," say "I'm going to animate for 20 minutes" (remember Pomodoro timers!). This technique of approaching your activities as defined by time and not the activity allows you to begin the effort because you often have a more comfortable relationship to time limits. There's now a lowered "threat" of feeling overwhelmed by a measured quantity of work. The activity has the mental and emotional space to happen because you're not focused on accomplishing the task itself, it's just working over a set amount of time.

Change your environment
We like novelty. Our brains search for the new and interesting "wow" factors. Working in the same place and quality of environment all the time can dull our senses. Wake yourself up by going to a completely different place.


Last modified: Friday, 16 February 2024, 11:54 AM