Trying to have productive work days as an ADHDer can sometimes feel like trying to fill a colander with water – impossible. This can be really disheartening, lead to the dreaded doom scrolls and above all fill us with a sense of shame at just never seemingly able to get anything done. There’s a million and one different tips and tricks out there on how to work with your ADHD, and just in case none of those have worked for you here are a few more! We have put together a 5 step ADHD “start work” routine to set you up for a productive day.
Utilise these 5 tips in your starting work routine to work with your ADHD:
1. Hydrate
Before settling in at your desk, fill up a water bottle that is at least 600ml and add some kind of electrolyte (such as hydralyte!).
Having a water bottle at your desk will remind you to stay hydrated whilst the added flavour of the electrolyte will make it enticing (and easier) to drink.
2. High Protein Breakfast or Snack
Eat a high protein breakfast or have a high protein snack early in your day.
Extensive research has shown that people with ADHD who eat protein in the mornings have better attention spans, can concentrate more easily and stay focussed for longer.
3. Review the To-Dos
Review your to-do list and identify any tasks that give you that feeling of ADHD procrastination dread. Can you broke those tasks down any further to make them seem less daunting?
Even a breakdown as small as “open web browser window” can be enough to generate the behavioural momentum to keep going!
4. Plan Your Breaks
Schedule into your calendar 5-15 min breaks throughout the day at the times you think you will need them. If that is every half hour, so be it!
Having scheduled breaks throughout the day increases your likelihood of staying on task.
5. Set Your Finish Time
Set a time to close out for the day so you know when you’re finishing up.
This gives you a deadline to work towards and an incentive to get your to-do list done by this time. But, you need to stick with it – if you don’t manage to get all your work done, don’t violate the contract you made with yourself around your finish time – finish on time and make a note of what you need to come back to at a later date.
Be Kind to Yourself…
- Be realistic with yourself about what you can achieve in a day.
- Don’t compare your productivity to someone else’s: you don’t know their struggles behind closed doors.
