Scatter Brain in the time of ADHD
I am absolutely fascinated by anyone who does anything, consistently. I follow an embarrassing amount of motivation and fitness accounts hoping anything will stick as I scroll through them on my couch, eating cheese. I know that diet and exercise will help me get the body I want and I know that starting small will help me get the things I want to get done, done and this knowledge brings me peace. The rock in my shoe is the boundlessly peppy “Consistency is key!” mantra that can be found in every corner of the successfully motivated internet. If consistency is key, what happens when you keep losing your keys?
I have friends who are like me: they want to sit down and write, they get up to get their bluelight blockers [glasses], they can’t find them right away and they pick up a pile of mail instead, then they find the 3M hook they were looking for earlier, put the hook in the room where they want to hang it and then all of a sudden 10 minutes have gone by and they haven’t written a single world. This was exactly me 15 minutes before I started writing this, the other five minutes were spent collecting my three drinks and bringing them closer to where I’ll be sitting: don’t send me that beverage goblin video, I’ve already seen four different versions of it, and yes - I like having coffee, water, seltzer and maybe Diet Coke or tea all at once, call me a hydrated wahoo.
But then I have friends who aren’t like me, who can stay focused for hours and not be distracted by junk mail or dust bunnies, who complete their To Do lists within the day they wrote them - what’s that like? Admittedly these same friends are not in the arts (I think they’re all lawyers even though lawyers can be creative too!) so maybe all that talk of ADD/ADHD and creativity is real but what’s it like to get all the things you want to get done, consistently?
I’ve been chewing on this for a bit and my friend Emily reminded me how she rewards herself when she gets things done. Treats! Of course! How could I forget TREATS?!! So that’s my plan: If I can pump out my little substack for the next eight weeks consistently then I’ll let myself buy a new pair of shoes. “Irene, what shoes are you thinking of buying?” I’ve been wearing my black, Adidas sambas since I was 12 years old and then all of a sudden Kendall Jenner farts in them and everyone loses their damn mind... but yes, my pair is just about worn out and I need a new pair. I’ll see how I do with my substack and maybe I can apply it to my podcast even though I should just accept defeat with that one since it’s been kicking my ass for years now.
Another tip that another friend gave me is using this time cube. (It’s a purple link because another friend is helping me set up an Amazon store, I really do have the best friends in the whole world!) Back to the cube: you set it for 15, 20, 30 or 60 minutes and then you’re not chained to your phone, you know - the damn thing that distracts you so much in the first place. We all do the same thing no? Set the timer on our phone, the timer goes off, we go to turn it off and then end up checking our Instagram and lose another 15-20 minutes watching dachshund videos, right? Right?!?!!!
Okay I need to switch gears and set my time cube so I can write a set for tonight but I’ll continue on my quest for consistently and anything that helps grease the wheels and report back here. I love all the little freaks who read this! Thank you!!!