David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
?Sorry, I?m Working? ? Making the Most of ADHD Hyperfocus
by Devon Frye, ADDitude Magazine
July 19, 2017
My three-year-old daughter walked into my office at home (the ?Daddy workroom?) and said, ?Daddy, if you loved me, you?d stop working and come play with me.? I wasn?t heartbroken, as I might have been. I was amused and mildly annoyed. This was about the tenth time she?d come in, and I did have work to do.
I was filling out grant applications, on the chance that one of them would be accepted. If I could get my research funded, I could get a job that would support my wife and daughter.
Could I have worked on those applications later? In theory, yes. But in practice, I was having a good day, a day when my ADHD took a backseat, and that kick-ass-and-take-names person inside me was being highly productive and plowing through the to-do list.
One of the keys to managing adult ADHD is to make the best use of a good day. This is offset by the occasional need to admit defeat on a ?bad day.? Most days lie somewhere in between: It?s a struggle, but getting good work done is possible.
On bad days, I force myself to work, but usually the result is unusable. I eventually say that no work is better than subpar work, and I?ll catch up later. I get some candy, take a nap, or play video games.
But a good day changes my outlook on that never-ending to-do list. That is something that cannot go to waste. Even if I have to turn down a dozen adorable requests to come out and play.
by Devon Frye, ADDitude Magazine
July 19, 2017
My three-year-old daughter walked into my office at home (the ?Daddy workroom?) and said, ?Daddy, if you loved me, you?d stop working and come play with me.? I wasn?t heartbroken, as I might have been. I was amused and mildly annoyed. This was about the tenth time she?d come in, and I did have work to do.
I was filling out grant applications, on the chance that one of them would be accepted. If I could get my research funded, I could get a job that would support my wife and daughter.
Could I have worked on those applications later? In theory, yes. But in practice, I was having a good day, a day when my ADHD took a backseat, and that kick-ass-and-take-names person inside me was being highly productive and plowing through the to-do list.
One of the keys to managing adult ADHD is to make the best use of a good day. This is offset by the occasional need to admit defeat on a ?bad day.? Most days lie somewhere in between: It?s a struggle, but getting good work done is possible.
On bad days, I force myself to work, but usually the result is unusable. I eventually say that no work is better than subpar work, and I?ll catch up later. I get some candy, take a nap, or play video games.
But a good day changes my outlook on that never-ending to-do list. That is something that cannot go to waste. Even if I have to turn down a dozen adorable requests to come out and play.
