By: ADHD Coach Dana Rayburn
freedigitalphotos.net by stockimages
The Secret to Living Effortlessly with Adult ADHD
Living with adult ADHD can be a struggle. Simply staying organized, keeping track of belongings and showing up on time can consume all of your energy and contribute to ADHD stress. While I do advocate pairing ADHD and structure, if you asked me to divulge one of the key ingredients for living effortlessly with adult ADHD you’d be surprised.
What do you suppose I’d say?
Get a timer? Follow routines? Nope!
Here’s what I’d tell you: to live effortlessly with adult ADHD you must spend your time doing things you enjoy.
When you build your world around activities you relish you are naturally more focused and engaged. When you’re passionate about what you do it takes less force to get things done. And ADHD stress diminishes.
Don’t get me wrong, everyone has to do things they don’t enjoy. It’s part of life. But to live effortlessly with ADHD you must spend less time doing things you find boring or draining and more time doing what delights you.
When someone with ADHD doesn’t enjoy how they spend their time, they must force themselves to stay on track. They’ll often goof off, doing anything more interesting than what they’re supposed to be doing. Whether at work or at home, this cascades into worries about poor performance, hiding mistakes and catching up.
Enjoying how you spend your time isn’t an option. Not if you intend to live effortlessly with ADHD.
How does this translate into everyday life? It means you choose to work in an occupation you like, something that captures your attention. And it might mean turning down promotions because those promotions would mean more paperwork and less time for the part of the job you love. It may mean finding a new job or a different line of work altogether. Or it could mean hiring people to handle the bookkeeping and scheduling in your business so you can work with more clients, again, doing what you love.
At home it means facing the reality of choosing which tasks you can truly handle and which are best to pass along. Personally I have to let go of some of the day-to-day chores that keep our home running smoothly.
Cleaning and cooking absolutely bore me but somebody’s got to do it. With my husband’s extreme work schedule the responsibility falls on my shoulders. That’s why I’ve become a master at delegating and creating shortcuts to make things easier. I’d rather focus on what I enjoy, such as the yard work, and hire out the chores that are more difficult for me to motivate myself to do.
The best gift I give myself is having our house cleaners, Patti and Tina, come every other week. Sure it means less cash to spend on other stuff, but our house simply sparkles when they’re done and I don’t have to lift a finger.
So if you find yourself struggling to get through the day, if ADHD stress is running your life, if you simply want things to be easier, focus on what you love. You’ll be amazed and you’ll find that living effortlessly with ADHD is truly possible.
Dana Rayburn is an ADHD Coach in Oregon, but don’t worry… She works by telephone helping ADHD adults all over the world live more effortlessly and successfully with ADHD.
Tired of struggling with ADHD? You’re in the right place. ADHD Success is loaded with free, practical tips to help you get organized, manage your time, and live more easily with Adult ADHD. Like what you read? Sign up for the newsletter now! No Spam. I promise!
0 Comments