As school starts across the country, many students will be coping with attention deficit disorder (ADD). While I didn’t realize the problem when I was in school, I now realize I was an ADD kid. In some ways, it was a hindrance, but in other ways, it was key to my success.
Even before I realized I had ADD, I began developing methods to cope with my inability to stay focused. I first noticed the need for such techniques while working on my dissertation at Harvard in 1974. I struggled to stay organized and keep my stuff in order. This disorganization came home to roost one day when I left a draft of a chapter of my dissertation on the floor in my office. The next day when I came in, I found that the janitor had thrown out my draft. As this was the days before the computer, there was no second copy. I had to start over. I knew it was time to start developing some coping mechanisms so that my distractibility and disorganization would not cause me to fail.
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The first coping mechanism I developed was based on a reinforcement principle, often referred to as “Grandma’s Law” — the idea of “eat your vegetables first, then you get dessert.” In other words, tackle the challenging task first, and when it’s done, reward yourself.
When I worked in the early ’70s at a camp for autistic and developmentally challenged children, we used this technique frequently. The kids came to camp for seven weeks during the summer, and my role involved working with families who visited for a weekend. I taught them how to use the method to encourage their children to complete tasks they disliked. We developed a star chart system where the kids could earn rewards for completing difficult tasks.
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While working on my dissertation, I modified this approach. I would write out the tasks I needed to complete for the day and list the rewards I looked forward to, like having a snack, playing a record, or taking a walk in the woods. At the time, I lived in a cabin in the woods of New Hampshire. Each morning, I would sit down at my desk, set a stopwatch for 30 minutes, and work without interruption until the timer went off. This was before the era of iPhones or digital alarms. After 30 minutes of focused work, I would reward myself with a 10 to 30-minute break and then start the process again.
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A variation of this method has been very helpful in overcoming procrastination. I ask myself if I can at least put in 10 minutes on a task that I find difficult to start. I set the timer for 10 minutes and begin. If, after 10 minutes, I find myself in a productive groove, I keep going until I run out of steam. The key is overcoming the initial resistance and temptation to do something else.
It wasn’t until the early ’90s that the psychological and medical community began to identify ADD as a diagnosis. As I started reviewing the checklist for my clients in clinical practice, I realized I checked off 17 of the 19 symptoms for myself. This checklist indicated a strong possibility that I was a person with ADD.
Here are some other methods I’ve used to cope with my ADD.:
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I take a 22 minute meditation break during the day.
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Body Doubling. This technique involves working around other people. If no one is around, I use external stimulation, like music, audiobooks, or podcasts. If there’s a baseball game on the radio, I’ll have that in the background. Even doing the dishes, I am much more focused and efficient if my wife, Pat, is in the kitchen at the same time as me, even if she is doing something completely different.
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The One Minute Method. This was taught to me recently by my friend, Carolyn Daitch. This method involves thinking about time differently. It helps when I am trying to get small tasks done. I ask myself, “Can I do this task in one minute?” If so, do it now. For example, I realized that putting my clothes away often takes just a one minute, so why put it off? I just do it.
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Tracking Abundances. I got this idea from Feel the Fear by Susan Jeffers. It’s similar to keeping track of gratitudes. I record in a small dated notebook anything positive from the day—something I did, something someone did for me, or something I appreciate about my kids, grandkids, or friends. I have Day-Timer notebooks filled with these entries going back to the 1980s.
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Setting Monthly Goals. In the same Day-Timer notebook, I list four or five major goals for each month. Monthly goal setting has been key to staying focused.
The Positives
ADD is a personality style, even more so than a disorder. While it may present difficulties, especially for students in traditional education classrooms, it can also be beneficial when applied selectively. When someone with ADD gets focused, they can often become hyper-focused, staying focus on something they enjoy for long periods of time without interruption. For me, ADD has at key times been my friend. While it can be annoying to me and others, the ability to hyper-focus has enabled my success as a writer. Likewise, ADD has helped me be a great therapist and coach. When I am with a client, I can hyperfocus and give that person all of my attention.
Others, too, have turned ADD into a superpower, and I’ll write more about this in a future newsletter.
I hope this newsletter is helpful for those dealing with ADD. I would love to hear from you about the methods you’ve developed to cope with ADD.