5 ADHD Strategies To Unlock “God Mode Productivity”
Summary
TLDRThis video script delves into the unique challenges and strategies for individuals with ADHD to enhance productivity. It refutes traditional productivity advice, highlighting the importance of leveraging ADHD's dopamine-driven nature to foster motivation and focus. The speaker introduces the 'NICE' model, emphasizing the need for tasks to be new, interesting, challenging, and urgent. The script outlines five strategies, including starting with easy tasks to build momentum, using time-based goals, and incorporating streaks and novelty to maintain interest and consistency. It also mentions a gamified tool for tracking progress and the significance of environmental adjustments and sensory strategies to boost focus. The video aims to empower ADHD individuals to transform their productivity by understanding and adapting to their unique neurological wiring.
Takeaways
- 🌟 The main struggle for people with ADHD is not a lack of motivation, but an issue with consistency under the right conditions.
- 🧠 High dopamine levels are crucial for motivation and focus, and individuals with ADHD often have lower dopamine levels than average, leading to a constant search for stimulation.
- 🔄 The speaker learned to use their dopamine deficiency to their advantage by getting addicted to completing work, which helped in maintaining consistency in tasks.
- 🎯 The ADHD brain is wired for interest rather than importance, making it easier to focus on enjoyable activities like video games, but difficult to start on mundane tasks like laundry.
- 📈 The 'NICE' model suggests that tasks should be new, interesting, challenging, and treated like an emergency to be more engaging for people with ADHD.
- ⏱️ Starting the day with easy tasks can help build momentum and increase productivity, as it provides a quick dopamine hit to get started on the day's work.
- 🚫 Breaking tasks into too many small parts can be overwhelming and counterproductive for people with ADHD, whereas focusing on the first three steps can make starting easier.
- 🕒 Using time-based goals instead of outcome-based goals can reduce the pressure and make it easier to start and complete tasks.
- 🔄 Incorporating novelty into daily tasks by changing the environment or introducing challenges can help maintain focus and motivation.
- 📊 Tracking progress and building streaks can visually represent growth and motivate individuals with ADHD to maintain consistency.
- 🔗 The importance of not comparing oneself to others and starting small with achievable goals to build up momentum and consistency.
Q & A
What is the main struggle that people with ADHD face according to the transcript?
-The main struggle that people with ADHD face is not with motivation, but with consistency. They can motivate themselves if the conditions are right, but maintaining consistency is challenging.
Who is Dr. Hall and what does he suggest about ADHD and productivity?
-Dr. Hall is one of the leading experts in the ADHD space. He suggests that as long as what a person with ADHD is working on is stimulating, they can hyperfocus. However, when there is no stimulation, they tend to space out, indicating that boredom is a significant obstacle for them.
What does the transcript suggest about the traditional productivity industry's approach to ADHD?
-The traditional productivity industry has failed people with ADHD because the strategies often recommended, such as breaking tasks into smaller chunks or starting with the hardest thing first, do not work long-term for individuals with ADHD.
How does the speaker describe the relationship between dopamine levels and productivity for people with ADHD?
-The speaker explains that people with ADHD usually have lower dopamine levels than the average person, which affects their motivation and focus. However, they can use this dopamine deficiency to their advantage by getting addicted to completing work.
What is the 'NICE' model mentioned in the transcript and what does it stand for?
-The 'NICE' model is a strategy developed by the speaker to make tasks more engaging for people with ADHD. It stands for New, Interesting, Challenging, and Emergency-like, which are the elements that can make tasks more appealing to the ADHD brain.
What is the first strategy the speaker suggests for starting the day productively with ADHD?
-The first strategy is to start the day with activities that boost dopamine levels, such as listening to motivating music, taking a shower, and immediately getting to work without engaging in activities that might deplete motivation and dopamine.
How does the speaker recommend breaking down tasks to make them more manageable for people with ADHD?
-The speaker recommends breaking down tasks into their first three steps rather than into endless smaller chunks. This approach helps to focus on what's immediately in front of you and makes it easier to get started.
What is the significance of 'streaks' in the context of the strategies discussed for ADHD productivity?
-Streaks refer to the number of days in a row that a task is completed. They are significant because they help build consistency and motivation. The speaker suggests that tracking and logging progress visually can help maintain this streak and keep the ADHD brain engaged.
What is the role of novelty in maintaining focus and productivity for people with ADHD?
-Novelty plays a crucial role in ADHD productivity as it provides a fresh stimulus that boosts dopamine levels. Regularly introducing novelty, even in the form of small changes in the work environment or task approach, can help maintain focus and motivation.
What additional strategies does the speaker mention are available for further enhancing ADHD productivity?
-The speaker mentions three additional scientifically-backed strategies that work synergistically with the ones discussed. These are explained in a separate video, which also includes access to a free notion habit tracker.
Outlines
🧠 Understanding ADHD and Productivity
This paragraph discusses the unique struggles of individuals with ADHD, focusing on the need for consistency rather than motivation. It emphasizes that with the right conditions, those with ADHD can be highly motivated. The speaker shares insights from Dr. Hell, an expert in ADHD, highlighting the importance of stimulation for hyperfocus. The video promises to reveal strategies to overcome procrastination and executive dysfunction, drawing inspiration from successful individuals with ADHD. It critiques traditional productivity advice and introduces the concept of leveraging dopamine deficiency to enhance productivity.
🌞 Morning Routines and Dopamine Boosting
The speaker outlines their morning routine to capitalize on the natural peak in dopamine levels. They suggest waking up to motivational music, exercising, and avoiding time-consuming pre-work activities that can deplete motivation. The importance of starting work immediately after waking is underscored, with the recommendation to engage in activities that boost dopamine, such as cold showers. The paragraph also addresses the challenges of maintaining routines due to ADHD and suggests breaking the routine intentionally at times to reintroduce novelty and maintain productivity.
📈 Building Momentum and Overcoming Procrastination
This section delves into the strategy of breaking tasks into their first three steps to make them more manageable. It discusses the concept of time-based goals versus outcome-based goals, advocating for the former to reduce the pressure of completing tasks within a set timeframe. The speaker introduces the idea of 'inconsistent consistency,' where routines are occasionally broken to maintain novelty. The paragraph also touches on the importance of momentum, suggesting that starting with easy tasks can lead to a cascade of productivity, akin to how video games hook players with easy levels.
🎮 Harnessing Streaks and Novelty for ADHD Productivity
The speaker explores the concept of 'streaks' as a powerful tool for maintaining consistency and motivation, drawing parallels with how apps like Duolingo use streaks to engage users. They discuss the importance of tracking progress visually to stay motivated and the psychological impact of not wanting to break a chain of consecutive successful days. The paragraph also emphasizes the need for novelty in tasks to keep ADHD brains engaged and suggests various strategies for introducing novelty, such as changing the work environment or setting time-based challenges.
🔄 Introducing Novelty and Additional Strategies for ADHD
The final paragraph discusses the need for novelty in tasks to maintain focus and motivation for individuals with ADHD. It provides practical tips on how to introduce novelty without changing the task itself, such as altering the work environment or setting self-challenges. The speaker also mentions additional scientifically-backed strategies that work synergistically with the ones discussed in the video and are explained in more detail in a separate video. The paragraph concludes with advice from Dr. Hell on the importance of stimulation for ADHD productivity and a reference to additional resources for further learning.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡ADHD
💡Motivation
💡Consistency
💡Dopamine
💡Hyperfocus
💡Productivity
💡NICE Model
💡Streaks
💡Time-Based Goals
💡Novelty
💡Gamification
Highlights
The main struggle for people with ADHD is not motivation but consistency.
ADHD brains are wired for interest, not importance, which explains the focus on enjoyable activities like video games.
High dopamine levels are necessary for motivation and focus, and people with ADHD often have lower levels.
The speaker learned to use their dopamine deficiency to their advantage by getting addicted to completing work.
The 'NICE' model was developed to make tasks new, interesting, challenging, and urgent for easier ADHD management.
Starting the day with high dopamine-boosting activities like cold showers or aerobic exercise can improve productivity.
Breaking tasks into their first three steps can make them more manageable and less daunting.
Time-based goals, rather than outcome-based goals, can help reduce the pressure and make tasks easier to start.
Building momentum by starting with easy tasks can lead to a positive feedback loop and increased productivity.
Streaks, or consistent daily completion of tasks, can be a powerful motivator for people with ADHD.
Tracking progress visually can help maintain motivation and consistency.
Introducing novelty into tasks, even without changing the task itself, can boost motivation and focus.
Sensory-based strategies like fidget spinners or weighted blankets can improve focus and productivity.
Alternating tasks or changing the work environment can introduce novelty and keep ADHD brains engaged.
Three additional scientifically-backed strategies are mentioned for further ADHD productivity improvement.
Dr. Hell's expert opinion on ADHD productivity emphasizes the importance of stimulation and avoiding boredom.
A gamified tool built in Notion is introduced for tracking momentum and productivity.
Transcripts
the main struggle that we adhders have
is not with motivation but with
consistency if the conditions are right
we can motivate ourselves every single
day this was my first step to completely
transforming my productivity I talked to
Dr hell one of the leading experts in
the ADHD space and asked him what his
thoughts are as long as what you're
working on is stimulating when we have
stimulation we hyperfocus in this video
we're not just scratching the surface
we're diving deep to uncover the secrets
of how to actually get stuff done when
you have ADHD how ADHD powerhouses like
David gogin Simone biles or Bill Gates
stay so insanely productive and no it's
not the same old advice you find in
those boring productivity guides or
generic online videos I will walk you
through five powerful strategies that
completely changed my life from being
stuck in a vicious cycle of
procrastination executive paralysis and
frustration to being able to instantly
focus and execute and stay consistent
with my daily tasks despite my ADHD
spoiler alert I won't just tell you to
buy a planner oh and stick around until
the end because I will also reveal how
you can access three bonus steps as well
as a gamified tool that I built to track
your progress for free before we dive
head first into the strategies let's
talk about why the traditional
productivity industry has failed us
adhders the reason for why you've most
likely failed over the years is because
most things you find when Googling on
how to get stuff done don't don't work
longterm for people with ADHD breaking
tasks into endless smaller chunks
special to-do lists or starting with the
hardest thing first I found that these
strategies made it even more difficult
for my brain to execute what I had to
learn was that to get stuff done
consistently you need to have high
dopamine levels to feel motivated and
focused the problem is our dopamine
levels are usually way lower than for
the average person it's the reason why
we are always looking for a kick why we
love an people taking risks or easily
get addicted to fast food in video games
because these things all give our brains
fast dopamine and so naturally I thought
this dopamine deficiency will make it
infinitely harder for me to be
productive turns out this was not
entirely true it might sound crazy but
throughout my years of research
struggling myself and trying every
solution Under the Sun I learned how to
actually use this dopamine deficiency to
my advantage because my constant craving
for dopamine is now able to get me
addicted to completing work believe me I
never thought I would say this a few
years ago however this allowed me to
stay so consistent with uploading the
videos you all know from me so what's
the trick what completely changed the
game for me was understanding that your
ADHD brain is not wired for importance
but for interest in other words it is
wired for what it wants to do not for
what it should do this is why we have no
problem in focusing or putting effort
into playing video games for hours but
procrastinate on the laundry for days
but what's interesting for us for people
with ADHD it's mainly challenge fear
novelty and connection to make it easier
for you to remember I developed the nice
model our brains need tasks to be new
interesting challenging and to be
treated like an
emergency nice but how do you make work
nice and interesting especially boring
work is this even possible and how do we
optimize our daily tasks for our low
levels of dopamine let's dive into the
strategies strategy number one starting
first thing in the morning in the
beginning I made the mistake of
listening to all these gurus out there
telling me to meditate Journal exercise
and then get to work while a bit of that
helped it took away almost all my
motivation and dopamine in the morning
for my important tasks study show that
your dopamine levels are highest first
thing in the morning which also means
you are most productive during this time
and so what I do now is wake up put on
some motivating music to get some easy
and fast dopamine if I need help getting
out of bed a shower and then get to work
immediately the only things you should
do before your work are things that
charge up your dopamine levels aerobic
exercise or sunlight can help with that
I also like to take cold showers
whenever I can because they've been
shown to increase dopamine by over 500%
and the effect lasts for a few hours so
it's easily become one of my favorite
and fastest ways to boost my dopamine
naturally good morning friends it is
9:00 a.m. I just woke up and it's time
for a cold shower it's always a bit
scary when you go
in oh my God that's cold okay maybe it's
not my favorite way but I then
immediately sit down in front of my PC
get going by riding down what I need to
do actually time blocking my day over
the calendar because telling myself I'll
just get to a certain thing whenever it
doesn't work and after an hour or so
make myself a coffee which you guessed
it increases dopamine as well this is
the procedure I follow almost every
single day now notice how I use the word
almost what I had to learn over time was
that routines are incredibly difficult
for us to maintain because once
something no longer feels new the dope
Fades and you start avoiding and
dreading it we are allergic to boredom
so it can feel like just wanting to run
away from that familiarity now what
completely changed the game for me was
having a few days where I break out of
this routine on purpose where I journal
or meditate or do it all at once yes do
exactly what the productivity gurus tell
me to do but only every once in a while
whenever my brain needs it the point is
to do something uncommon to make things
less predictable for your brain and help
it regain a sense of novelty for your
old routine this way you can stay
inconsistently consistent which however
wouldn't help you get anything done at
all without breaking your big task into
its first three steps I know in the
beginning of this video I mentioned how
breaking a big task into all its small
parts makes it even more difficult for
our brains to start but be with me back
in my professional job a few years ago I
often made the mistake of breaking up my
big task into all all its small puzzle
pieces instead of check emails it would
be email Ralph remember to send the
email to Bob double check the email from
Sandra send out offer to University X CC
Sandra and email to University X write
email to boss Etc I'm getting
overwhelmed just talking about it I made
checking emails into this huge list of
to-dos which massively increased the
amount of motivation AKA dopamine I
needed in order to start until I learned
about dividing my task into just its
first three steps it turns out that once
you focus on what's right in front of
you you can actually get started I was
like three emails that's easy no
problem and this concept actually also
works in regards to time imagine you
have this huge task in front of you that
will take hours you get lost thinking
about all the effort it will take and so
you procrastinate on it intensely but
what if you challenged yourself to work
on it for just 5 minutes just 5 minutes
and see what happens most of the time I
ended up working for way longer
especially when I converted fully by
switching out my outcome based goals to
time based goals I realized that outcome
based goals like finish writing five
emails set you up for failure because
our estimates often aren't accurate and
it's a lot more daunting to have to
start a task that you know you have to
finish in a given time frame once
there's no expectation of finishing
attached ironically enough the task is
easier to finish for example we switch
that task out with reply to emails for 1
hour also if we follow this do something
principle failure becomes unimportant
because the only measure for success is
acting acting I don't mean Oscar worthy
acting I mean sitting down and just
doing it we feel free to fail and that
freeness propels us forward it's also
why perfect ISM always makes us stand
still Perfection seems too overwhelming
to start on but even if you focus on
just the first three steps of a task and
reformulate your goals to be time based
you will still likely fail in the long
run if you don't build
momentum the productivity industry often
coins the term eat the Frog which means
you should focus on the hardest thing to
do first because you have the most
energy when you start makes sense right
we just talked about our dopamine levels
being highest in the morning well turns
out it's not that simple while
neurotypical brains start from
motivation level say 10 our brains often
start from motivation level minus 10 and
so therefore the hardest task even if
you want to tackle it first thing in the
morning will still be incredibly hard to
initiate even when we've structured it
into its first three steps we usually
end up staring at that task and feeling
like a massive failure we procrastinate
shame and self-doubt creep in and it's
just not a good time this is when I had
to learn about the power of momentum and
flipping the script on the traditional
productivity industry by starting with
the easiest thing first wait the easiest
thing yeah the easiest thing starting
with the thing that's so easy you
literally saved it for the end of the
day because it's just going to take a
few minutes why because our brains need
a quick dopamine hit to get started on
things let me explain by giving you an
example video games are designed to get
you hooked by giving you easy tasks in
the beginning at level one right they
then steadily increase the difficulty at
higher levels because at that point
you're already hooked and you therefore
often tackle those more difficult tasks
naturally whereas if you started with
those chances are you probably wouldn't
have continued or given up action isn't
just the effect of motivation but also
the cause of it action leads to more
action this is why when you do something
for just 5 minutes usually the rest will
follow going back to me I focus on the
easiest task whenever I've had a break
of work for longer than an hour which is
usually right after waking up and after
lunch I have a short call with a
colleague I get some notes down or watch
an informative video on something that I
need to learn the dopamine I get when
taking off those easier tasks sort of
then spills over into my more difficult
tasks making it easier to start on them
and once I start I get going this then
gives you an on-ramp instead of needing
to climb stairs which helps you build a
positive feedback loop and gets you
addicted to winning this was my first
step to completely transforming my
productivity by helping me build
streaks so why is it that we can
hyperfocus on video games for hours but
only read one page every 30 minutes it's
not just about starting easy it's
because video games have completely
hacked our dopamine and it's not just
video games educational apps like dual
lingo literally build their whole
business model on helping their users
achieve streaks there's that word again
streak that's weird before diving into
this one let's first classify what a
streak is cuz I was as confused as you
are dualingo classifies a streak as
being the number of days in a row you
completed lessons or practiced and the
more streaks you have the more levels
you gain and so people need to come back
every single day makes sense but there's
no way that an educational app that's
tailored for Learning and effort has
people coming back every single day
right there's just no
way turns out there is about 20% of all
Learners have streaks
Beyond
365
days that's one whole year how is this
possible imagine doing something for 365
days imagine where you'd be a year from
now if you stayed consistent with eating
healthy doing exercise chances are you
would have achieved your goal the main
struggle that we ad years have is not
with motivation but with consistency if
the conditions are right we can motivate
ourselves every single day so to
completely change the game we need to
start playing it you need to do what all
these games do which is track and log
your progress but not in a boring way
you need to actually see visually see
where you were 20 days ago to where you
are now because that way the growth will
excite you I know in the beginning it
sounded way too comp licated for me too
like where do I even start don't worry I
got you because I now like to track my
momentum and streaks with a gamified
tool that I built over notion and at the
end of this video I will reveal how you
can access this game ofi tool to track
your momentum and productivity as well
as three bonus steps as well completely
free to start you can also just use a
calendar and take every day you've
successfully sat down and worked for 30
minutes what's important is that you put
it somewhere every day where you see it
so your brain doesn't forget three
things to remember here first
consistency can look like this this and
this it's completely normal for us to
have off days the most important thing
is that you're able to get back up and
so work at a pace that's good for you
second don't be too hard on yourself if
you miss a day just come back and third
don't directly compare yourself to
people like David goggin get out of your
head and stay hard compare yourself with
yourself and start small if 5 minutes of
work each day seems difficult for you
then start with that if just getting out
of bed and showering is difficult for
you there's no shame in tracking that
either the point is that soon your brain
will see building streaks as a challenge
and the last thing you'll want to do is
break the chain which will help you stay
a lot more consistent and motivated in
the long run if you want to take it
further you can even try assigning
points to specific tasks but don't make
it too complicated if it's too
complicated your brain will probably
need dopamine and therefore motivation
to engage in just tracking your tasks
which would be very counterproductive
but even if you start in the morning
build momentum and introduce streaks you
would still be missing one of the most
essential pieces for ADHD productivity
which is regularly introducing
novelty there's a reason why we always
switch our hobbies and want to turn our
whole lives around every single week we
need constant feelings of newness to
stay inspired motivated and get dopamine
which can be incredibly frustrating when
we need to work on one boring task for
hours days or maybe even weeks so how do
we solve this problem what I learned
over the years is that you can actually
introduce novelty without changing the
task you're working on to boost your
motivation and focus for said task I
know sounds complicated again but it's
actually really simple let's say you're
working on your taxes regularly
switching where you work who you work
with or the time at which you're working
on your taxes will all help you stay
focused and M motivated for that task
because you're introducing novelty which
gives you dopamine you can use everyday
occurrences to introduce novelty into
your workday you might have caught
yourself trying to finish the laundry
before a specific song ends or finish
writing that email right before an
appointment this is because you are
challenging yourself which makes the
experience more new on top of that we
adhders are very competitive so
challenging ourselves can work wonders
alternating between different tasks can
also help introduce novelty combining
two tasks masks can also introduce
novelty here's the crazy part though
even the slightest tweaks in your work
environment like lighting or temperature
adjustments have been found to
significantly improve focus and
productivity fidget Spinners weighted
blankets standing desks are all sensory
based strategies with data to back them
up now next to these five methods there
are actually three more scientifically
backed strategies that work in Synergy
with each other that help me to
completely eliminate my procrastination
executive dysfunction and Achieve
life-changing focus at the push of a
button these are my favorite methods
proven to be most effective for years
consistently because they take slightly
longer to explain I've put them together
in a separate video which explains how
you can easily apply them into your own
life just click the link below to access
it this is where you'll also find the
free notion habit tracker I mentioned
earlier also I talked to Dr hell one of
the leading experts in the ADHD space
and asked him what his thoughts are on
ADHD productivity here's what he had to
say as long as what you're working on is
stimulating when we have stimulation we
we hyperfocus you know when we don't
have stimulation that's when we space
out you know boredom is our Kryptonite
we bounce off of it we can't do boredom
but
stimulation in whatever form draws us
right in and that's when we hyperfocus
now now keep in mind you can't can't do
that indefinitely it's tiring and so you
know I can't write for much more than an
hour at a time special shout out to
Jesse J Anderson for his thoughts on
ADHD productivity I've linked his
channel as well as his book extra Focus
down below and of course special shout
out to all of you for following along
check out these related videos if you
haven't already stay inspired and I'll
see you very soon
oh
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