Let’s face it – mundane tasks are hard to do.
Those of us with ADHD are driven by interest.
If we are interested in something, we can do it.
If we aren’t interested or if we think something is boring, we have little drive to do it. And we’ll likely put it off as long as
possible. If we do it at all.
This is a battle that people with ADHD face on a regular basis. Both kids and adults experience this; whether it’s homework for the class a child has no interest in or taking out the garbage.
The thing is – these tasks are a part of life.
It doesn’t matter how old we are, there are always going to be things we don’t want to do. For those of us with ADHD, “it needs to get done” often isn’t enough to engage our brains and get it done.
Have you ever heard the saying, “You have to find a way to make it interesting”? I have, numerous times, but it has never resonated with me.
They’re never going to be less boring.
It is sound advice, but every time I’ve thought about following it, I asked myself, “How can I MAKE something interesting that I find sooo boring?”.
It felt like I was trying to force myself to find something I liked about a task or topic that I knew I had no interest in; and I was never able to “trick” my brain into pretending something was interesting when it wasn’t. It was frustrating.
So what can we do about it?
It dawned on me one day that it isn’t about forcing myself to pretend a task was interesting.
It’s about finding a way to add enough interest to a task to keep my brain entertained while I do the task. Or said another way, I
just needed to find a way to create interest around the task.
The words create and around allowed me to see that I didn’t have to find interest in the task or topic itself, but I could find a way to create or bring interest to the task or topic.
Meaning, that I don’t have to try to make the task interesting, but there are things I can do
to make it more enjoyable.
Washing dishes isn’t inherently interesting, but there are things I can do while I am doing the dishes to engage my brain and make doing them more interesting.
So, what are some things you can do to help increase your level of interest? Here are some ideas that have worked for me and others. Try the ones you like and disregard the rest.
1. Time Yourself – See how fast you can get something done, or how much you can get done in a set amount of time.
2. Dress Differently – Dress up or put on comfy clothes. Put on a goofy outfit. Wearing something different when you do a task can help you get primed for it (like putting on workout clothes
before exercising).
3. Be a Superhero – Think of what kind of superhero would be
able to complete the task and imagine yourself as them, doing the task or studying the topic. You can even put on a costume if you want. YES – This is something adults can do too.
4. Track Something – Put a tally mark on the calendar or make an indication in a log every time you do a specific task. This can be helpful for tasks that you do daily but they aren’t especially gratifying on their own. (Flossing your teeth, cleaning up dog poop, etc.). The act of marking it off can help give you a sense of completion when it’s done, and it also helps give you the knowledge and satisfaction that you’ve completed at least one thing that day. (Just don’t use this as a tool to beat yourself up if you miss a day. It’s okay.)
5. Rock Out – Turn on your favorite music and turn it up.
6. Dance Around – Dance around while you’re working. You can
dance while vacuuming or doing the dishes. It may get a little messy but a little water won’t hurt anything.
7. Move – Find ways to incorporate movement into your task. If you’re reading, walk around or ride a stationary bike if you have one. If you can‘t move while you do your task, set timers/alarms to remind you to get up and move around. Do some stretching. Do some jumping jacks. Run up and down your stairs.
8. Read a Book – Listen to an audio book. If you’re planning
to work on the task for a certain period of time, turn on your sleep timer and work until it turns off.
9. Listen to a Podcast – Catch up on your favorite podcasts. You can choose shorter or longer episodes, depending on how long you plan to work. (I’m not a fan of stopping them in the middle, but that doesn’t bother other people.)
10. Turn on TV – This can be good for doing mindless tasks
or cleaning around the house. Pick a show or movie that you can have on in the background. Just be mindful and notice if you start to focus more attention on the TV than on what you’re doing. That might be an indication that you need to take a short brake or that it’s time to try another idea.
Pick one of these and try it a few times.
Remember – things don’t always work the first or second time we try them, so try one a few times before deciding whether to stick with it or not.
If you find it doesn’t work for you, try something else.
We are all unique, so play around and figure out what works for you.
I believe in you. Now it’s your turn to choose to believe in yourself.
You are capable of more than you can imagine.
You’ve got this.