Favorite Counterintuitive ADHD Tips

ADHD strategies are quite often the exact opposite of what neurotypicals might suggest

Sep 04, 2024

man holding incandescent bulb — Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash

Like many people with ADHD, before I was diagnosed, I spent a lot of time looking up productivity strategies.

I was always trying to figure out how I could get things done, and why I seemed to struggle with things that others found easy. I expected that I would eventually stumble onto the perfect system that would solve everything for me and just be magic.

Spoiler alert: that system doesn’t exist!

In fact, much of that advice is actually toxic productivity advice for people with ADHD. And often when we find stuff that works well for us, others might say we’re doing it “the wrong way” or try to “correct” us to their way of thinking.

Forget that.

I say embrace what works for you and your brain!

Last week I posted about this on social media, asking for people’s favorite counterintuitive ADHD tips:

What’s your favorite counterintuitive ADHD tip?
So much of what works for us is almost the complete opposite of most neurotypical advice.
You need to _embrace_ the things that are fun and interesting, not try focus on the hard stuff first.

Here are some of my favorite responses:

Embrace the Chaos

Many people with ADHD find that traditional organization methods don't work for them. Instead, they embrace a seemingly more “chaotic” approach that suits their unique thought processes. It also helps to ignore traditional expectations of how something “should” look, and lean into what you find works for you.

“Some things are better not ‘put away’ because sometimes the consequences of forgetting something exists are greater than the consequences of an area looking slightly messy.”
—@dreamsofskies

“Non-linear processes will sometimes be more effective. For example, when I’m cleaning the house, I’m all over the place. It’s rare that I clean a room fully before starting a task in another room. Whatever. Treat the house as a unit and just keep going. It’ll eventually all get cleaned, even if the road to completion was winding.”
—@konnerdudley

Seeking More Stimulation, Not Less

Contrary to typical advice, many with ADHD thrive in environments that might seem distracting to others.

Rather than trying to “reduce distractions” many people with ADHD find zero distractions to be even more distracting, and prefer more stimulation to “allow” their brain to focus. This is a perfect example of counter-intuitive strategy: it’s hard to even explain in a logical way why this would work, but many find that it does.

I especially love @parade_o_crap pointing out that many of the strategies that can be effective for people with ADHD might sound “horrifying” to most neurotypical people. 😂

“Sometimes *increasing* external stimuli helps me concentrate at a task in front of me. It doesn't work for every task, but I have multiple televisions because sometimes having just the right kind of programming on them can be really useful (typically it's either a movie or show that requires little engagement to follow along, like reality tv or a soap, plus some nice ambient noise stuff; I especially like videos of people walking around in the rain).”
—@bradlacey

“NT advice: quiet workplace with few distractions. Sit up straight, feet on the ground. One task. ADHD brain: nonstop playlists, comfort watches on the TV, or the 10 hour youtube LeekSpin girl. Sit like a pretzel, grab a wobble stool, work horizontally on the couch. Split focus!”
—@dogearedlibrary

“It's important to do something unrelated with your hands while being given verbal instructions or listening to a lecture or other audio: drawing, playing solitaire, knitting, etc. Otherwise your mind will completely wander, and you’ll miss a bunch while you wonder what it would take to make a business plan for a hypothetical shop you’ve been daydreaming about opening.”
—@chloepascual

“You can increase productivity by using a timer to switch tasks very 6 minutes (from a pre-defined list of no more than 5 tasks). Neurotypical people (including a therapist of mine) find this idea horrifying.”
—@parade_o_crap

It’s worth pointing out that this is not true for everyone with ADHD! Find what works for you. I’ve heard from some people with ADHD that prefer complete silence for any sort of concentrated work, which sounds like torture to me. 😅

“Some people need the television on, or the music on LOUD when they need to think, study, or read. Crank it up! For me it depends on what the task is, and if it takes some real concentration… music w/o words, please.”
—@debrowley_adhdtherapist

Harnessing Momentum

I talk about the importance of momentum a lot in my book, Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD. Motivation momentum is so key for getting things done with ADHD!

Find tasks that you can get started on and capitalize on the burst of energy when it happens and keep that momentum going to tackle harder tasks.

“Do some easy stuff to get the motor running, and then once in gear, move to the harder stuff. Or as I just read … eat the ice cream not the frog 😉”
—@LinzAyearst

“…sometimes, my brain just won't do something. not to use it as an excuse, but if I can't make myself put my laundry away at that moment, I won't do it, I'll wait until I get a burst of motivation at 1am and do it. make the random surges of energy work for you.”
—@24JamesASecond

Reverse Reward Psychology

Sometimes using unconventional reward systems might be the way to help trick your brain into getting things done.

“Reward first and task after. Building some dopamine by giving yourself a little treat is the perfect way to get going sometimes and a lot more effective than telling myself I’ll get a treat after I'm done.”
—@Authoronthemoor

“Sometimes it helps to decide to ‘do it the hard way’ instead of overthinking what things aren’t in place (environment, tools, energy etc) as an excuse. Our brains like a challenge and sometimes doing the task ‘the hard way’ is a good trick to build momentum.”
—@NateHB13

Lean Into the Weird

Rather than fighting against the way your brain works, lean into it and find a way to use it to your advantage.

“Sometimes I need to let myself procrastinate. So i'll sit in my workspace and get everything set up, then fart around on the internet. After about 30 minutes I get bored with procrastinating, and since everything is ready to go I can jump right into focus mode.”
—@MiekoGavia

“To use hyperfocus to your advantage. Instead of fighting the urge to dive deep into something you’re passionate about, lean into it. Harness that energy and momentum, even if it seems unrelated—it often leads to productivity in unexpected ways.”
—@puneetsinghal22

“Don't plan, do. Seriously I have spent days researching and strategizing the best way to clean/organize a closet or room, diving in deep. Finally I just give up and work on it, and get it done so fast! So, plans aren’t always needed, sometimes you just need to dive in.”
—@PenguinCrys

“mine is ‘don’t extend deadlines, make more of them and closer together’”
—@siljelb@snabelen.no

Have you found these to be effective? Feel free to share your experience and any counterintuitive strategies that work well for you!

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