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ADHD Mind Backstop

The ADHD mind can be a wonderful thing when fully engaged. Hyperfocus is a gift when it matches up with what you need to be doing, and the constant flow of new ideas mean your creativity never dries up. I, myself, have notebooks, notepads, and sticky notes filled with ideas that I’ll never have time to write, develop, or produce, but that beats banging your head on your keyboard with writer’s block any day of the week.

ADHD Mind Management Technique – The Backstop

One problem with the ADHD mind is that once it comes untethered from whatever it was previously doing, it can float in a meandering kind of way that breaks your productivity. It is important to have ADHD mind tricks to keep your work flowing.

One ADD mind management technique is the ADD Mind Backstop.

The way the backstop works is to provide a quick, easy to enter, task or function that you can switch to in order to re-engage your mind.

The Mental Backstop List

If you have ADHD, you are no doubt experienced in creating, and often ignoring, various types of lists. This is why the ADHD daily list is so important.

The daily list is a list of just the tasks that you must / should do today. Keep track of everything else wherever you desire, but the daily list should be a single list, on a single piece of paper, with only the tasks that you must reasonably accomplish today. This won’t work with the giant list you keep in your ADD planner.

Include on the daily list at least one backstop idea.

What Is an ADHD Backstop Idea?

An ADD backstop idea is a useful, relevant task that you can enter quickly, and easily.

To meet these criteria, the task needs to be relatively pleasant. Backstop tasks should not be those that you have to fight your own desires to accomplish, so not a project or task you dread.

A backstop task also needs to be easy to start, so not something that takes too much setup, or requires you to change locations, or engage in a multistep process to get going.

For those of us who do our productive work in front of a computer, a great backstop task is to watch a training video, relevant Ted talk, or presentation. Keep a list of these bookmarked, or favorited. If you use Microsoft Edge, this list makes for a great collection.

Just create a new collection, or bookmarks folder, titled ADHD backstop. Fill this list with useful links that you can open quickly, and without setup. When your ADHD mind wanders too far, and you can’t pull it back, open this list and click.

The mental juice you get from some stimulus, plus the potential to direct your brain into the task of your choosing during that lull that occurs after stimulating your mind with something that has a definitive end, both moves your life forward from what you watched, or learned, AND allows you to move productively on with your day.

Since you wasted no time getting into the backstop task, and you were able to get back to work after it, you avoid the ADHD guilt that comes from feeling like you wasted time from lack of focus.

Other ADHD Mental Backstop Ideas

Since I work as a freelance writer in front of a computer, most of my backstop ideas involve watching, or participating in something online, but that isn’t the only kind of ADD backstop. Be creative, and don’t forget, that even if you don’t sit in front of a computer, chances are you have access to similar things on your phone or tablet device.

TED Talks – careful not to use the really long ones, or your backstop task turns into a long project.
Training videos – Are there 20 minute training videos that can help you learn or solidify important skills?
Brainfood articles – Bookmark articles or essays that are interesting to you but you can’t take time to read when you come across them. Then get back to them when you need a backstop.
How-To articles or videos: A quick how to is great brain food and a good ADHD backstop. Remember they don’t have to just focus on your job, anything useful to your life, like how to fix your sprinkler works.
DIY articles or videos: Always wanted to do something? Don’t know how? A Do-It-Yourself session can get you started. DON’T GET DISTRACTED by pulling out materials and trying to do it during your other productivity. This is a survey so that you have an idea about where to start in the future, or maybe find out that it is too long and involved after all.
Guided meditation – If you have ADHD you should be meditating, or if you prefer using ADHD mindfulness. Either way a guided version can be uplifting and reset your mind.
Mini-Exercises: One set of pushups, or a few sun salutations are a great way to stimulate both body and mind. Remember, these are quickie, bonus exercises. Don’t try and do a workout. That isn’t what you are supposed to be doing. But, some quick exercises will make your ADD brain proud, and ready for what is next.
Go outside: but, don’t wander off. A few deep breaths. MAYBE a quick walk. Again this isn’t time for exercise, these are quick mental tasks that can take place with some sun and fresh air.

Poor ADHD Backstops

Avoid these types of things for your ADD mind backstops

TV shows or episodes – The purpose of mental ADHD backstops is to feed your mind, without the resulting ADD guilt that comes from wasting time or being distracted. Watching episodes of shows will leave you feeling empty with ADHD guilt. Restarting out of that can be tricky
YouTube Videos and TikToks – If you have bookmarked an educational YouTube video, that works. But, don’t go clicking through your subscriptions watching funny videos. That road goes straight to ADHD guilt. — And don’t even get me started on scrolling your FYP TikToks.
Crafts, or Trying New Skills – You’ll either get distracted by the joy of something new and spend way too long, or you’ll get frustrated by your lack of progress. Either way, that won’t give you the ADHD buzz you need to shift onto another task.
Anything that takes materials or setup – These are supposed to be quick hits of mental adrenaline. If you spend time pulling out supplies, or doing a lot of setup, you’ll feel the ADD guilt kick in before you can even get started.

Let me know what kind of things you use for your own ADHD backstops.

Eat That Frog and ADD

Written by ADDer 1 Comment

People with ADD often times have issues with time management. There are almost as many books out there to help you be more organized and procrastinate less as there are books to help you lose weight. For adults with ADHD, they can have very different value.

ADHD Eat That Frog

The book Eat That Frog is an organization and time management book built around the semi-funny premise of eating a frog. The idea is that as you plan out your day, there are different tasks. Each task takes a varying degree of time and effort, but typically, there is one task that is your biggest, perhaps least pleasant task. The idea of eating that frog is that you should do that task first.

The title comes from the hypothetical situation in which your to-do list contains the task of eating a frog. Clearly this isn’t pleasant, but if it must be done, then the idea is that if you do it first, you get it out of the way, and then you can go about your day with your most onerous task already completed and done.

But, does the Eat That Frog methodology work well for people with ADD?

I believe that you should, whenever possible, play to your strengths, and when you can turn your weaknesses to your advantage. As someone with ADD, my problem isn’t that I never get to one task, or that procrastinating on a single task causes my issues.

Instead, my problem is the inability to “force” myself into most anything to-do list wise. And yet, the whole premise of this book is to go against whatever your nature is and instead suck it up and do that one big task first. In a lot of ways, this is “Just Do It” in a different wrapper, and you know how I feel about that little gem.

So, does that mean that people with ADHD can’t use the Eat That Frog book?

Not at all, but remember that where a book like Eat That Frog is asking normal people to go against their nature and do something, it might actually be asking more (too much?) of people with advanced structural organizational issues like those of us with ADD have.

There is increasing evidence that willpower is a finite resource in the human body, and if you use it all up getting through just one task, is that your best move?

I suppose like all fixed ideas, it can only do so much. For me, I suppose I might try it when I have one of those days where there really is only one thing that matters. In that case, eating that frog makes perfect sense. But for me, most days are a maze of deadlines, milestones, and projects that all need attention. Simply getting the biggest, or least pleasant one, out of the way wouldn’t make the day a success for me.

How do you feel about Eat That Frog? Success? Bust? Useful, but modified? Let me know.

Using 15 Minutes Better

Written by ADDer Leave a Comment

You would think that someone with ADD would love working in 15 minute increments. After all, even an adult with ADHD can handle focusing on a task for just 15 minutes, right?

Wasting 15 Minutes at a Time

For people with ADD, however, deliberately getting started on a task during a small amount of usable time is trickier than it sounds. The hardest part is knowing that it is so easy to just do a few things, anythings, during that 15 minutes because you aren’t really procrastinating or wasting much time. After all, 15 minutes isn’t that much time. As someone with ADD, the possibilities are endless.

You could make that phone call you have been putting off all morning.

Or, you could play a quick game of Candy Crush Soda and make that call after lunch. After all (here comes the ADD brain), what if that call accidentally goes long? What if he asks you to call back in 20 minutes when you’ll be busy doing something else. What if you get distracted (Hey, it happens, right?)?

Plus, there is the rest of your to-do list, which, let’s face it, is starting to look a little bit messy. Maybe now is a good time to rewrite the list.

You get the point. With ADD, it’s very likely we’ll just fitter away the time. We won’t even feel bad about it. I mean, it’s not like you can really do much anyway. You have a meeting in just 7 minutes now.

Pre-Planning the 15 Minute Gap

Recently, I’ve discovered a way to combine my ADD and procrastination habits to my benefit for just this sort of scenario.

Let’s say it is 9:30 am, and I have a meeting at 11:00. There is plenty of time to do some work, and I’m ready. But, there is this phone call that I have to make, but I’m not looking forward to. Instead, my mind is thinking of all the many other things I could, should, would be doing. I’ve learned long ago that fighting against the ADD brain is a fool’s errand. It’s much better to observe, recognize, and plan around your strengths.

In this case, I commit to myself that I will make the call later.

Of course, this is also a fool’s mission. Making a call “later” is a recipe for making the call never.

Instead, I commit to making the call during the next 15 minute gap.

In this way, I both procrastinate, which makes my brain happy. (It doesn’t consider this procrastination. This is doing what I want to do, which I should be able to do, right?) But, I also create an actual place to do the task.

Now, all I have to do is recognize that there is such a gap. This is the tricky part, because my ADHD brain racing ahead during the day will frequently not consciously notice that I’m sitting in a 15 minute gap. Instead, it will recognize the completion of a task, get happy, look for what’s next, and maybe play a little Paper.io.

So, I also have to anticipate the gaps. By pre-thinking about when those might occur — right before that meeting, right before lunch, right after I publish this blog post — I have a better chance of recognizing when those gaps come.

Using 15 Minutes for People with ADD

How to get more productivity with ADD while using 15 minute gaps.

Identify tasks that will fit in 15 minute (or smaller) gaps.
Commit to doing those tasks during the gaps.
Prioritize if there are multiple tasks. Otherwise, you’ll waste time deciding which ones to do.
Mentally go over your upcoming day and identify where small time gaps may occur in your plan.
DO THE TASK in the gap. Don’t lie to yourself. There is nothing worse than lying to yourself. If you committed, do it. It’s only one task.
If you have more time in the gap, use it for yourself. You’ve moved forward. There’s no reason to try and waste your willpower. Instead…
Identify the next potential gap and the task you will do during it.
Profit

Boost Your ADD Mood By Moving

Written by ADDer 1 Comment

You have ADD. That’s tricky enough as it is, but ADHD often goes along with depression, or low mood.

It makes sense when you think about it. Unbalanced neurotransmitters are the root of both issues. However, not every slow, sluggish day is a result of off-kilter brain chemistry.

Moving to Boost Mood

One of the traps to avoid when you have ADD is the tendency to blame everything on your ADHD condition. Sometimes, the issue is just good old human imperfection.

For those days when you seem to be a little sluggish, or you just can’t get your brain into gear, and another cup of coffee isn’t helping, try moving around. Physically using your body switches up tons of systems in your body from rest to active. Doing so has a ripple effect on your body that can, and often does, include your brain functions.

Now, I know what you are thinking. This isn’t new news, and you know that exercise and diet can help your ADHD, because, by now, you’ve figured out that better diet and exercise helps literally everything. But, the key thing here, is how little movement is necessary for potential improvement. Sure, a 40 minute run would be great, but that may not be what is required.

Small amounts of movement can make a huge difference, especially if you have been sitting for a long period of time, or first thing in the morning when you haven’t moved much at all yet for the day. Try loading the dishwasher, or running something upstairs. The key is not so much the intensity of the activity, but the length.

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Stand up, walk down the hall, pour a cup of coffee, then walk back to your desk and sit down, and likely nothing has changed. The body takes a wait and see approach to kicking in extra systems as a way of saving energy. No since increasing energy use if this is just a quick blip.

That’s why a 15 minute chore, or other activity works, while a quick break doesn’t. You have to do something long enough to engage the body. Stay standing, and hopefully moving, for 10 minutes. Heck, sometimes, just 5 will do it. Just make sure it is longer than that quick standup and sit back down that doesn’t seem to be working.