Thread by @mspowahs

The ADHD trait of "a million projects" is actually an adaptive strategy for brains that very specifically can't do what they set out to. By working "sideways" on many things, you get a *lot* done—while feeling like you "never do anything" (i.e., what you're "supposed" to do). 1/

This may not be functional in the long run, but changing it requires understanding what the actual problem is: not that you can't do anything, but rather that something is always more interesting than what your current goal-directed task is. Changing it requires embracing it. 2/

First off, acknowledge that you are an incredible producer and creator. You can apply staggering amounts of intellect and talent, albeit in seemingly fickle fits of passion. You can work with this. This is not inherently bad. Stop hating yourself for it. 3/

Second, do whatever you can to make your ADHD as manageable as possible. Caffeine, medication, therapy, routine: we often need a combination of the above. But nothing so much as loving our brains, even if we also hate them. It is possible, acceptable, and *human* to do both. 4/

We recoil at the idea of loving something which causes us so much struggle. I personally dislike the "ADHD as superpower" framing—try telling that to someone who's been trying to take a shower or charge their phone for 3 hours, or crying helplessly the night before a deadline. 5/

It's true, simply loving someone cannot be enough to transmute their dysfunction, unless it's paired with accountability, boundaries, and a genuine desire to change. (This applies to so much more than just ADHD.) But we DO desire to change—we've been desiring it all our lives. 6/

And as such, love—or maybe we should simply call it "acceptance"—is key. Say it with me now: I will never be neurotypical. Deep breath; I know, I know. I know. But being neurotypical isn't the only way to have a happy life. It's not the only way to get shit done. Far from it. 7/

Sometimes ADHD means doing very odd things, like putting your car keys on top of your lunch in the fridge. Just that example alone shows the level of acceptance we must strive for: meeting our brains where they are, collaborating with them as we would an eccentric colleague. 8/

ADHD means writing shit down even if you "know" you'll remember. You WANT to remember. You won't remember. It sucks. But what's more important: trying to force your brain to function normatively—and flagellating yourself when invariably it can't—or getting your shit done? 9/

(Not to mention that "normative" itself is a construct. Not in the shitty, "nobody is normal! live laugh love" sense—but rather, personal styles and capabilities vary even among NT folks, and also, many NT folks aren't and don't know it yet.) 10/

While respecting that many disabilities profoundly change the way someone experiences the world, I think by and large, most of us exist on a continuum of ability, and many of our society's pathologies are simply continuum positions which beget a categorical distinction. 11/

Lots of people dislike their bodies; not everyone is trans. Everyone gets sad; not everyone has depression. Many people procrastinate; not everyone has ADHD. You get where I'm going with this. It's often a high intensity of relatable experience mixed with Dx-specific nuance. 12/

So okay, we're not broken but we do require special care and feeding, neuro(a)typicality is a biosocial construct with material realities of which the consequences are amplified and mediated by societal and systemic bias. Glad we went there. What now?

Back to side projects. 13/

Let's take a second to thank our brains for taking care of us even when we aren't aware of it. Let's set aside dualism and get embodied, and thank OUR WHOLE-ASS SELVES for being creative conduits for our ambition, and resilient facilitators of our survival. 14/

(PS: I took screenshots of this thread-in-progress in case I got distracted and somehow lost the tab later. Then I forgot about it when I went to smoke until I came back and saw it open.) 15/

So, we're already applying adaptive strategies unconsciously, and still feeling like our net output is 0 because it's never the shit we're supposed to be doing. But we KNOW that now, so we can acknowledge it, and shape it mindfully. 16/

The best tips I've found for doing so come from @lichtenbergian's book Procrastination as Creative Strategy. He and I have talked about how he accidentally wrote the best book for ADHD brains, because it's all creating structure informed by acceptance. 17/ lichtenbergianism.com

You should *definitely* buy the book if you can—it's full of useful exposition and context—but I think he'll forgive me for saying that even just reading the "NINE PRECEPTS" section on the book's website gives you enough to see a viable way forward and start work towards it. 18/

I like it because it actually ENCOURAGES you to take on a million projects, precisely so you'll always have something to procrastinate on. But it couples it with a call to accountability for tracking those projects, as well as building rituals to summon productive headspace. 19/

And if you're still struggling with even just accepting that you have ADHD—supes understandable—the book "You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?" might help. I started crying after the second chapter, put it down, then immediately sought treatment. 20/
amazon.com/dp/B003719FSW/…

To summarize this tornado:
You are unspeakably strong. You've been succeeding right under your own nose, striving uphill, building muscle. But the road can be leveled, the load lightened, with acceptance, strategy, and practice. And just imagine: what will you be capable of then?

If you found this thread helpful, feel free to toss me a couple bucks at $adapowers (cashapp/venmo) or this ko-fi thing I've been hearing about. But mostly, just have a good day. <3
ko-fi.com/adapowers

Actually, I wanna add a little bit more before I feel comfortable wrapping this up.
I'm not advocating a maximalist approach to commitment. Deadlines change everything, and the line can be thin between strategically utilizing external motivators and spiraling into a shame pit. x/

Learning to say "no" is as important as building structure around our "yes". Watch your patterns: make sure you don't bring on a new shiny as a way of avoiding That Which Must Be Done, especially when someone is counting on you. x/

A list of exciting project ideas that may never see the light of day is a victimless crime—but even speaking pragmatically and not just morally, it's part of strategy dev to figure out when accountability is a helpful kick in the butt for us and when it grinds us to a halt. x/

Since we're so critical of ourselves, feeling like we've visibly failed in our commitments (and therefore potentially damaged our credibility) can hurt us HARD. Even when not accounting for rejection-sensitive dysphoria.

More on RSD in this tweet:

https://twitter.com/mspowahs/status/1093267522969694208

x/

I've learned that I can only really allow my responsibility/income ecology to be made up of one intense, time-sensitive hustle and one relatively minor time-sensitive project at a time, and the rest have to be smatterings of distraction with no set deadline. x/

There's nothing worse than invoking an executive dysfunction halt state because I can't decide which time-sensitive task to work on first.
This is where managing your ADHD really helps. Meds increase my runway so I can start on things mostly before they become crises. Mostly. x/

Right after my last major executive dysfunction-related crisis state, I wrote a quick guide for supporting friends (and helping friends support you) in similar states. It's currently a public Facebook post. x/

facebook.com/mspowahs/posts…