Thread by @richburroughs

I’ve had a few people ask me to give more details about @dustychipura’s awesome #ADHD bootcamp that i attended. So here goes a 🧵 1/

The bootcamp was held over two weekends. The first weekend was two eight hour days. The second was an eight hour day and a four hour day to wrap up. It was a lot of work and I was super wiped out by the end, but it was great. 2/

I think some people probably went in expecting a lot of lectures or something but it’s called a bootcamp for a reason. There were some times when Dusty would talk for a bit about a topic, but most of it was doing things. 3/

Like we would all go and clean our bathrooms. It’s great to have a clean bathroom, but also people ended up asking questions about things like storage solutions and we’d all talk about it. Dusty has a lot of great ideas but other folks in the bootcamp did too. 4/

We each came in with a list of things we wanted to get done, so if the group activity didn’t apply to you (your bathroom was already spotless, for example), you could choose one of those items instead. No one was ever forced to do the thing the group was doing. 5/

Besides the bathroom we also did group time cleaning our bedrooms, kitchens and living rooms. The idea is to end up with a more clean, organized space, and also ideas on how to keep it that way. 6/

I’ve often had extremely disorganized spaces. It’s been a constant since I was a kid. I just don’t think to clean and I’m ok with letting things get chaotic. Not everyone with ADHD is like that, but it’s how it presents with me. 7/

Part of the way to cope is to have external structures for those things we don’t think to do. Like a calendar reminder to clean your kitchen, or a to do list reminder. We can’t count on remembering it. 8/

I was telling @dustychipura when we first met that it makes me think of the movie Memento. There are working memory problems that can come with ADHD, so you need something to remind you to remember. 9/

Dusty talked about how having things in your visual space helps with that too. We forget things but a post it note or some other visual reminder that you can see can help. It may be more effective than things like app reminders too. 10/

Another thing we discussed was the power of just doing the thing right away. I had a lot of mail piled up and mentioned that sometimes when I come in I feel too tired to deal with it. Dusty suggested I find a way to talk myself into doing it right away. 11/

Since the bootcamp I’ve done much better at this. The mail either gets recycled, shredded, or acted on and filed if necessary. It’s been a great feeling to stay on top of it. Dusty encouraged us to pause and appreciate getting something done, and to give ourselves credit. 12/

Probably the biggest discovery for me was the power of body doubling (working with another person). It’s in essence what we did for most of the bootcamp and it really helps with accountability. Since the bootcamp I’ve done a few @focusmate sessions and it’s helpful too. 13/

There also was a Discord server for the bootcamp where people from our group shared ideas, and they still are. One of the most powerful things was being in a group where most of us struggle with similar issues. We talked about things like finances and relationships. 14/

It’s a really powerful feeling to realize that you’re not alone, and that a thing you struggle with is a struggle for others too. 15/

Dusty also talked a lot about doing things in small chunks. Like setting a timer for 10 minutes and committing to working on a thing for that long. And then deciding if you want to continue for another chunk, take a break, or even bail. 16/

I’ve been using that method some since the bootcamp and it is helping me be more productive. I’ve been making small dents in the clutter in my apartment, while I also am preventing more of it from happening. 17/

The TL;DR is that it was a great experience and I definitely recommend it. Great value for the money too. Follow @dustychipura for info about future bootcamps. She has some other new group based things coming up too. 18/

I’ve been learning a lot about ADHD and it’s definitely helping. @dustychipura is super rad and has had a very positive impact on my life already. 19/19