G is for Getting Things Done

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
Neurotypicals are motivated by importance, rewards, and consequences but these typically don't motivate ADHDers at all.

Instead, we have an interest-based nervous system (via Dr. William Dodson) which I call the 4 Cs of Motivation.

Captivate, Create, Compete, Complete
CAPTIVATE

Find things that captivate your attention—those that fascinate you and grab your curiosity.

You'll find it is easy to find motivation for tasks related to these things you are interested in.

Look for angles of a task you find most interesting.
CREATE

Find a way to make something more creative or feel more novel/new.

Creation is exciting to your ADHD brain because of the interesting unknown that teases us.

That anticipation of something new captures your attention and motivates action.
COMPETE

Find a way to make a task more competitive or create your own personal challenge.

Race the clock, set audacious targets, prove the doubters wrong.
COMPLETE

Set personal due dates and deadlines. Use timers to build urgency to motivate yourself to race the clock.

Due in 3 weeks? Easy to ignore.

Due in 3 hours? Time to jump into action.
For more on ADHD:

• Follow me @jessejanderson

• Visit adhd.page to download my free ADHD guide or sign up for my free weekly newsletter, Extra Focus.

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More from @jessejanderson

20 Oct
L is for (not) Lazy

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
ADHD causes a dysfunction of motivation.

The invisible nature of ADHD leads some people to label ADHDers as lazy or weak-willed.

But that is a fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening.
Laziness isn't something you do by accident.

Being lazy is a choice.

Someone who is lazy decides "I don't want to do that thing, so I will relax instead."

But this isn't the ADHD experience at all!
Read 6 tweets
18 Oct
ADHD is disproportionately common among addicts.

Dopamine deficiency—especially when undiagnosed with ADHD—causes us to seek something to fill that void.

My 10 favorite ADHD tweets/threads of the week:
It's hard to argue with the story these statistics tell.

ADHDers are getting caught up in addiction, and not enough people in power are talking about it.

@petequily

More information on how dopamine deficiency relates to addiction, and how many fail to recognize how powerful that dynamic can be.

@kevdog824

Read 12 tweets
18 Oct
K is for Kryptonite

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
People debate whether ADHD is a superpower.

It certainly gives you unique traits that can—in the right circumstances—give you strengths neurotypicals don't possess.

The problem is, we live in a society built on kryptonite.
With hyperfocus, you can get much more work done than most in a short amount of time.

But our world is built on schedules and deadlines.
Read 7 tweets
17 Oct
Late night concept sketches of the “infinity drawer” Image
Basic concept: object permanence. If I put something in a drawer and close it, I will never remember it again unless something else reminds me that it exists.

Metaphorically, I’m often accidentally dropping things in the drawer.
I might forget a responsibility at work, it falls into the drawer.

I will never ever remember that responsibility again because it’s fallen into the abyss of my infinity drawer.

It will live there indefinitely until someone or something reminds me to take it out again.
Read 5 tweets
15 Oct
J is for Judgment

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
One of the most damaging aspects of ADHD is the years of judgement from others that don't understand your condition.

They accuse you of being stupid, lazy, selfish, weird, clumsy, messy, rude, or a host of other hurtful things.
By the age of ten, ADHD children receive 20,000 more negative messages than their peers.

This influences your self-talk, leading you to reinforce these negative messages and cause even more self-blame.
Read 6 tweets
14 Oct
I is for Impulsive

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
ADHDers often leap before they look.

Action without foresight leads to trouble in school, work, and relationships.

The "future you" is often sabotaged by regrettable choices and commitments that cannot be altered.
Some impulsive behaviors may include:

• inappropriate interruptions

• saying yes without considering other commitments

• poor purchasing decisions

• snacking when bored

• jumping into a new project as soon as an idea sparks
Read 6 tweets

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