5 tips to transform ADHD into a superpower

Imagine that you wake up in the morning, and your mind is in a state of uncontrollable excitement as soon as you step out of bed. Like having drunk your weekly dose of coffee in one morning.

If you do one thing, it’s not enough. Your mind will grab another, and another one, and process them at the same time. If you are speaking with a colleague for lunch, your brain will start processing the next strategic move for your company, and as you are working on a client presentation, you feel an urge to listen to a podcast at the same time.

That’s what it feels like to live with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and if you “suffer” from a similar condition, the description above might sound very familiar to you.

ADHD can be a great way to foster creativity for a young professional, but also very disruptive if you can’t keep it in check. Here are 5 tips to get only the best from this creative disorder.

1. Write down meetings before they are scheduled

ADHD people tend to forget about things. And whether you are working for or even leading a company, there is one thing you don’t want to forget about: meetings.

I found myself constantly forgetting about meetings during my first few months joining the workforce. A simple trick solved it: write down your meetings in your agenda before they are even scheduled.

If you are planning to call a client to schedule a meeting next Tuesday, write it down first. If you are about to answer an e-mail from a partner to accept their suggested meeting time, write it down first. Whatever happens, don’t wait until the final confirmation is received before you put the meeting in your agenda, write it down first.

This simple tip will ensure that you never let an important meeting out of your agenda. And if the final confirmation comes with a little change of schedule, you already have a placeholder in your agenda to remind you.

2. Set up automatic reminders for all your meetings on your phone

You now have all your meetings listed in your agenda. But you might still forget about them. Once again, a simple trick will prevent it: set automatic reminders on your phone.

For example on the iPhone: Settings >> Mail, Contacts, Calendars >> Default Alert Times >> Events (I would recommend a reminder 15 minutes before each meeting)

Whatever happens, you will now be attending all your meetings sharp on time.

3. Meditate (with HeadSpace)

There are a few activities which will help you get better on the long-run. And the best one is the big hype of the last few years: meditation.

Meditation has many proven effects, and one of them is game changing for ADHD people. It will greatly increase your focus, and the more you do it the longer lasting will the effects be.

However, it is not easy to get started with meditation, it requires a lot of discipline and motivation. Fortunately, a wonderful APP is available to help out: HeadSpace.

HeadSpace is one of the best-designed and most useful APP’s I have ever seen. It will take you through meditations sessions in a step-by-step appproach, starting with 10 minutes sessions. A great way to keep your mind present and focused.

4. Avoid multi-tasking

Multi-tasking is dangerous.

The pernicious nature of multi-tasking is that it makes you feel like you are more efficient. But you aren’t. By constantly multi-tasking, you are keeping your attention from being 100% with the tasks at hand, and you end up spending much more time wrapping up things.

Studies prove it: a study from the University of London showed that multi-tasking triggers “IQ score declines that were similar to what they’d expect if they had smoked marijuana or stayed up all night”, and further studies from Stanford confirmed the findings. And I am sure you wouldn’t find it a good idea to spend half of your day doing your job completely high (or would you?)

Avoiding multi-tasking does not just apply to the professional environment: to really improve your ability to focus, you should strive to focus on single tasks during every part of your daily life. When you eat, just eat: you don’t need to be checking your e-mails or surfing at the same time. When you speak with someone, don’t get distracted by your phone and do you really need to be refreshing your e-mails during this meeting?

After applying this rule for a while, your mind will take the habit of focusing on its current task and will stop wandering about.

5. Turn off your phone

One of the main sources of your over-excited attention might be easy to identify: your smartphone.

I took the habit of periodically turning-off my phone. Of course it is an essential work tool, so this usually only lasts for a few hours, but turning off your phone for a while will cure you of the compulsion of constantly checking it.

By using this tips above, you can actually rewire your brain. You will keep getting distracted, processing multiple ideas at the same time and being your usual hyperactive self. But when you’ll need to focus, you’ll be great at it.

You’ll get the best of both worlds.

Want to learn about WeChat, the largest social network in China? Follow WalktheChat on LinkedIn