My Daily Work Routine and 4 Productivity Tools That Help Me Get Things Done | Wit & Delight

In a cozy home office, a woman stands in front of a blue bookshelf filled to the brim with books, reaching up to grab one from a top shelfIn a cozy home office, a woman stands in front of a blue bookshelf filled to the brim with books, reaching up to grab one from a top shelf
Picture by Stephanie Sunberg for Maria Stanley

Time administration and group have by no means come naturally to me. When life grew to become unmanageable—a relentless since my second youngster arrived—I seemed to the consultants. Not as soon as did I consider listening to my very own rhythm and physique. Productiveness, I assumed, was one thing to grasp, not one thing to know.

Then I hit a wall.

I used to be uninterested in feeling like this, so I ended combating my very own nature. I ended taking productiveness recommendation from individuals who don’t have ADHD.

For years, I had been attempting to contort myself into somebody I wasn’t—structured, disciplined, and neatly organized. An individual who might comply with a system designed for a mind that didn’t work like mine. Why had I ever believed I might handle my time the identical means they did?

The shift was delicate however modified every thing. I’m unstuck, not languishing, shifting forward with goal. I do know I’ll get caught once more, however I additionally know this: I’m achieved chasing options that have been by no means meant to work for me.

Right this moment, I’m sharing what does work—how I get issues achieved with out draining myself within the course of. As a result of once we work in opposition to who we’re, burnout isn’t a chance. It’s a assure.

Notes on Productiveness, Relaxation, and Worthiness

A observe on productiveness.

I outline productiveness as doing what I stated I’d do—for myself, for others—in a means that is smart for my life. I spent two years attempting to heal burnout by “resting,” solely to really feel worse with every passing day. Seems, relaxation isn’t simply stillness. Some sorts of relaxation are energetic, and studying to revive that modified every thing.

A observe on relaxation.

Completely different sorts of relaxation comply with totally different sorts of productiveness. Figuring out what you want means figuring out your limits. Making an attempt to perform like somebody with out ADHD solely pushed me farther from these indicators. ADHD brains want various kinds of relaxation—emotional, psychological, inventive, bodily, passive.

I don’t recharge by watching TV. I recharge by studying, cooking, taking lengthy walks, and training Pilates. To outsiders, it’d appear like I’m at all times going, however this sort of motion restores me. Generally, organizing a junk drawer is self-care. Different instances, it’s a warning signal. After I’m mentally drained, TV helps. After I’m emotionally overwhelmed, it makes me really feel caught. Studying the distinction modified every thing.

A observe on worthiness.

We’re taught to measure our value by what we produce. A part of my midlife journey has been rejecting that, untangling my worth from my output, and specializing in making quite than measuring. If you happen to’re within the thick of that, this submit will not be what you want as we speak.

Your value shouldn’t be your work. However making—creating, shifting, shaping one thing from nothing—is an expression of you. It’s life-giving. It’s confidence-building. It’s the factor that may pull you out of a spiral earlier than it takes maintain. After I began honoring my interior drive to create, productiveness stopped being one thing I chased. It grew to become the pure results of discovering my move. Momentum, not depletion. Creation, not extraction. And that modified every thing.

After I began honoring my interior drive to create, productiveness stopped being one thing I chased. It grew to become the pure results of discovering my move. Momentum, not depletion. Creation, not extraction. And that modified every thing.

Dwelling with Limitations, Each Psychological and Bodily

I’m a working mom with hobbies, a social life, and a deep appreciation for a superb evening’s sleep and day by day bodily motion. I don’t wish to give any of that up. So, I settle for that I don’t have lengthy, uninterrupted stretches for deep-focus work like I used to. 

I additionally settle for that generally I don’t know if I want relaxation or momentum. The one approach to know is by tuning into my physique, and that requires emotional regulation, which can be arduous to entry whenever you’re overstimulated. 

My skill to entry my most “productive” self is restricted and never constant. Figuring out I’m not at all times going to make the fitting selection helps me discover some grace quite than falling right into a disgrace spiral. I used to make my incapability to get issues achieved imply one thing about me as a human being. We don’t do this anymore. Some days I can provide myself what I want. Some days I simply mess up. Life goes on.

Reaching optimum productiveness day by day is unrealistic. After I do yoga, my physique can really feel totally totally different from at some point to the following. Brains are like that too. There are occasions when work and life really feel like an uphill battle. Switching duties feels more durable than it ought to be. And there are seasons the place effectivity simply isn’t within the playing cards—accepting that has been key to discovering a means by way of.

As a result of I don’t have hours to ease into focus, I’ve needed to hack my system. In doing that, I realized three important ideas that assist me get issues achieved with a neurodivergent mind: simplicity, urgency, and momentum.

Right here’s how they form my day by day life.

3 Ideas I Observe for Improved “Productiveness”

Precept 1: Simplicity

I keep easy methods for capturing concepts, documenting duties, and organizing all the above. The secret’s that the processes are simple to repeat and every thing is straightforward to entry—nothing is ever too sophisticated. That is paramount. 

I exploit the Notes app and Reminders app on my telephone in addition to Notion to avoid wasting concepts and duties. I additionally write issues down on paper as a result of I’ll by no means be a completely digital particular person. The mind processes handwriting fully in a different way than typing. Apart from Notion, the apps on my telephone are VERY easy and straightforward to make use of. 

I exploit the bucket system for digital information (and bodily objects in my dwelling), one thing I first realized about from KC Davis, writer of Find out how to Maintain Home Whereas Drowning. I exploit digital buckets to arrange information on my pc in these classes: To-Do Lists, Writing, Enterprise Initiatives, Content material Creation, Household, Our House, Studying, Finance, Psychological Well being, Cooking, Journey, Bodily Well being, and Purchasers.

Precept 2: Urgency

These of us who’re deeply acquainted with procrastination realize it’s a nasty behavior that “works” as a result of we get issues achieved as soon as we really feel the stress of time. Nevertheless, I found that after I procrastinate and rush to get every thing achieved shortly, I really feel like my work is missing as a result of I don’t have time to observe deep work and get all my concepts out. To interrupt the cycle of procrastination, I have to create my very own urgency. This precept comes into play through the timer I exploit (extra on this beneath).

Precept 3: Momentum

With any motion, I’ve lengthy identified the toughest half is getting began, which is why creating momentum is so essential. As a result of transitions are so troublesome for folks with ADHD, the precept of momentum retains us going. 

To create my day by day momentum, I carried out a morning routine that’s pared right down to the fundamentals and prioritizes essentially the most difficult factor first. I rise up, brew espresso, and sit right down to work instantly. This creates a pure inflow of dopamine that may carry me by way of the day. I used to meditate and stretch earlier than attending to work, and now I do it after I end one thing that takes loads of focus. I really feel wonderful and able to deal with something after I use momentum like this. 

4 Productiveness Instruments I Swear By

For a similar causes I’m a fan of utilizing pen and paper, I like bodily instruments that aren’t on my telephone. Listed here are the 4 I at all times have at my desk. 

1. Keep on Monitor Planner: This planner helps me plan the main points of every week.

2. Timer: That is for training the Pomodoro method and for simulating and creating urgency and constraints. I’ve three of them.

3. The Brick: The Brick blocks choose apps on my telephone for a set period of time. Having a bodily software to restrict my digital entry is essential for me. Brick wins for its simplicity.

4. Apple Headphones: To lock in and tune out. White noise, sound bowls, EDM, rap. Doesn’t matter what it’s so long as I can’t hear what’s happening round me. 

I additionally flip to some choose assets and folks for recommendation on productiveness:

My Work Routine

On Sunday evening or Monday morning, I mind dump every thing into my Keep on Monitor Planner—duties, concepts, and notes I’ve collected all through the week in my Notes and Reminders apps. Then, I exploit the Eisenhower Matrix to kind what’s pressing, what can wait, what could be delegated, and what’s simply noise. I hate planning, however I’ve realized that pushing by way of this step makes every thing else simpler.

When it’s time to work, I take my brick and timer wherever I’m going—whether or not it’s my workplace, the eating desk, or a espresso store. I placed on my headphones, choose a process, and set a timer: 25 minutes for small duties like emails and captions, 45 minutes for deeper work like writing and design. The timer retains me from falling into perfectionism (which is simply procrastination in disguise).

I additionally set agency bodily and digital boundaries. My telephone stays out of attain, my texts are on mute, and if my workplace divider is up, my household is aware of I want uninterrupted time. It’s not good—children nonetheless stroll in—however it helps everybody be extra aware about what pressing truly means.

On the finish of the day, I ask myself: Do I have to push by way of or name it an evening? If I really feel like ending my to-do record will show I “labored arduous sufficient,” I’m going to mattress. If wrapping up one final process will assist tomorrow’s momentum, I give myself 30 extra minutes. No inflexible guidelines—simply tuning in.

I used to make my incapability to get issues achieved imply one thing about me as a human being. We don’t do this anymore. Some days I can provide myself what I want. Some days I simply mess up. Life goes on.

The Energy of Discomfort

I not take ease without any consideration as a result of I understand how arduous easy issues could be. I used to attend for the proper situations to jot down—now I jot issues down in the midst of a grocery retailer. I comply with ease when it presents itself.

However discomfort is at all times there.

When massive tasks really feel overwhelming (good day, writing a e-book), I take into consideration Phil Stutz’s string of pearls idea—progress is simply including one small motion at a time. Some pearls aren’t nice, however the level is to maintain including them. Getting began is 80% of the battle, and resistance by no means absolutely disappears.

Over time, I’ve come to understand the ache of doing arduous issues. It’s stripped my ego from productiveness and proven me the meditative energy of merely doing. The ache of making comes from caring a lot that we’re afraid—and that’s stunning.

We don’t have to boss-babe our means again to hustle tradition, however perhaps we swung too far within the different route. I do know I did. Now, I consider self-care as self-respect: How can I make decisions as we speak that honor what I care about most?

There’ll at all times be elements of the method we hate, however the extra we do them, the higher we get at pushing by way of. And in doing so, we convey what we deeply care about to life.

Kate is the founding father of Wit & Delight. She is at present studying tips on how to play tennis and is perpetually testing the boundaries of her inventive muscle. Observe her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.



 

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