My Top 5 Favorite ADHD Strategies — and our FREE ADHD Toolbox 🧠 🧰 Notion Template!

How to ADHD
17 Nov 202319:09
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe speaker introduces a Notion-based ADHD toolbox template designed to help individuals with ADHD organize and remember effective strategies for productivity. The video discusses five key strategies: body doubling, avoiding multitasking, batching tasks, organizing by themes, and dual-classing. The speaker emphasizes the importance of monotasking and introduces the Pomodoro Technique as a focus aid. The video also touches on filling in 'motivational planks' to bridge the gap between intention and action, and the benefits of exercise for ADHD brains. The Notion template serves as a personalized hub for tracking tools that work, those to try, and those to avoid, enhancing productivity and focus.

Takeaways
  • 🎯 Start by organizing strategies in a dedicated channel or platform to easily find and apply them when needed.
  • 🤝 Collaborate with others to create and refine templates that can help manage and improve productivity strategies.
  • 📚 Utilize the 'body doubling' technique, common in the ADHD community, for a free and effective way to increase accountability and focus.
  • 🚫 Avoid multitasking as it can lead to reduced work performance, more errors, and poorer decision-making for individuals with ADHD.
  • 📅 Batch tasks together and designate specific times for them to prevent constant interruptions throughout the day.
  • 🎨 Organize days or weeks by themes to keep track of tasks and prevent forgetting important activities.
  • 🔄 Implement the 'dual tasking' method for variety, focusing on two tasks and switching when boredom sets in.
  • 🍅 Use the Pomodoro Technique to enhance focus and productivity, setting a timer and committing to a single task for the duration.
  • 🌉 'Fill in the planks' to bridge the gap between intention and action by making tasks urgent, novel, or personally interesting.
  • 🏃 Exercise regularly as it benefits ADHD brains by releasing endorphins and boosting focus-related neurotransmitters.
  • 📍 Keep tools and resources at the 'point of performance' to minimize distractions and improve efficiency.
Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of the speaker's YouTube channel?

    -The main purpose of the speaker's YouTube channel is to document and share various strategies they've learned for productivity, particularly those that are helpful for individuals with ADHD, so they can easily find and apply them again.

  • How did the speaker address the issue of forgetting strategies?

    -The speaker addressed the issue by creating a YouTube channel to document the strategies and later, partnering with Notion to develop a free template that helps organize and easily access these strategies.

  • What is Body Doubling and how is it used in the ADHD community?

    -Body Doubling is a productivity strategy used in the ADHD community where a person or even a pet is present with the individual while they work, providing a gentle form of accountability and helping them stay focused on their tasks.

  • Why is multitasking not as effective as believed for individuals with ADHD?

    -Multitasking is not as effective for individuals with ADHD because it requires quick switches between tasks, leading to reduced work performance, more errors, and poorer decision-making. ADHD brains are more likely to multitask but are not better at it.

  • What is the Pomodoro Technique and how does it help with monotasking?

    -The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method where you set a timer and focus on a single task for the duration of the timer. It helps with monotasking by discouraging distractions and encouraging focused work for set periods, improving productivity and focus.

  • How does the speaker use the concept of 'Motivation Planks' to overcome procrastination?

    -The speaker uses the concept of 'Motivation Planks' to bridge the gap between intention and action. By identifying and adding elements of urgency, novelty, or personal interest to a task, they create more 'planks' that help them cross the 'motivation bridge' and start working on the task.

  • What are the benefits of exercise for individuals with ADHD?

    -Exercise benefits individuals with ADHD by triggering the release of endorphins and boosting neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, which help with focus and productivity. It also increases the production of BDNF, a protein that promotes the creation of new brain cells.

  • What is the 'Point of Performance' strategy and how does it help ADHD brains?

    -The 'Point of Performance' strategy involves placing all necessary items for a task within arm's reach of where the task is performed. This reduces distractions and working memory challenges by making it easier and faster to complete tasks without having to search for required items.

  • How does the speaker's ADHD Toolbox template on Notion work?

    -The ADHD Toolbox template on Notion is a personalized organizational tool divided into categories such as 'My Toolbox', 'Tools I Want to Try', 'Tools I'm Currently Testing', 'Tools That Might Work If', and 'Tools That Aren't for Me'. It helps individuals with ADHD keep track of strategies and tools that work for them, those they want to try, and those that are not effective.

  • What is the speaker's advice for individuals who struggle with perfectionism?

    -The speaker advises individuals who struggle with perfectionism to do things badly or terribly at first. This approach helps to combat procrastination and allows for the completion of tasks without being held back by the desire for perfection.

  • How can the Notion template be accessed and customized?

    -The Notion template can be accessed by signing up for a free Notion account. Once signed up, users can utilize the template as a personal ADHD toolbox, adding their own tools, trying new ones, and customizing the template to suit their individual needs and preferences.

Outlines
00:00
📚 Introduction to Productivity Strategies

The speaker introduces the concept of capturing and organizing productivity strategies in a channel, initially for personal use but expanding to share with the audience. They discuss the creation of a free Notion template to help manage and apply these strategies effectively. The speaker highlights five favorite strategies used frequently, starting with body doubling, a popular ADHD community tool that involves a person or pet providing a sense of accountability to help maintain focus.

05:01
🧘 Body Doubling and Multitasking Myths

The speaker explains the body doubling technique, emphasizing its role in providing a non-intrusive form of accountability to help with focus and productivity. They contrast this with multitasking, a common misconception that leads to reduced performance and increased errors. The speaker clarifies that multitasking is not effective for tasks requiring focus and advocates for monotasking, supported by a clip that explains the brain's inability to multitask effectively.

10:01
📅 Scheduling and Themed Days for Productivity

The speaker discusses strategies for managing ADHD-related productivity challenges, such as batch processing tasks like checking emails and organizing days by themes to improve focus. They introduce the concept of dual-tasking as an alternative to monotasking for those who seek variety and explain the Pomodoro Technique as a powerful tool for maintaining focus during monotasking sessions.

15:02
🌉 Bridging the Motivation Gap with 'Planks'

The speaker introduces the 'Motivation Bridge' metaphor to illustrate the gap between intention and action. They suggest strategies to fill in the 'planks' that bridge this gap, such as creating urgency, introducing novelty, and personalizing tasks to increase motivation. The speaker also shares a brain-proof method for overcoming perfectionism, which involves doing tasks imperfectly to avoid procrastination.

🏃‍♂️ The Benefits of Exercise for ADHD Brains

The speaker highlights the importance of exercise for ADHD brains, explaining its positive effects on brain function, mood, and focus. They discuss the release of endorphins and the boosting of dopamine and norepinephrine during exercise, which are the same neurotransmitters affected by stimulant medication. The speaker also mentions the long-term benefits of exercise, such as increased production of BDNF, a protein that promotes brain cell growth.

📍 Point of Performance Organization

The speaker emphasizes the importance of having everything needed for a task at the point of performance to reduce distractions and improve efficiency. They share personal strategies for physical and digital organization, such as having a coffee-making station prepared and using a Notion template to keep track of productivity tools. The speaker invites viewers to customize the provided Notion template to suit their individual needs and shares their own ADHD toolbox, organized into categories for easy access and reference.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Strategies
Strategies refer to the various methods or plans employed to achieve a specific goal or to enhance productivity. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses different strategies they've learned and used to manage their ADHD, such as body doubling and the Pomodoro Technique. These strategies are meant to help individuals with ADHD stay focused and productive.
💡Notion
Notion is a flexible workspace tool that allows users to create and organize information in a way that works best for them. In the video, the speaker partnered with Notion to create a free template for individuals to organize and keep track of the productivity strategies that work best for them. This tool is used to collaborate and easily access strategies for managing ADHD.
💡Body Doubling
Body doubling is a productivity strategy often used within the ADHD community. It involves having another person or even a pet present while you work, providing a gentle form of accountability and helping to reduce distractions. The presence of a 'body double' serves as a reminder of the task at hand, making one less likely to get sidetracked.
💡Monotasking
Monotasking is the practice of focusing on a single task at a time, as opposed to multitasking. The speaker in the video explains that multitasking can be less effective for individuals with ADHD, as it involves rapidly switching focus between tasks, leading to reduced work performance and more errors. Instead, they advocate for monotasking, where one blocks out time in their schedule to focus solely on one task at a time.
💡Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that involves breaking work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes long, separated by short breaks. The speaker uses this technique as a subset of monotasking to help maintain focus and productivity. They set a timer and commit to working on a single task for the duration of the 'Pomodoro' before taking a break.
💡Motivation Bridge
The Motivation Bridge is a metaphor used by the speaker to describe the gap between wanting to do something and actually accomplishing it. The 'planks' of the bridge represent the motivational factors that help individuals with ADHD overcome this gap, such as urgency, novelty, and personal interest. By identifying and strengthening these planks, one can improve their ability to transition from intention to action.
💡Exercise
Exercise is highlighted in the video as not only being beneficial for physical health but also for brain function, particularly for individuals with ADHD. The speaker explains that exercise boosts the release of certain neurotransmitters that help with focus and productivity, and can even promote the growth of new brain cells. It is presented as a strategy to supplement medication and improve overall mental well-being.
💡Point of Performance
The Point of Performance concept refers to the idea of having all necessary items or resources readily available at the location where a task is to be performed. This strategy helps individuals with ADHD avoid distractions and working memory challenges by reducing the need to search for items, thus increasing efficiency and the likelihood of task completion.
💡ADHD Toolbox
The ADHD Toolbox is a Notion template created by the speaker to help individuals with ADHD organize and manage the various productivity strategies and tools they use or want to try. It is divided into categories such as tools that work, tools to try, and tools that might work with certain conditions. This personalized toolbox serves as a resource for individuals to track and evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies.
💡Brain Advocates
Brain Advocates, as mentioned in the video, likely refers to a community or group of individuals who support and advocate for better understanding and management of brain-related conditions, such as ADHD. The speaker expresses gratitude towards their Brain Advocates and Patreon supporters for their ongoing support in their journey of learning and sharing strategies for managing ADHD.
Highlights

The creator of the channel developed a template to store and organize productivity strategies for better accessibility.

The template is built in Notion, a versatile workspace that can be customized according to individual needs.

Body doubling is a popular productivity technique in the ADHD community, involving a person or pet as a non-intrusive companion to help maintain focus.

Multitasking is often ineffective for ADHD individuals due to difficulty in quickly switching between tasks, leading to reduced performance and decision-making.

Monotasking, or focusing on one task at a time, is recommended for better efficiency and effectiveness, despite the natural tendency of ADHD brains to multitask.

The Pomodoro Technique is a subset of monotasking that involves setting a timer and focusing solely on one task during that time.

Filling in the motivational planks can help bridge the gap between intention and action, especially for tasks that are lengthy, repetitive, or boring.

Exercise not only benefits physical health but also boosts brain function, particularly in ADHD brains, by increasing the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine.

Putting things at the point of performance reduces distractions and improves efficiency by having all necessary items within reach for a specific task.

The ADHD toolbox template is divided into categories for tracking tools that work, those to try, those currently being tested, and those that are not suitable.

The creator emphasizes the importance of exercise for ADHD brains, comparing its effects to those of stimulant medication and its role in promoting neurogenesis.

The ADHD toolbox template includes sections for tools that might work with the right resources or support, and tools that have been tried and found unsuitable.

The creator shares personal strategies for overcoming procrastination and perfectionism, such as doing tasks badly or terribly at first.

The ADHD toolbox template is designed for personal use but can also be used collaboratively, and it's free to use with a Notion account.

The creator provides a link to the ADHD toolbox template in the video description for viewers to access and customize for their own productivity needs.

The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to share their own ADHD-friendly tools in the comments, fostering a community of shared learning and support.

Transcripts

Browse More Related Video

Avoiding Toxic Productivity Advice for ADHD

Tell Me You Have ADHD Without Telling Me You Have ADHD - The Signs Everyone Missed Growing Up

ADHD & Time Blindness

ADHD in Girls and Women | Martha Barnard-Rae | TEDxKinjarling

how to get started in notion *without losing your mind* | notion for beginners

Defining Features of ADHD That Everyone Overlooks: RSD, Hyperarousal, More (w/ Dr. William Dodson)

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Thanks for rating:

Related Tags
ProductivityStrategiesADHDManagementBodyDoublingMonotaskingPomodoroTechniqueNotionTemplateWorkflowStreamliningPersonalDevelopmentTimeManagementBrainHealth