ADHD & Burnout

[NotAChevy]

Burnout, while extremely popular among those of us with ADHD, can be prevented by implementing the dreaded word- organization!

How often have you finished your day at work, left your desk, headed to the car, and realized it had taken all your energy just to walk to the car? Do you finish up your day and while reflecting, can't name one project, or thing off your to-do list you accomplished? But, you're exhausted so you must have worked hard, right?

You probably did, but you might not have a lot to show for it; but, with a little bit of organization, you can get more done with less energy, and feel good about your day.

Some of the ways to accomplish this, yes! I know organization isn't a favorite word of us with ADHD, but is to create and keep a morning routine. To start, make a list of all the things you do in the morning, then schedule them; get up at the same time every morning, and go through your list.

Then, clock how long it takes you to get to work. Add 10 minutes and make sure you leave at that time. In order to prevent you from forgetting something, use sticky notes- for things like keys, your lunch, and any notes you need.

Use a printed, or favorite App, to keep a calendar. Maintain this calendar, keeping all important to-dos, and meetings in it. Set timers 10 minutes before a meeting to make sure you get there in time. For me, I like to use block scheduling to block the rest of my day. I then assign a task, starting with the most important, to each block. I also use the Pomodoro Technique to work 50 minutes and then I give myself 10 to relax, or some other type of reward.

I also have an evening routine. It’s the reverse of the morning routine, and yes, I try to go to bed at the same time every evening.

I also am a strong believer in exercise. Get out and spend 30-minutes a day doing some type of exercise- even if it's just walking around the neighborhood. I've mentioned this quite a few times so ill spare you a repeat, but exercise is a great way to prevent burnout.

What do y'all do to prevent burnout?

[WeAreAllOK]

Fun side comment.

So. I was having lunch, when my son arrived, we had planned a little business. Then he asked if I was aware of a new AI tool he was using. It makes slide shows. He offered to demo it. Your wonderful post was on the screen.

He copied the post (everything, even the junk around it) and in less than 90 seconds had a presentation. It follows. 🙂

Slide 1

[WeAreAllOK in reply to WeAreAllOK]

The second slide

Slide 2

[WeAreAllOK in reply to WeAreAllOK]

Sorry, this forum does not show images very well.

This is slide 3

[WeAreAllOK]

There are 8, but this is the final one I'll post.

Slide 4

[WeAreAllOK]

Nope, one more. So what do you think of an AI interpretation of your post?? Let me know if you would like the last three.

Cheers

Slide 5/8

[NotAChevy in reply to WeAreAllOK]

I love playing w/AI so thanks for doing that

[Tigger4me]

Hi NotAChevy, All great ideas, thanks. One of my biggest problems with making to do lists (aside the problem of doing lists as a routine) is to get a lasting feeling of accomplishment from completing my lists. For me writing out a list is that it is all too easy for me to finish one item, scratch it off then immediately move on to the next item and so on and so on. Finishing one item then moving on never allows enough time for me to really implant the good feeling of completion into long term memory.

Most likely all humans have evolved so that bad experiences get into and remain in long term memory easier than good experiences. For Neurotypical brains I've read that it is five times easier to remember bad things than it is to remember the good things; we remember the tigers in the bushes much more readily than bushes with berries. Rick Hanson (Neuro-psychologist) has the tip of sitting with the good thoughts for at least 3 long breaths (say 10-12 sec) to get it into long term memory. For my neuroatypical brain it takes much much longer to get the good in. To really get the most out of my to do lists I can't just scratch the item off then go to the next, if I do I never get that good feeling of accomplishment.

What I found for myself is that I need to basically write a summary of what I did to complete that line item. I need to write for at least 15-20-30 seconds before moving on. For involved items I have to also break the item into multiple parts, then write out my completion note for each small part. That way if I have misjudged how long it will take to finish (happens all the time right), I can get a sense of completion on finishing the small parts if something else shows up that won't allow me to finish the original task. I use up a lot of Steno Pads this way. But at the end of the day I feel much better about what I've been able to accomplish.

I also use a Mindfulness app on my phone and tablet that sounds a bell at 4 random times an hour. When I hear the bell, I try to pause mindfully again for about 3 long breaths. Helps a great deal.

[NotAChevy in reply to Tigger4me]

Good ideas

[Star2024]

I ask myself how many spoons (energy and attention) I have throughout the day as well as my information saturation level which helps me know when to take breaks.