As I was journalling this morning, I ended up at the question what would make this task more fun?
No, I didn’t mean the task of journaling. I was talking about a task that I have been frustrated by the process of trying to complete.
And I realized that, for my ADHD brain, the question of how to make something fun is more more important than I have previously acknowledged.
Now, I am an adult, so I know that not all tasks can be fun. And I know that there are lots of tasks that I have to do that won’t be fun. I’m fully acknowledge that.
However, with that said, there are lots of ways to make tasks a bit more fun.
And given that I have an interest-based attention system, it really helps me if I work with my brain instead of trying to work against it.
A while ago, I watched a video that was talking about how people with ADHD can’t rely on a sense of accomplishment to energize them for a task. People who are neurotypical can anticipate the satisfaction of being done, and that gives them enough of a boost to finish the task.
That video also noted that people with ADHD. Their brains focus on the energy cost of the time cost or the perceived effort of the task rather than the reward of having it done. And seeing as we can’t always judge the size scope or timeframe of the task sometimes tasks take a disproportionate dread level.
And I’ve also seen a post on Instagram about how this person gains momentum by doing a task she wants to do first or the most appealing task first because it gives her a little dopamine to work towards the next task.
So, with those things in mind – awareness of the fact that I can’t rely on the idea of being finished in order to motivate myself, my need to manage the perceived cost of tasks, and the fact that gaining a little momentum can bring me through to the next task- it really makes sense to seek out the fun in any task.
That doesn’t mean making the tasks themselves fun it means making the situation and which I’m doing them more enjoyable.
So I’m going to experiment a bit with some of my more challenging tasks, especially routine administrative ones, and see whether having company, having a time limit, using voice dictation, or alternating with another activity can help me to complete those tasks and get them out of my head.
Let’s see how I roll.