Finishing things is hard
It’s really common for folks with ADHD to knock out 90 percent of a project really fast… and then struggle for weeks (or more) to finish the last 10 percent.
Starting new things is fun.
It’s novel. It’s challenging. It creates sorely needed dopamine in our brains.
But those final finishing details?
They’re tedious and boring. They’re not a lot of work, but they’re absolutely painful to get done. So our brains simply won’t let us do them.
The trick to thriving with ADHD is work with your brain instead of fighting it.
- Look for roles that let you build new features and explore new opportunities over roles that have you maintaining established software.
- If you’re a freelancer, favor small, quick projects over big, long-term ones.
- If you have longer term projects (it’s sometimes unavoidable), show your work when you hit that 90 percent mark, and ask for feedback and iterations. The changes can sometimes feel like a new project and make it easier to work on.
- If you can afford to, set the project aside for a few weeks, set a reminder, and revisit it with fresh eyes.
The point is, just trying to power your way through it rarely works for us.
Fighting against your ADHD is a path to mediocrity. If you lean into the fact that you’re amazing at grinding out novel work, you can become an absolute rock star and blow your employer or clients mind.