You're an idea machine
ADHD generally had two modes:
- Hyperfocused
- Thinking about lots of things all at once
I once had an old coworker describe the inside of my had as one of those lottery ball machines, where each ball is an idea flying around.
While it can be overwhelming and make us a bit chaotic, it’s also a gift!
When ideas collide…
Neurotypical folks may have a few different things on their mind, but they tend to think about one, then shift to another, in a more orderly or sequenced way.
Our brains often find us bouncing from one random idea to another. They collide in strange an unexpected ways, which results in new ideas and novel ways of combining disparate topics or concepts.
You’re an idea machine.
You’ll come up with more ideas in a year that you could use in a lifetime. We have a glut of ideas, in a way that many neurotypical folks just cannot fathom.
Keeping track of your ideas
One of the biggest challenges with this, of course, is that while you have a ton of ideas bouncing around in your head, not many of them get written to long-term storage because we have shit working memory.
The single best solution for that I’ve found for that is simply to build a habit of writing things down.
And my preferred tool for that is Obsidian, a digital, markdown-based notebook that syncs across all of my devices.
Obsidian’s best feature is also it’s biggest curse: it’s extremely flexible. That makes it really easy to fall down the ADHD rabbit hole of over-engineering, because it’s fun, instead of actually getting your work done.
I’m putting together an Obsidian for ADHD boilerplate that includes…
- A collection of markdown files to bootstrap your notebook.
- The Tasks plugin pre-installed and configured for easily tracking todos across notes.
- A short guide on how to get setup and use it.
- An Apple Shortcut so you can easily capture ideas on the go from your iPhone, Apple Watch, or CarPlay.
It was built with my Getting Shit Done with ADHD productivity system in mind, but it can (and should be!) modified and adapted for however you work best.
You can pre-order it today for 40 percent off. The full boilerplate should be ready in the next few weeks.
Planting seeds
Tomorrow, we’re going to look at how to decide which ideas to pursue. And on Monday, we’ll talk a bit about how to get your boss or people you work with to try ideas that may not seem obvious to everyone else.
If you have any questions, send me an email and let me know!