Moms with ADHD have a particularly difficult job. Being a mom is difficult on its own. Add to that the distractions of adult ADHD, and things can get hectic and out of sorts quickly. It’s a balancing act, and most of the time it feels mostly out of balance.
As with anyone with ADHD, the secret to success is learning to appropriately manage your ADHD symptoms. Moms with ADHD just have the added layer of also managing their children, their household, their work schedule, etc, etc, ad nauseam. Moms never get a break. They also don’t receive enough recognition for all the hats they have to continually wear and all the items they must keep in balance.
This article outlines a strategy in three simple steps to keep one big area of your life, your ADHD, in balance.
First, Know Your Limitations
Finding balance starts with knowing ourselves. As people, it's important for all of us to recognize our own limitations. This is no less true for moms with ADHD. It's necessary to recognize there are just some things we can’t do. There are also processes or things that we can do that we may need to do differently because we do recognize our limitations.
Advances in neuroscience have found that the brain can optimally focus for only a short period of time. With ADHD/FastBraiin individuals, the window of focus is in the 15-25 min. range. After that time you can expect overall focus and efficiency to greatly diminish.
For moms with ADHD, it’s important to understand this 15-25 minute limitation so that you can structure your day to be the most productive. The ability to focus impacts your ability to managing anything. Let’s look now at how to best utilize these 15-25 minute windows of focused time.
Second, Learn to Work With What you Have
Moms with ADHD typically don’t have all the resources they need immediately at their hands. As a result, they need to learn to work with what they have. In regards to the 15-25 minute windows of focus, how do you best use that resource?
A technique we love to use that coincides with this reality is called the Pomodoro technique. It’s like interval training for the brain.
Set a timer—here’s an great online timer you can use—for 15-25 minutes (or whatever your max focusing time is), and work as hard as you can for that duration.
When the buzzer sounds, resist the urge to keep working. For the next 5 minutes, get up, stretch, take a walk, make a phone call, or whatever. Just make sure you detach yourself from the present activity.
After 5 minutes resume for another 15-25 minute session.
This can be a huge tool to help you accomplish large tasks that feel overwhelming, or to help break through something like procrastination.
Finally, Don’t Let Procrastination Win
Procrastination is really the brain’s way of avoiding pain. This is because of the amount of work that must be done, the fear of not performing, or the amount of mental resources demanded for the task.
When utilizing the Pomodoro technique, the brain shifts gears. It no longer focuses on the total amount to be done or total resources needed (which brings pressure, anxiety, and procrastination), but focuses on the 20 minute interval at hand, knowing that there will be an upcoming break.
The Pomodoro technique tricks the brain into working. You’ve distracted it from feeling overwhelmed and given it something it can do. These 15-25 minute intervals build on themselves, compounding confidence and progress as each session is completed.
Moms with ADHD need a win every now and then. With utilizing the Pomodoro technique, you can get a much needed win and beat procrastination in the process.
Moms with ADHD: Finding the Right Balance
Moms with ADHD, as with moms everywhere, sometimes just need a helping hand. Here at Fastbraiin, we can be that helping hand to help you manage at least one thing on your list: your ADHD. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed by your ADHD. Instead, with knowing your limitations, working with what you have, and beating procrastination, you can use your ADHD to your benefit.
You have a tough job as it is. Don’t let ADHD make it unbearable. Use the tips outlined here to be the most productive version of yourself and check out our other resources to find helpful hints on managing your ADHD and other topics.