⏸Pausing BeatADHD😢
Focus, cognitive load, and relationships are important - here's why I'm taking a break from Beat ADHD.
If you’ve kept up to date with my posting frequency then you know that I generally post once a week.
My last post was October 4th (20 days ago) so I’ve dropped the ball in terms of regularity.
My posting frequency shows me that I can’t devote as much time to Beat ADHD and so I’m taking a break. My reasons:
My final exams are coming up (BS excuse since posting+social media takes <5 hours every week)
I’ve been focusing on starting a company in the EdTech space.
I’m moving my writing under my personal blog, since a lot of my writing here isn’t actually ADHD-specific (BS excuse since I have no articles there yet)
All the reasons above can be boiled down to two concepts: focus and cognitive load.
Focus
Understand that focus is different from productivity. It’s easy for me to pump out an article every week and consider that “productive”. It might be easy for you to spend 4 hours watching documentaries - but was that really productive?
“Productivity in the wrong direction isn’t worth anything at all.”
~ Sam Altman - CEO of OpenAI
I believe if you want to make meaningful progress on anything then you need to set up a strong mental model of what matters to you.
You can smash that accelerator as hard as you want, but if you don’t focus on steering the car, then you’re not going to get where you want to go. (p.s. I can’t drive but I like the car analogy)
Now I’m probably still less productive than most of my non-ADHD friends and this blog doesn’t take much time every week, but that’s why this next concept is important.
Cognitive Load
People with ADHD have working memory deficits. Although we can bounce from task to task effectively, I still think that our deficit makes it harder for us to mentally balance multiple large projects.
Officially taking a pause from Beat ADHD means that it’s no longer going to enter my mind. That frees up “thinking time” for me to figure out how I can focus my productivity. This blog is no longer going to be a loose-end that I’ve avoided addressing for weeks.
You probably have something like this in your life as well. Evaluate XYZ and see if it actually aligns with your goals, or whether it’s something you think you’re stuck with. Examples include university, online courses, leadership positions, and more.
Note: Reducing the amount of mental effort you put towards things like university means sacrificing something like grades, letting people down, or losing status.
Be ready to take the hit and understand that it’s worth it.
Relationships
This one is unrelated to the previous two, but it’s a mistake I’ve been making over the past few months. Do not neglect your friends and family for the sake of productivity.
Your dopamine and serotonin levels will drop if you don’t have any meaningful friendships or relationships in your life. The long-term productivity losses are nowhere near worth it. (Also, it’s okay to have a bit of fun)
A single relationship with your long-term partner doesn’t count either. It’s equally important to maintain a few strong friendships.
Cheers,
BeatADHD