ADHD and Transitions: The Concept of Rebooting
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2017
- www.digcoaching.com. Jeff Copper is an ADHD coach and host of Attention Talk Video which is part of the Attention Talk Network, www.attentiontalknetwork.com.
Many with ADHD struggle with transitions and getting themselves into a project. In this video, ADHD coach Jeff Copper (digcoaching.com) shares a metaphor to put transitions into a context that you can more readily see, understand, and manage. Jeff also shares an insightful mindset to help you shortcut the process. If you’re trying to get your head around managing transitions, watch this video.
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Transitions can be extremely difficult. I struggle the most with waking up, reading and arriving on time to places I need to be. If my husband wakes up before me then it’s easier for me to get up but when I have to do it while he is still sleeping then it’s a struggle. Changing my environment and having external accountability has helped so much.
I'm not saying this is what is happening with you but people label things as accountability. What i see under it is having someone to talk out loud to the is less taxing on your working memory and make it easier for you to self regulate (pay attention). Put differently is make the "booting up" process quicker.
I like to share this because "accountability" can be viewed negatively (emotionally). Framing it as a structure is less negative which helps with the story you are telling yourself emotionally.
This isn't the best analogy but hopefully it will illustrate my point. I have to have someone read to me is more negative. Using glasses to read is a structure if you don't have good eye site.
AttentionTalkVideo I completely understand and I can see how it could be viewed as a negative. I appreciate the feedback and comment. When I said “external accountability”, I referred it to mean a person or to be more specific a text message (structure). For example, if I have need to get up early for church, I arrange to have people text me in the morning and that text message is my external accountability bc it motivates me. I also use several alarms.
@@brandie7291 thought i'd share a thought. There is responsibility and accountability. Accountability is the doing part. Responsibility is about making sure something gets done. A person can take responsibility and accountability at the same time and execute something. On the other hand, a person be responsible that something gets done and delegate the work to someone else.
in that context you are taking the responsibility to get there on time and delegating a task... please text me to get there.
in the end it is the same outcome but... if a person with adhd is passive they are note managing their world with intent. If you pause and take responsibility to delegate something then you are actively managing your life with intent. That is a form of self regulation which is a core issue of ADHD.
I'm grateful to have this dialog with you.
AttentionTalkVideo thanks for breaking that down. I guess I got a little too proud when I said that I would arrange it LOL. My friends would see the need to text me bc they know I am always late.
How do you help those with adhd such as myself that have these self regulation problems without relying on other people? Most of the books and videos I’ve watched from Russell Barkley explain how people can help those with adhd but it doesn’t really help explain how adhders can help themselves.
@@brandie7291 another thought. If you think about it language evolved as a need to manipulate others to get what you want. humans are social people living in a complex echo system. There is very little you do that couldn't be done unless others helped. Asking someone to text you as reminder is a form of self regulation in my book (Dr. Barkley disagrees with this). The reason i think it is self regulation is because it is a directed act by you if you initiate it.
those with ADHD can help themselves by reaching out and initiating structures to help! Like you are already doing.
In my current job in IT I work from home and have to split focus a lot and frequently reprioritize whatever I'm working on as something more important comes up. A couple tools I use to help manage that process and keep processes in hibernation for faster transitions is I always work with 3 monitors (even though 1 is fine for my job) and always have a OneNote "daily log" scratchpad open in the most visible part of my main monitor. I do actual work on a side monitor!
I work off that scratchpad like a hybrid todo list / log. Anything being worked on can be tossed on the scratchpad. I can quickly "boot" into a different project on the scratchpad for the day by reading the notes on what I did, or the screenshot of the coworker chat for what I need to do. I even use it to compose emails, and then copy them from there into outlook when I'm ready to send. BECAUSE then I'm looking at all the carrier scratchpad context associated with the email, which makes writing easier, and coming back to it MUCH easier if i get interrupted.
And if a days task turns into a larger project, i can just cut and paste the growing block of text in a separate OneNote page and hotlink it back to my daily page as I'm using it.
Funny side story on transitioning... I remember a few years back at work I was in the process of leaving a detailed voicemail for one of our customers and my boss came up next to me and just casually mentioned something unimportant..... And then watched in horror as I tried to transition and that well articulated voicemail devolved in front of his eyes into something barely intelligible as human speech! He never interrupted me in the middle of a call after that 🤣!!!
Totally love your post! I love it when people share things... some times quirky things that work for them. Hope it inspires others.
thanks for watching my channel and for posting.
Transitions are difficult, daily.
You are helping these lessons sink in while working on my bachelors in computer science, thank you Jeff!
you are very welcome! Good luck on your degree.
Thanks for tuning in!
My doctor said it doesn't sound like I have adhd because he asked if I have trouble finishing things or staying on track, I said I probably have more trouble starting something.
ADHD manifests differently in everyone. Some of the most organized and on time people i've ever meet have ADHD. Unfortunatly the diagnosis is very subjective right now. One day we'll find a test to diagnosis it. Keep the faith.
@@AttentionTalkVideo wow thanks for replying. I was actually booked into see a specialist a couple years ago but it was almost half a year away and was going to cost a lot of money. My life fell apart and had to move away before I was able to see them
@@isaacJjacobs hope you are looking for another specialist...
Well that explains why it takes me an hour or 2 to “boot up” from waking up every morning 😆 Now I have to go back & rewatch the end cause I was typing this as I was watching 😑
Love it when our content makes sense to viewers.
Thanks for posting.
Very well explained! Thank you for making sense of, and adding clarity to, my experience with ADHD. This video might come in handy should I need it to explain it to somebody one day.
Helping people language their experience is one of my most favorite things to do.
This is the most helpful video ever for transitions. 👏
you made my day!
Thanks.
THIS IS INCREDIBLY WELL PRESENTED AND VALIDATING
You made my day. It is very fulfilling to help people "get" things. Thanks for watching this channel.
Very helpful. Just becoming aware of how I handle transitions has been eye-opening.
Thrilled you found it helpful.
This was good, thanks sir.
Very welcome. Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks sir.. really helpful
Most welcome
thanks for tuning in.
I wish I had known of all the little extra qurcks and gifts ADHD has to offer, like back when I was a child til the current date.
Perhaps my parents, siblings, other family members in and out of our home and all of the techers i had growing up, as well as my husband and children would have, could have and should have been more understand, more kind, more patient, and perhaps more accomindating and less judging, less mocking, less complaining, less name calling and most importantly... less inquiries when I'm obviously in my zone and just stop interrupting me and demanding that I stop what I'm doing just to see what they're doing. As if theres only a one way path that leads to where they are.
I'd wish everyone could respect me, listen to what I have to say and simply believe me.
Individuals are different. it comes down to understanding by the individuals and those they come in contact.
thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I don't know if i have adhd but i certainly can relate to what you describe here.
Also I've come into the habit of never restarting my computer when I can keep it asleep or hibernate it. I bring my laptop around in standby mode all the time. Really helps save on time to open up all the windows every time.
I imagine if you're working on a carpentry project in your garage you wouldn't tidy up your garage every time after you stop working unless you need to (because it got messy or because you need the space for something else)
Thrilled the video resonated with you. The anology is to help people understand their brain in a tangilble way.
thanks for tuining in!
Great explanation and tips!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent thank you
You are very welcome
For me it doesn’t just “take time’ -it ruins the day, and if i have the opportunity i often just collapse on the couch from a kind of exhaustion .
I hear you. The trick is to understand the most efficient way your brain boots up. That answer is as individual as a snow flake and why self-awareness is so important.
Thanks for posting.
@@AttentionTalkVideoand thank you to you. I didn’t put in my comment how grateful I feel towards you. Having someone explain this, is one more load of guilt , shame, and self- reproach off of my back. I want you to know how much this then means to me. Im 61. I only faced owned my ADD a couple years ago. (Ie stopped pretending to myself that am the same as others and can simply force myself into not being as i am. I failed at this but kept trying). I lost university, study, a hundred hopes and dreams, lived in embarrassment and shame, as well as chaos for most of my life my mot seeing this severe ADD clearly and ended up giving up trying to be like others or achieve something, and spent the rest of my life attempting to hide my failures and to appear like others. Then collapse at home. A complete double life. And apart from my own surrendering to the facts, which has helped me (and the people I affect) greatly, since then all the validations and tips, which have helped change my life for the better, have come solely from a few people with channels like yours. Today, you put one more piece of my puzzle in place. Thank you so very much
Great example
thanks
loved this. A question, So with most jobs asking to be multitasking , whats a decent occupations for an adhd adult . I've been in the service industry for almost 10 years, mostly ( expo, sever assistant food runner) Which has been the only jobs ive been able to hold onto or keep busy without feeling bored, yet its very demanding and taxing, as well as transition from one task to the next. i have short cuts which doing it at my own pace lol but that doesn't sit too well with my supervisors sometimes
What most people attend to is a job title or label. Neither speaks to the everyday working environment which is key for those with ADHD. For example a computer programmer. The title is what it is. For many it means sitting in isolation writing repetitive boring code in a closet somewhere (bad environment for many) and i've seen many struggle. I've also seen those same people get computer programming jobs where they employ "peer" programming... i.e. you write code with another person. Here you are interacting, brainstorming, maybe entertaining each other and they thrive. Same job title... different environment.
I'm doing a lot of guessing but... sounds like you thrive if you are moving constantly in and among people in some kind of process (methodical or snort sprint) where you address one thing at a time... load you working memory... do it... next task... or something like that.
No body talks in these terms but i've found lots of success helping others identify key environmental characteristics and look for jobs where they are part of everyday interactions.
You nailed it sir.
Excellent!
Well said Jeff - Transition challenges often start as early as the 6th grade with moving from one classroom to many. Often the time we first see symptoms occur academically. Video breakdown here: corepsych.com/diagnosis - Thanks!
Ohhhh! 😱 That would explain why I felt the overwhelming need to doodle in my notebook (draw spirals & random stuff) at the beginning of each new class! It was probably helping me transition & ground myself 🤯
So in hibernation , you put a physical cue(can be audio, written, visual etc..) of the next task to be done ,which is within sight of the person. And that cue becomes an inlet to the next task to be performed. That cue also removes the entry barrier of STARTING & SWITCHING to the next task. Did I get that right?
conceptually yes!
@@AttentionTalkVideo Thankyou 🙏🙏
Another example of ADHD issues, using a computer, would be - imagine if you're busy on a task, and then something happens to distract you - a bird flies past the window, or a leaf, or someone walks past, or a car goes by, or a noise occurs somewhere - and the computer shuts down. So, to get back on task the OS needs rebooting. This can be arduous. In fact quite often the requirement of rebooting the pc is overwhelming. Or you reboot it but instead of getting back to the task you were doing before, you open the Solitaire game, or the music player, etc. If distractibility is an issue, and it is for anyone with the Attention Deficit part of ADHD, this can happen every few minutes, all the way through a task.
Exactly! You get it. How do you manage it? It starts with self-awareness, then you build an enviroment around you to support it... like don't start a task if you could be interupted. Schedule it, close doors, put your phone way... etc, etc, etc.
thanks for posting.
@@AttentionTalkVideo I'd need a sound proof bunker, with no windows. Meds have helped a lot. Prior to that the slightest distraction and I was off task and then couldn't return adequately.
The phone is not a problem. It's a very expensive reminder that my social life is non existent.
@@salparadise1220 you are not the only one needing a sound proof bunker. Certainly consider sound proof headphone + black out curtains. Some find sunglasses help.
thanks for the visual and the analogy! shhh im rebooting! =p
Any time!
Waking up in the morning is an extremely tough transition. I'm unable to speak for the first 30mins. On bad days I can't get my day started before noon. 😑
Or if I'm deep in thought and my husband asks me a question. I hear him, but my brain just can't formulate an answer.. so I'm just frozen while I reboot.
how many hours of sleep are you getting consistently at night?
Me too! You’re not alone 😄☕️
So where is the tip for transition?
First self-awareness is highly correltated with success in life.
Second, plan to adding transition time. If it is something you need and you act like you don't you are not taking it seriously.
Third, there are ways to help but most alternatives depends on the person.
thanks for posting.
Use keyword i.e. "reboot"?
great idea!
Thanks
Where was the tip? 😭😭😭
The video was all about bringing tangibility to what is intangible and to validate what is happening objectively. In the end managing ADHD comes down to learning to problem solve. For example if you have tasks that require a lot of booting up you don't want to schedule them when you'd have to stop or get interupted. If you are doing something and need to stop and reboot in the future study yourself to understand what help you get into the flow the quickest.
Put differently the pythagorean theorem is an equiation to solve for issues realated to a right triagnle. It is a good equation but only works on certain problems. Same goes for a tip. it can help for maybe one specific thing but doesn't solve for everything realated to booting up.
Thanks for posting.
Why do we have to force ourselves to behave like a neurotypical? I just give up trying to be like them. It’s a lot less stressful.
I cannot do any jobs that require executive function.
I'm not neurotypical and don't force myself to be like a neurotypical. I'm as smart as other neurotypical i just have to do it my way. For example, paper is very working memory friendly. I print a lot... i mean a lot. I've got two travel printers. A big B&W one that prints thousands of pages and a small on. In fact i'm on vacation in CA and have my wireless travel printer right next to me. My point is i don't force myself to deal with a small computer screen that make it hard for me to think. I use the tools i need. I encourage you to understand your impairment, observe yourself, identify what works and do it the way that is most productive for you.
Thanks for posting.
Reading this at work. At 23.17. Because I can't make the transition to going home.
Isn't it hard to pause and detach?
My husband has compared me to a computer for having to reboot my brain lol.
It is a good metaphor to understand some of the challenges of working memory.
Anyone else watch this on 1.5x speed? Lol
not alot... most say i talk to fast and slow things down.
2x for me
@@axoid Booya!
Opening made me nauseaous with so much movement. Just some feedback because Customer Experience is what I do.
always appreciate feedback... so long as it is constructive. Thanks.