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“Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

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Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#151

The author found something that works for them, but for some folks who have working memory issues (i.e. ADHD), using visual cues as reminders is one of the top tips in ways to address the issue. This can seem messy to some, but for those that need it, it is a lifeline. As a contrast to the author, if I put something in a drawer, it might be months before I remember it, even if it was something that absolutely needed…

recently diagnosed ADHD -- any tips on strategies?

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#152

The author found something that works for them, but for some folks who have working memory issues (i.e. ADHD), using visual cues as reminders is one of the top tips in ways to address the issue. This can seem messy to some, but for those that need it, it is a lifeline. As a contrast to the author, if I put something in a drawer, it might be months before I remember it, even if it was something that absolutely needed…

The cost of a perfectly clean surface can be that nothing ever re-enters attention

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#153

This sounds like the 5S framework from Toyota, where people keep areas, neat, clean, and organized as a work principal. The 5S acronym is: Sort (remove what you don’t need) Set in Order (organize what remains so it’s easy to find/use) Shine (clean the area regularly) Standardize (create consistent rules/checklists) Sustain (maintain the discipline long-term)

The difference to me is that 5S is about making a shared environment predictable and efficient, while what the article describes feels more like a personal cognitive reset

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#154

I've found mostly the opposite. Some well arranged windows are quite a nice anchor, I'm working on what's there in front of me. It's like bowling with bumpers in place, instead of the ball going in the gutter, the structure keeps it in the lane. I've found it necessary to devote time to cleaning and clearing windows, and sometimes I forget what's going on, and as I'm closing out the windows because I forgot what was…

If the workspace evolves with the work, it stays useful

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#155

The author found something that works for them, but for some folks who have working memory issues (i.e. ADHD), using visual cues as reminders is one of the top tips in ways to address the issue. This can seem messy to some, but for those that need it, it is a lifeline. As a contrast to the author, if I put something in a drawer, it might be months before I remember it, even if it was something that absolutely needed…

The philosopher John Perry wrote a funny essay about the topic, called “A Plea for the Horizontally Organized” (https://structuredprocrastination.com/light/organization_por... / https://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~david/plea.html).

It's really short and would fit in a comment here, but quoting just some fun bits:

> A vertical organizer would have scooped this stuff up, and put it in a file to retrieve later. Had I done this, there would be a bare spot on my desk. These bare spots are the mark of vertical organizers. They are a dead give away.

> […] The fact is, I am a horizontal organizer. I like all the thing I am working on spread out on a surface in front of me, where they can beckon me to continue working on them. When I put something in a file, I never see it again. The problem isn't that I can't find it (although that has happened), but that I don't look. I am constitutionally incapable of opening a filing cabinet and fishing out a half-finished project to resume working on it.

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#156
post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This kind of daily goal setting reminds me a lot of this podcast, if of interest. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/invest-like-the-best-w...

Are you recommending the podcast or this particular episode? :)

This particular episode.

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#157

Every day I work on my main project, I clear my desk completely, take out a small notepad and write my overriding goal, and my next step goal, and then make a list of tasks for that next step goal. Then I work. Writing the major goal every day is important to not let sub-goals overshadow it. Writing the immediate goal every day is important because together the two goals create a very clear direction of action with a…

Rewriting the main goal every morning is a nice way to prevent "local optimization," where you get very efficient at doing things that don't actually move the project forward

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#158

The author found something that works for them, but for some folks who have working memory issues (i.e. ADHD), using visual cues as reminders is one of the top tips in ways to address the issue. This can seem messy to some, but for those that need it, it is a lifeline. As a contrast to the author, if I put something in a drawer, it might be months before I remember it, even if it was something that absolutely needed…

recently diagnosed ADHD -- any tips on strategies?

Structure your routine(s). Default rules save you a lot of cognitive load.

Avoid scrolling apps. Avoid touchscreens for a couple of hours after waking up. Try to work a few pages of long form reading into your daily routine. It will become easier to remain focused for longer over time.

Don't fall for grand schemes and definitive solutions. We are prone to manic-depressive cycling as we think we've solved everything now and than fail to follow up.

Try to make everything you want to be doing very easy to get started on and everything you don't want to be doing harder. Cultivate this pattern.

It's not one big thing, it's a bunch of little things. And if you have a (few) bad days or weeks or months, don't spiral. Forgive yourself and try again tomorrow.

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#159

The author found something that works for them, but for some folks who have working memory issues (i.e. ADHD), using visual cues as reminders is one of the top tips in ways to address the issue. This can seem messy to some, but for those that need it, it is a lifeline. As a contrast to the author, if I put something in a drawer, it might be months before I remember it, even if it was something that absolutely needed…

recently diagnosed ADHD -- any tips on strategies?

I was diagnosed (finally) in 2018 (my early thirties). Hyper focus has always been my cursed superpower. There were times in my life where I could disappear into my own little world only to surface 6, 8, 12 hours later and realise I really needed to eat and go to the bathroom and damn I should probably shower sometime this week.

Apart from the parent comment's point about visual cues, the biggest thing for me is rituals. Specific enjoyable or unavoidable or easy to maintain rituals really helped break that focus. Dogs are a part of that for me, since you only ignore their needs at your peril. Taking them for a walk and putting on an audiobook or podcast so that I don't think about work makes it a lot easier to slip into something else when I get back.

I haven't done the Pomodoro thing but I could definitely see the appeal in a rigid timer that screams "hey you! it's time to get off your ass and do something else for a bit".

Re: “Nothing” is the secret to structuring your work

#160

The author found something that works for them, but for some folks who have working memory issues (i.e. ADHD), using visual cues as reminders is one of the top tips in ways to address the issue. This can seem messy to some, but for those that need it, it is a lifeline. As a contrast to the author, if I put something in a drawer, it might be months before I remember it, even if it was something that absolutely needed…

recently diagnosed ADHD -- any tips on strategies?

Routines. Exercise. Meditation. Medication. Self-forgiveness. Spatial reminders.

Celebrate your differences, acknowledge your limitations.

For inattentive type, try forcing transitions when someone interrupts you. Walk to a new room together.

For hyperactive type, try planning out multiple synergistic things to do in parallel towards the one goal.

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