Solopreneur-ing with ADHD
Part Three: How to work as a creative with ADHD
For our third installment of our Solopreneur-ing with ADHD series, Groove chatted with Becca Dudley to discuss her experience working as a multi-hyphenate solopreneur with ADHD.
Born into a musical family, Becca Dudley is a successful DJ and broadcaster. She is MTV UK’s lead presenter, and fronts multiple shows whilst also covering worldwide events & festivals. As a radio broadcaster, Becca was one of the first DJ’s brought on board Apple Music’s international station Beats 1, now Apple Music 1. Live, you can find Becca DJing at major venues and festivals across the world.
She spins for brands including Armani and ASOS and supports some of the world’s biggest reggae and dancehall acts, including Chronixx, Protoje and Morgan Heritage. In 2016, Becca launched her own music platform DEADLY. Born from her passion for reggae, dancehall, and bashment, DEADLY now produces original documentaries, music videos, interviews and live sessions, showcasing the most exciting artists from the UK, Caribbean and more.
Groove: Can you tell us about your experience with ADHD?
Becca: I got diagnosed at 30 which has been quite a game changer! I always felt like there was something wrong with me and would often be super hard on myself, but now I have a valid understanding of why I am the way I am.
I’m extremely forgetful, don’t retain information very well, I start lots of things and don’t finish any, I have a million thoughts swirling round my head, I find it very difficult to focus and pay attention. I also find it hard to work out prioritization and don’t have a good grasp on organizing time or diaries.
I always thought I was just rubbish at life and that one day, someone would diagnose me with early onset Alzheimers, but once my sister got diagnosed and started explaining all her ADHD symptoms, I finally felt seen and booked an assessment right away. I have so much more compassion for myself now and am taking the steps to understand how to work with ADHD.
Groove: What are the biggest challenges you face in your creative and career pursuits with ADHD? At the same time, do you feel that ADHD can help you in your creative or career pursuits?
Becca: As a TV presenter my job involves a lot of memorization — something I find super difficult. It takes me a long time and a lot of mental capacity to learn scripts, names, etc. but I always get there in the end. Having a creative freelance job means every day is different, and there’s no structure. So, when time management, organization, and planning is left to me, I really struggle. As an ADHDer I am juggling a lot of things at once, and I find I often get quite overwhelmed with it.
On the flip side, ADHD helps me in a few areas. Doing live TV I often have to think on my feet when there are lots of things happening at once — ADHDers are great in times of crisis as our minds are often always in chaos, so we can handle it! Also life never gets boring as I always have a million things to do. And if you can find a way to tap into a hyper-focus mode, that’s super beneficial.
Groove: What strategies and methods do you use to overcome the challenges of ADHD?
Becca: I’m definitely still working things out. First and foremost, Groove has helped me the most with focus and also attacking the things I’ve been avoiding. I’ve also got better with my giant To-Do lists by breaking down things I need to do into smaller more manageable tasks and into better time frames.
I’m starting coaching soon which will help with general tools, looking forward to that! I’ve also become more vocal if I ever ‘zone out’ and miss what someone was saying, as I know it’s ADHD now and has nothing to do with me or the person who was speaking.
Groove: How does Groove help you stay more focused and help you get into the flow?
Becca: With ADHD, it’s very easy to forget what you were doing and get lost in procrastination. However, when I’m using Groove, the app is open on my phone and the timer is counting down, so even if I do loose track of time briefly, I’m quickly reminded of what I was doing when I see the app.
Us ADHD’ers love a reward too, I live for ticking things off as I complete them, and there’s something super satisfying about getting things done and ticking them off so your co-workers can see you’re making progress.
I often start lots of different things and don’t finish them, but when I’m starting a Groove I’m mapping out exactly how I’m going to spend that next hour. That compartmentalizes all the overwhelming tasks I have ahead of me and makes it all so much more manageable.
The accountability and community element is so helpful too. Saying out loud to other members of the Groove community exactly what I am going to do motivates me to really get things done when it might feel like a struggle without them. It’s awesome when everyone is ticking things off together and we’re all encouraging each other to be productive, especially when we are in the flow, and then keep going back to back into new Grooves.
A big part of ADHD is feeling like you can’t face certain tasks, and often you can end up quite deflated or annoyed with yourself because you can’t face doing something. So if I have a task like that, I start a Groove and I just have to get it done! Works every single time.
Groove: Is there anything else you would like to share? 🤗
Becca: I literally tell anyone with ADHD who will listen about Groove, it really and truly has changed the game for me especially since I’ve been working from home a lot more on various different projects. I’m so grateful to have found this app and can’t recommend it enough for anyone who struggles to focus or can’t quite face a task!
Looking for more Groovy content? Check these out:
- What the heck is body doubling?
- The Future of Work (as we see it)
- If you’re a solopreneur looking to make working solo -> social, cruise onto our waitlist to get sh*t done, while having fun 🏄🏽♀️ groove.ooo
