Freelancing with ADHD: A Survival Guide
“Wow,” the psychiatrist said as she looked over the test results. “No question — you definitely have ADHD. Your results are off the chart; I don’t know how you made it through college.” Maybe I should have been offended, but I was too busy fixating on the diagnosis.
Another one? I thought. My list of comorbid diagnoses seemed to get longer with every psychiatry appointment. This one wasn’t unexpected, but it was unwelcome.
Flash forward to the present, and I’m a successful freelance business owner who works from home with ADHD (and my house is home to a cavalcade of distractions). In this survival guide, I share my best tips for managing ADHD while freelancing.
Can you freelance with ADHD?
Yes, you can! It’s not always easy, and the path to success won’t be linear (is the freelancing path ever linear?), but you can absolutely do it. I’ve managed to build a successful freelance content writing business while living with ADHD, and trust me when I say that if I can do it, anyone can. Here are a few of the “tips and tricks” I’ve used to freelance with ADHD; adapt them to your lifestyle and they’ll work for you, too.
Set timers
Setting timers has been key to my success in freelancing with ADHD. I use the Pomodoro method, in which you work for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break. Sometimes I find that I’m able to get into the mystical state of “flow” and ignore the timer and breaks, but other times I find I desperately need to have that five minutes to rest my brain and refocus.
Set your hours and stick to them
This tip isn’t as obvious as setting a timer and limiting potential distractions, but it’s great for keeping you from flitting aimlessly from task to task from sun up to sundown. Set your working hours and stick to them, making it a point to not work after the time you designate. Whether it’s 3:30 PM or 6:30 PM, make a vow to yourself not to work past it. Set your hours on your website and share them with clients.
Limiting yourself working time may seem counterintuitive, but it’s a great way to give yourself parameters around your schedule. Those of us living with ADHD need boundaries on our time so that we can see what time we realistically have and spend it wisely. Nothing lights a fire under me like an impending deadline, so give yourself one on a daily basis and not only will you be more focused, but you’ll be better able to control your work-life balance.
Mute your phone
Currently, my phone is in front of me on silent. I can’t put it in a drawer or another room like others suggest because I have small children I’m responsible for and if someone calls about them I need to be able to see the incoming call. It sits under my computer monitor where I can see the screen light up if a call comes through, but I can’t hear every Twitter and SMS notification.
If you’re able to tuck your phone away, definitely do so. It’s easy to do things like use software to set limits on certain time-wasting sites on your browser, but you can easily circumvent them by picking up your phone, and you and I both know that. Out of sight, out of mind definitely applies here.
Close those tabs
Speaking of distracting notifications, close those tabs! You know what I’m talking about. The 18 open tabs in Google Chrome or Safari are not helping you to be more productive; rather it’s robbing you of your mental bandwidth. Even if you’re not actively clicking between them, the open tabs serve as a reminder of ways to distract yourself (even if it’s “productive” procrastination), so close them when you’re not using them.
If, like me, you have a few pinned tabs you keep open because you’re too lazy to type in “gmail.com” every time you want to check your email, mute their notifications. The little red dot on the tab telling you that there’s something that needs your attention is a liar, but a tantalizing one.
For instance, I had my email set up to show me the number of unread messages in my inbox until I realized I was clicking over every time a new message arrived. I was tethering myself to my inbox, so I disabled the notifications and now have to take the time to hover over the tab to see if I have any new messages. It’s just an additional step that makes it harder for me to get distracted.
Achieve inbox zero
I know what I’m suggesting may seem impossible, but inbox zero is a lifesaver for someone with an attention deficit disorder. Knowing exactly what emails require action makes it easy to prioritize your attention, so trim the fat in your inbox, cull the coupons you’ll never redeem, and file away the emails from a project six months ago.
Shut down distractions
For me, this literally means shutting the door to my home office. If you don’t have a door you can shut, make sure everyone around you knows your working hours (that you set earlier, remember?) and knows not to distract you when you’re working.
Find a secluded place to work (I’ll never be the kind of freelancer who can pack up and work in a crowded cafe or even a library) and work there regularly. Consistency is key for those of us living with ADHD, so consider setting a routine for transitioning to and from work. When I get started, it’s the routine of putting on my silly-looking carpal tunnel support gloves and getting a cup of coffee that gets me in the working mindset. At the end of the workday, I take the gloves off and shut the door to my office, reminding me that the day’s work is done.
Meditate
Meditation is a fantastic way to help you ignore the passing thoughts and not latch onto them, causing a distraction. Even if you just meditate for five minutes a day (during your Pomodoro break?), you’re setting yourself up for success and quieting your mind. And, as people with ADHD, we could all use a little more quiet.
Medicate
I take methylphenidate (generic Ritalin) every morning before I start work. If you’re not comfortable with taking medication, that’s completely okay, but it’s also completely okay to rely on it for assistance. It’s important to note that meds are not a magic “fix-all” pill that makes it impossible for you to get distracted. It should be used in conjunction with the suggestions in this article and your best coping skills for managing your ADHD. And of course, medication prescribed for ADHD should only be taken under the care of a psychiatrist or prescribing physician.
ADHD isn’t a career killer
I’m four years into my diagnosis of ADHD, and while the news disheartened me a bit, I’ve been able to make the most of my situation and become a successful freelancer in spite of it, and you can too. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise (including yourself).
One last thing I’d like to touch on — ADHD is frequently comorbid with other mental illnesses, so if you’re having feelings of sweeping anxiety or crushing depression, talk to your healthcare provider and let them know how you’re feeling and also that you have ADHD. For more information and resources for living with ADHD, check out CHADD’s website.
