Managing my ADHD: Creating a Second Brain
As someone who has lived with ADHD for the majority of my life, I know I can’t trust or rely on the brain that I was born with... so I built a second one.
Of course, this isn’t an actual brain. It’s a synthesis of tools, routines, systems and strategies that I rely on to externally replicate the executive functioning processes that are naturally lacking in my biological brain.
I would love to see the day where a JARVIS-like system exists for people with ADHD and other cognitive disabilities (or where technology is designed to be used in a more accessible way for everyone) as a constant support system, but in the meantime, with my limited time and resources, this is what I built.
Before we start, we have to have a baseline understanding of the aspects many people with ADHD & ADD struggle with. It’s different for everyone, but for me it’s these core issues:
Time Management and Task Management/Execution
Focus & Motivation
Organization and Planning
Under each of these areas are a number of smaller (but equally frustrating) problems I experience, but these represent the biggest issues I face.
Thanks to the help of my therapist/coach and my partner, I was able to articulate these rather quickly. I highly recommended that you go through this process with someone who understands your personality and your diagnosis so they can help you stay motivated and on track. This process can be rather difficult to do on your own (regardless of if you have ADHD or not).
If you don’t have anyone, know that it doesn’t mean you are alone in this. If you would like, feel free to reach out to me.
Once we define these core issues, it’s time to identify our pain points:
Where EXACTLY do these issues present themselves in your life?
For example - Time Management:
For me, it used to be impossible to show up on time. For literally everything. Work, school, dates, appointments, all of it. I used to swear I’d be late for my own funeral if that was possible.
But my problem wasn’t that I didn’t know I had somewhere to be or that I didn’t know what time it was. (I wear a watch 24/7 and I used a physical calendar to try to track my appointments.)
My problem was that I wasn’t able to proactively judge how long it would take me to get somewhere or do something. If I had to be at work at 7:30am, I’d leave at 7:25am. If I had to shower before a coffee date with my partner at 9:00am and it was only a few minutes from home, I’d jump in the shower at 8:45am - thinking there was still time to clean up and head over.
(Once I jumped in the shower I’d lose all sense of time and space, but that’s a different issue.)
Go thought this process for each of the pain points you have. To the best of your abilities, find out the specific moment things went wrong. Reflect on those moments with questions like:
What led to it?
How often does it happen?
What are the common triggers?
Is there a particular time of day, event, feeling, etc.?
Get as accurate as you can about each one with the help of that support person. Make them ask you as many questions as they can think of to narrow down the problem.
When you feel like you have a good understanding about the specific causes of each issue, it’s time to identify and experiment with tools that can help. This part is the most fun, in my opinion, but it’s also where a lot of people get discouraged - so make sure you have that support person to help inspire and motivate you through this phase.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of tools (productivity apps, calendars, notebooks, etc.) are not built for people with ADHD and they don’t take into account the nuances of our struggles with using them.
Therefore, you’ll likely have to try out a lot of different tools before you find the right one to help with each issue area. That’s okay! Think of it as a process of exploration and discovery, not an inability to find an immediate solution.
After a while of searching and experimenting, these are some of the tools I use. I love them and I highly recommend them, but keep in mind that just because it works for me doesn’t mean it’ll work for you.
(Some of them are listed twice because they help with multiple issues.)
Time Management & Task Management/Execution
Apple Calendar or Google Calendar
Things 3
Timecap
Apple Reminders
A physical journal
A coach or accountability partner
iCloud & Google Drive
Custom Routines
Focus and Motivation
Oak
Spotify
Focus (for Pomodoro Timers)
A physical journal
ScreenTime Settings and time limits for apps
Google Home/Google Assistant
A coach or accountability partner
Custom Routines
Organization and Planning
Notion
Apple Calendar or Google Calendar
A physical journal
MindNode
GoodNotes
A coach or accountability partner
Custom Routines
Out of all of these, my Apple Calendar, Things 3 and Notion are the tools I use most, but all of them are important.
I use Apple Calendar to:
keep track of appointments
set multiple reminders about when I need to leave based on traffic, if I need to arrive early, etc.
plan out my week as part of my Sunday routine
Review and plan my day every morning as part of my daily morning routine (you can read more about that in another post of mine).
and more!
I use Things 3 to:
Create monthly, weekly, and daily to-do lists
Create “projects” and break them down into the smallest of tasks (if I need to clean my room, for example, I will break that task down into as many smaller parts as possible and I’m highly specific about each one. It’s much easer to check off a task that says “organize bookshelf” than “clean my room.” The smaller the task, the more likely it is that I’ll do it!
Set deadlines and reminders for each portion of a project to try to keep me from procrastinating or falling behind
and more!
Finally, we have Notion. This is possibly the biggest part of the “second brain” concept.
Notion is a web program - as well as an app - that allows you to do almost any organizational task you can think of. It can serve as a calendar, to-do list, filing system, reminder app, Kanban-style project tracker or project management tool, note-taking... you name it, Notion can probably handle it. You can create pages for each tool, embed smaller pages within those pages, etc.
It’s like building your own personal website, basically, but only to be used by you and you can use it however you wish.
I use Notion to create pages or “documents” that are linked together in the way that replicates how I think. I did this by mind-mapping my thought processes for common situations I’m in, and then I replicated that digitally.
This way, I can use one simple app/website for the vast majority of my projects.
Here’s an example of a day in the life for me using this “second brain” system:
6:00am - alarm goes off
I hop out of bed and start my morning routine. I’ve done this often enough that it’s now a habit, so I don’t have to try as hard to force myself to go through it. I kind of do it on autopilot.
Part of that morning routine involves sitting down and having a cup of coffee while I journal. Let’s say I journal about the stress from a few homework assignments I have to get done today. I like to list those assignments and write about why each one is stressing me out and process that stress so hopefully I can get over it.
As my ADHD brain allows things to pop up, I write them down as well in a dedicated space on that journal page. Let’s say it’s a few to-do items I want to take care of like laundry, dishes, and cleaning my room.
It’s now 7:30(ish) and I’ve finished journaling, so I’ll take those to-do items and add them to Things 3.
When I add each of those tasks, I break them down into smaller sub-tasks:
Laundry requires:
Washing dark clothes
Washing light clothes
Drying clothes
Hanging/folding clothes
Cleaning my room might require:
Making my bed
Wiping down my desk and other surfaces
Sweeping
Organizing my bookshelf
I’ll pull out my calendar and estimate how long it’ll take me to do these. Laundry can be done in the background, so that doesn’t need to be added to my calendar. Instead I’ll set a reminder so at 10:00am, I get a notification on my watch to “Start the laundry.”
In Things 3, when I tap on that notification, it automatically takes me to the first subtask on that list so I know exactly where to start.
As for learning my room, I estimate it’ll take me 30 minutes. But then, as part of my system, I double it. This allows me to factor in the reality that I will probably get distracted many times during the process. So, from 10:30am - 11:30am, I create a calendar event called “Room Cleaning” and create a calendar reminder to go with it.
It’s 8:00am. I get a reminder that I set many days before to “Start homework” in 15 minutes. When I tap that calendar reminder, it automatically takes me to the calendar event, where I pre-entered the list of directions, the websites I need, and words of encouragement. All I have to do from there is tap on the link for the assignment or grab my physical materials and get to work. I make sure my desk is cleared off and the only objects around me are relevant to my work.
I start my “focus” Spotify playlist, set a timer for 25 minutes, and get to work. Using the pomodoro technique, I’ll focus as hard as I can for about 20-25 minutes and then take a 5-10 minute break. During that break, I’ll take a walk, check on that laundry I stated earlier, play my guitar, use the restroom, find a snack, or generally do something that gets me up and moving around to forget about my work for a few.
5 minutes later my timer goes off again and it’s time to get back to work.
This process repeats for few times, depending on how long it takes me to finish that assignment. For the most part, it works well for keeping me on track.
At 9:30am, I get a reminder to “treat yo-self!” And I reward myself for 10-15 minutes with something I’d rather be doing (playing video games, hanging out with my partner, etc.)
During this time, I do everything I can to stay off my phone. It’s a black hole of distraction and my worst enemy during times where I’m trying to focus.
Let’s say I decide to stay on my laptop and read an article a friend mentioned. I’ll find the article and start reading. I like it, but I don’t have time to finish the whole thing. So, I’ll copy the link and import it into Notion under a page I’ve called “Inbox.”
(That process takes less than 30 seconds because I have a permanent tab available for my Notion page). I save it to my inbox so I can allow myself to forget about it and come back to it later.
This process repeats in a variety of forms over the course of the day. I make sure to take a nice long lunch break and continuously reward myself for following-through on my work.
At the end of the day, I get a reminder from Notion to check my “inbox.” When I tap it, it takes me to the page where I’ve saved all those random articles/things I found interesting. I’ll spend 15-20 minutes organizing them into their relevant categories in my filing system. Examples include:
A podcast episode about healthy “brain foods” by Max Lugavere that was recommended to me is re-filed under “Health.”
A research paper I’d like to read about Google’s A.I. research program called “Auto-ML-Zero” is filed under “Future Research.”
A decent deal I found on a flight to Hawaii is filed under “Travel Plans.”
If I get distracted or run out of time, it’s not a big deal as I can always come back to my “Inbox” at a later time.
I could go into MUCH deeper detail about all of this, but I don’t think one MASSIVE post is the place for that.
This “second brain” concept is really about setting up the tools, systems, and routines that are trustworthy enough that I can rely on them to help me get my work done. Rarely do I complete 100% of what I was supposed to, but that isn’t really the point.
Before this, I was lucky if I completed 10-20% of my work every day (except for those brief moments of hyper-focus.)
By learning how to use these tools as “guardrails” to keep my inner chaos pointed in the right direction and by practicing them over time with the help of an accountability partner, I’m finally at a point where 85-90% of my work is completed on a daily basis, which is a HUGE improvement over where I was just 2 years ago.
There is something incredibly empowering about being able to finally show people after so long that “look, I can do things!”
If you have questions - please let me know! I’m happy to dive deeper into any aspect of this concept, no matter how small. Email me, DM me on social media, or shoot me a text and I’m happy to chat!
If you’ve been trying to build something like this for yourself or even just get a better handle on your day-to-day functioning or productivity, consider reaching out to try my Lifestyle Design services.
If there is anything I can help you with, I would love to do so.
Stay healthy,
Randy