What to Do in Areas of Weakness
Everyone has areas of their life in which they struggle. That does not mean you are worthless or cannot succeed. Rather, it means you have to get creative, something that is a strength for most ADHDers.
Delegate
One of the easiest things to do in an area of weakness is to delegate. Give it to someone else to do. For example, with my ADHD, I cannot clean my house in a timely manner. It takes forever because I keep getting distracted while doing it. I’ll start cleaning one area of the house, find something that belongs in another room, take it to that room, and all of a sudden I am stuck in a room that I was not cleaning. So, what do I do to ensure my house gets clean? I pay someone to clean it for me. This saves me time which I can spend in other areas of my life.
When You Can’t Delegate
Not everyone can afford to hire someone to clean their house for them. I get that. Furthermore, in school, it is against the rules to delegate your homework to someone else. What do you do when an area of weakness falls into the category of “things you cannot delegate?” The answer is something needs to change. There are three things you can change
The rules of what you are doing
The task itself
Your attitude towards what you are doing
Changing the Rules of the Task
When you cannot delegate, one thing to do is to change the unwritten rules of the task. Do you have to do it in a certain way? No! Does your math teacher require you to do assignments in pencil? Is it more fun to do them while writing with an excellent pen. Scribble away with that pen! Then, when you are finished, transfer what you need to onto another sheet of paper in pencil. Who says you have to read that book while sitting still? Find a safe area where you can pace and read. Some people even read on the treadmill. Another rule you could change is the deadline. Yes, some things have an unmovable deadline, but what if you challenged yourself to get it done sooner than the deadline? You could give yourself a reward for finishing it early. Heck, you could also reward yourself based on how early you finish. The earlier you finish, the bigger reward you can give yourself. What rules can you bend or break to get the job done?
Changing the Task Itself
The task at hand needn’t play to your weaknesses. I am reminded of an episode of the tv show Happy Days. One of the characters (Potsie) could not get the material down in his science class. So, he was encouraged by another character to write a song about the material. Instead of studying in a way that was not helpful for him, he played to his strengths. How can you alter the task to play to your strengths?
Changing Your Attitude Towards the Task
Instead of approaching the task with an attitude of “I suck and will never get this task done,” approach it with a growth mindset. View this as an opportunity to learn and grow. If you change your attitude, the thing is more likely to get done. For example, you could say, “I am bad at mowing the lawn.” But, you could also say, “Today, I get a chance to improve my lawn mowing skills..
In Conclusion…
The first thing you have to ask yourself when faced with a task that falls under an area of weakness is: Do I have to do this, or can someone else do this for me? If it can be done by someone else, great! Delegate away! However, if it cannot be delegated, get creative and find some tweaks to make the task something that plays more to your strengths.