Hey so actually this post motivated me to write 3500 words on success traps, which is setting up systems where success can sneak up on you and trap you in spite of your executive function going on a vacation.
"Put your homework in an orange folder" is an example of something that a neurotypical parent thinks is a success trap that they're setting up for their kid.
The trap that the kid might set up for themself is "take photos of all my homework so that if I lose it I can send it to the teacher or work on it without the original paper version." (In my pre-cellphone education era my success trap might have been "turn in homework before the class ends if the teacher allows it" or "do homework with my friend from class who DOESN'T lose homework every day and ask them if they can bring it to school for me")
A success trap is something that will redirect you to what you want to do when you would otherwise fail. Success traps can be physical or mental, they can be tools you use or habits you form; they just have to be something that points you back in the direction of your goal when you get diverted. Features that are present in a success trap include:
Tools to Build Success Traps
Apps, web extensions, physical tools, habits, clothing, and training can all be components of building a successful success trap.
LeechBlock Browser Extension and other access control extensions - can be used to block specific websites for set timeframes.
Noise-blocking headphones
Setting up "Focus Time" rules in a household or work environment
Timers, Planners, Calendars, Alarms, Post-its, whiteboards, To-do Lists, Task Managers and a ton of other traditional tools to remind people what they're working on.
Less conventional reminders include WristLists/Reminder Bracelets, writing tasks on your skin with pens or sharpies, website blocking, physical barriers to distractions (chair in front of the door, phone underneath a task-oriented notepad) and "[Clean/Cook/Work] With Me" Videos.
Speedbumps tend to be very individual and contextual, so removing them takes experience. If your child struggles to get homework done because they feel like they need to look up every word they don't know on the assignment sheet, you might want to sit with them and go through the definitions before they start working. But sometimes the speedbump to making madelines is simply the fact that someone has to empty the sink of dishes before cooking can commence, so all you can do is either wash the dishes in the moment or work on building a robust dishwashing system for ensuring there are no plates in the sink.
Moderate emotions; you'll be more focused when you're less upset or angry or sad - if you need to pay attention to something it might be helpful to bring your mood back to something stable and moderate before you get started. Since ADHD includes emotional dysregulation this may be difficult, but you know the best way to put yourself back on an even keel. If breathing exercises give you panic attacks, don't use them to try to calm down; maybe you'll do better with three sets of pushups or five minutes of a phone game.
Helpful distractions - many people with ADHD find that they work better with background noise or some other kind of external stimulation while doing focused, boring tasks. Listening to music or podcasts, or putting a familiar movie on or turning on a white noise machine can all be helpful distractions that keep the ADHD brain juuuuuust focused enough on something in the periperhy to allow your brain to pay attention to the task that needs to be done (rather the crushing silence of a tense open plan office or the distracting noises the clock and ceiling lights are making.
This one is also highly contextual and highly specific. One example of a success trap that I'm considering making is a single-key keyboard that I can use for "typing" passwords. One of the ones I'm considering purchasing is a mouse with programmable buttons. Getting a mouse to do "Ctrl+C/CTRL+V/CTRL+SHIFT+V" while using excel for web would be a game-changer for me in terms of efficiency. Maybe I'll even get around to it someday. But another example of an efficiency win is just checking my email and messages any time I sit down at my desk. If I haven't stood up in four hours I'm off the hook, but if I stood up to get a refill on my coffee for three minutes, I must check my email when I get back to my desk. That's just how it's done. I don't make the rules. (Not true, I do make the rules but the Alli who makes the rules and the Alli who follows the rules are two different people who just happen to both live in my head.
Get creative when you're thinking about what tools to add to your toolbox. And maybe make one of those tools a literal toolbox. The plastic totes used for cleaning supplies can also be used for gardening tools, pet care, car parts, and barbecues. Make use of them because they might save you a ton of work and there's no reason not to.
The website is free; the reason I started using it for writing up stuff like this more than I use tumblr for writing up stuff like this is that tumblr is too hard to search and "wiki is easy to format and easy to write" is a success trap for me.
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