Don't Eat the Frog First

Popular productivity tips often don't work for those with ADHD. One offender is the advice to "eat the frog first."

The idea is that the "frog" is the most difficult task of the day that you need to complete. Rather than dread doing it all day, you do it first. Embrace the suck and put in that effort at the beginning of the day. And for the rest of the day, all of your other tasks will feel that much easier.

For people with ADHD, this does not work. At all.

A neurotypical person is balancing tasks based on difficulty and importance. The "frog" task is difficult, so saving it for the end makes it more difficult to accomplish.

But with ADHD, the difficulty of the task does not matter. When I'm in the zone, I almost prefer more difficult tasks for the challenge. Instead, task management is all about energy. And for the ADHD brain, that energy is fueled by interest.

Fun First

Rather than eating the frog, eat the ice cream!

Do the task that excites you most. Interest-driven activity provides fuel for the ADHD brain, the kind of fuel that allows you to power through more difficult tasks.

Load up on the good stuff first.

Get your interest engine churning and ride that momentum to power through the more difficult work.