Caveday - A Tool To Help With ADHD

This post was written by ADHD coach Alana Stern

As an ADHD coach, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients struggling to stay focused enough to follow through on their intentions. Let’s begin by establishing some basic understandings of the ADHD experience. 

ADHD is more than just difficulty concentrating. Any neurodiverse brain that struggles with executive functioning (difficulty executing your intentions) can benefit from the support of the cave. Whether you have ADHD or not, getting things done every day requires something called “executive functions.” These are a sequence of brain habits that help us make sense of our to-dos, organize our thinking and in effect, allow us the ability to produce an intended result.

  1. Prioritizing
    Impulsivity can prevent an ADHDer from thinking things through and doing the” right” thing at the “right” time. 

  2. Planning & Follow Through
    Many ADHDers struggle with either the big picture or with separating out the details, so planning can be overwhelming. And sticking with the plan can feel stifling to brains that thrive on spontaneity and that are particularly susceptible to distractions. 
     

  3. Getting Started
    ADHDers are notorious procrastinators - overwhelm, the very real need for a task to be stimulating and susceptibility to distractions can all get in the way of “just doing it”.
     

  4. Staying Focused
    Almost all ADHDers struggle to regulate their attention, and that includes staying focused on one task at a time.  

  5.  Managing Time
    ADHDers don’t have a good “feel” for the passing of time. 

  6.  Finishing Up
    Regulating your attention also involves switching your attention at the appropriate time. ADHDers can become frustrated and give up too soon. Or they can find it hard to accept “good enough” and let go of a task. 


I first heard about Caveday from one of my clients who came across it at a very low point in her life when she was really struggling to get any work done. In her first session, she sat for 50 minutes solid on ONE thing, something she felt she had never in her life done before! I suggested the Cave to another client who found working from home during the Omicron surge a huge challenge and now she is a regular. So, of course I was curious to try it out myself. 

In my first Cave, I was surprised at how much I was able to accomplish. I chose to work through a ten step process and got to step 7 in only 50 minutes. Usually, I’d get up and take a break after every step and something like this would take me a good few hours. 

Here’s how Caveday helps ADHDers succeed with each of these stages:

1.     Prioritizing
At the beginning of a sprint, we share what we want to work on. This encourages ADHDers to give some thought as to what the best use of their time would be, as opposed to impulsively following their attention.

2.     Planning & Follow Through
When we book a sprint to do a task, we are anchoring it in time – the exact strategy that is needed to move it from our to-do list to our “when-to-do” list. And the accountability that comes with knowing we will be sharing our progress at the end of the session helps us stick with our intentions.


3.     Getting Started
You can’t come late to a sprint. ADHDers thrive on hard deadlines, but usually, they only have ending deadlines. Caves give us starting deadlines. Especially if it’s something we’ve paid for in advance!


4.     Staying Focused
 “Body doubling” is a known ADHD strategy for improving focus. Just having someone else in the room can anchor your attention. And it works remotely too. Having a whole group of people all focusing at the same time, gives off an incredible, attention-enhancing energy.


5.     Managing Time
ADHDers notoriously struggle with time estimation. With every sprint, we sharpen this skill and get a better idea of what is actually possible within an hour.


6.     Finishing Up
ADHDers can struggle to turn off their attention as much as they can struggle to turn on their attention.  When ADHDers hyperfocus, they need powerful tools to pull them out. The stretches and ending sequence run by the cave guide are often just the thing an ADHD brain needs to help them shift their attention.

Moreover, ADHDers often struggle with moving from one task to another. The sprint ending rituals provide a minute of focused and intentional transition time. This can reduce the time ADHDers spend on all sorts of longer, less effective transition activities like social media scrolling, gaming or snacking.

In short, Caveday is definitely going into my toolbox of strategies for helping my ADHD clients get stuff done. (Oh, and I’ll be back in the Cave too!)

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- Alana Stern, ADHD Coach

Caveday is a company aimed at improving your relationship to work. We write regular posts here and send out monthly newsletters with productivity tips, life hacks, and recommendations. Sign up for the mailing list here.

Alana Stern is an ADHD Coach who partners with her clients to master their minds, take control and thrive with ADHD. Learn more at alanastern.com

 
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