HOW I FOCUS WHEN WORKING FROM HOME (originally posted 05.12.2020)

 

I Have AOADD (Self-Diagnosed)

05/12/2020

 AOADD is something I may (or may not have) made up.  It is Adult Onset Attention Deficit Disorder.  It also may just be that, after so many years of having to juggle a lot of different things, my brain just said, “I GIVE UP,” and decided to go on vacation.  What it actually feels like, for me, is that my brain has divided itself into 2 parts…the front brain and the back brain.

The result is I have a really hard time focusing.  My front brain is used for things that require me to think more than usual, like reconciling my check book, assembling anything from directions, working in Quickbooks, setting up paperwork processes and calendars, and just about anything that requires reading or using math. Imagine your life being one continuous word problem…you know the kind I’m talking about:  “Mary has 4 apples, if she buys 3 bottles of wine and runs 2 miles to the fabric store, how many pigeons will land on the roof?”  That’s the kind of activity my front brain handles. 

Then there is my back brain…this is the side I sew and create with.  I can cut fabric, sew it all together, print and prep my orders, design new things, and even read pattern directions with this part of my brain.  The main portion of my creative business lives here and is the dominant part of my brain.

I feel that having these activities separated isn’t really a bad thing.  The problem comes when I am actually doing these activities and using just one part or the other separately.  If I’m sewing, my front brain is bugging me about how much paperwork I need to do and telling me that sales tax reports are due soon and that I forgot to do my bank rec this morning and that one of my bookkeeping clients paperwork needs to be processed. If I am actually working with my front brain, my back brain is bugging me about orders that are due out on Friday and the fabric I need to order and what new items I need to put in my shop and, don’t forget to watch that new youtube video that one of the 247 people I follow just posted.

So, how do I handle having a split brain (maybe this should be called “split brain disorder,” lol! 

-When I am using my back brain (sewing), I can listen to music, but my front brain usually needs more than music so I have become an avid audiobook reader. The front brain gets easily bored and needs to be absorbed in something so the time goes faster. Imagine my front brain as a child…”Mom! Mom! I’m bored…come and play with me! It’s lunch time…feed me! You’re taking too much time doing that boring sewing! Mom! I need attention NOW!” So usually only audiobooks or Youtube videos will satisfy the front brain so I can work with my back brain.

-To shut up my back brain while I’m bookkeeping, I can only use music. But the kind of music I listen to often changes. Most days it’s low key selections off a special playlist but some days I can listen to upbeat oldies (usually when I’m doing some type of data entry that doesn’t require too much thinking). I think the low key music puts my back brain to sleep while the upbeat oldies makes it dance away and leave me alone so I can get the bookkeeping done.

So does anyone else have this issue?  I know a lot of you have small children and teens at home that call to you like my 2 brain sides do

Think safely, my friends!
-Denise

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