I’m Not a Habit Person (How to Make Them Stick If You're Not One, Either)
If you have ADHD and think you're just not a "habit person", you're not alone. You may feel like it takes you longer to build them and that you lose them quicker, too. If that's true for you, I get it. Today I'm talking about what tends to get in our way when we try to build habits and how we can approach them in a way that sticks.
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ADHD Habit Woes
Habits can be tricky for us- here are some predictable ways habits go south (or never go at all ) when you have ADHD:
1. We Go Too Big
Big changes and overhauls are exciting, but starting too big is a sure way to run out of steam. So instead of starting with a five-minute walk, we decide we’re going to run 30 minutes. Instead of stretching once a week, we plan a full morning routine overhaul. It's kind of like taking a plant out of its pot and tossing it onto the ground without preparing the area and giving it space to take root.
It might survive for a week or two, but it's not going to last.
Start smaller than you think you should. Then cut that in half. Make it so small it feels almost silly not to do it. Let it get rooted and then eventually it will grow.
2. Build in Celebration
Small steps don’t give big dopamine boosts and that's why we're drawn to the big overhaul. If you’re trying tip #1 by starting tiny, you need to create tiny celebrations so you can stay motivated along the way. Don't wait for the end- congratulate yourself along the way to keep momentum.
3. Restart Small, Too
If you're habit-challenged, you might lose newly formed habits when routines change (like travel, illness, stress, and holidays). Expect this to happen and plan or it! Instead of waiting months to “reset” to what you left off doing, restart with that tiny version again. Before long, you'll be able to snowball back to what you had before.The faster you restart small, the faster you rebuild momentum.
4. Understand Why Habits Help
Habits Protect Your EnergyHabits matter because they reduce decision-making. When you deliberate all day “Should I? Shouldn’t I?” , you burn mental energy.People who seem extremely disciplined often just have strong habits. Once a habit is built, it moves into a more automatic mode. That saves energy for other things you need your energy and effort to tackle.
5. Be Picky
Habits help, but they also take work on the front end. If you're not a "habit person", don’t try to turn everything into a habit. Choose the “heavy hitters” (the things that have the biggest impact for you). That way your spending your energy on things that give you the most benefit.
Even if you need to approach them differently, building habits is worth it. They help you get important things done without burning your decision making energy.
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