Question: From a neurodivergent aspect, how do you deal with deadlines and staying focused?

Eddie Cano Gamez answered on 20 Jan 2022: last edited 20 Jan 2022 1:17 pm

Very important question! I am in the process of getting an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessment . Though I don’t yet have an official diagnosis, I have certainly always felt different to others and so hopefully I can add something of value to this question.

From my perspective, I tend to get very overwhelmed if either of two situations happens. Firstly, when I have lots of work but no clear priorities. This is stressful because I wake up and I don’t know what to focus on, so I end up not doing anything and then feeling guilty and sad for not having worked enough. Secondly, when I have lots of deadlines coming up at the same time, especially if they are big deadlines which require a lot of work. I like doing things in a very precise and systematic way, which takes time and can get stressful if you are in a hurry to finish.

What has worked for me is the following. Firstly, always planning the work I’ll do in advance, often at the beginning of the week. I first write what I want to achieve that week, order it by priority, and more or less guess how much time each thing will take me to complete. I then use a calendar to schedule this throughout my week. This means that every day I wake up, look at my calendar, and know exactly what I need to do that day. This has saved me from so much stress, because I no longer need to wonder what to focus on every morning. Knowing how long each task will take me also makes it possible to build a timeline (something like a Gannt chart, if you are familiar with them). This is super helpful when I have deadlines coming up because I know in advance if I will be able to finish and more or less how much time it will take me. I also know how much time off I can take, which is very important because I then don’t feel guilty for resting: I know I can do it because I have scheduled it in, and I deserve it. And a bonus point is I get to tick off what I’ve done! This makes a huge difference because by the end of the week I can see all the things I’ve achieved, so I no longer feel like I didn’t do enough.

Although this has worked for me, neurodivergence is of course very personal and will depend on the specific ways in which your brain works. If you struggle with concentration because of characteristics like ADHD, then there are lots of productivity apps which you can install on your phone to help you get continuous periods of work, alternated with rest. It might also be useful to look at the pomodoro technique for timing your work (see the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique). If you have ASD like me, and find yourself feeling very restless when under stress, I would suggest having a fidget cube on your desk, so you can keep your hands occupied and moving while you think or work.

But the most important thing is to be kind to yourself. If you are neurodivergent, that makes you different from others. Please be aware of that and don’t try to do things like a neurotypical person would. Forcing yourself to be neurotypical can be tiring and draining. Instead, find what works for you, even if it seems completely weird and crazy to others. There is nothing wrong with being neurodivergent, and in fact it’s a very special characteristic which can give you a unique perspective once you learn to make the most of it.