Mental Transitions
Once upon a time, I lived in a one-bedroom apartment. The lack of space meant I worked (I lived there for college, my year as a freelance writer, and during grad school), prayed, watched TV, and played video games all in the same room. This was difficult. When I wanted to be working, the allure of the TV was a constant distraction. It was as if the TV was saying to me, “Why get work done when there is Netflix to be watched?” This setup made productivity difficult to achieve. When it came time to move, I knew I needed more space. I wanted to have specific areas for specific things. Fortunately, I was able to find such a place to live. Now I have separate areas for all those things I used to do in my living room.
This leads me to an interesting aspect of ADHD — mental transitions. When switching from one task to another, it can be hard for the ADHD brain to transition. Going from work to being at home with your family is not an easy transition. You want to be fully present with your family, but work tasks are still filling your mind. Even while at work, shifting from one task to another is difficult. Task A is complete, and it is time to shift to Task B, but thoughts of A will not leave you. “Can I do more to perfect A?” you wonder.
There are two basic things you can do to aid your mental transitions.
Specific Areas for Specific Things
As mentioned before, having different rooms for different things has been a game-changer for me. Moving from one location to another allows me to shift mindsets. Simply being in my office allows me to get into work mode. Being in my living room allows me to enter into relaxation mode. Find the spaces in your living quarters to separate the tasks you do.
However, I do recognize that not everyone has the luxury of moving from one room to another to do each task they have to do. This is where subdividing your space can come in handy. I noticed that I read better for work when lying down. Therefore, I moved an extra twin bed into my office. If I need to read something for work, I lay on that. This is a different space in the same room that is designated for a specific task. So, if you only have one room to work with, separate that one room into specific areas for specific things. Make one area your relaxation area, another your work area, and a third area for prayer/mediation/whatever else you do.
Movement
One of the bonuses of having different areas for different tasks is being forced to move from one area to another. This movement helps the brain transition. Simply walking out of my office gives me the mental reset I need to transition into whatever else I need to do. Moving around has an almost magical effect. Instead of trying to do the new task right away, you have a built-in buffer time to stretch, move about, breathe, and shift your thinking from Task X to Task Y. This is why some people like to go to the gym right after work. The movement they do at the gym allows them to stop thinking about work and gets them ready for being at home. So, if you have trouble shifting from one task to another, try moving around.