ADHD Adults Need to Play if They Want to Be Productive

DESCRIPTION: ADHD adults need to play to be productive. Here are strategies to motivate yourself to play more even though you have a full plate. KEY TAKEAWAYS: * Play is a biological need. * ADHD adults need to play to do their other work more effectively. * There are many ways to play. * You should schedule play in your day. RESOURCES: BOOK: Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul, by Dr. Stuart Brown WEBSITES: National Institute of Play TRANSCRIPT: 00:01: Play? You thought I talked about ADHD and productivity, right? What does play have to do with that? If you’re feeling swamped by your professional and personal tasks, and don’t feel you have time for play, then you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode. Because play will help you operate better in all realms of your life. You’ve tuned into Scattered, Focused Done – Reimagining Productivity with ADHD, a podcast for ADHD adults like you, who want to learn how to adopt the best strategies, tools and skills to be able to get your essential work done in a way that works with the way your brain is wired. I’m Marla Cummins and I’m glad you decided to join me today on this journey to reimagining productivity with ADHD. So you can get what is important to you done without trying to do it like everyone else. 01:03: If you’ve listened to my podcast or read by blogs before, then you know I define productivity as doing what is meaningful to you in alignment with your values. And, if play is important to you, as it is to me, then it can definitely be part of being productive. Yet, while you may agree with that, I know it can also be hard to incorporate play into your already busy schedule. But what if play helped you do your other work more effectively and efficiently? Would you be willing to play more? I hope so. 01:41: First, I’ll differentiate play from downtime, at least for the purposes of this episode. Downtime is really doing nothing. That is, you’re awake, but relaxed. Think about sitting outside and looking at the stars or hanging out in a hammock. Play, on the other hand, can be an activity or in some cases an attitude with which you approach an activity. The defining characteristic, according to Dr. Stuart brown, a psychiatrist and play researcher who is also the founder of the National Institute of Play, yes, there is a National Institute of Play, says that play is doing it for its own sake. 02:25: If its purpose is more important than the act of doing it, it’s probably not play. So, for example, if you’re painting because you want to make money by selling the finished product on Etsy, and that’s your main goal, that would probably not be play. But play could be an activity such as skiing, playing cards, hiking, knitting, or hanging out at a party. You might even create an environment of playfulness in the way you approach an activity by, for example, playing music and singing as you wash the dishes, setting a timer, to see how many emails you can get through in a certain amount of time or cooking with a family member or friend. So if you don’t have time to go hiking today, I bet you could adopt a more playful approach to a task you have on your plate. 03:22: But wait, isn’t play just for children to prepare them to be adults. I don’t think many of the people listening to this podcast still believe that. But just in case, remember just because children pretend to be race,