An Amazingly ADHD-Friendly Productivity Tool

Oh no, not another productivity tool, you say.

Yes, I know. I’m also tired of reading about productivity hacks, to the point where I’m virtually anti-productivity now. But against all odds, I’ve encountered something super helpful, which could also work for you, especially if you’re neurodivergent (ND).

By neurodivergent, I mean anyone whose brain isn’t wired the same way as most people’s, such as those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, etc. In this context, I’m focusing on ADHD, but other ND folks may find this tool beneficial, too!

For ADHDers, we can struggle to stay focused. We may avoid things indefinitely. We might never get to something if it’s not urgent. In school or traditional work environments, there are strict deadlines and schedules to keep us on track (even if they feel unreasonable sometimes). But if we now have a freer schedule with no strict deadlines, we have to be “disciplined” to manage tasks ourselves.

And if we fail? We blame ourselves for not being organized or disciplined enough, for lacking willpower. Even those of us who understand that capitalism is bullshit and demands excessive work from us, we may still accuse ourselves of not trying hard enough, anyway. It can feel like we can’t do anything unless we have external pressure from others, because we don’t want to disappoint them, look bad to others, or to suffer from punishment.

It sucks that we have to rely on people and can’t be independent, right? Well, I recently read this wonderful article: “Being Socially Motivated Is Not a Disorder” by Devon Price.

Devon is a social psychologist who specializes in neurodivergence. He spoke about how ADHDers are highly motivated by people around them. But this is not something pathological. This is something that used to be normal back when we lived in more communal environments, where we did everything together with other people, whether it be cooking, cleaning, other chores, studying, or working.

In modern-day society, many of us are expected to work alone and be “self-sufficient,” which can be a real challenge. Not because we’re incompetent, but because solitary work goes against our natural work style and needs.

Some of us learned to seek out social accountability tactics, such as announcing to friends what we plan to do, joining courses and workshops with deadlines for tasks, studying in libraries or coffee shops, creating arts and crafts with other artists in the room, and so on.

Just because we need others to give us energy and motivation, doesn’t mean we are helpless or weak. It just means that we use different strategies to manage our work.

It was gratifying to hear that there’s nothing wrong with us, that it’s natural to rely on others because we used to be in more communal environments. I feel more empowered, too. Social strategies are tools we choose to use, rather than something that controls us and keeps us dependent.

What I found especially exciting in Devon Price’s essay, is that ADHDers have created body doubling videos to help each other. Body doubling means seeing other people work, and feeling more motivated to work, too. This includes hanging out in coffee shops and libraries to get things done.

For me, I have long abandoned going to the library or coffee shop to work, because my eyestrain is terrible. It drains me if I even glimpse other people’s bright computer or phone screens. As you can imagine, it’s very hard to avoid these bright screens.

I could try to wedge myself into a corner, or sit in a spot where people are not using bright screens. But with how crowded coffee shops and libraries can get, this is not always possible. Besides, it’s such a hassle, that I’d rather work at home and try to stay focused.

So I was super intrigued by the body doubling videos, as that’s something I can try at home. While I searched for these videos, I encountered a website called Flow Club.

Inside Flow Club, a Website Created by ADHDers to Help Other ADHDers

In Flow Club, people book sessions of 30 mins, 60 mins, 90 mins, 120 mins, or 180 mins. You’ll be with up to eight other people who show their videos. You can choose to hide your video, but I find showing my face helpful to keep me accountable.

In the first 5 mins, the host will ask everyone to share their goals. You also type up your goals on a sidebar, which you can edit or add to at any time. Every time you finish something, you can check it off, and confetti will spray on your screen. In the last 5 mins, everyone shares how their session went, what they’ve accomplished, what they’ve learned, etc.

A fantastic thing about Flow Club, is that people are supportive and nonjudgmental. It’s okay to not finish everything on your list. It’s fine to take longer on something than you thought. It’s also fine to change (or delete!) some of your goals.

You can also include any task. Even if it’s something as simple as eating breakfast, taking out the trash, feeding the cat, drinking water, anything. They don’t have to be strictly school or work tasks. You can even add checking email, replying to friends via Discord or Slack, responding to a Facebook message, and other communications.

At Flow Club, most of us have ADHD and can understand each other’s struggles. Folks here also value any progress, any victory, no matter how small. Taking a small step to do something you find challenging, is a big win. Getting some chores done, is way better than getting no chores done.

So while there is social accountability, where we give each other energy and motivation, there is also a lot of empathy and acceptance. I found that being with these people for just a week, has made me kinder and more forgiving towards myself.

Unexpected Gains I’ve Made

I have become much more productive ever since joining Flow Club. This doesn’t mean I’ve transformed into Superman, because I sometimes still move more slowly than I would like. But I’ve grown more accepting, and more realistic, about what I can handle, and at what speed I can accomplish the tasks. You don’t have to finish everything in one day, after all!

Another thing I’ve noticed, is that I’ve grown more aware of what I do versus what I really want to do. I realize just how much time I “waste,” because I initiate unnecessary conversations with people.

I’ve always been quite chatty and outspoken, which isn’t a bad thing per se. It’s cool to socialize and stay in touch with friends, to build connections in my communities. Yet, sometimes I could have just kept my mouth shut, or not raised certain contentious points. When I speak up, I often spark long, even heated discussions.

They can be exciting, even fruitful discussions, but I end up pouring away loads of time and energy that I could have spent on things I care more about. I’m not saying I should never have frank talks with others, but I could afford to do this less often. When someone asks a question in a group chat and I feel enticed to respond, I can hold my tongue and let other people answer instead.

It’s okay to leave interesting questions unanswered, too. Sometimes I feel a false sense of responsibility to make sure everyone feels heard and has their questions answered. But, especially if I’m not an admin of the group, I can just leave it and let others chime in. Many folks need more time to respond, too, so I can give others the chance to speak first.

Coming to Flow Club has helped me shift priorities, from chatting and replying to people impulsively, to getting more of my planned work done instead.

Another unexpected gain was that I’ve been motivated to go to bed earlier! Normally, I like to go to bed at 4 am, 5 am, or even later. But lately, because I’ve gotten so much accomplished, I feel more satisfied, and also more tired, and just want to crash before 3 am, preferably.

Even going to bed past 4 am seems unpleasant nowadays. Once, I went to bed at 1:45 am or so. So when I got up at 10 am for a meeting, I felt more awake and well rested than usual!

One last thing I surprisingly gained is to do with socializing. I am an autistic extrovert, so I gain energy from social interactions, but I’m also averse to noise and abhor unstructured socialising. So that has me avoiding most social events.

I haven’t felt too eager to ask friends to hang out, either. I got too tired of asking to meet up with friends, only to be rejected repeatedly or put off. Even for close friends. People are so busy, that it feels next to impossible to hang out with anyone. And maybe, since the pandemic, many of us learned to be content with long distance friendships, which is valid, but also frustrating if you want to hang out in person, too.

Flow Club, however, gives me a fantastic alternative. I get company, I get to see people’s faces and hear their voices, and I get much work done at the same time. Plus, we’re less likely to say we’re too busy for this, because we literally use these sessions to help us get work done!

This sounds like a great life strategy in general. When you need to finish some important task so you don’t have time to hang out, well, you can always meet up to get work done together. You can meet up in the library, coffee shop, even hang out at home. That way, you get the pleasure of company, but you also get stuff done.

Personally, I get distracted by chatting with friends, so I prefer to do body doubling with strangers. Or to do things that require less mental focus, especially if we can chit-chat and work at the same time, e.g. while we’re drawing. Others may be more motivated to do body doubling with friends than with strangers, however. Whichever floats your boat!

Overall

As a long-time productivity cynic, I am amazed that I actually found a tool that works wonders for me. It’s fun and something I look forward to doing every day.

After a 7-day trial at Flow Club, you do need to pay a membership fee. $40 USD per month. Running a website with so much video streaming must be expensive, hence why there’s a fee to keep the site afloat. But if you host at least 10 sessions in a month, you get 50% off the next, so it would be only $20 a month.

I joined in mid-September, and hosted about 15 sessions that month. It’s not too hard, even with my social awkwardness. It’s a very structured social interaction, after all, with clear expectations and goals. And it’s nice and quiet. If you don’t like the music the host shared, you can always mute it, too.

It’s both a comforting and energizing tool at the same time!

Over to You

Have you tried Flow Club or anything similar before? What other ways do you have to keep yourself on task? Do you find social accountability and body doubling helpful, too?

Do you love stories about psychology, LGBTQ+ experiences, art, and culture? If so, consider signing up for my Ghost newsletter!

This story was originally published in Counter Arts on Oct 16, 2023