Creativity and Adult ADD: Get In The Box!

Last year, Erin and I met with a business consultant to discuss plans for the ADD Management Group. During the meeting, the consultant mentioned something about my "out of the box" ideas, and Erin stopped her.

"Everyone always talks about 'out of the box' ideas!" Erin exclaimed. "Where is this box that everyone talks about? I've never understood what 'out of the box' means."

The consultant smiled very sweetly at Erin and simply replied, "That's because you are the box, Erin."

Boxes Are Our Friends

I've said it many times - Adults with ADD are creative, big picture thinkers. It's easy for us to be creative. It's easy to float from one interesting thing to the next.

It's actually much harder to harness that creative energy and turn it into productivity. Producing results requires putting a lid on your creativity long enough to let the ideas come to life. It means getting in the box and containing the ideas before they get too big to manage or--worse yet--before they float away.

This is what Erin does for the ADD Management Group. I offer the ideas, and she puts them in the box. She grounds things just enough to ensure that the good ideas get pushed into action. It works.

Of course, this is a business example, and our personal lives are slightly different. As adults with ADD, you and I are responsible for creating our own structure and containment.

This means that in order to benefit from our creative ideas, we've got to:

Be realistic about which ideas are worth pursuing, which ones are worth ditching, and which ones are worth saving for a rainy day.

Plan to follow through on those really good ideas. It's not enough to think about how great something could be. An action plan is essential.

Remember when your high school English teacher taught you to answer the questions 'Who, what, where, when, why, and how' in your essays? Answering these six little questions is an excellent way to devise a plan.

Structure our time to produce results. This means making time to act on the good ideas while still managing day-to-day life. It means setting deadlines and finding ways to remain accountable.

You've heard that saying, 'There's a time and place for everything,' right? It applies here. There's a time to be creative, and there's a time to be productive.

Your creative brain can be an incredible asset in life ...provided that you get in the box once a while and contain it.

Do you have comments on this topic? I'd love to hear them! Please share your thoughts.

Comments

[Alison G.]

Awesome topic! Most of the time, I can not even FIND the box, let alone Get In It. But clearly this is something that I really need to learn how to do on a regular basis. :)

[Cynthia]

If you don't have a who to help you get the top back on the box, how are you supposed to stay in the box for any length of time? I set deadlines and walk all over them. Has anyone found a way to penalize themselves that works in order to help them keep deadlines for work products or just to keep from being late?

[Bridget S.]

Jennifer,
I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your writings. They're always excellent reminders that I'm not alone. As a single, self-employed woman with a MILLION creative ideas, I especially related to this piece. Thanks for the reminder to get back in the box!!
Best,
Bridget S.

[Andy]

Allison,
ADDers beat themselves up enough already! You don't need to find a way to penalize yourself. You need to find a way to "get in the box" that works for you. Just an example: I HATE laundry. Especially sorting my socks...so in order to be more productive, I'll do my laundry while watching TV. The commercials are a great time to start new loads and put the wet ones in the dryer. While I'm on the couch watching the show, I'll fold the clothes. Next commercial, I'm putting them away.

I don't penalize myself for not getting my laundry done. It just means I get to watch another hour of TV, or I save the rest for my TV time the next night.

The point is, with ADD, YOU have to find a way to put YOURSELF in the box, without beating yourself up more than you already do.

Putting yourself in the box means either getting rid of the distractions that are keeping you from your project, or creating distractions that allow you to do your project at the same time.

Good luck!

[Jennifer Koretsky]

Wow, great response to this topic! Alison, I also have trouble finding that box sometimes! ;)

Bridget S. - thanks for the great feedback. I really appreciate that and I'm glad you enjoy the newsletters!

Allison - I think Andy has the right idea here. I would add that some people need to start at square 1, which is "Breaking the Cycle of Overwhelm." It's Chapter 1 in my book and the first step in the process!

Andy - sounds like you're doing great. Thanks for being so positive and sharing your personal experiences!