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These Four Productivity Hacks Transformed My AuDHD Life
Most productivity hacks don’t work for me — these do
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with productivity.
Throughout school, I wrote papers the night before deadlines, crammed for exams at the last minute, and somehow still earned high grades.
As a journalist, I perfected the art of the all-nighter, producing quality work just hours before submission. Despite my achievements — even landing a book deal at 21 — I barely kept my head above water.
Some people thought my tendency to work at the last minute meant I was lazy; others applauded my ability to produce quality work under pressure. I just thought something was wrong. Why couldn’t I work how and when I was supposed to?
I wanted to be productive so badly that I devoured books, videos, and podcasts about the latest productivity hacks, thinking there had to be something out there that would finally make me functional.
Yet none of the generic advice, like creating routines and setting clear goals, worked. It all felt like too much.
So I muddled through. I was like an easily-overwhelmed swan — calm above water but paddling like mad below it.
