The Comfort of Constraints

Something that has proven beneficial for me, as an ADHDer, is to isolate activities. My brain works better in single-task mode, and I stay calm and more focused. I'm also more productive when I do these things, but that's not really the point. The point is that they make me calmer. I'm relaxed when I get shit done. That's one of the best things about listening to music on vinyl records, for example. It's an isolated activity. Of course I still stream music. Or listen to my iPod Classic, but the act of listening to records is a distinct activity. You need to be intentional about it: selecting the record, dusting it, loading it onto the turntable, playing it, sitting down to listen (or dancing to it), flipping it over when the first side is over, and repeating. It's a constrained activity even from the start: your options are limited to what you have in your collection¹. I also started keeping the phone away when I watch TV or movies. I don't like to break my attention when I'm watching…