| I have ADHD. Compared to my peers, I am one of the most productive humans. (I know this because my career track, quarterly and annual performance ratings, manager feedback, KPIs and metrics against peers or industry standards) I attribute this to my ability to convince reptilian brain that if I don’t successfully execute tasks and accomplish goals, that I will die. I operate as if I have a gun pointed at my head. And at the head of everyone I love and cherish. This allows me to fully engage all my faculties as if my life depended upon it. Hyperfocus. The downside is stress. I mostly operate in a flow state, but depending on the day/task/objective, my body has trouble disengaging this feeling that I will die if I don’t execute, so it can negatively affect sleep, as well as life outside of work, because I am always thinking about how to accomplish the goal. But the ability to trigger my amygdala into this “fight” mode stimulates a daily adrenal response that allows me to perform with exponential productivity. I am often astonished at what I am able to accomplish over a period of time. All this requires me believing in what I’m doing to some degree, but not always. For example, I just want the biggest bonus in the company history, and if I don’t get it, I will die. So this allows me to have some purpose. I also need to believe that I’m good at what I’m doing, because that enables me to execute confidently and without hesitation from one task/goal to the next and enjoy the process. |