Creativity at 2 in the Morning With ADHD

I returned a call from a colleague yesterday two hours after she left her message.  “Were you out?” she asked. “No,” I replied.  “I was working and had the phone off.  I do that sometimes so I can concentrate.”

She was shocked and thought it was nuts that I could miss a possible business opportunity.  “I’m returning your call now, right?  I’m not a plumber who needs to stop a leak or a towing company responding to a stuck car.   No one must order a new website immediately and my clients can always text me if there is a crisis.”

As a website and graphic designer, there are times when I need to get into my “zone.”  I have ADHD, something that was professionally diagnosed about 15 years ago.  It is not uncommon among us creatives. Who knew? I have learned how to manage my fleeting attention span which sometimes requires turning off distractions.  It also means that I often work extremely late into the night when the phone isn’t ringing, the dog is sleeping, and the emails aren’t pinging into my inbox.

As I have both a VOIP desk phone and an iPhone, everything gets shut off.

I also find it helpful to close Outlook three or four times daily for periods up to 45-60 minutes to avoid that email anxiety.

Vanessa Barbara wrote in the New York Times Oct. 28, 2019 about working 9-5; that’s 9 pm to 5 am as she lives with a circadian rhythm disorder.  I can’t say I go that far but I’m happiest being creative at 2 am and prefer to make all daytime appointments after 11 am just in case I go crazy and stay busy past four in the morning.  It happens more than I care to admit!

A few other things I have found helpful.

• Take breaks and walk the dog.
• Drinking water
• Standing at my desk
• Stretching. At my desk. Downstairs.  Outside. Anywhere.  Anytime.  It’s my favorite way of clearing my head.
• I recently took a refresher TM session (Transcendental Meditation). It should be done twice a day. Honestly, if I get two sessions in a week I feel like I’ve accomplished something. 😉

Call me if you are looking for a creative solution for your South Florida small business.  Websites, graphic design, email marketing. But not too early. And if I don’t pick up the phone right away you can be sure I will soon after!

It’s 2 am now.  Good night.