Tons of Paperwork and ADHD

Have you experienced being in a deep pile of paperwork? Whether you work in an office or live in the comfort of your home, paperwork can quickly accumulate whether you like it or not. And for someone with ADHD, this can certainly be a problem if not addressed properly.

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Simple Tasks, Complicated ADHD Brain

Let's start with the simple task of gathering unopened mail. Sometimes, we like to skip these tedious yet straightforward tasks. Doing these chores can be a struggle, especially since our minds tend to daydream and travel to different times and places, making it hard to focus on simple and repetitive tasks.

I have been in this situation where I was supposed to gather my unopened mail accumulating over a few days. Still, instead of opening the mailbox, I decided to watch YouTube and clicked around until I saw a postman in the advertisement. That's when I remembered that I was doing these unopened letters to search for my unpaid bill from last quarter.

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Struggling to Pay Bills on Time

As a consequence of my passing on the task of opening the mail, I couldn't pay my bills on time. This has been an ongoing struggle for me. Adulting, especially for someone with ADHD, is not easy at all. Though I may have the resources to pay off these utilities, I still struggle to find time to pay them because I already forgot their due dates (yes, I am horrible with deadlines), or the bill sent to me is already on my deep pile of letters.

Important events, dates, and deadlines are a few things an ADHD brain might not remember the most. Sometimes, you might want to ask yourself, "Is it ADHD or normal forgetfulness?"

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Administrative Tasks are Hard

Paperworks are complicated as it is. But organizing your files on your computer, remembering passwords, and managing your emails can be even more challenging for someone with ADHD. It may seem easy for some, but it takes a lot of time and patience to perfect these skills and remember the details or instructions you make for yourself.

Although I live in a digital generation, I am probably the least tech-savvy person out there. My ADHD brain has been doing everything it can to prevent me from utilizing technology effectively. I struggle mostly with file management, passwords and where to keep them, and sometimes getting directions or tutorials in something to do online.

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The Administrative Avoidance Spiral

We have to admit to ourselves that doing paperwork is part of our lives. We have to decide at one point in our lives that we need to accomplish this task. But people with an ADHD brain may try to convince themselves that they can push this task back later and avoid doing it.

But then you get stressed out of the circumstances the delay might have caused. You try and decide to do the task one more time and avoid it again repeatedly. Then you realize you are in a loop of avoiding these tasks that you should have done.

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Automate and Ask Help

Technology today is so advanced that it can either help our ADHD brains or complicate them even further. To avoid reaching that loop of administrative avoidance, you can quickly look for tools that can help you automate tasks such as paying bills online and organizing spreadsheets of your expenses.

Watching tutorials, asking for help, and joining the online community can also help you do the paperwork much more manageable. Sometimes, it's easier to do complex things if you do it with someone else.