Dear Adee H. Dee (she/her)

Adee H. Dee is (un)known for her sound, practical advice, delivered with the quirky style of a good friend who talks really fast and has a high level of distractibility. She prefers entertaining ideas rather than people and frequently breaks out into song when someone says anything that resembles a 90's song lyric.

Editorial Column

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October 2023

Dear Adee,

Do you have any tips for productivity when your brain is on a NO-FOcus setting and you can't get out of it?

P.S. I'm fully focused on fall drinks and sweater weather which seems unrelated to work.

Thx,

Unfocused in Fargo

Dear Unfocused in Fargo,

I hear you loud and clear and I've got just the thing.

TOP 5 TIPS for WORKING WITH YOUR ND BRAIN

AND GET ISH DONE while also day dreaming about fall drinks and sweaters.

Tip #1 Disrupt the flow.

Stop what you’re doing and go outside. Reset your brain and do something completely different. Go for a walk, run, skip- whatever it is that will re-set and re-boot the thought process for you.

Tip #2 Do a warm up.

Not in the mood to work? Creativity hitting an all time low? Try warming up your brain by putting your hands to work first. Start with something accessible like doodling, sketching, even modeling clay or play dough. The goal is to tap into the brain-body connection and stir the creativity in your mind and hands.

Tip #3 Make it a vibe.

I’m not talking about working in a full cosplay situation here. I’m simply suggesting a few elements that take the typical, hamster wheel work session into fall aesthetic mode.

1. Make a special drink that brings you joy- you deserve it. You work so dang hard every single day.

2. Enjoy your first meal of the day or snack on a special dish. Make today fancy friends!

3. Put on some super vibey and aesthetic music on the background, light some candles, drape a blanket over your work space chair.

4. Look at that little spread. It’s all for you. Honor yourself today because you’re the employee of the month. Congrats, you earned it. 😉

Lookin' for the perfect music to set the vibe? Check out this fantastic, sometimes spooky themed Youtube channel from Lofi Girl here.

Itching for something a little more classical? I got you covered with some Classical But It's Lofi/Hip Hop.

Tip #4 Commit to just 10 minutes.

Sometimes getting started is the most challenging part. If you’re on the struggle bus this morning and opening your laptop sounds dangerous…take it to the “10 minute work party” mode.

Here’s what to do: Look your laptop straight in the logo and say “Hey laptop. We’re going to work together for 10 minutes today. It doesn’t have to be magical but it has to be productive. It’s cool, we don’t even need to talk. BYOHeadphones.”

Just start with 10 minutes and reassess. Is another 10 minute block accessible from here?

Tip #5 Time blocking.

Yeah, y’all knew I was going to throw in some pomodoro techniques in here. If you’re brain is overwhelmed by the thought of working today- bring in the visual cues of time blocking mixed with breaks to make it happen.

This is extremely effective because you can see exactly how long you’ll be working until your break.

If you’re already a FAN of pomodoro, I hope this curated mini list of YouTube channels elevates your love to AIR CONDITION status. For context, that was an actual fan:air con pun. 😱

P.S. There are options with pomodoro. Go classic with 25 minutes on and a 5 minute break. Or take it into hyperfocus mode and do 45-50 minutes on with a 10 minute break.

My GO-TO for all things work flow is The Sherry Formula channel. This click and go playlist is all business complete with a visual timer, audible countdowns, and re-starting cues. ⤵️

I also really like Study Dream for it's simple and easy music choices plus longer sessions for those days when I enter Operation Hyperfocus 👀 ⤵️

Get after it. You're amazing. 🤜🤛

Adee H. Dee signing out.

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