My secret to productivity with ADHD

what do I do differently now?

Author

Ian Tenenbaum
October 09, 2023 • Read Time: 3 minutes

This week I was asked by someone 28 years old (15 years younger than me):

“What would you do differently at my age if you could do it all over again?”

I loved the question!

  • My first thought was how I make it a habit not to look back on the past with negative feelings or regret.

  • My next thought was the Stoic philosophy called “Amor Fati” which I have embraced and now live by.

Amor Fati, roughly translates as “love of fate”, or “love of one's fate”.

Amor Fati is the practice of accepting and embracing everything that has happened, is happening, and is yet to happen

So how do we look back at our past to learn while still fully accepting it?

The question showed me that in the past 7 years, I have embraced my ability to “reflect” on my past and “become wiser” in the process.

Thinking back to myself at 28 the famous Bill Gates quote immediately came to mind:

❝

“People overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years.”

Bill Gates

When I was 28, I rarely paused long enough to reflect back and certainly not to properly PLAN AHEAD.

So my advice to myself at 28 would be as simple as this:

  • Slow down

  • Extend your time horizon and plan for 5 years or 10 years from now

  • Stay the course - You can slow down and let compound interest do the heavy lifting

  • Resist comparison to others at all costs (but learn from them if useful)

  • Trust the process

The irony is we are in such a rush when we are younger and then get the wisdom to slow down when we are getting older.

The results I have seen in my life over the past 5 years when embracing a slower, more intentional, and thoughtful daily routine, have shown me how true that Bill Gates quote really is.

I will leave you with one more quote that I now live by which comes from the military:

❝

Slow is Smooth

….and Smooth is Fast

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