Lists, Meditation, Support Groups & No Phone Zones: A Creative's Guide To Living With ADD
Interview by Nada Alic / WNW Member
For the last twenty years, filmmaker and TV host Jonathan Hyla has pursued compelling stories and interesting characters from A-list celebrities and musicians to cowboy poets and environmental conservationists. His larger-than-life personality and quick-witted charm endears him to high-profile names, who find themselves immediately at ease and in the company of a good friend. That’s what makes him good at his job, so good that a brief interview with megastar Cate Blanchett went viral after it appeared that the star was visibly rattled by him, only to be revealed later that she was teasing him in a flirtatious banter. While he might semi-seriously attribute that to his good looks, he says it’s the unique way his brain is wired that lends itself to this kind of spontaneity, but also drives him to distraction.
In recent years, Hyla has shifted his focus more to documentary film, where he can deep dive into complex issues and unsolvable problems in order to better understand them. Never has this desire been more poignant than with his most recent project: an exploration into the world of ADD (Attention-Deficit-Disorder) something the filmmaker has struggled with his entire life. Over 10 million people in the US have suffered from ADD with many more who are struggling undiagnosed. It is a condition that so aptly represents the modern era—and with technology, increased pressures for productivity, and more distractions than ever, people who struggle with ADD are forced to navigate what can feel like a complex minefield in their day to day lives.
Hyla is on a mission to demystify ADD, explore the nuances, and yes, even the benefits of having ADD. I spoke with Hyla to learn more about his documentary film project and the corresponding book he’s writing, as well as some advice for those of us who struggle to focus when our very jobs depend on it.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a filmmaker, producer and TV correspondent currently working with 59 tabs open on his computer.
When did you first get diagnosed or found out that you struggled with ADHD?
I was diagnosed by a doctor when I was eleven but there were signs earlier than that. I was dyslexic and took ESL classes, sometimes I’d forget to wear shoes to school, I was hyperactive and always in trouble for being disruptive, all my teachers said I was smart but I didn't “apply” myself.
As an adult I always found myself getting great jobs because I was creative and laser-focused on getting in the door but once I got into those positions I was often in trouble with my boss for not executing or following through. My procrastination was debilitating; I’ve pulled way more all nighters than a normal person should. It wasn’t until last year that I was diagnosed again as an adult and started to think about what that means or how it impacted my life.
“I always found myself getting great jobs because I was creative and laser-focused on getting in the door but once I got into those positions I was often in trouble with my boss for not executing or following through. My procrastination was debilitating.”
What causes it? Early childhood stressors/genes/lifestyle?
You can probably blame your parents but it’s not their fault. The short answer is ADHD is most likely hereditary. The numbers vary on this but if one of your parents has it there is a 50% chance you have it too. There is also research that shows exposure to toxins and chemicals as a kid may increase your risk. External influences like parenting, diet or trauma can make your ADHD symptoms better or worse but it’s likely not the cause. There is still a lot of unanswered questions and ongoing research around the specifics but the evidence so far is very compelling that it's genetic. And to all you Johnny-come-latelies, sorry, but there is currently no evidence of adult on-set ADHD.
Does ADD impact everyone the same?
Definitely not. People display different symptoms all to varying degrees and the environment around them will also play a role in how ADD impacts them. You and I are great examples of this. Nada loves reading books and writing, it’s literally her job and passion in life. She keeps a stack of books by her bed that she is constantly reading. She writes stories at an unbelievable rate. I don't think I’ve ever been able to finish a book in my whole life. I often have to reread a paragraph multiple times to retain the information. Just answering these questions which I’m typing out has been excruciating.
How does it affect your day to day?
To quote a great man who triumphed over his ADD, Threat Level Midnight director and Dunder Mifflin branch manager Michael Scott once said, “Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.” I’m forgetful, I lose stuff constantly, I have trouble prioritizing, I put too much on my plate, I’m impulsive, easily distracted, easily overwhelmed, I have difficulty making easy decisions, I have poor time management, I procrastinate, I’m impatient, unorganized, late paying bills, I have difficulty with routines, habits and follow through, basically all the things that make up a functioning adult in a modern society. Thankfully I’ve figured out how to better manage these things as I’ve gotten older, I just wish I would have tried to figure out what were the right systems earlier in life. The older I get the more comfortable and accepting I am with my ADD but I still have days where I feel completely paralysed to the point where I scream and cry.
“I’m forgetful, I lose stuff constantly, I have trouble prioritizing, I put too much on my plate, I’m impulsive, easily distracted, easily overwhelmed, I have difficulty making easy decisions, I have poor time management, I procrastinate, I’m impatient, unorganized, late paying bills, I have difficulty with routines, habits and follow through, basically all the things that make up a functioning adult in a modern society.”
Have you experienced any benefits to having it?
Absolutely, it’s amazing. Despite all the struggles that ADD comes with, I feel really lucky to have it. Weird, I know. It’s like I made a deal with the devil allowing him to inflict chaos on my life for his enjoyment and in return, he gives me his secret code that unlocks infinite creativity and hyperfocus. I have a big imagination that has served me well. I love problem-solving, leading teams and thinking on my feet. I’m usually pretty chill under pressure and when the stakes get higher, I tend to feel more settled. Maybe it's the dopamine rush. One example: I spent a large chunk of my career interviewing celebrities in a press junket setting. Fucking up was not an option and for some reason, I liked that rush. Adrenaline feels good to me and it’s something that a lot of ADD people are often chasing. One of my interviews went viral, I think in part because I have the ability to strike up a conversation with anyone about anything and take it to crazy places.
What are the main characteristics of ADHD? How does it express itself neurologically and behaviourally?
The problem isn’t that we don’t have focus, it’s that we’re inconsistent with our attention and often struggle with harnessing it in the right direction, at the right time, and in the right ways. I can be in the middle of a conversation with someone and lose my attention and then say something random which can be funny but also weird. We have a deficit in our Executive Function, the part of our brain that helps with planning, decision making, follow-through, prioritizing, and organization. This includes our ability to store and manage information for a short period of time, aka “working memory”.
“Despite all the struggles that ADD comes with, I feel really lucky to have it. Weird, I know. It’s like I made a deal with the devil allowing him to inflict chaos on my life for his enjoyment and in return, he gives me his secret code that unlocks infinite creativity and hyperfocus.”
What’s the difference between “feeling ADD” and actually having it?
People love to say things like, “who doesn't lose their keys or get distracted, everyone's a little ADD.” The fact is unless your forgetfulness, distraction, or procrastination are debilitating to the point of keeping you from functioning normally in society or negatively impacting your life than no, you’re not a “little ADD.” Sure, as a society we are more distracted and we have higher levels of anxiety and feelings of overload, but that's because of external stimulation. Cell phones, social media, limitless bingeing, longer work hours, less vacation, stagnant pay, etc. The fundamental difference is when your brain causes your distraction versus an external stimulation.
What is the difference between ADHD and ADD?
There is no difference between “ADD” and “ADHD”. The confusion comes from the fact they were once two separate diagnoses but in 1987 doctors decided to put everything under one umbrella: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder of which there are three varieties:
Predominantly Inattentive Presentation: Easily distracted, unorganized, etc.
Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation: Constantly fidgeting, moving, etc.
Combined Presentation: Mix of both.
Is it curable?
Nope, but it is manageable. For much of my life I thought of my ADD as a giant boulder I had to push upstream. As I would float on the river of life anytime I encountered this boulder, I would meet it head-on and use all my strength to push it out of the way. Through my meditation practice, I came to the realization that the "try harder" approach of pushing the boulder upstream was futile and that I needed to accept that the boulder was there and learn to float around it. This has opened up a lot of room for acceptance and compassion in myself.
What are some of your habits or methods for managing your ADHD?
Apologies in advance, but if you’re expecting me to share some sort of Ram Dass-level of universe decoder ring, you’re gonna be disappointed. My ADD “hacks” are pretty simple, the hard part is actually doing it (and therein lies the infinity loop of destruction). I want to preface that I fail fall short on the daily.
Sleep: There is nothing that has a bigger impact on my ADHD than a good night's sleep. I’d take a solid 8 hours over a pill any day. I’ve become pretty rigid about it; I try to stop looking at any screens by 9pm and in bed by 10pm because a good night's sleep sets the tone for everything: exercise, concentration, productivity, overall health—EVERYTHING is tied to your sleep. It's not only anecdotal but backed by something called SCIENCE.
Plan Your Morning At Night: A good night's sleep only gets your brain ready to function but what path you take with that fresh brain starts the night before. Write your intentions and to-do list before you go to bed. This does three things...
It helps you wind down your day with a nightly routine, like brushing your teeth.
It clears your brain before bed (more on that in the notebook section below).
It gives you a plan of attack for the morning so you don't have to think.
Thinking is where we get in trouble. If you can wake up and just do and not think you’ve eliminated one less step that can induce a possible distraction and derail your whole day. The first few hours are critical for me; it’s when my brain is the freshest and I am the most productive. If I have a good morning I have less stress, less anxiety, and have a better chance of getting stuff done the rest of the day. If not, I’m miserable to be around because I’m not getting anything done and I try to cram it all at the end of the day. I basically wear the same thing everyday, rotating between a couple of pants and t-shirts. Not thinking about clothes reduces destructive distraction time and saves you a lot of brain space.
Assemble Your Accountability Crew: I’ve always found my greatest successes are when I have a great team around me. When you have ADD, going at projects alone can be a real struggle. Last year I directed my first music video. The premiere date for the video got moved up and I ended up having to edit it myself and I only had 48hrs. I’m a sloooooow editor because I can easily get bored and lose interest watching the same footage over and over. My crippling procrastination kicked into warp speed. Knowing I had this deadline, a group of friends came over to hang out at my house. While they did their thing in my living room, I was in my office plugging away. Every couple of hours someone would come in with a much needed boost of energy and constructive feedback on the edit. Without them I most likely would have missed my deadline. Yashar Ali, a New York Magazine/HuffPost Contributor and elephant whisperer has a fantastic thread about his ADHD and gave an example that deeply resonated with me...
Find a Supportive Community: When it comes to tackling the more emotional aspects of ADD, therapy is great, but can be $$$. A great alternative are workshops, where you sit down with other people that have ADD. I’ve found them to be more affordable and transformative. My first workshop blew my mind, I was basically listening to strangers tell my life story through their experiences. Finding a community you can commiserate with was a game changer for me. CHADD is a good resource or start your own small group.
What are some tools or rituals you use that get you through the day?
Meditation: This is a big one for me and Transcendental Meditation is my go-to (20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon)—but I'm not great at being consistent about it. Even though I always feel better and fresh-headed after doing it, I sometimes get anxious about the idea of interrupting what I’m in the middle of. I’ll tell myself to just power through my afternoon but in reality my brain needs to rest. I feel much better than if I tried to drink coffee or a coke. If 20 minutes twice a day is too much, try something as simple as closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing for 60 seconds. Brain Gym Hook-Ups are also a great quick reset when you’re feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
Paper + Pencil: I go throughout my day in a perpetual state of involuntary brainstorming and ideas are always filling up my brain so I carry a notebook(s) with me at all times and write everything down, like, EVERYTHING. As fast as I can think of it, I extract it out of my head like a release valve and onto paper so as to make room for other thoughts. Note I said *paper* and not my phone, which I try to avoid whenever possible. This helps keep me focused on the task at hand, avoids the anxiety that I might forget, and allows me to come back to the idea later. I also walk into every meeting with a notebook.
Lists: My only rule for list making is LISTS ARE NOT MADE TO BE COMPLETED. Once I accepted this mindset, the stress of getting a list done floated away. Sure, there are some must dos on any list like doctor’s appointments, paying bills, watching The Bachelor, but there is probably a lot of stuff you put on your list where the pressure to get it done is self-imposed. Chances are if you don't do it the world will keep spinning and you’ll be fine.
My method of list making is a little nutso but it seems to (mostly) work for me so experiment and find your system. I like to have multiple lists going which include…
Right Now (scrap paper): I need to get X done in the next hour and these are the steps to get it done.
Tomorrow/Today (Pocket notebook I carry with me): This is written out the night before and it's what I’d *like* to get done by the end of the day tomorrow but it's all good if I don't. I first detail out my morning routine including breakfast, shower, exercise, meditation, etc because the more locked in I can stay in the morning the better the rest of the day will go. Next I add the important stuff, the things that will make the biggest impact if I get them done, then everything else goes under that. If I know I’ll be around my house most of the day I’ll write this out on a dry erase board so it’s always in my face.
Near Future (Full size notebook): These are things I need to get done in the coming days/weeks. I can’t put them off indefinitely but I can’t deal with it today.
Far Future (Notebook or cork board with index cards): These are bigger, long term projects that I want to do but don't want to forget I want to do it and I’ll maybe get to them later in the future but at least I know those ideas are out there somewhere.
Project Based: This is where I like to use technology mainly because I need the ability to search through my notes. I use both Google Docs and Evernote but some people swear by Trello or Monday.
*I love the Rollbahn notebooks from Delfonics. They are a little pricey but beautiful, well-made and come in several colors/sizes.
Vibes: Noise canceling headphones combined with the right playlist can be a magical journey into productivity land. Only music without vocals works for me. I use Lush Vibes and Lush Lofi daily, these are mostly chill lofi instrumental beats. Binaural Beats uses different brainwave frequencies to help reach focus. The science on this is light but I find it helpful when turned down low. Flow State is a subscription based playlist that offers up a daily mix of work-friendly music without vocals.
No Phone Zone: Using my phone feels tantamount to being in an abusive relationship; what sense does it make trying to heal myself with the same thing that makes me sick? On average, we check our phones once every 12 minutes. That's an insane amount of distractions for anyone, especially for someone with ADHD. Success here is what I do try to keep my phone from destroying my life.
Hide It: When I need to go heads down on work I lock my phone in a box or give it to someone to hold. When I need help keeping track of time I use a Time Timer.
Clean It: I’ve Marie Kondo’ed the apps off my phone only keeping the ones I need for work and that bring me joy. I’ve deleted all my social media off my phone. I get it, deleting your accounts sounds noble and utopian but you’re not gonna do, and neither did I, but at least I’ve made it a pain in the ass to log into them.
Make It Ugly: Grayscale makes your phone ugly and boring.
Lock It: “Screen Time” in your Apple settings helps you track and restrict phone and app use. Thrive and Moment are more robust versions of “ScreenTime” and do a better job of locking you out of your apps. StayFocused is great for your desktop and locking you out of websites.
What’s your take on medication?
Drugs can be game changers for people. For some, it’s the difference between being able to function or not. I’ve had friends describe it as like a fog lifting from their brain. I hold zero judgement for those that take them. My only advice is to approach it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Personally I don’t love them but I use them in certain circumstances. One time I spilled some cereal on the floor and instead of just cleaning it up and going about my day it turned into a three-hour deep clean of my kitchen. It was a total waste of time. I can easily get irritated on ADD medication and end up feeling like shit at the end of the day if I didn't stay on track on the goals I set out to achieve.
What can people do to manage their symptoms if they have office jobs?
Know what kind of structures and systems help you to be productive. Does getting in early help? Staying late? Is it better having a desk away from everyone or being smack in the middle of an open floor office?
If your boss doesn't suck and you feel comfortable doing so, tell them you have ADD. Sit that person down and walk them through what it is. Tell them you want their help putting you in a position to maximize your productivity. Your brain is not wired like everyone else and the way they manage you shouldn’t be like everyone else either. If you’re killing it at work that’s a win for you and your boss so it’s in both your best interests to figure out a system that works.
Tell your co-workers you have ADD. Tell them when they Slack you a link from the DoDo of a mother cat nursing a baby chicken it’s going to send you down a 45-minute rabbit hole of nothingness. Put a sign on your back or Time Timer on your desk. Create sacred blocks of time you are not to be disturbed, no matter what.
“If your boss doesn’t suck and you feel comfortable doing so, tell them you have ADD. Sit that person down and walk them through what it is. Tell them you want their help putting you in a position to maximize your productivity. Your brain is not wired like everyone else and the way they manage you shouldn’t be like everyone else either.”
You’re working on a documentary and a book about ADHD, can you tell us about that? Why both?
I’m doing a book and a film at the same time because I always take on more than I can handle! When I started the deep dive into understanding my ADHD, I found that most of the materials did not resonate with me. Films or shows were outdated, newsy, or boring. Books were either too long or too academic and I couldn’t get through them. For something that impacts more than 10 million adults in the US alone, there should be better resources out there that people like me can absorb and be entertained by. I also found little that portrayed ADD in the way my brain experiences it. I started dreaming up all these strange and abstract visuals to show what was happening in my head.
As I've been brainstorming for the film, the notes I’ve been taking feel like they could be molded into some kind of book or ADD user manual. Something that's short and punchy, easy to read, with lots of visual components that help convey concepts and feelings through photographs, drawings, paintings, and memes. I also want short stories and anecdotes written by people all over the ADHD spectrum, most importantly people of color and minorities who are severely underrepresented in the community. There will be simple tools to help people manage their ADHD, formatted in a way so you can jump in and out in any place of the book for it to work and make sense. Well, if I can stay focused, that's the plan anyway.
Nada Alic is a Los Angeles-based editor, writer and content strategist with 9 years of professional experience. Currently, she's working on a collection of fiction. Previously, Nada was the Editorial Director for e-comm arts platform Society6. Before that, she was agency-side, managing editorial for Gap Inc. properties. She also built Etsy's first Canadian HQ, and has had work featured in VICE, Nasty Gal, Ephemera Mag, Time Out LA, Cool Hunting, and People of Print.
Header Illustration by WNW Member Jonathan Hyla