July 17, 2025​

 

I hurt my hand Monday :( 

 

Like a lot of people, I have ongoing RSI issues. And over the weekend I pushed things just a little bit too far, and ended up impaired in a new and very inconvenient way. Which meant I was doing almost no work this week.

This email is one of the few things I’ll accomplish.

 

As I’ve mentioned before, Agile is an approach used to pursue goals successfully despite change, uncertainty, and interruptions. Injuring my hand could be called a change (in capacity) or an interruption (of my work plans). In this case it doesn’t really matter what you call it.

 

First of all: I never make a plan without assuming that it might be interrupted or changed. Part of this is ADHD, part of this is just life as a disabled person. (I just told you about the RSI, you’ll learn the rest if you read enough of these emails.) But “never make a plan without assuming something might happen to it” is one of the most successful life strategies I’ve ever adopted.

 

Second of all…

You know what? It’s 7 o’clock on a Thursday and this is getting long. I’m just gonna give you the TLDR version:

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1. Check your backlog
   if you haven’t worked with me yet, there’s a lot to unpack from the statement. Stick around: it will make sense eventually.
    

2. Figure out which 10% of it absolutely must get done
   Yes I really did say 10%. Achieving your goals under conditions of uncertainty and change (or ADHD, or disability, or the enormous amount of fuckwittery currently going on in Washington) means knowing which 90% of your workload you can cut if you absolutely have to. The #1 mistake I see people make - both the (ND) people I coach and the (NT) corporate clients I used to consult for - was trying to do too much.
   
   For me, under these conditions, this week, that meant:

   • Client appointments (which involve minimal hand stuff and are mostly talking)

   • Doctors appointments

   • And this!
      

3. Pivot
   If your old plan isn’t going to work, then it’s time to make a new one. Ask yourself: what new opportunities does this change of circumstances create?
   OK I wasn’t going to be able to do the things I originally planned for this week. But: 

   • Feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to get me anywhere (and it's a huge bummer).

   • There are ways to adapt my plans to get things done that I need to.

     I might not be able to do all of the mousing and keyboard work necessary to create a presentation, but (thanks to the miracles of VTT) I can write.

   • I had a new opportunity: to show you how Agile4ADHD works in real life.
      

Last week, I promised some tips about how to get the best possible return on the work you’re able to do, and how to recover when distractions (inevitably) happen. I can’t think of a better start to that conversation than this. Come to this month’s free workshop, and I’ll tell you more :)

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Come with your to-do list. Leave with clarity, momentum, and a plan.

When: Tuesday, July 22, 12-1 p.m. (Pacific)

Where: Zoom (details given at registration)