Unleashing Your Neurodivergent Creative Superpowers

I wanted to write a piece (and it might turn into a few) that captures some of the things our brains do as neurodivergent creatives. I write it with the intention of you finding relatability and therefore encouragement that you are not the only one and some strategies on how to make it more of your superpower and less of your burden.

I think aspects of being a neurodivergent creative (herein known as NDC) that are struggles, can be turned into strengths and vice versa. A lot of the pain or joy comes from how it is managed. Some aspects I'm good at managing, others not so much. Just because I coach NDC creatives (among others) doesn't mean I manage myself perfectly, far from it. After all, many people study psychology because subconsciously they want help for their own troubles.

So, that being said, I'm going to hone in on an area (this originally said "a few areas", but I soon realised that one was enough for this piece, stay tune for part 2) that is a superpower and struggle for me, and many other NDC's.

Systems, Perfection and Procrastination

I would hate to add up all the hours I have spent in my life developing systems and organisation strategies for myself and jobs that I've had. I have concluded that I must do this as a coping strategy because I know that in order to keep all the balls in the air (so to speak - think projects, people, tasks etc) I need systems in place. And so for me systems bring order and order is intended to bring peace of mind.

Sounds like a positive thing right? Well, it can be. And it is. If it's kept in check - and hopefully used for more than two weeks until I decide that this system isn't working and I need to throw it out (all or nothing thinking) and develop a completely new one 🤯.

I find this sort of habit problematic when:

1. I spend more time developing systems to keep organised than actually doing the tasks/projects that I'm organising (yep, drives me crazy)

2. Due to perfectionism, the system has to be absolutely perfect, and I will work on it tirelessly until it is and before I show anyone.

3. After a couple of weeks (or months if i'm lucky) I decide its no good, and so with my all or nothing neurodivergent brain, throw it out to develop a new and better system (hmm, well, maybe).

Now, its not all doom and gloom, because your ability to see the whole picture and create a clever system (though likely more complex than necessary) to maximise efficiency and bring order can be a very useful skill for yourself, your workplace and your solo-preneur creative ventures. You can often see 10 steps ahead in terms of pitfalls, items that may be neglected, how it can be accessed and used by different people, and how it is expandable, extendable, able to be adapted to handle any scenario for the next 50 years (ok, perhaps that's stretching it, but you do have a knack for thinking beyond the norm).

How can you make this annoying habit be an NDC superpower?

(rather than the thing that drives you (and perhaps bosses) nuts?)

Well, my self reflection has led me to a few conclusions from personal scenarios:

1. Before diving into that order devising, system creating rabbit hole, just check with yourself or boss that a system to organise XYZ is actually needed. Because I have developed systems that really weren't needed, or were not how my boss would have wanted me to spend my time (had they known I had the hair brained idea in the first place).

2. If indeed it is needed, do yourself a favour and ask those around you (or yourself) what key elements it would be good to have in this system, and......this is the big one.....which are unnecessary. This will save you a lot of time and pain.

3. Be sure to think through, if this is a system that others will need to use, will they actually like using it the way I have in mind, or is that just my (insert crazy, odd, ND, curious....) way of thinking?

4. Adopt a more "Agile" approach. The Agile method for project builds came out of the world of software development. I know it sounds a bit techy, but I believe it can be very helpful for NDC's.

If you would prefer the summary version then skip to * below. Otherwise, cling on!

I like to explain the agile approach by contrasting it to an older project method (also from dev world) called the Waterfall approach. Waterfall is such that a client requests a product to be built, you get the brief, then your team gets to work, each department completing their part then passing down the waterfall to the next team. Once completed, it is delivered to the client with a splash (see what I did there, IKR) and you hope it’s all they envisioned. At this point, if the client doesn't like what you've done, well, there is no climbing back up that waterfall, because your team has spent anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 years developing this product without checking in with the client along the way, and now its splashdown.

So, thats the waterfall approach to software development. And thats what I am prone to do with a system build - hide away, develop the #*$%@ out of it till its "perfect", and then deliver it (to a client, boss or even myself) and go, oh poop, this isn't what was needed/liked/useful and that I have been barking up the wrong bloody tree (very Aussie expression if you are reading this from elsewhere).

In contrast, the Agile approach is very helpful for us NDC's because it works on a cycle of sprints - short 1-2 week cycles where all the team members contribute their bit for that particular part of the project - and then you check in with the client to see if its inline with their vision. You may then tweak a few things that weren't, add in extra ideas that have come from the sprint, and you keep going for another sprint.

This agile approach helps NDC’s in 3 ways:

1. It helps prevent you from jumping off that cliff into the waterfall before splashing down and checking in with reality.

2. What you are asked to deliver at the end of a sprint is not perfection, but rather an iteration (a repeated part of a process), and so you can take the pressure off yourself and say "oh, this is just the first (2nd, 3rd...) iteration, it's still in development and can be tweaked". You may be just saying this to yourself by the way if it's a system for you, but none the less, it is very freeing and helpful self talk.

3. It gives you an opportunity to explain some of your thinking behind this particular iteration, rather than the whole project at once. Explaining your thinking is very important, because it can often be the case that people don't know all the strategic decisions you have made along the way that have shaped the project (and boy, have you done some overthinking 🤪) and yet drip feeding your thoughts in iterative size droplets is easier to absorb than a bucket load upon splash down.

If you are rejoining from my * above, or are ready for the summary, here it is:

An Agile approach is helpful for NDC's with "system-atosis" 🫠 (no, not really a word, but you catch my drift).

Rather than building a whole system in one long surge of water(fall), try this Agile type method:

1. Ask what is needed

2. Ask what is not needed and should be left off (and then leave it off, even if it feeds your need for order)

3. Build a small portion of the system for a week or two, and then stop

4. Ask yourself, your team and client, if what you have built so far is on track and will be helpful to its users (not just good for you to bring into being a new world order 🫣)

5. Repeat cycle.

Can you relate to this potential superpower? Do you find it really drives you mad as well?

💭 I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below 🖋️

I hope that this Agile approach to creating systems can turn your "system-atosis" into your NDC Superpower!