today my therapist said to me: "you're the most focused ADHD person i've ever met"

its funny because i was fired from my job a year ago... couldn't focus for more than 12 minutes.

i was desperate. tried everything..nothing worked...

then i stumbled on a weird idea from charlie munger: "invert, always invert"

so instead of asking "how do i focus better?"

i asked: "how do i DESTROY my focus completely?"

this one question led me to discover a 3-part system that:

• cut my screen time to 28 mins/day
• fixed my diet
• got me exercising 5x/week

result? my focus went from 12 mins to 4.7 HOURS.

here's exactly how i did it:

First i listed down everything that would guarantee the worst possible attention span:

1. mindless scrolling thru reels/shorts
2. zero exercise
3. living on junk food
4. no routine whatsoever
5. never making to-do lists
6. multitasking everything
7. having notifications always on
8. never reading books

looking at this list, 3 things stood out as the ultimate focus-killers:

1. high screen time
2. terrible diet
3. zero exercise

so i created a system to tackle these three demons... not all at once - thats a recipe for failure. i gave each habit 4 months of dedicated attention. this is my story...

month 1-4: breaking phone addiction

first, i inverted again: "how do i spend literally EVERY waking moment on my phone?"

1. have the latest iphone with infinite storage and powerful processor
2. no accountability system

so i did the opposite:

1. switched to a basic android phone that could barely run whatsapp lol
2. installed "regained" app for tracking screen time (those streak rewards hit different than social media dopamine 😂)

Some hacks to stick with this habit:

1. surrounded myself w books (always had options)
2. made plans w friends (best distraction ever)
3. celebrated small wins

result: 28 mins average daily screen time

month 4-8: fixing my terrible diet

again with the inversion: "how do i eat like absolute garbage?" 🤔

1. Have junk food everywhere
2. Dont do meal prep

so i did this:

1. made unhealthy food SUPER inconvenient
   • cleared all junk from home
   • put fruits n stuff where i can see them
   • rule: want junk? gotta walk to get it lol
2. started prepping (was a disaster at first ngl)
   • week 1: just prepped monday's lunch
   • month 1: prepped 3 days worth
   • month 2: full week prep
   • always kept frozen backup meals

result after 4 months: eating clean 80% of the time without even thinking about it...

month 8-12: exercise thing

last inversion: "how do i make sure i NEVER exercise?"

1. making it inconvenient
2. no accountability
3. boring exercises

the fix:

1. made it stupid easy:
   • gym clothes next to bed
   • gym 5 mins away
   • basic home setup for lazy days
2. accountability:
   • found workout buddies
   • joined fun group classes
   • used strava to track (weirdly motivating)
3. made it fun:
   • tried everything till i found my thing
   • ended up loving badminton + swimming
   • made it social (game changer)

result: 5 days/week without forcing myself...

the BIGGEST lesson? environment beats willpower. always. redesign ur surroundings to make good habits automatic and bad ones impossible...

was it easy? hell no. there were tears, frustration, and countless moments of wanting to quit... but i kept thinking: "this is gonna be the story that changed everything"

one year later, that turned out to be true...

today my therapist said to me: "you're the most focused ADHD person i've ever met"

its funny because i was fired from my job a year ago... couldn't focus for more than 12 minutes.

i was desperate. tried everything..nothing worked...

then i stumbled on a weird idea from charlie munger: "invert, always invert"

so instead of asking "how do i focus better?"

i asked: "how do i DESTROY my focus completely?"

this one question led me to discover a 3-part system that:

• cut my screen time to 28 mins/day
• fixed my diet
• got me exercising 5x/week

result? my focus went from 12 mins to 4.7 HOURS.

here's exactly how i did it:

First i listed down everything that would guarantee the worst possible attention span:

1. mindless scrolling thru reels/shorts
2. zero exercise
3. living on junk food
4. no routine whatsoever
5. never making to-do lists
6. multitasking everything
7. having notifications always on
8. never reading books

looking at this list, 3 things stood out as the ultimate focus-killers:

1. high screen time
2. terrible diet
3. zero exercise

so i created a system to tackle these three demons... not all at once - thats a recipe for failure. i gave each habit 4 months of dedicated attention. this is my story...

month 1-4: breaking phone addiction

first, i inverted again: "how do i spend literally EVERY waking moment on my phone?"

1. have the latest iphone with infinite storage and powerful processor
2. no accountability system

so i did the opposite:

1. switched to a basic android phone that could barely run whatsapp lol
2. installed "regained" app for tracking screen time (those streak rewards hit different than social media dopamine 😂)

Some hacks to stick with this habit:

1. surrounded myself w books (always had options)
2. made plans w friends (best distraction ever)
3. celebrated small wins

result: 28 mins average daily screen time

month 4-8: fixing my terrible diet

again with the inversion: "how do i eat like absolute garbage?" 🤔

1. Have junk food everywhere
2. Dont do meal prep

so i did this:

1. made unhealthy food SUPER inconvenient
   • cleared all junk from home
   • put fruits n stuff where i can see them
   • rule: want junk? gotta walk to get it lol
2. started prepping (was a disaster at first ngl)
   • week 1: just prepped monday's lunch
   • month 1: prepped 3 days worth
   • month 2: full week prep
   • always kept frozen backup meals

result after 4 months: eating clean 80% of the time without even thinking about it...

month 8-12: exercise thing

last inversion: "how do i make sure i NEVER exercise?"

1. making it inconvenient
2. no accountability
3. boring exercises

the fix:

1. made it stupid easy:
   • gym clothes next to bed
   • gym 5 mins away
   • basic home setup for lazy days
2. accountability:
   • found workout buddies
   • joined fun group classes
   • used strava to track (weirdly motivating)
3. made it fun:
   • tried everything till i found my thing
   • ended up loving badminton + bouldering
   • made it social (game changer)

result: 5 days/week without forcing myself...

the BIGGEST lesson? environment beats willpower. always. redesign ur surroundings to make good habits automatic and bad ones impossible...

was it easy? hell no. there were tears, frustration, and countless moments of wanting to quit... but i kept thinking: "this is gonna be the story that changed everything"

one year later, that turned out to be true...

P.S. I'll clarify few things:

• I never said I cured ADHD, just improved my attention span by a good amount.
• I still have emotional ups and downs, some hyperactivity, and impulsivity, and I go to therapy for them.
• I’m just sharing my story, not telling anyone they have to do what I did... i am just some Indian on the internet telling how I overcame a thing... the best is to get perspectives from this
• i am not, in any way, saying this routine replaced my meds or therapy... I took meds for a year 3 years ago and it helped a lot... and I still go to therapy