Why Medium Is Perfect for the ADHD Mind
Take the path of least resistance.
That’s it, I’m finally starting a blog.
This is what I said to myself in 2017. Whether it spawned from boredom or a stroke of inspiration I can no longer recall, but I was ready to jump headlong into my blogging adventure.
One month after purchasing a domain name and installing WordPress the results were staggering:
- Zero page views
- Zero email subscribers
- Zero posts
Zero posts, not exactly a recipe for success.
The year 2017 was four years prior to my formal ADHD diagnosis which has a lot to do with my first failed attempt at blogging. See, the ADHD mind likes to make things, complicated. Worse yet, when the ADHD mind runs into barriers it often likes to take the path of least resistance. This caused the following to occur:
- I MUST have my own WordPress site for blogging! (I’ve never used WordPress or built my own website.)
- I MUST have multiple pieces written and ready to go! (I’ve yet to write one official blog post, let alone multiple.)
- I MUST set up all of the SEO tools to track my stats! (I don’t have a single clue how SEO actually works.)
What I was really telling myself is, “I MUST set myself up for failure!”
Fast forward to December of 2021; I now have a firm grip as to why and how my mind works the way it does. With ADHD the path of least resistance is often the path to success, the path to starting.
Enter Medium. Medium epitomizes path of least resistance. You can create an account and publish your story within an hour. There’s, of course, more that goes into it when building an audience, but one thing is clear: Medium allows you to start.
For the ADHD mind, Medium is a dream platform.
Medium is the best way to start blogging for those with ADHD, stripping away barriers and being: easy to understand, action focused, and a provider of instant feedback.
The importance of an Instant Feedback Loop
Whether intentional or not, Medium provides an instant feedback loop. What is a feedback loop, you ask? I like Terry Heick’s explanation in regards to learning:
A feedback loop in learning is a cause-effect sequence where data (often in the form of an ‘event’) is responded to based on recognition of an outcome and that data is used to inform future decisions in similar or analogous situations.
So why an instant feedback loop? The ADHD brain thrives on instant gratification, preferring smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards. Medium is very strong in feeding this loop. By being an easy platform to join and understand, making action-taking natural and intuitive, and providing instant feedback on said actions, Medium has effectively gamified blogging.
Gamification and ADHD have an interesting relationship. As detailed by Jessica of the YouTube channel, “How to ADHD,” there’s a direct relationship between video games and the ability for a person with ADHD to focus.
There’s a lot to unpack here, let’s break it down further.
Easy to understand
Whether it’s a new video game, a new car, or a new job, if the ADHD mind finds something to be difficult to understand, chances are it’ll look elsewhere or become quickly frustrated and agitated. On the contrary, if it’s easy to understand, the ADHD mind will be compelled to dive deeper.
Medium does the latter very well.
For a platform that provides virtually immediate access to a gigantic userbase, while also directly compensating writers for great material, Medium is the easiest way to earn money to write. For example:
- Sign-up is simple and intuitive. For those who are accustomed to creating social media accounts, Medium is no different to set up.
- Site functionality is clean and straightforward. With a familiar “follower” system and recommended content, it’s easy to dive in and start interacting.
- Creating content is exceptionally easy. The story editor can be quickly learned and it makes clicking “publish” approachable.
This ease of use welcomes those with ADHD to dive deeper. The immediate desire is to learn the nooks and crannies of the platform because the nooks and crannies are approachable and packed with value.
Action focused
Medium thrives on users taking action, which means taking action is inherently easy. Reading. Clapping. Commenting. Following. All of these are approachable functions and are an integral part of the platform’s success.
When a user takes these actions they’re naturally drawn toward the creation of their own content. As mentioned before when discussing ease of understanding, the story editor encourages action through its simplistic design. For the ADHD mind, simplicity promotes action, which ultimately promotes content creation.
Most importantly, all actions taken are positive. No 404 errors. No wonky formatting. Just simple, clean, intuitive function.
Instant feedback
Once action is taken within hours, if not minutes, the results begin trickling in. Your first views. Your first claps. Your first responses. Your first followers.
No other platform (that can actually PAY you directly for your content!) offers this kind of instant feedback. Medium provides a social media esque experience around blogging, allowing the user to quickly iterate as stats pour in.
Feedback is also almost exclusively positive, with the only negative feedback either being a lack thereof, or a potentially nasty comment (which I can’t say I’ve come across on Medium as of yet). Even in small doses the positive feedback feels great, promoting more action in order to achieve more positive feedback.
A dream for the ADHD mind.
Progress, Not Perfection
Since being formally diagnosed with ADHD, I’ve come to embrace the mantra “progress, not perfection.” It is so critical to give yourself grace as you learn the nuances of ADHD and the ones specific to you.
I’m taking the same approach to my Medium journey. Less than two weeks since joining I’ve achieved the following results:
- Published stories — 7
- Followers — 39
- Views — 163
- Reads — 83
- Fans — 51
I’m by no means setting the world on fire, but I can already claim measurably more success than my failed blogging journey on WordPress. I can attribute all of this “success” to Medium being the right fit for my ADHD mind.
Dave Grohl has gone on the record to say that the name Foo Fighters is “the dumbest band name ever.” Dumb or not, had Dave and the band allowed an imperfect name to get in the way, we likely don’t have: Everlong, Best Of You, Learn To Fly, and so many other ginormous hits.
If you have ADHD or ADHD tendencies, I’d recommend taking the path of least resistance whenever you are looking to start something new. Do whatever you can to remove the barriers between you and starting, even if that means settling on a dumb username because the one you like is taken.
What’s acutely dumb is consistently finding new ways to sabotage your chance at success. Music tastes are subjective, but I’m willing to say that the world is a better place with a band named Foo Fighters and a mega-hit titled Everlong vs the alternative — nothing at all.
I’m grateful to Medium for helping be the former, not the latter.
I’m working towards the goal of earning my first 100 followers. If you enjoyed this story I’d like to ask for your help: all the claps, all the comments, all the follows. You can also find a few of my other pieces below for further reading. Thank you for the support, it’s what makes the Medium community so great.
