ADHD as a Poker Strategy

If you want to be successful at poker, you don’t try to win one gigantic, action-packed hand with all your money on the line. Instead, you make rational bets based on how strong you think your cards are. Over time, your good decision making will yield far more winnings than any one-time gamble.

Your mindset should be more like a poker player, and your life should be played like a long, successful game of poker. Win small hands often when the odds are in your favor. If you lose because of bad luck, regroup, and try again. You don’t have to go all-in on every hand.

Now apply this to your productivity. If you have an unfocused day, you don’t need to pay back some magical productivity debt. Try to figure out what caused you to be unfocused in the first place. Was it from no fault of your own? Okay, that’s just bad luck. Was it because you have an inconsistent sleep schedule and played video games all night? If that’s the case, then you should avoid stupidity and start sleeping correctly, rather than trying to be a genius and drinking 3 pots of coffee to try and make up for it.

Don’t put all your hopes onto one single action or event. Make sound, conscious bets over the long-run. You’ll fail sometimes, don’t sweat it. If you continue doing the right thing, you’ll win in the long run. As Charlie Munger said, don’t try to be very intelligent, just try to avoid stupidity.

This is part of the Sample Chapter for my book, ADHD Pro