What Having a Baby Taught Me About ADHD Point of Performance

If you’ve ever held a precious baby while they slept, you already know about Russell Barkley’s “point of performance.” Especially if this baby was desperate for a nap and particularly hard to lull to sleep, any movement could wake them up, so anything you needed had to be within arm’s reach. 

Point of performance is “the specific, natural time and place in an individual’s daily life where they should apply their knowledge, but [ADHDers] often cannot.” 

I’ve got ADHD, and I can’t tell you how many times it took me to gather my phone, charger, water, and snack to the spot on the couch while the baby was crying so that when I sat down and couldn’t move for the next 2 hours, I had everything I needed within arm’s reach. My whole world became about 4 feet by 4 feet, and nothing existed outside of that. 

Other examples of point of performance:

• Items needing to be donated are in the front seat of your car, so when you drive by the donation center, you can complete the task right then and there.

• Homework is in your backpack, and your backpack is right next to the door you leave out of in the morning.

• A printer is within arm’s reach of your desk, so that you don’t keep forgetting printouts in the administrative room down the hall.

• Recycling bins are on each floor of your house, so pop cans don’t keep littering your home.

• Leaving workout clothes/shoes at your gym so you don’t have to remember to transport them back and forth.

If there’s an area of your life that’s just not working, especially around remembering something, investigate your point of performance. Do you have everything you need within arm’s reach at the exact time you’ll need to remember it? 

One of my favorite stories is a client who put their medication in a plastic baggy and taped it to the back of their bedroom door. They literally could not leave their room without staring their medication in the face. 

Get creative! Tape things to walls, set 100 reminders, attach items to exit doors, and move items to the floor next to where your feet will be. You’ll know it’s working when it consistently works!

If you’d like to perfect your point of performance, contact one of our coaches to help!