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We’re extremely proud to feature Max Edgar, one of our Platform Engineers here at Creditsafe. In this article based on his own Lived and Learnt talk with fellow colleagues, he takes us on a journey from chaos to mastery over his workday and using tools and systems that work with his neurodiversity.
Chaos and stress were not new to Max when he first started with Creditsafe. Having being diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 10 and then ADHD at 39, he’s faced challenged throughout life with managing his day and the influx of information that we all face in the workplace.
Max found himself stressed, embarrassed, and burning out the year before this talk took place. Left responding to external pressures, focused on the biggest fires, and feeling like he was falling short of the best version of himself left him feeling guilty, stuck, and wondering whether things will always be this way.
With the challenges and stresses reaching a peak, Max decided to ask questions and find his own way from chaos to mastery.
Max says we aren’t always aware of our struggles, and he discovered:
So, Max set out to change the narrative by making use of tools and creating a plan.
Max realised that all of the meetings, messages, and tasks he was dealing with was his getting punched in the mouth! So he needed more than a plan; he needed a training plan. Something that:
1) Is a training schedule – a mix of practice with planning.
2) Something to repeat every day – that’s the practice
3) Something we can get good at – something we can see changes with
Max had seen a video about neurodiverse brains, routines, and the role of the cerebellum, a part of the brain involved in routines and task mastery. We need great scripts that we can master and use with fluency, just like how the tennis player, Djokovic, takes a great shot with intuitive precision!
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit” – Will Durant
Max realised that we need tools to make this shift happen:
Max discovered a task management tool called Obsidian, which he liked but found it a bit awkward to use at first; it wasn’t great for everything! This said, he resolved to make a habit of using it and building up from there, starting with a simple to-do-list.
Max started iterating on it, making his own task lists and formats for different kinds of to-does. For example, he would have a daily check-in list, a daily to-do list, a top priority segment, and he began using a dyslexia-friendly font for his notes in the app. He also does a daily meditation using Calm to get into the right headspace for the day.
After a few weeks, he thought, ‘maybe I could start using this at home!’. This helped him to bring clarity into the home, in turn, this helped with work too. Now, he has a morning routine that has been developed over time to include all he needs.
“Train hard, fight easy” – Alexander Suvorov
Now you might just say, isn’t this a plan? Max says yes! And more. We need to do more and dedicate time to practice, that makes the difference; that’s what makes plans meaningful.
Protecting Your Time and Tailoring Mastery for You
It’s important to protect our time and priorities in balance with the needs of others. By protecting our time, we protect our plan, and nurture our practice in mastering our day.
And remember, the right way to master your day is going to be unique for us all! Take the time to experiment and find what works for you.
Max realised he needed something to keep him on track across the day. He heard of the pomodoro technique and decided to try it. The technique involves doing 20 minutes of working on a task, followed by 5-minutes of free time in a repeating sequence.
However, Max knew his weaknesses, and on its own, it just didn’t quite stick. He found a way to remind himself to stick to his plans and processes.
Max used vibe coding using GitHub Copilot to create an automated, pomodoro like timer that didn’t need to be manually started, stopped or reset. It reminds him when to focus, when to do certain tasks, as well as wrap-up at the end of the day and make notes. It’s a bit like a task flow concierge! He knew when he could focus on messaging others, and when to focus on the deeper work.
It sits in his menu-bar and sends notifications for when slots for focus are active, and when he can focus his attention more freely, such as replying to colleagues.
Thanks to taking the time to master his day, Max now enjoys these benefits:
Max loves the wrap-ups at the end of the day. He can acknowledge where things went well, be prepared for tomorrow, and stay on top of his priorities and promises.
Although Max finds A to Z thinking difficult, where you plan something linearly from start to finish, he’s found a way that helps him. He starts at the end and fills the gaps from there, collecting a range of tasks along the way and bringing them together into a sequence. From there, it’s a matter of taking the steps one day at a time.
Words like ‘habit’ and ‘routine’ can be scary; they can have connotations of chores, boredom, and loss of freedom for many of us. But what if we could change the frame?
When we see that our lives are shaped by our routines, they can take on a new meaning. Likewise, when we spend our lives worrying about the little things and feeling overwhelmed by them, we can lose focus on the things that do really matter for us.
In the balance between routine and novelty, there is a truer freedom and more enriching life in store for each of us, especially those who struggle with these challenges at the moment.
This is a process we’re all on and taking the small steps matters. If you’re someone who works with neurodivergent colleagues, please be kind, encouraging, and understanding. All of us struggle with things, and for some of us, the ‘smaller’ stuff can actually be a big challenge!
We hope this guide has been of help to you. If you’re a colleague and would like support, consider joining the neurodiversity network here at Creditsafe! If you’re considering Creditsafe, we hope this gives you some insight into the kind of culture that we have, where diversity is embraced.