If you have both autism and ADHD, the pull between routine and variety is part of daily life. The autistic side tends to want the same thing at the same time, done the same way. The ADHD side tends to want something new, and starts looking for the door when a project goes on too long.
Why most advice picks a side
Productivity advice usually assumes one person with one need. One camp says to build a routine and protect it. The other says to keep things fresh or you will get bored. For AuDHD, each camp turns half of you into the problem.
I have a late AuDHD diagnosis. It explained why the advice never fitted, though it did not give me a replacement system. It gave me the tension.
The answer I am noticing
My year may be the structure I was looking for. This is a pattern I am noticing, held loosely, and I do not call it a law.
In winter I am usually quiet and withdrawn. In spring I am selling. In summer I am sharing. In autumn I am building.
How I noticed
I found it by looking back at my own Substack. The articles from this time last year were also in transition, which is when I started changing the structure of Visionary in Progress, the community I run. I did not plan the pattern. I read it in my own old work.
My evidence is small, and I am happy to be wrong about it next autumn.
Why seasons can hold both sides
The shape of the year repeats, so the routine-loving side has something to trust. The variety-loving side gets change inside each season, because every few months the work becomes something different.
Routine lives in the cycle, and variety lives in the content of each stretch.
The cost
Seasons are slow. If a client needs selling energy while I am in a building stretch, I cannot swap on demand. Some months I am the wrong person for the job on the table, and I would rather say so than perform a season I am not in. Planning around fluctuating energy is the thinking behind running a business with fluctuating capacity.
Try it yourself
You do not need four seasons. Look back at what you made at this time last year, and compare it with what you are doing now.
What does your work from this time last year tell you about the season you are in now?
FAQ
Why do autism and ADHD feel like they pull in opposite directions?
Autism tends to seek sameness and predictability, and ADHD tends to seek novelty. Someone with both can feel pulled each way in the same week.
Is routine or variety better for AuDHD?
Neither wins for everyone. Many people need a stable frame with change inside it, and a seasonal or cyclical rhythm is one way to build that.
What are AuDHD cycles?
They are repeating swings in energy and focus. Mine look seasonal, though I hold that loosely and do not present it as a rule.
How did you notice your seasonal pattern?
By rereading my own Substack articles from this time last year, which were also in transition.
Is this a rule for every AuDHD person?
No. It is one person's observation from a small amount of evidence.