Success Traps

A success trap is the opposite of a pitfall. Instead of stumbling across an issue that halts your process and drags you down, you can try to set things up so that when you are going to fall, you fall into something that bounces you back at the thing that you want to succeed at.

The business definition of "success trap" is a firm that is too comfortable in its market and stagnates instead of pivoting to meet the demands of a changing market ("We've always been a successful bookstore; why would we need to set up a website to sell books?" - A Borders Executive, probably). My definition is different. For me, a success trap is setting up ways for success to sneak up and trap you into succeeding, in spite of your best (or worst) efforts.

Building effective success traps requires a fair amount of awareness of your own processes and a reasonable amount of flexibility in setting up your environment.

The same success trap will not work for different people or across different projects, but some success trap concepts can be widely distributed throughout your life.

What Makes a Success Trap?

A success trap is something that will redirect you to what you want to do when you would otherwise fail. Success traps can be physical or mental, they can be tools you use or habits you form; they just have to be something that points you back in the direction of your goal when you get diverted. Features that are present in a success trap include:

• Reduces distractions
• Reminds you of your task
• Removes Speedbumps
• Increases focus
• Increases efficiency

Keep it Simple

While some success trap systems may be difficult or involved to set up, success traps are really about getting yourself ready for some easy wins. To set up success traps, you look at a project and ask yourself "What are the most obvious ways that this could go wrong?" and then you get ready to solve the problem before you have a problem. In many ways, this is more about mindset than about actually constructing the success trap. If you are working on a sewing project, do you have spare needles handy if the one in your machine breaks? If you're working on an old car, do you have your breaker bar handy or is it buried in the garage? If you're recording a makeup tutorial, are all your brushes clean, dry, and within arm's reach? Do you have extra batteries and enough storage space on your memory card to film the video? Have you removed all the manufacturer seals from the product so you won't have to do that on camera? If you need to take medication when you're going to bed and when you wake up are your meds next to your bed? If you want to floss more, is your floss on the counter or buried deep in a drawer?

Success traps should not be complicated, arduous systems, they should be simple actions you can take easily and can adapt to different projects and habits.

That said, a success trap is not quite as simple as just being prepared and having a toolbox ready for every situation; it is also about knowing yourself and the things that slow you down as well as the things that improve your focus and make you more efficient. Eating a meal before studying can be part of a success trap. Creating a playlist of music that makes YOU more productive can be part of a success trap. YOU, not someone else, not generic "chill beats to study and relax to," YOU, who might find classical music grating or who doesn't work well with lyrical music in the background or who knows that for some mysterious reason the particular drone of a bagpipe really helps get them into an attentive mood.

But those same things could be pitfalls for someone else. I can't eat before doing specific physical projects or it will cause painful heartburn. Some people need white noise or thunder sounds or static rather than music in order to focus. Try simple changes to your routines to see what works for YOU, not what a book of habits for type-A people with a passion for organization says works for THEM.

Some Examples of Success Traps

These are a variety of success traps I have set for myself; some are more complex than others, some are more permanent than others, and some require more effort than others.

Getting Ready to Garden

When I am gardening, I know that if I go back inside my house for any reason the gardening will stop and will be done for the day. If I have a lot of gardening to do, I need to make sure that I've eliminated any possible reason to go inside. For the example of gardening, I set an almost literal trap. I put a folding chair in the shade next to my door and next to that chair I put:

• A half-gallon bottle of water
• An extra pair of gardening gloves
• My headphone charger, fully charged, with one of my headphones in it so I can swap for a fresh earbud if the battery dies in the one I'm listening to
• A small snack
• A hat, sunglasses, or any other protective clothing like a sun shirt that I might need as the day progresses
• Yard waste bags, box cutters, sunblock, extension cords, kneepads, and any other yard-working tool that I might need that is stored in the house instead of in the yard

Before I go out to garden, I use the restroom so I won't have to go back in soon. I make sure that my cellphone is fully charged and has at least twenty hours of different podcasts covering different subjects downloaded. I put on a three-pocket apron and put my phone in one pocket, a THIRD pair of gardening gloves, and one of four pairs of pruning shears in the apron pocket.

What this means is that when I feel inclined to go in, I am stopped by my pile of gardening preparations. It would almost take me longer to take that stuff back in than it would for me to stay out gardening. I might as well stay out gardening for a while because I went to all the trouble of setting this up.

The chair means that I've got someplace to cool down that isn't inside. The BIG bottle of water means that I'll have plenty to drink before I need a refill. The gardening gloves mean that if I lose half of one of my pairs of gardening gloves, I've got more (I actually keep cheap gardening gloves strategically scattered around my yard so that if I happen to be outside and see that the weeds need pulling, I can put some gloves on in ten seconds and start pulling weeds. Part of the reason my yard is currently a disaster is because all of my around-the-yard gloves blew away in a wind storm and I haven't replaced them).

Anything that I MIGHT need to run back inside for is already waiting for me on the step by the door and is ALSO preventing me from easily opening the door without knocking a lot of crap over. I have provided myself with hours of entertainment by making sure that I've got headphones to alternate and by including a lot of different podcasts I can switch to a new one if I get bored. If it gets too bright, I've got sun protection waiting for me. Distractions (the indoors, the sweet embrace of the couch) are blocked. Speedbumps (needing a yard bag, needing spare gloves, needing more water) are removed. Approaching the door shows me all the work I did to prep, which reminds me of my task. I have set a successful speed trap; I might as well keep working in the yard until the yard waste bin is full and I can't do anything until it's emptied.

Preparing for an Essay

If I am getting ready to write an academic paper (or, honestly, a page for this website), there are some things I have to do to ensure that I won't end up wasting my time. I have the LeechBlock extension on my browser and I have settings for both work and school focus that will block various social media sites or only allow specific exceptions. I will set up topical information in specific browser windows using my Simple Tab Groups extension and close all unrelated windows. I will close all the programs on my computer and restart the device so that I won't be interrupted by an update or have my computer using too many resources while I'm working.

Depending on how complex the paper is, I may have pre-loaded a lot of the work by copying information from my sources into a reference document so that I don't have to scroll through each article I'm citing. If I'm doing that for this website, I might write the page in Libre Office Writer and include links at the ends of sentences so I can properly format links as I go but collect them while I'm writing the page.

Finally, I'll start a timer for thirty minutes. When that timer runs out, I'll start it again. When it runs out, I'll start it again. The purpose of the timer isn't for me to race the clock or feel pressure to get a lot of words out - it is to make me think "why is that alarm going off?" every thirty minutes so that if I've started playing a game on my phone or have fallen into a wikipedia hole, I'll remember that I was writing an essay and should get back to it.

This success trap relies on:

• Reducing distractions (LeechBlock)
• Removing Speedbumps (Restarting the computer and closing programs to prevent computer or update issues)
• Improving efficiency (Prepping citations before work starts)
• Reminding me of my task (Timer)

Kick-ass-Kitchen

Mis en Place as a concept can be thought of as kind of a success trap. Prepping for a cooking project by collecting the ingredients and measuring them ahead of time certainly can help you to succeed as you cook (and look, if I don't take the bay leaf container out of the spice rack and put it next to the pot before I start cooking I will forget to put bay leaf in the soup and the soup will be less excellent than it could be - putting the bay leaf next to the pot before I start chopping onions is DEFINITELY part of a soup success trap for me). However, what I'm discussing here is a bit more in-depth than that.

My kitchen is full of success traps. The walls are literally lined with things to make it easier and more efficient for me to cook.

• It's hard to dig for spices in a spice rack? My spice rack is eight levels high and one layer deep and visibly mounted on the wall.
• I don't remember to make grocery lists? I have a white board on the refrigerator door with a checklist written on it in sharpie that is divided by category so all I do to make a grocery list is put a check next to an item when it runs out (with the white board pen that is on a magnet ALSO on the door of the fridge) and then take a photo of the list on my phone before I go to the store. If I forget to take a photo, I can usually text my spouse and ask him to send a photo of the list on the front of the fridge instead of directing him to scout for a piece of paper I probably dropped somewhere.
• There are no good cutting surfaces on the tile counter? There are cutting boards behind the microwave and in a rack on the wall.
• I can't find a knife? Yes I can that's what the magnet block on the side of the oven is for.
• The clock on the oven is broken? Good thing I've got a magnetic timer on the fridge, the microwave has a timer option, and there's a mechanical timer next to the coffee pot.
• I want to make coffee? The coffee is in a rack above the coffee pot; open coffee is in a jar behind the coffee maker with a measuring scoop in it. The filter is reusable. The French Press and Moka pot are in the cabinet beside the rack full of coffee. If I'm running low on coffee I can see that there's no more coffee in the rack and it's time to put a check mark on the board on the fridge.
• It's a pain in the ass to match lids to store food? I have four sizes of silicone bowl covers hanging on the cabinet where the bowls go.
• You need a basic like olive oil or parchment paper or tinfoil that normally lives in a pantry or a drawer? That is on a rack above the light switch beside the stove, above the pizza cutter and the measuring spoons.

Common-use utensils live in two cylinders on the counter. The frying pans live on the stove. With the exception of always being in the process of doing dishes, my kitchen is always set up, 100% of the time, for me to prepare food and eat something with minimal fuss. Since I've got a ton of food allergies and must prepare almost all of my own food, this prevents me from spending a ridiculous amount of money on pre-packaged food and saves me an enormous amount of time digging through drawers and cabinets.

Long-Term Success Traps

My kitchen is an example of a place where I've been able to physically control the space to build long-term success traps. I've added to it and changed it and reorganized it over the years, and I'm sure I'll do so in the future, but it is already the best kitchen I've ever cooked in for the way that I cook.

When you find something that works for you, see if there's a way that you can make that method more permanent. If you wake up better in the mornings and feel better during the day when you start the day with a walk, train your dog to expect a walk in the morning. If you keep hitting your head on a lamp in your workroom and it prevents you from working in that room, replace the lamp.

There's a person on tumblr whose username is @ruckuscauser; Ruckuscauser has tattooed their left forearm with an area for a to-do list. That is a very permanent kind of success trap that works perfectly for their needs and that I can only applaud.

Tools to Build Success Traps

Apps, web extensions, physical tools, habits, clothing, and training can all be components of building a successful success trap.

Reduce Distractions

• LeechBlock Browser Extension and other access control extensions - can be used to block specific websites for set timeframes.
• Noise-blocking headphones
• Setting up "Focus Time" rules in a household or work environment

Task Reminders

• Timers, Planners, Calendars, Alarms, Post-its, whiteboards, To-do Lists, Task Managers and a ton of other traditional tools to remind people what they're working on.
• Less conventional reminders include WristLists/Reminder Bracelets, writing tasks on your skin with pens or sharpies, website blocking, physical barriers to distractions (chair in front of the door, phone underneath a task-oriented notepad) and "[Clean/Cook/Work] With Me" Videos.

Remove Speedbumps

Speedbumps tend to be very individual and contextual, so removing them takes experience. If your child struggles to get homework done because they feel like they need to look up every word they don't know on the assignment sheet, you might want to sit with them and go through the definitions before they start working. But sometimes the speedbump to making madelines is simply the fact that someone has to empty the sink of dishes before cooking can commence, so all you can do is either wash the dishes in the moment or work on building a robust dishwashing system for ensuring there are no plates in the sink.

Increase Focus

• Moderate emotions; you'll be more focused when you're less upset or angry or sad - if you need to pay attention to something it might be helpful to bring your mood back to something stable and moderate before you get started. Since ADHD includes emotional dysregulation this may be difficult, but you know the best way to put yourself back on an even keel. If breathing exercises give you panic attacks, don't use them to try to calm down; maybe you'll do better with three sets of pushups or five minutes of a phone game.
• Helpful distractions - many people with ADHD find that they work better with background noise or some other kind of external stimulation while doing focused, boring tasks. Listening to music or podcasts, or putting a familiar movie on or turning on a white noise machine can all be helpful distractions that keep the ADHD brain juuuuuust focused enough on something in the periperhy to allow your brain to pay attention to the task that needs to be done (rather the crushing silence of a tense open plan office or the distracting noises the clock and ceiling lights are making.

Increase Efficiency

This one is also highly contextual and highly specific. One example of a success trap that I'm considering making is a single-key keyboard that I can use for "typing" passwords. One of the ones I'm considering purchasing is a mouse with programmable buttons. Getting a mouse to do "Ctrl+C/CTRL+V/CTRL+SHIFT+V" while using excel for web would be a game-changer for me in terms of efficiency. Maybe I'll even get around to it someday. But another example of an efficiency win is just checking my email and messages any time I sit down at my desk. If I haven't stood up in four hours I'm off the hook, but if I stood up to get a refill on my coffee for three minutes, I must check my email when I get back to my desk. That's just how it's done. I don't make the rules. (Not true, I do make the rules but the Alli who makes the rules and the Alli who follows the rules are two different people who just happen to both live in my head.

Get creative when you're thinking about what tools to add to your toolbox. And maybe make one of those tools a literal toolbox. The plastic totes used for cleaning supplies can also be used for gardening tools, pet care, car parts, and barbecues. Make use of them because they might save you a ton of work and there's no reason not to.

ADHD, Children, Neurotypicals, Parents, and Success

The reason I'm writing this is because I have pretty catastrophic ADHD. My "success" state is not the same as your "success" state. Sometimes my success state is "I showered!" (success traps involved with that - keeping a towel on a hook in my closet, a hair wrap on a hook in the bathroom, a tile brush hanging in the shower, my leave-in conditioner in the shower instead of on the counter, water resistant earbuds, and a flat surface within arm's reach to put my phone on), which a lot of people consider pretty pathetic.

It's not. I showered. I succeeded at personal care. If you don't think that's a success, fuck you.

If that sounds hostile, that's because it's meant to.

A lot of well-meaning neurotypical parents and bosses try to set their children or employees up for success by providing environments which the neurotypical people think should be distraction-free, efficiency encouraging, focus-generating environments that remove barriers to success.

They're wrong.

Not always - sometimes parents and employers work with their children and employees to really create effective environments for people with executive function issues. But a lot of the time a parent's idea of a productive, distraction-free environment is what may as well be a combination panopticon and torture chamber for their child. Bosses who don't consider neurodivergence in their employees may wheedle workers into using productivity software that interrupts them every few minutes with reminders, timers, chimes, and pop-ups.

These are not success traps. These are just traps. Either the person subjected to this will struggle within the trap, working at lower capacity and with worse morale than they had before the "distraction-free productivity space" was introduced, or they'll shut down and will be able to get hardly anything accomplished (ESPECIALLY IF YOU SCOLD THEM FOR FAILING TO SUCCEED IN YOUR SYSTEM).

Success traps MUST be created with the individual they're targeted at as a central part of the conversation and with that person's limitations, motivations, and work habits in mind or they will not only not work, they will likely tremendously harm the person they're supposed to help.

Do not attempt to build success traps for your children, employees, spouses, parents, friends, co-workers, patients, siblings, or students based on YOUR understanding of what success looks like and your understanding of their needs.

Neurodivergent people are often subject to the suggestions, instructions, exhortations, and criticisms of people who desperately want to whip the neurodivergent person into shape and set them up for success. That is a recipe for guilt, avoidance, anxiety, and withdrawal on the part of the neurodivergent person who will never be able to use the system you set up as effectively as they'd be able to use a system that they devised or participated in constructing.