How I Work (Neurodivergently) - Martina Donkers

This week we are featuring someone I've been excited to interview ever since she dialled into a videoconference with the Tasmanian wilderness in the background. Martina Donkers is an evaluator and grants expert who I am lucky enough to work with on a project with ARTD Consultants - a really sharp mind and always brings a lot of energy to the discussion.

As always, if there's someone you'd love to see featured, or you're interested in sharing how you work, please let me know! We all have something to share.

Name: Martina Donkers

Location: on the road!

Current gig(s): Self-employed evaluator, grant writer, coach and consultant?

One word that best describes how you work: Anywhere.

Neurodivergent? Yep – ADHD?

First of all, tell us a little about your work background and how you got to where you are today.

I’m a digital nomad, a writer, a bit of a public policy and evaluation theory nerd, and someone who is always keen for new experiences. Probably the thing that people find most interesting about me is that I try to travel full time – I don’t really live anywhere. Officially I live with my parents, and I have spent a fair bit of time there due to recent lockdowns and health issues. But as much as possible, I’m on the road. Since 2020, I’ve road tripped through Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, NSW and Victoria (just the NT to go, hopefully this winter!!), and I’ve worked from all sorts of places – a lighthouse overlooking the Ningaloo reef, the lookout at Cradle Mountain, a rest area on the Nullarbor, a lagoon on the south coast. Before the pandemic, I worked in something like 50 different countries, living out of a backpack and seeing where I ended up. I built my website from a hammock in the Guatemalan jungle, and I just went from there – Norway, Malta, Colombia, wherever.?

I started my career in the public service in Canberra, before heading to Fiji to work in women’s economic development, then temping different public service roles in Melbourne. Like many people in my (then) mid/late-20s, I just wanted to travel – so I decided to see if I could find a way to do interesting work without going to an office. I started freelancing and offering a range of different consulting services, and ended up specialising in grant writing. It worked! In 2019 I started my Master of Evaluation, and now work as an evaluator too. It turns out that any job where your output is pixels, ideas and words can be done from anywhere – you don’t have to be in an office. So I’ve kept up the full-time travel thing, and I’m trying to see as much of the world as I can. I also get to do interesting, difficult work that genuinely helps people, and that’s really cool.??

I didn’t know I was neurodivergent until 2021, when I was listening to a podcast about someone’s recent ADHD diagnosis, and I suddenly recognised myself in everything she was saying. I got an official diagnosis a few months later, and it feels like everything in my life suddenly makes so much more sense. I understand my need for constant change and stimulation. It makes sense that I thrive on work that delivers a mix of projects with a variety of different topics. My highly variable focus and energy levels fit into place. It just all made sense in such a new yet obvious way, and it’s been so good to understand myself better, so I can really maximise my strengths.?

What are your job responsibilities?

As a self-employed person, I’m responsible for every part of my business – that includes doing the actual work (evaluating programs and policies, collaboratively designing new programs, writing grant applications, coaching and building capability, and anything else my clients need), but also all the support roles too. I’m the business development lead, the chief marketing officer, the finance team, the IT guy, the HR department, the facilities manager, the admin assistant, and everyone else!?

The main work I do is grant writing, evaluation, program design, and coaching. As a grant writer, I work with clients to shape up their program idea into something credible, feasible and strategically aligned, and then I put together the grant application that wins them funding to deliver on their idea. As an evaluator, I work with clients to understand their programs and policies better – what have they achieved, how well did they do, what can they improve? I specialise in high-strategy low-resource methods that help make rigorous evaluation attainable for lower budgets. I also do a lot of capacity building in both evaluation and grant writing, including training other freelance grant writers, because it’s a model I passionately believe in.?

Take us through a typical workday.

One great thing about how I’ve structured my life is that I don’t really have a *typical* workday as such, which is just how I like it! I’m very anti-routine, and I like to match my activities to my mood and energy levels, which vary a lot day-to-day.?

I wake up without an alarm, usually 7-8am but I sleep in if I need to (unless I have an early meeting or a plane to catch!). I take my time having coffee and easing into the day. If the weather’s good, I might go for a walk or go paddleboarding.?

I start work once I feel all-the-way awake, usually between 9-10am. I choose my workspace, which could be my mobile office, a public library, a co-working space, a café, the lounge at my Airbnb, my parents’ spare room, or often enough my hammock – it depends on the weather, how I feel, and what I have to do, and might change during the day. I check my diary and my to-do lists, and then get to work. Work includes a mix of meetings (video and phone), reading, writing, researching, designing tools and frameworks, and so on. I use a timer to help me stay focused, and a calendar to keep across deadlines. As much as possible, I match my work to what I think I can do best in any given moment.?

Sometimes I work standard hours, and sometimes I prefer to work late nights and do fun things during the day. Flexibility and variety are very important to me, and sometimes I’m motivated and full of energy at 10pm. And sometimes I’m not!?

What’s your workspace setup like?

Minimalist – I need a lightweight, portable setup to suit my lifestyle. I have a Macbook with an iPad for a second screen, a physical notebook and a planner, and my phone. I try not to have pieces of paper – I can’t keep track of them.?

For working on the road, I set up a mobile office space in the boot of my car (pictured!). I have an adjustable lap desk and a comfy place to sit, and I just park somewhere beautiful and peaceful. If I’m in a library or café or something, I just use whatever table is available.?

People sometimes express concern for my ergonomics, but the thing is, I’m never in the same position for very long – so it’s hard to get a repetitive strain injury. I fidget, and sit in ways that are comfortable to me. And my environment is different day-to-day.?

Digitally, my space is cluttered. I need to keep documents and tabs open so that I remember they exist – like many people with ADHD, I struggle with remembering about stuff I can’t see! I try to group windows by project. When I upgraded my laptop recently, I maxed out the RAM on this model – I never have to close a tab ever again!???

What apps, gadgets, or tools can’t you live without?

Google calendar. If it’s not in my calendar, I don’t know about it! Doesn’t stop me from double-booking myself occasionally, but I’m getting better at that.?

From a practical standpoint, having two sim cards is essential for letting me work wherever I want – usually at least one of the networks has signal!?

From a neurodivergent standpoint, I need simple games that let me do something with my hands to help me concentrate. I also have a hair tie on my wrist that I use as a fidget toy which is really helpful.?

Do you stim? If so, how and when?

I fidget.?

How do you align your neurodivergence with your work environment? (e.g. planning, supports, environmental)

I started working remotely and for myself in 2016, then had a “break” in 2018-19 and took a full-time office job in Sydney. I struggled going back to full-time standard hours in one location, and it was hard to pin down why.?

My psychologist helped me to understand the importance of designing a work life and work style that suits our strengths, and doesn’t rely on our weaknesses. He showed me I had done that when I was working solo. It’s part of the reason I went back to working for myself in early 2020 (great timing…!) – this way, I have full control over my hours, I can work when I’m feeling at my best, I can have variety and more control over my projects but still be engaged with a team, I can have variety in my environment. There was nothing wrong with the job I had, but that work style wasn’t enabling me to thrive.??

I found out about being ADHD in late 2021, and began to learn about the different work environments that suit ADHD peeps. To my surprise, I found that I had already been customising my work environment to suit my neurodivergence. It’s my ADHD brain that struggles with consistency and needs change and variety to feel stimulated. Job-hopping is common in ADHDers, and it’s for the same reason that I’m so engaged when I’m working on multiple short-term projects. Changing my workplace every day, and working to my strengths, is all about aligning with my neurodivergence.?

The type of work I choose is also aligned to my neurodivergence. I have a brain that sees patterns and connections between things, and that’s massive asset in my evaluation and strategy work. I’m also someone who is just as interested in the details as the big picture, which is really helpful in grant writing and in analysis. Everything about my work is designed to maximise my neurodivergent strengths.?

Are there any challenges or misconceptions that you've faced in your work? How have you addressed them?

One aspect of ADHD that I really struggle with is the big emotions, and one part of the relief I felt with my diagnosis was evidence that I probably really do have bigger emotions than the average person. Not only that, I’m expressive, and I might look like I’m having an 11/10 emotional reaction when I feel like I’m at a 7/10.?

Emotions and emotional responses are frowned upon in most workplaces. People have been upset and angry with me over my emotions, and the fact that I’m not good at hiding them. And workplaces aren’t set up to support people to have emotions. You’re expected to go to the loo or maybe have a walk around the block, and then come back and be “normal”.?

Working to the beat of my own drum has helped me manage this. But also, I now have the language to understand and explain what’s going on. I haven’t had a “normal” job since my diagnosis, but I hope that I’d be better equipped to put in place things to help me manage now.?

As an adult woman recently diagnosed with ADHD (just as we’re starting to have a much louder societal conversation about neurodivergence and what it really means and looks like), I don’t think I’ve faced too many misconceptions about my ADHD since I’ve known about it. Or at least, people haven’t said them to me!?

What’s your favourite shortcut or hack?

Turning the speed up, and putting on captions. Turns out my brain finds it MUCH easier to concentrate when things are going FAST, and following along with captions while listening at the same time means I’m taking in info through two senses at once, which makes it much easier to focus and retain ideas. This is great for online uni lectures. I like 2x speed, but some apps let you go even faster and it’s the best.?

How do you keep track of what you have to do?

I have a to-do list in the notes app on my phone where I keep a list of current projects and the 3-5 next steps on each. I don’t list all the steps or it’s overwhelming, just the next things to do.?

I keep a list of “current projects” in my filing system, and I keep tabs and windows open on my computer so that I see them and remember about them.?

Google Calendar pings me half an hour before any appointment. If it’s really important, I’ll add extra pings too, and alarms.?

How do you recharge or take a break?

I do a lot of zoom coffees with friends. I love spending time outside, just doing scenic drives or relaxed walks, or taking my paddleboard out. I’m a big fan of board games. I like reading, but I do get distracted too much – I’m trying to get better at staying with it.?

What’s your favourite passion/interest/side project?

Seeing the world. There’s just so much of it! And there’s so much that’s interesting! I want to see and do and try everything, even though I know that’s impossible. So I’ll have to settle for seeing, doing and trying as much as I can.

What are you currently reading/listening to, or what do you recommend?

I have a bunch of podcasts and audiobooks on the go. I highly rate Maintenance Phase (especially the methodology queen episodes). I like Just the Gist and Julia Gillard’s podcast. I enjoy the Quarterly Essay series (they’re on Audible!). I loved Hannah Gadsby’s book (as read by the author). My forever-favourites are the books of Tamora Pierce.?

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

In Year 12, I remember going to one of those “what’s next” evenings with a bunch of unis and TAFE and stuff. Someone, I don’t remember who, told me to do what I found interesting, not what I thought I should do or what I was good at. They said that I’d do better at what I found interesting, because it would be easier to stick with it, and that counted for much more than natural ability. I followed that advice, and did a whole range of diverse electives in undergrad, and followed what I found interesting into a really cool career and lifestyle. I think it was fabulous advice.?

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

Neurodivergence is an asset, and I’m so excited to see more people understanding that. You don’t have to live a standard life – much better to design a life that you like!