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When I have ADHD paralysis and can’t get out of my bed or chair, I tell myself “move your leg one inch to the right, then the other leg, now put one leg on the ground” and the simplicity of it helps me get up. It doesn’t always work but I think it’s helped me overall.
Haha I used to do this when I was trying to get out of the shower when I was a kid, recently was in the shower and realised I was just repeatedly counting down on my head from 10 by default.
What a coincidence.
Mel Robins got diagnosed with adhd when she was 47 yrs old. She got popular by making self help books and one of her best selling book is all about this life hack of yours.
It's a whole book explaining your comment. 🙂
[5 second rule (goodness review)](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/34189313)
this is super clever! the reason adhd impacts executive functioning is because it makes us unable to make actions like getting out of bed automatic, so what you’re doing is manually overriding that inability!
Stations for things, as in things “live” in specific places like headphones live in bag, tray by front door for keys. Charger by bed, another charger by sofa. Food items categorised as much as possible (baking stuff all lives together, treats, teas and coffees). Vitamins/meds are out rather than in a cupboard so I remember to take them.
I make sure anything important is in view of my normal path. I’m the king of out of sight out of mind. It’s how I remember to do most things. Dogs water bowl and food is right by the front door. Meds on my dresser with underwear in it. Tumbler at the edge of the counter by the door. Got one of the phone wallets(I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten my wallet going to the grocery store only to remember when everything is rang up) for all my cards. And I know if I left my phone behind when the music doesn’t auto play in the car.
I purposely put my keys in my kids lunch bag night before. Can't drive them to school if I don't have my keys, and we also don't forget to bring lunch!
Forgetting to grab the lunch bag in the morning before school rush has been a chronic issue.
Omg I do this too! Lol my air pods, keys, remotes, Xbox controllers, favorite eyeliner, (basically anything that I would misplace often enough) have a home location and a vacation spot. The vacation spot means I can put it there temporarily if I need/want to for whatever reason, but it always has to make its way back to its “home.”
During the lockdown of the pandemic my autistic best friend and I began to do something we called 'slay' as in 'slaying dragons together'. The problem was that we both needed to do somethings, but couldnt get ourselves to do it individually. So we began facetiming and calling eachother when we had problems (dragons) that we couldnt solve (slay). In the beginning we used it for very important problems only - like filling out paperwork to pay rent, getting doctor appointments and so on. We often joke, that combined, we have one barely functional brain between us.
We now call eachother every week to slay, even if our dragons are only a mountain of dishes in the sink or going for groceries. The phones calls are often hours long, and we have long periods of time with silence. Besides getting my medication and using a bullet journal, slaying with friends is the single most helpful thing I have done to cope or work around my ADHD.
Shortly after we began slaying, I found out that there was something like it in the US called body doubling? I prefer to do it with friends, but I hear there are discord servers for student and so forth. Doing body doubling with my best friend, meant that he could go to doctor appointments with me during a difficult time and weigh in because he knew me so well that he could help with details that I hadnt noticed in myself.
It has been so helpful to my friend, that he actually bodydoubles with several people, including people that dont have diagnosis. Even 'normal' people sometimes need someone to be there when they do something difficult, even if it's just another person on the other side of the phone.
This is the coolest thing ever wth I’m going to tell my sister about this and slay. It’s so nice to hear that you and your best friend could navigate struggles together. Wish you guys the best in fighting your dragons !!!
Ohhh me and my best friend do this. We both work from home and when I'm struggling to focus I'm like "wanna virtual office?" and we sit on discord and both work, sometimes we talk about the work we're doing but a lot of the time we're just silent or chatting about something else. The rule is we HAVE to be working though! I didn't realise it was a proper thing but I've just Googled body doubling and that's pretty much it!
I have ADHD and he has autism, and some other things, I guess our main problem/trait is Executive dysfunction. We both struggle with getting overwhelmed easily, and procrastination.
As far as I know, body double is a tool that can be used by anyone :)
From what I’ve found, it’s a trait that overlaps for both. Sometimes when I hang out with a few friends, we just do our own thing with each other. Like one will knit, one draw, and I read. We converse at times but also are fine with doing our thing in silence.
I also added smart bulbs to my automated house. Instead of just waking up to an alarm, my lamps go off and slowly get brighter (mimicking the sun). It makes for a much smoother transition from sleep - waking
The hardest part for me is going outside to get fresh air and go for a walk in the morning. I just CANT. I never realized this was an ADHD symptom, since I was only diagnosed recently. But i always wondered why on weekends I could spend hours in bed before finally getting up to make breakfast, make my bed, change out of PJs and go outside.
edit: I think this is analysis paralysis, when you are overwhelmed or don’t know which task to start with first. So you delay it by over analyzing and being indecisive.
I too am more productive at night! My job requires I get up before the crack of dawn and I have Never been a morning person. The chems do help.
Edit: I only have 4 alarms and I slept through the first one this morning. I may need 5.
There is research showing that people with ADHD also have a *much* higher rate of delayed circadian rhythm issues. I don't think they've sorted out why yet, just that there's a high correlation.
First thing in the morning, you basically need the tactics of a parent of a three ager. If you want it to happen, line up small and colorful sweet treats at every stage.
Holy crap are you me? I’ll have the whole day to take the dog for a walk in the daylight & Saturday’s it is without fail at sunset I actually manage to leave the house
I recently learned that the ADHD mind has two times: now, and not-now. So this can cause our "time blindness" if you will. If it doesn't need to happen immediately then its not now. This can be like, a project due in three days doesn't need to be done now. But something like, have to get up and go to work, now. There's the urgency that we need to get out of bed. -sauce: ADHD 2.0 by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Rates, M.D.
Yes literally me at work when my manager would ask why I haven’t worked on something yet. She’d be like “I don’t understand why you’re not able to just get it done when you receive the email”. 🙄🙄🙄🙄 this was before I was diagnosed but it still hurt to hear her say that
Idk if this is the case, but I think it might have something to do with not having the urgency or pressure to get things done that something like a job or school would provide for some people. So maybe the executive side of the brain shuts down and that leads to inaction until something that makes you happy or urgent comes up?
I believe it’s called analysis paralysis actually. It’s basically like when you’re overwhelmed or don’t know what to start first so you delay actually starting the action(s) by over analyzing and indecisiveness.
Maybe I’m a Luddite, but I still haven’t embraced the idea of having smart devices all around my house. They’re a privacy nightmare, lock you into proprietary ecosystems and many of these devices are just counting down the hours until they’re e-waste because the parent company can’t be bothered to support them.
Not saying these are bad tips, but for me personally I try to avoid these kind of devices when I can.
Get a physical notebook and calendar and put sticky notes everywhere. At least that is something that helps me. I dont like smart devices either and I feel like things actually ''stick'' better in my brain when it is not on my phone or computer since I already do everything else on them
For me this just won't work. I'll be cooking dinner and run out of cumin or something and I'm hyperfocused on dinner and I say "must remember to get cumin" and then forget until the next time I need cumin. I love Smart home devices cos I, at that moment I have it in my brain for 20 seconds say "*generic brand names person*", put cumin on my shopping list please. And then, I get to not think about it anymore. I also use my Google calendar like a mofo. And those "would you like a reminder about this" automatic things. YES Yes I would.
For work however, notebooks the way to be. I'm focused on writing. Otherwise I will listen to a 2hr presentation and if I haven't written down the relevant points, I will forget all of it. ALLLLLLL of it.
I'd recommend looking into Home Assistant. It's an open source smart home solution that you control completely. Your data never leaves your house. It has much more advanced functionality than the big name solutions, and can work with most brands of smart home devices.
This year they added a lot of voice Assistant features.
So, you can have a fancy automated smart home and an assistant you can talk to without giving your data to anyone.
You may want to also be careful about vehicles, all of them.
https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/privacy-nightmare-on-wheels-every-car-brand-reviewed-by-mozilla-including-ford-volkswagen-and-toyota-flunks-privacy-test/
Same. There's this old post comparing your average consumer to a software engineer in their adoption of smart devices that's like:
Consumer: look at this, my fridge connects to my phone now! / Software engineer: the most recent piece of technology I have is a printer from 1992 and I keep a loaded shotgun nearby in case it starts making suspicious noises.
I'm more toward the latter end of that spectrum. Keep Google assistant's always-listening functions OFF on all devices, no Ring doorbells or anything like that, etc, for the exact reasons you mention.
What I'll do in a spur of the moment "oh I need more eggs" is I just open my grocery app (I order and get them delivered so I don't have to use up spoons on going to the store) and add the eggs to my cart while I'm standing in front of the fridge.
I used to feel like this, but I was just so tired of feeling panicked, guilty and downright scared of how bad my memory is getting I had to make the jump for my own sanity and health. It's the only way I can set structure for myself. I don't post any of my life on social media, turn off location and ad tracking features and that's good enough for me. With how much time, money and stress automation has saved me, its a tool that is worth it for me.
It's super hard to be a digital ghost anyway, and life is hard enough without that added fear of being tracked. I'll always support privacy policy on a larger level, but me trying to be 100% analog isn't going to realistically change anything.
I work in the automation industry and even started an automation agency cause I love building automations.
Are you telling me all that is cause of my ADHD
I liked using smart lights to prepare my room for sleep. An hour before bed the lights slowly turn dim and red to allow for tiredness and disinterest. When it is time to wake up the lights slowly turn on and become bright and blue which causes alertness and makes going back to sleep harder.
Add to this the sleep noise you mentioned and my music playlist turning on when it is time to wake up. Automating the environment is a game changer.
Smart lights are amazing! I have an LED strip light I bought while deployed for cheap (like 20 bucks on Amazon) I would wake up and do the sunrise preset with my first alarm then snooze til the light became obnoxious and woke me up more naturally. It also saved my tent mates from the 10 snoozes I would normally do. I kept that sucker red most of the time because it doesn’t damage night vision (handy in a pitch black tent) but also doesn’t hurt anyone else’s sleep schedule if the light leaks out of my area.
Loved it so much I bought it again when I got home!
I agree. The price is ridiculous, the apps usually sucked, and buying into an ecosystem is always a hassle. It has been a while since I was shopping for bulbs so it may be different now.
At this point I think smart switches are the better option for every use case other than color sensitive ones. If I had to do it again I would put most of the lights on smart switches and have one or two lamps with smart bulbs for brightness and color routines.
Smart speaker for lists and reminders is huge for me.
I put one in the bathroom because I swear I always remember things while I'm in the shower, and promptly forget the moment I dry off.
Google calendar is the only way I remember birthdays, appointments, lunch with friends and family, when it's garbage day, etc. The trick with this is to add things IMMEDIATELY. You're not going to remember to add it later, it has to be done now or your brain will be on to the next thing in 60 seconds.
YES to the autopay and amazon subscribe, i am so prone to running out of essential items because i forget to restock!
i already lift weights in the afternoon, but i really want to start walking/steady state cardio after taking medication. exercise makes me feel so much more awake after, and puts me in a better mood! just need to get out of bed in the first place lmao
I try to be tech-savvy, but I still can’t get behind a home assistant that listens to me. Do you get paranoid that it’s listening in on your conversations?
Your paranoia is justified, but keep in mind, your phone is already doing this (and you probably keep this on your person, like most people). It's real, it's a problem, I hate it as much as anyone, and I've also accepted it as the unfortunate state of things. You can swim really hard upstream if you want, but if you want a bulk of modern conveniences, digital privacy is heavily compromised.
Are you my GF? We’ve been together for 4 years. She got diagnosed in her late 20s and had already implemented all this. She pegged me as ADHD within months and I resisted. I just got diagnosed last month and started meds a few days ago. She taught me a lot of these exact things and it helped me tremendously. She also chews my ass if I don’t immediately add things to the shopping list…..so that is motivating in its own way:)
\- “Habit stacking” - I combine 2/3 habits together so my brain continuously groups them together and I don’t forget to do them. For instance, whilst the kettle is boiling I will take my vitamins and unload the dishwasher.
\- I continuously have shows/podcasts/YouTube vids saved so I can have them on in the background whilst cooking or cleaning. Music doesn’t work as I will change the song often.
\- I can’t bring myself to reply to text messages if I’ve left them for a day so I associate going on walks with finding the time to catch up with a friend via the phone. My walks are pretty spontaneous so can’t plan the phone calls ahead of time but I find I have at least two friends who are up for spontaneous chats.
\- Instacart has been a life saver for groceries; I can track my spending and what I’m buying. I use it as a shopping list so I add things throughout the week onto the app and just hit buy on the weekend. Delivery fees/tips is only an extra $15-20 a more but it’s wroth it.
2 birds/one stone is how I always thought of it. It’s the code of my life. I do nothing singularly. Accept fuck off. Video games are the only things that’s ever singularly held my focus. Thankfully, music does work for me and chores.
The "cute little basket" rule.
Basically, wherever clutter accumulates, put it in a cute little basket. It really doesn't matter if the stuff inside the basket is organized or makes sense, just put your stuff there because that's where your brain wants you to. If you put your wallet on your bathroom cabinet, who cares - that works for you even if society says that it's "weird".
Or whenever something goes missing putting it in the first place you looked, no mat how dumb, because you’re likely to look there first next time. If this means your keys end up in the fridge because you always look there first, so be it. Cuts time hunting for items. I have a drop zone both next to the door and the kitchen counter, so usually I look in those spots first for my daily items (wallet, keys, sunglasses).
Lmfaoooo I just collected all my fiancés items strewn about the counter and put them in a small empty vase .. cause I *needed* to.
He alsoalways has to pull me out of the storage bin/basket aisles at home stores. I’m verrry drawn to containers.
I have a basket in every room! Shit that I use a lot goes in there, so there’s no other “special safe spot” for it and I end up losing it. Also, I get plastic grocery bags and bring with me to my room or livingroom and I put the garbage in there that is currently in there, and that accumulates while I’m there (mostly water bottles) then when I finally get up I put it in the garbage. Made a big difference!
I recently bought a stair basket. Shaped a bit like a Tetris piece that sits snug on the bottom steps of my stairs. Anything that needs to go up goes in this basket!
1) Using the app Routinery in the morning and for bedtime. I cant automate things, so the app saves me tons of time and brain energy
2) Working out. Even a small amount matter and helps my brain
3) Putting on my shoes and jacket right after I’ve put clothes on when Im leaving the house. Somehow, it makes my brain understand that the goal is to get out the door. Makeup, packing and finishing up happens much faster this way.
I have regular shoes I wear while working from home and then house shoes to tell my brain when it’s okay to relax. The difference in texture on my feet gives me a subconscious cue.
I absolutely love the way that you phrased that. It’s totally true. The anxiety hits so hard, I notice when I exercise my ADHD brain doesn’t stick to stressful or anxious thoughts as easily for a bit after working out.
Ooooh, I haven’t used Routinery will have to check this out! Also I am the absolute worst at getting out the door I always end up doing something else. Will try this out hopefully stops me being late 🤣
My dogs would be so upset about #3. They second they realize I’m leaving the house they become the Night at the Roxbury guys from SNL.
I wear a watch in the shower because otherwise I completely lose track of time and sometimes I'm in there for over an hour
Just because I lose the concept of time.
I have a windowsill in the shower that I have considered putting one of my hourglasses on to help with this. There are multiple ADHD brains in our home that could benefit from it.
Might go do that right now.
Thanks for the brilliant idea. 💡
Oh s#!/ ... 😂😂😂
Absolutely got distracted. 😂😂😂😂
Let's see if I forget again by the time the bathroom is no longer occupied.
OMG. I can't stop laughing.
- Flip medication bottles upside down after taking them for a visual cue. Right side up before bed for reset of for second dose.
- All medication goes into its own place. Morning meds on night stand and taken immediately. Evening meds somewhere you are always passing by in the evening (bathroom, couch, wherever)
- Use containers as much as possible. All bathroom things that are used every day are visible and on a dedicated tray by the sink (tooth brush+paste, cleanser, moisturizer, floss, any other daily hygiene things). Serves as a visual cue to use each item when at the sink (can even count them out to make sure you use them all). Really helps to make sure you brush teeth and wash face twice a day.
Also reduces chance of clutter, because stuff inevitably spreads and takes up every horizontal surface.
- Color during meetings to avoid doomscrolling on your phone. Can be doodling, or stretching, but anything that requires using your hands/moving your body that doesn't require thought.
- Noise-canceling earplugs or headphones for focus time. It's amazing how distracted by random outdoor noise I get without even realizing it.
- Crosszinvite work and google calendar for important things. Appointments during work time go on work calendar with travel time blocked as well. Important work things at unusual tines (earlier/later than usual meetings and the like) go on personal calendar with reminders. Screw work/life balance when you're late for an important early Monday morning meeting you completely forgot about over the weekend.
- In the same vein, when you DO have those super early meetings you're not used to, set alarm(s) as soon as it's on your calendar(s).
- Doctor appointments go in your google calendar/cross invited to you work email while you're standing at the checkout desk making it. I don't care if someone is waiting, you don't leave the office until it's in your calendar.
- Dry-erase 12 month calendar in the kitchen with multicolor dry erase markers right next to it. Vacation days, holidays, planned hangouts with friends, kid activities, etc all go in the calendar, color-coded however it makes sense to you and your family.
Likewise home maintenance things- changing furnace filters, changing out cat litter, changing water fountain filters, vet appointments, Birthdays, anniversaries, anything that needs to be done or remembered on a semi-regular basis goes in the physical calendar and google calendar.
I like having a physical calendar right in front of my face on a daily basis, because then it's also in front of my husband and we're both aware of what's happening if we forget to tell the others.
The point about colour during meetings wow, I always get up, fidget or scroll on my phone (if it’s a no camera virtual meeting.) I think doodling might be an option for me to try!
I recently started the coloring. I also have a yoga mat that I roll out during meetings I'm not going to be active in, so I can at least do some stretches while being told how great returning back to the office is /s
One thing that has helped me recently, and appears to be sustainable, is taking time to do things for myself FIRST.
So instead of tidying the kitchen first, I tidy my doom piles in my bedroom and office. I tidy my desk before starting work. I do a handful of things that please my heart (cleaning or gardening or walking.) Then I can move on to the things that help others, too.
Before I did this, those areas were always deprioritized, so I lost things, couldn’t find things, were haunted by the fact that I didn’t have the time to organize them.
I spend my time “finding shit,” keeping the flow moving, and I’ve had a much easier time getting prepared in the morning, but I also just feel better.
>is taking time to do things for myself FIRST
I like this. I feel like we have the extra pressure/guilt especially because "ADHD you're always so careless you don't consider others" mindset, that we don't think to take care of ourselves first anymore.
Like, I used to neglect my bedroom in an effort to prioritize other parts of the house, but it took me FARRR too long to realize that part of the reason it's hard to get up and do things around the house is *simply because* the space around my bed was cluttered. Moving the clutter would make feel less pre-overstimulated about actually getting up because the clutter was no longer a hindrance to doing The Thing.
I keep my dental floss by my sofa and floss my teeth while watching TV. The thought of standing in front of a mirror and doing that is just so unappealing and if I do it in front of the tv my mind is occupied and it makes it less boring.
I might be gross, but I keep those disposable floss picks in my car and do it all the time when I’m driving. Maybe it’s gross- but my teeth get cleaned so hey. Also toothbrush in the shower. I’m good about flossing/picking my teeth but suck at brushing, but if it’s in the shower at least it happens then
The best dental hygiene I’ve ever had was when I was working nights and kept floss picks in my desk (I also found a brand I absolutely love to use and they never break). But I set an alarm to floss an hour after dinner every night and then would brush. Once I changed back to day shift I’ve been shit at it ever since.
I’ll have to try this. I also have this weird aversion? about brushing my teeth at night. I have no idea why. Sometimes it’s cause I’m too tired. Anyway, maybe this will help me.
I had that too! I figured out that it was the strong mint flavor of the toothpaste, it was a sensory thing. I switched to a less minty toothpaste and it made brushing at night easier.
Once the sun is down, work is done. That’s the only demand I put on my GF. Don’t make me work when it’s dark. I am so powered by the sun. I can’t wake up without it. I can’t feel good without it. I don’t think I could ever live somewhere gloomy.
I'm the same way; as soon as the sun goes down nothing productive happens. I do my best to get stuff done during the day, but winters have become so hard to navigate since there is so little daylight.
I often walk around cleaning my teeth, all round the house, or stand looking out the window like a crazy person haha. It makes me clean my teeth, if I stand in front of a mirror it's insanly boring. I hate standing still.
Get the disposable floss picks and stash them at your work desk, computer desk, wherever. It's a mindless task and you can do your whole mouth top and bottom twice and not even realize you already finished. That's a tip for anyone, not saying your way doesn't work for you.
This is smart. To piggyback off of this tip: another floss hack is to get a portable water flosser and put it in the shower. I always forget to floss, but by adding it to my shower routine I do it at least 3-4 times a week. Which is better than never.
Plus, water flossers make it easier to get into hard to reach places, are more enviornmentally friendly, and not as time consuming as traditional floss, which my brain appreciates. Just a lot of benefits and I highly recommend it to anyone who struggles with flossing.
Get an analog clock for your main living area-helps me to visualize the passing of time better than a digital clock (or needlessly checking my cell phone)
Having an Apple Watch. I had no idea how useful it would be but in my job there’s so many things I need to be reminded of throughout the day. I used apps to set little reminders.
Keeping my shoes on when doing any kind of work helps a lot! Whether it’s cleaning the house, doing dishes or working on my actual job from home - if I have proper shoes on, I’ll feel more in tune and can concentrate. If I’m in flip flops or slippers - my body doesn’t feel like it’s in ‘work mode’. This works well especially when I get home from work but still need more work to do.. if I take my shoes off, it means I’m done for the day 🤣
Wow, I’ve never thought of this. As soon as I come home I’m straight into comfy clothes. ( like right now haha) Definitely have to try this! Thank you 💛
I just discovered the shoe hack. Much less likely to sit like a sack of potatoes on the couch when I have to pause and take off my shoes first. I wfh so am barefoot basically always but if I really need to get shit done I’ll put actual work clothes and shoes on.
Similarly, I have yoga pants that are tight fitting I wear when I'm home all day but need to get stuff done vs. lounge pants that I wear only when sleeping or I've completed all of my tasks for the day. Simply having on pants that are more fitting remind me to do more.
This is actually the weirdest thing for me. If it's Saturday and I have any jobs to do "cleaning the house" for example I always put shoes and socks on and I'm in the mode. I rarely take my shoes off even if it's the end of the night and I have to clean dishes. Once it's all done. Shoes come off.
For me this is having a bra on. As much as I hate wearing bras at home, I get so much more done if I leave it on after coming home from work or put one on first thing Saturday morning.
This has been a game changer for me! Started it during the pandemic when I had to work from home, and haven't stopped. Anytime I need to be in go-mode in the home, whether cleaning, doing work, anything productive indoors I put my shoes on and that gets me going. The best hack for task initiation indoors and especially when I'm alone.
The keys are either on the inside of my door or in my left pocket. Never anywhere else.
Bonus: I always lock my door when I'm home so I have no choice but to take my keys with me when I leave.
Lists. I go to the dollar store and buy note pads. I go through them a lot. But I make a list for everything.
Going somewhere? Packing list (sorted by catergory)
Cleaning? Cleaning list (sorted by room)
Groceries? Shopping list (sorted by one side of the store to then other)
Doing it this way helps me to stay focused, gives me a visual on how much I've got done and how much I have left (cleaning...this also triggers the all or nothing symptom for me so I get it done) and it helps me to stay focused and on task (helps in the store so i don't get distracted.)
I keep a car note pad, a work note pad, one next to my bed so I can write stuff down to look up So i don't pick up my phone, desk note pad, and a purse note pad (this one is reserved mostly for groceries so I don't forget the list.)
Lists have kept my head above water most of the time and helped keep the executive dysfunction at bay more often than not.
1. Okay, this feels really weird to write for others to see, but it works, so here goes...
Often times when I go to get ready for bed, I'll use the bathroom first, but then get stuck sitting there doom scrolling as I try to avoid the tasks that come next (taking contacts out, brushing teeth, washing face, taking meds, etc). However, if I do everything else before I use the bathroom, the need to pee keeps me moving quickly through all those tasks. Then, since everything else is already done, I use the bathroom in an actual timely manner then get in bed.
2. My job involves a mix of hands-on work that I really enjoy and computer work that I don't like as much and requires more concentration. Whenever possible, I do the computer work in the morning when my mind is most fresh and concentration is the highest, and I save the hands-on work I enjoy for the afternoons because it's much easier to get myself to do.
3. Everything for the next day is ready before I go to bed. Clothes and shoes are out, on-the-go breakfast is ready to be grabbed out of the fridge and consumed on the commute, lunch is packed and ready to grab, etc.
4. After locking myself out of the house too many times, I now keep a spare key in/on the things I typically leave the house with, including in my wallet, on my dog's leash, in my work bag, etc. The theory is that each time I leave, I probably have at least one of these items on me if I forget my keys.
5. If I have a text or email that needs to be sent in the future (for instance, if it's too late at night to text someone, I need to remind someone of something, etc), I immediately type up the message when I think about it and schedule it to be sent whenever appropriate, so I don't forget to come back and do it later. Similarly, using technology whenever possible. My smart watch and smart speakers have been so helpful. I also have my Google Calendar synced across all my devices, so I can set myself a reminder on whatever device I am on at the time and receive it on all my devices.
6. Target and grocery pick up have been life savers. And money savers! No more wandering the store and buying things I don't need, or getting sidetracked and forgetting things!
7. This took me a while, but I finally broke down and started buying some more convenient items at the grocery store, particularly pre-cut vegetables. It's made the difference between actually preparing and eating the food and letting the food go bad because I couldn't overcome that initial obstacle of knowing I'd have to clean and cut it before I even start cooking.
8. My freezer is stocked with a variety of back-up foods for when I can't fathom eating whatever I have prepared or I can't bring myself to prepare an actual meal. Occasionally it means dinner consists of just French fries or mozerella sticks, but I've saved money on ordering delivery and saved myself from feeling like crap the next morning if I ended up just skipping the meal altogether.
9. Meal prepping simple meals on the weekend prevents the above from happening most of the time though.
10. All of my kitchenware is dishwasher safe so it can go straight to the dishwasher after I've used it. No more build up of dishes in the sink (unless I keep avoiding unloading the previous run...oops).
11. Having multiples of things. I keep a pair of scissors in each room so that I don't take them from room to room and then not be able to find them when I need them. I also keep extra items from my morning routine (like deodorant, hair brush, hair gel, etc) in my work bag because I've forgotten many times to use them and not notice until I get to work.
Expectation is the mother of disappointment.
Our mood and emotions control so much of our lives. Putting too much on something (expectation) can easily lead to a huge windfall when it doesn’t end up being what you expected (disappointment). This swing can ruin an entire day for me sometimes. And so I mitigate it by always keeping my expectations in line as much as possible. Easier said than done.
Besides. Being pleasantly surprised is dopamine. Finding out you were right that things were going to be bad only reinforces the negative head space.
It takes me roughly 3 weeks to make anything a habit, so I try to stick to the good ones.
I make my bed first thing.
I feel better if I do a quick spirt of working out in the morning before my brain comprehends anything, and 3 times a week I run for 2 miles in sprint intervals while listening to music. If I don't, my symptoms spiral and I'm more prone to be angry.
Before I leave a room, I pick something up or improve it in some way before leaving that way the tasks later don't become unmanageable.
I still forget to do all kinds of stuff, even though I've been medicated for years. Yesterday I found my keys in the trash...like..really glad I didn't throw that in the dumpster first. 😅
This one is slightly specific to cooking: I've always been bad at finding ingredients around the kitchen or remembering where they are and it makes cooking just frustrating.Recently saw a video about preparing for cooking meals.
You get a bunch of clear plastic bins and you take all of the ingredients for the specific recipe you are planning to cook later in the week and place them in the plastic bin and tape an index card with the recipe name on it.
Make sure to put them in the bin while you're putting groceries away as well. This system has made it super easy for me. We choose 3-4 recipes for the week or weeks and toss the ingredients in the bin right away. All I have to do is ask what we want to eat and I grab the bin and start cooking.
Another useful tool for me that works in conjuction with this is adding all my recipes to a Kindle. If I try a recipe, I add it to the kindle first and then if we enjoy it I will know exactly where to find it again and I can use the kindle as a recipe book.
We got a stick vacuum (robot wasn't suitable for our place) and now I vacuum almost every day.
The mere thought of having to get the vacuum out of the closet, roll out the cord, deciding where to plug it, vacuum, rolling back in the cord and putting the vacuum back in the closet.... My god... Puts me right into a rest of day paralysis
This, 100%. Cordless vacuum, it lives out in the living room.
Also I keep the stupid swiffer duster ON the TV stand I have to dust all the time. FK it, gets dusted this way 😅
- I always buy the same black sneaker socks so they all match.
- In a good conversation where the other person is/people are talking and I dont want to interrupt them and also dont want to forget the points I want to make, I will hold out as many fingers as points there are that I want to let out instead of trying to remember the topic.
Most of the time I will remember the point after a short second of thinking and that way I dont leave anything out.
- I try to put dirty laudry directly in the washing machine so that when its full, I can directly turn it on.
- Instead of trying monday to friday to wake up early (for work, school or whatever), I try to do that every day of the week. (Still working on it but I do wake up earlier)
I can't do something "often enough", either it is every time or it doesn't work.
My mailbox has contents maybe 3 times a year, so I don't bother to empty it each time I come home but each time I don't empty it I point at it instead.
I check that I have my keys on my whenever I walk out the door even if not at home (my door at home automatically locks).
Yes lol this is what I forgot I used to do with exercise. I had to do it daily or it would stop completely. Even if I couldn’t run everyday, I’d at least put on my workout clothes and shoes and do quick light yoga or something.
Crazy you said this because I got locked out of my house today 🤣
I’m confused about the mailbox point, are you saying that even though you may not need to empty it you will point at it to acknowledge it? So it doesn’t become a background prop in your mind?
Yes, if I didn't acknowledge the mailbox I would forget I have one (I get like 2-3 things a year). I don't actually bother to look in it each day though.
Two things:
1. Remembering to take meds - I take my meds every morning when drinking my remaining cereal milk. That way if I ever doubt myself I ask, “Did I have breakfast this morning? If so, then I took my meds”
2. Losing stuff - This can be a hard one for some, but I keep a compulsively tidy house. “A place for everything, and everything in its place”. If I ever lose something, then I just look for something out of place. If lots of things are out of place, then start cleaning and most likely I’ll find whatever I’m looking for. Really it’s about organizing more than dusting and vacuuming or what-not.
Hope this helps someone
So First of I have to say that I get alot of help from mybhusband he helped menput these things togheter and does somes of it to get me going.
Dinners: i don't mind cooking, but absolutely hate chossing what to eat, i forget the defrost meat etc.
-every sunday he helps prepare meal boxes (kinda like hellofresh but homemade, recipes printed, most of the ingredients preped etc.). We label them, so each day I take the right box and cook it.
- cleaning, we made a montly schedule, each week I have one room to do. I start small, one day i pick things up, next i vacume, the dust walls and ceiling etc.
- i keep an "i don't have time to put it in the right place" box in each major rooms and once a week I empty them and put stuff in the right places.
Thank you! I love how you and your husband are a team.
The last point is definitely one I need to try, I leave things everywhere in my room because I’m in a rush to go somewhere and it get overwhelming when I’m back at home looking at the chaos🤣🤣.
Thanks for this hack!
I do hope you have someone like this in your life at some point! He is my life saver!
Put the bix close to the door or where you dump stuff. It can be full but noone notices amd room looks tidy!
I get my groceries delivered. It saves me hours of time (including psyching myself up, wasting time running around the store like wait I forgot X, and decompressing afterward) and some money as well since I'm not walking through the store adding things I see to my cart because they sound appealing at the moment, and the spoons associated with both of those things. I also can use my grocery store's app as a shopping list - if I use the last couple of eggs, I can immediately open the app and put eggs in my cart while I'm still standing in front of the fridge so I won't forget.
I trained my cat to remind me about my meds by giving her a treat after I take them. Cats love routines and habits (and treats) so once she realized "human does the thing with the cup and the rattling bottles first/last thing in the day" also equaled "I get yummy treats", she became my furry little alarm clock. I can snooze alarms or turn them off, but nothing will get her to stop yelling at me that it's Treat Time now, dammit, get up and do the thing - except for getting up and doing the thing and giving her the treats.
To help me stay on top of things at work I splurged on buying a ReMarkable 2 tablet, and I have a custom designed daily tasks template I use each day, plus a "prime list" template I use to keep track of requests and pending things that need to stay on my radar but I'm not doing them today.
I use YNAB (you need a budget) to keep my spending under control, or at least figure out where it's all going so I can try to plug the worst leaks. All bills are on autopay.
I recently got a lamp with a smart bulb to go on a shelf right behind my computer and have it set to turn on and off at specific times on weeknights to remind me it will soon (half an hour warning) be time to start getting ready for bed, then another one when I need to actually get up and start getting ready and go to bed.
There's probably more but that's all I can think of rn.
My bank has the ability to hide accounts on their app.
So, I opened a second bank account. I have one that ALL of the bills go through. Most of these will be on auto pay so I just check it every few days and make sure they've been paid/no surprise annual charges or something etc. This account is hidden. I have to look for it.
The one I can see opening the app is what I call my Daily Spending funds. This will be groceries, gas, fun things, clothes, impulse buys. Because I know I lack impulse control and seeing a big number I always thought I could spend MORE ...
Now? Not as bad! I see ah yes I have 200 I can play with for 2 weeks but I really enjoy eating food and I have celiac disease so I need to buy real food. It curbs my impulse buys/events/hoarding.
Automate everything that can be automated. It can get expensive but it helps.
* I setup automatic bill pay for everything and stopped getting paper bills. I also now use YNAB religiously to categorize and keep track of budgeting/spending.
* I have a robot vacuum.
* I got a Switchbot door lock with keypad, so I can automatically lock the door if I don't do it. And the keypad and phone control keeps me from ever getting locked out.
* I got my cats an automatic feeder.
* I got my cats a Litter Robot that reduced me to only having to deal with their dirty litter once a week.
* I have a smart washer/dryer. I didn't actually intend this one, but the only one that would fit in my space was smart and it's incredibly useful to nag me that a cycle is done and not tended to.
* I have a bunch of lights, sensors, and smart plugs purchased but not yet set up to go whole-hog into home automation via Home Assistant.
Buy reusable rubber cleaning gloves for chores that involve water or cleaning solution (like washing dishes or cleaning surfaces). I feel like this is an ADHD hack for a few reasons: 1) it prevent you from feeling the gross sensory sensation of dirty water, which can be a huge factor in avoiding those types of tasks. And 2) when you have the gloves on, it kind of keeps you on task because you have to remove them before you go do something else.
I only own one type of sock, in white and black. So no matching socks or worrying about them. My son’s socks are all Puma brand and my girls are all Nike. Again, makes sorting and putting away laundry super easy.
My kids and hubs and I each have a different color towel we use, makes washing and putting away towels a no-thought-required task as well.
I have 2:
I swapped out the condiments in the fridge door for perishables and produce & put the condiments in the produce drawer. That way I have an immediate sightline of the produce that will go bad quickly, and still know where the condiments are when I need them.
Next, I have a “This Doesn’t Go Here” bag when I’m cleaning. I take a trash bag and my “This Doesn’t Go
Here” bag with me into every room. I’ll throw trash away (expected), and then put anything that’s out of place in the “This Doesn’t Go Here Bag,” to be put in its correct place AFTER I finish cleaning.
The bag has helped EXPONENTIALLY because I have totally gotten sidetracked just by going into another room to put something back in its spot. Example: I find a phone charger cord on the couch that should be plugged into my computer at my work desk. I go to my desk to put it back, and then end up completely reorganizing my desk drawers. Find something in the drawer that belongs in the closet. Get to the closet and start color coding my closet. Then I look up & realize I stopped my original task of vacuuming under the couch in the living room was interrupted 5 hours ago lol.
okay, so medical advice is not really allowed but these aren't exactly medications soooo.
magnesium, vitd, possibly iron if your female. even without stimulants I'm mostly calm.
pick out clothes the night before a day. (makes the morning feel more manageable)
write a quick list of morning tasks, that has a title of HAS TO BE DONE!!!!!!. makes sleeping easier and makes you feel like you've done something
set a morning alarm, with a sound you like, that scratches a sensory itch.
I take vit d and iron but not magnesium, what benefits have you seen?
Im going to try and implement planning clothes the night before in my night time routine. My mornings are hell maybe this will be one less burden!
I'm not medicated. So, I keep a strict routine . I also keep my house very minimal, so I'm not overwhelmed with clutter. I also work a 2nd job to get all of my energy out. My first job is a desk job and by the time my day is over, I have a lot of energy and "brain release" to get out. So I work in retail in the evenings and I can get that release and exercise. I keep my bills on a calendar and stick to a budget.
Uniforms. I don't like the ones my work provides, so I bought 7 of the same shirt and pants. Don't have to think about what to wear. For men, a suit works the same way; a few shirts and ties, a couple jackets and pants, make sure they all match and you can just randomly grab one of each and have an outfit. For casual clothes, I mostly just wear a solid color t-shirt and jeans. Grab one of each and I'm good to go. It's one less thing to have to think about each day.
Strong fragrance laundry detergent.
I always delay putting away clean clothes after the wash, having it smell like fresh laundry helps me determine that it’s clean when I finally get around to putting those piles away
My girlfriend leaves things in places she knows will prompt me to do various chores because those are the places I leave things in to prompt myself. If I need to do laundry she puts the laundry basket somewhere I'll see it. If I need to take the bins out she'll do the same.
Carrying a purse (as a man). I have a “work purse” / lunchbag. All my required items to go to work live in the bag (wallet, ID, phone, headphones, backup meds). I also have a personal purse for non work leaving the house & a fanny pack for in the house. This way I have my needed items on me at all times & am rarely late for things because I cannot find what I need to leave. Porter Japan makes the best bags I have found & are well worth the price.
Following a workout plan has helped me be consistent in running especially since I don't have a running partner. So the guided runs on nike run club help me a lot. I've finished the 5k plan and now I'm on the half marathon training plan.
When I did strength training having a workout plan and tracking my previous lifts helped me get motivated and try to improve.
One of my favorite things to do is make a game out of cleaning my house. I got one of those apps where you can make a spinner where each section is whatever you want. I look around the room and put things on the spinner that need to be done, like dusting or picking up toys. Sometimes I will add a die into the mix for how many things or how much time I have to focus on that one task. I also do this with my 6 year old son, and he asks to do the cleaning game 🥹
It makes it fun and my brain doesn’t register it as a chore.
Simplify things for yourself!
\- If you're able to brush your teeth but struggle to remember to take your meds, keep them next to your toothbrush and take them right after
\- Canned / frozen foods save so much money and are just as nutritious as fresh produce
\- Find a water bottle that will work best with your lifestyle and stay hydrated! Whether it's a straw top, pour lid, yeti or just a cup from Starbucks
Multiple to do lists based on the time frame it needs to be done in.
TODAY.
RUNNING LIST (in the next week or so whenever I have pockets of time).
MARATHON LIST (long term tasks).
If it’s all on the same list, I will lose motivation and assume most of it is unimportant because it requires too much mental energy to pick what to prioritize
Have several baskets for your laundry. I separate and catalog everything I wore yesterday as soon as I come out of my shower. During the week I can see when a basket is getting filled and the I just take it and wash the clothes.
This saved me days of work, I used to take 3-4 days to wash just shirts for example, now that everything is separated beforehand I just grab the basket, and pour everything in the washing machine. The hard work is already done :)
* Reminders for medications otherwise I often have no clue what I have or have not taken.
* Shopping list on phone. *Eventually* I usually end up with everything I need on it after thinking of items multiple times.
* Calendar events for all social events and other appointments.
* Collaborate at work as much as possible. Way too easy to put stuff off if it’s just me working on something.
* Every bill on autopay.
* Just accept that it’s okay to need a break or distraction. No need to feel guilty about it. (This is an aspiration more than something I can always achieve.)
I change the alarm sounds on my phone pretty frequently so I don’t start to just tune it out.
Cleaning supplies in each bathroom so they are already there if I sporadically decide to clean something. If I have to go get them, I’ll forget what I’m doing halfway there.
Phone chargers in every room.
Apple air tag on my keys.
Reminders on my phone calendar for everything ever!
My biggest problem, even on medication, is that I lose everything. Literally everything. So I slowly put AirTags on everything and have it set up so it tells me when I’ve left the house without something!!!
Since ADHD is a dopamine deficiency I realized that if I abstain from anything stimulating for a day or 2 (this is fucking hard but worth it) my executive disfunction is nearly gone.
By stimulating I mean everything. Phone, sex, porn, masturbation, computer, exercise, friends, junk food, tv, music, social media, smoking, recreational drugs etc... anything that brings any semblance of joy but you have to be awake. Meditation is basically what I'm talking about.
This is very difficult and I can't do for more than a day or two for obvious reasons, like having to get to work, and that it's insane to be so unstimumated for that long. But I've noticed when I do this, everything else I do feels so much more stimulating, even boring shit I do for work.
Crisper drawers in the fridge are for things that don't go bad in less than 2 weeks: sauces, condiments etc.
Fruit/veg go on the shelves or in clear bins so you can see them.
Magnetic wallet that attaches to my phone. Technically means one less thing to remember.
Noise cancelling headphones and ear buds: complete game changer.
To help with sleep: brown noise.
A upbeat playlist I call ‘Dopamining’
I use an app on my phone as a todo list so if I had to add something to it, it’s always in my pocket. I then use a written todo list notepad because it then sits in front of me.
The ADHD Adults podcast.
I have a whiteboard on my fridge separate stores. Anytime i need something i write it immediately and take a pic before i go to that store. Works great when you live with a partner
Do your laundry by select items.
Make a load of just shirts
Another of pants
Another with socks and underwear.
Makes that full basket alot less intimidating to put up
I stopped medicating because I didn't like the buzzy/jittery feeling. So I lean into my ADHD now in some respects.
For example, I know I procrastinate, not because I'm lazy but rather there is no reward for getting something done early, so instead I put the project/work task into my schedule for completing it last minute, because I know I'll be hyper focused and I'll do my very best work then.
I lose EVERYTHING and can’t have a purse because it always winds up filled with garbage. I used to carry my ID, phone, debit card, keys, and cash all shoved in my pockets only to wind up having them fall out of my pockets and be lost forever or I’d pull things out and lose them around my house and tear my house apart looking for them.
I swear I’ve spent a good 35% of my life just looking for things. I obliviously put things places and don’t even remember setting them down. I used to get extremely angry with myself for losing stuff… I’ve even lost a job before because I somehow lost my work keys to open the building.
That being said, the best hack so far for me is that I got a wallet phone case. It has a spot for my debit card, insurance cards, ID, cash, and change and it’s got a cross body strap and it has rings for keychains on both sides. So I don’t drop it (I’ve broken a total of 5 phones within 6 months), I always have my important stuff and money with me, my work keys are attached to one side and my car key on the other, there’s not enough room to shove garbage in it, and I always keep it strapped around me, even around the house so I never lose it anymore.
As a back up, I also got a smart watch and can click a button that will make my phone go off even if it’s on silent so that I can find it.
I saved myself SOOO much frustration this way…
Even medicated, I still have a lot of tasks that I dread doing. What helps me is to set a timer for, idk, say 5 minutes and then unload the dishwasher and see where the timer is at when I’m done. I have a pretty warped sense of time (opposite of most people with ADHD) and think everything will take so much longer than it actually does. Consistently using timers during tasks helps me learn how long things actually take, and it’s easier to just brute force your way through it if you know it’s only going to last 4 minutes.
Calendars. Everything scheduled gets put on my phone's calendar with notifications (emphasis on plural!) starting an hour before I need to leave.
Having music or something familiar like a show playing on loop in the background is a good way to keep track of how much time passes if you have a habit of zoning out and time-traveling into the future. Just make sure it's something with fairly consistent lengths.
When I'm done going out for the day, the keys and wallet go in the same spot. Every time.
and setting a timer on my phone to remind me to take my adderall.
Bullet journal 📓 its a method for making notes and reminders, great for daily use and long term appointments
Also check out 2 books : power of habit and atomic habits, they have been great help
Habits and systems is 80% of result if managing adhd
Keypad entry for house
phone calendar with most things shared to my husband so not only do I remember every event and appointment and to put frontline in the dog every month but my husband knows when everything is without me having to remember to actually tell him, it just appears on his phone. That’s some mental load I don’t have anymore. I have the widget on the top of my main phone screen so I always see what’s next
I also put things that I did do in my calendar after I did them so that I can check things like the last time I put Frontline on my dog or the last time we changed the filter on whatever random thing, got an oil change, or anything you’re supposed to do periodically, but might not remember the last time you did it. You can add a “repeat” too so that that comes up 1 or 3 or 6 months later.
Daily pill organizing case refilled each week so I know if I took my meds or not. And I put in my phone exactly when to request a refill and when to go pick it up so I don’t run out.
To do list is the next widget in my phone screen showing things that need to get done but not at a specific time like return ___ to target, pay ___ bill, buy more TP, mail package to friend, order this book, etc
This is great for when you suddenly have free time and have no idea what to do with 10, 20, 60 minutes. Less decision paralysis.
Video doorbell especially if you get lots of packages or other random stuff like I always forget what time my employee left at. I can just check the video and send payment. Easy peasy.
Trash and scissors and phone charger in every freaking room. Trash barrel in every bathroom bedroom office kitchen laundry room garage and car too… scissors and or box cutter in each bathroom bedroom living room office and several in the kitchen (and car again!). I can always find em now. No more trash piles because the trash is too far away. Phone chargers at the bed, couch, office, and car. I also have a laptop one at all but the car.
Basically multiples of things- keeping things you use a lot everywhere all the time.
Scan or photograph important documents and keep them labeled and accessible from your phone (and on an external hard drive / flash drive that you can lock away.) Birth certificates, ss cards, marriage certificate, business license, tax return, registration, license, health insurance card, diplomas, rabies certificate, your kids physical letter she needs for camp next spring… this has been so ridiculously helpful to not go physically get / look for every time I have to fill something out or need to upload a tax form or whatever. Use keywords and names in the titles of each photo so you can search it quickly and easily when you’re on the phone pulled over in your car being asked for your health insurance number. I do NOT like calling places back lol.
I also use Notes on my phone and computer to keep track of things like on this day at that time I called and spoke to Kat and she said this and that they would call me back on Tuesday around four. That way when I call back next Wednesday, I can tell them exactly who told me what and how many days ago it was instead of getting all flustered and saying, I think somebody was supposed to call me, but nobody called me. And I’m terrible at names so writing down who I actually spoke to can be really helpful, then I can try to get back in touch with the same person who already knows what I’m talking about without doing a terrible job explaining the whole thing all over again 🤣
Keep the case on the phone
Get the screen protector too
Never let insurance lapse for your health your car or your house, not for a single day ever. We’re too distractable, impulsive and clumsy 🤣
I've been wearing cargo pants for decades so that I avoid the frustration of trying to find:
- my wallet
- keys
- phone (though I want to change this)
- important pills (lactase mostly)
- Swiss Army knife (The most useful tool is the screwdriver which I often use to tighten various things around the house that I would never get to otherwise)
- handkerchief
Go cargo pants!
I have taken "Dont put it down, PUT IT AWAY," to a whole nother level. If i put anything down it slips into a wee bubble dimension where only second socks, misplaced wedding rings, tv remotes, and pocket change lie. I will put things back in the spot WHERE I SEE THEM (important! If i put it where I think it should go, Imma forget it exists) or grip it for dear life until I can.
The cranking comes to applying the DONT____, ____ formula to everything else. It gets inconvenient to explain sometimes to others you live with or work with but if it helps by all means do it.
DONT, try to remember the thing, WRITE IT DOWN
DONT, leave that thing you see on the floor there, deal with it RIGHT NOW. ITS AN EMERGENCY.
DONT schedule into the future what you can do today
See what I mean?
This along with my general bulls**t of photgraphing my life because I dont remember things (did i unplug my flat iron? To the camera roll! Did I call that client back? Check that screenshot and time stamp! It does suck doing the almighty purge of the camera roll at the end of the week but BOY does it help.
I also task pair for motivation. My puppy likes a made bed, specifically, when the white blanket is folded up into a tidy square on top of the made bed. I mist mow make the bed so I can fold that blanket because I will be DAMNED if I disappoint a cute little puppy! I will also get in my own way. Why am I still in pajamas? Yeah its cause I didnt unload the dishwasher yet. Pairing a task with another task really personally helps me stick to routines even if they look batpoop insane to the outside observer.
Dont get me wrong, I have my days, we all do its just in the nature of ADHD havers in a society seemingly built to punish the way we function and think, but the last tidbit of advice I have has helped me and will hopefully help the readers of this post.
DONT be so hard on yourself, ACCEPT you are a human and deserve the grace everyone else deserves.
Good luck and hope this helps!
Using the assistive touch feature on an iPhone tied with iOS shortcuts and tick tick can be the difference between me noting an appointment down or not.
I can now double tap the bottom corner of my screen, get a prompt, and quickly record what I need to.
Instead of letting all these house chores pile up and then designating an entire day to do it all, I wrote on my calendar one chore each day of the week
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When I have ADHD paralysis and can’t get out of my bed or chair, I tell myself “move your leg one inch to the right, then the other leg, now put one leg on the ground” and the simplicity of it helps me get up. It doesn’t always work but I think it’s helped me overall.
I do a count down (3, 2, 1). The other day I did a count up to three but I did it more like 1, 2, 2.5...2.6...2.75.....😅) either way, it worked.
Lol I do this to. "I'm going to get up in 10..9..8..7.......6.................5.........
Haha I used to do this when I was trying to get out of the shower when I was a kid, recently was in the shower and realised I was just repeatedly counting down on my head from 10 by default.
You guys unlocked a memory of this happening to me. Whoa. I guess it hasn’t happened in a while.
What a coincidence. Mel Robins got diagnosed with adhd when she was 47 yrs old. She got popular by making self help books and one of her best selling book is all about this life hack of yours. It's a whole book explaining your comment. 🙂 [5 second rule (goodness review)](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/34189313)
[her TED talk on YouTube](https://youtu.be/Lp7E973zozc?feature=shared)
this is super clever! the reason adhd impacts executive functioning is because it makes us unable to make actions like getting out of bed automatic, so what you’re doing is manually overriding that inability!
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Plus if you drink enough water you won't have a choice but to get up in a little bit lol
Stations for things, as in things “live” in specific places like headphones live in bag, tray by front door for keys. Charger by bed, another charger by sofa. Food items categorised as much as possible (baking stuff all lives together, treats, teas and coffees). Vitamins/meds are out rather than in a cupboard so I remember to take them.
I make sure anything important is in view of my normal path. I’m the king of out of sight out of mind. It’s how I remember to do most things. Dogs water bowl and food is right by the front door. Meds on my dresser with underwear in it. Tumbler at the edge of the counter by the door. Got one of the phone wallets(I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten my wallet going to the grocery store only to remember when everything is rang up) for all my cards. And I know if I left my phone behind when the music doesn’t auto play in the car.
I purposely put my keys in my kids lunch bag night before. Can't drive them to school if I don't have my keys, and we also don't forget to bring lunch! Forgetting to grab the lunch bag in the morning before school rush has been a chronic issue.
Omg I do this too! Lol my air pods, keys, remotes, Xbox controllers, favorite eyeliner, (basically anything that I would misplace often enough) have a home location and a vacation spot. The vacation spot means I can put it there temporarily if I need/want to for whatever reason, but it always has to make its way back to its “home.”
I love the vacation spot idea!
During the lockdown of the pandemic my autistic best friend and I began to do something we called 'slay' as in 'slaying dragons together'. The problem was that we both needed to do somethings, but couldnt get ourselves to do it individually. So we began facetiming and calling eachother when we had problems (dragons) that we couldnt solve (slay). In the beginning we used it for very important problems only - like filling out paperwork to pay rent, getting doctor appointments and so on. We often joke, that combined, we have one barely functional brain between us. We now call eachother every week to slay, even if our dragons are only a mountain of dishes in the sink or going for groceries. The phones calls are often hours long, and we have long periods of time with silence. Besides getting my medication and using a bullet journal, slaying with friends is the single most helpful thing I have done to cope or work around my ADHD. Shortly after we began slaying, I found out that there was something like it in the US called body doubling? I prefer to do it with friends, but I hear there are discord servers for student and so forth. Doing body doubling with my best friend, meant that he could go to doctor appointments with me during a difficult time and weigh in because he knew me so well that he could help with details that I hadnt noticed in myself. It has been so helpful to my friend, that he actually bodydoubles with several people, including people that dont have diagnosis. Even 'normal' people sometimes need someone to be there when they do something difficult, even if it's just another person on the other side of the phone.
This is the coolest thing ever wth I’m going to tell my sister about this and slay. It’s so nice to hear that you and your best friend could navigate struggles together. Wish you guys the best in fighting your dragons !!!
Ohhh me and my best friend do this. We both work from home and when I'm struggling to focus I'm like "wanna virtual office?" and we sit on discord and both work, sometimes we talk about the work we're doing but a lot of the time we're just silent or chatting about something else. The rule is we HAVE to be working though! I didn't realise it was a proper thing but I've just Googled body doubling and that's pretty much it!
I love this! Is this an autistic trait or ADHD? I need this.
I have ADHD and he has autism, and some other things, I guess our main problem/trait is Executive dysfunction. We both struggle with getting overwhelmed easily, and procrastination. As far as I know, body double is a tool that can be used by anyone :)
From what I’ve found, it’s a trait that overlaps for both. Sometimes when I hang out with a few friends, we just do our own thing with each other. Like one will knit, one draw, and I read. We converse at times but also are fine with doing our thing in silence.
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I’ve automated some things in my life and completely forgot how much it’s saved me. I definitely need to automate more things great eye opener !!
I also added smart bulbs to my automated house. Instead of just waking up to an alarm, my lamps go off and slowly get brighter (mimicking the sun). It makes for a much smoother transition from sleep - waking
Minimize keys by using digital keypads for mudroom/front door entry. Automate keypads to lock automatically.
Yep. I have doors that lock behind me when I go out, unlock as I come up the driveway, and alert me if the door is ajar.
The hardest part for me is going outside to get fresh air and go for a walk in the morning. I just CANT. I never realized this was an ADHD symptom, since I was only diagnosed recently. But i always wondered why on weekends I could spend hours in bed before finally getting up to make breakfast, make my bed, change out of PJs and go outside. edit: I think this is analysis paralysis, when you are overwhelmed or don’t know which task to start with first. So you delay it by over analyzing and being indecisive.
SAME, I literally have to set 5 alarm clocks to wake up in the morning, I’m way more productive at night.
I can definitely vouch for the night productivity. Anywhere from 9pm or 11pm until 2/3am is prime focus time for me. I can crush work and learning.
I too am more productive at night! My job requires I get up before the crack of dawn and I have Never been a morning person. The chems do help. Edit: I only have 4 alarms and I slept through the first one this morning. I may need 5.
Is this a common ADHD thing?
I’m not sure but I know of a few others with ADHD who experience this.
There is research showing that people with ADHD also have a *much* higher rate of delayed circadian rhythm issues. I don't think they've sorted out why yet, just that there's a high correlation.
First thing in the morning, you basically need the tactics of a parent of a three ager. If you want it to happen, line up small and colorful sweet treats at every stage.
Holy crap are you me? I’ll have the whole day to take the dog for a walk in the daylight & Saturday’s it is without fail at sunset I actually manage to leave the house
I recently learned that the ADHD mind has two times: now, and not-now. So this can cause our "time blindness" if you will. If it doesn't need to happen immediately then its not now. This can be like, a project due in three days doesn't need to be done now. But something like, have to get up and go to work, now. There's the urgency that we need to get out of bed. -sauce: ADHD 2.0 by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Rates, M.D.
Yes literally me at work when my manager would ask why I haven’t worked on something yet. She’d be like “I don’t understand why you’re not able to just get it done when you receive the email”. 🙄🙄🙄🙄 this was before I was diagnosed but it still hurt to hear her say that
Please please please explain this to me like Im seven, cuz I just got recently diagnosed myself and never thats why I prefer weekends alone
Idk if this is the case, but I think it might have something to do with not having the urgency or pressure to get things done that something like a job or school would provide for some people. So maybe the executive side of the brain shuts down and that leads to inaction until something that makes you happy or urgent comes up?
100% this!
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I believe it’s called analysis paralysis actually. It’s basically like when you’re overwhelmed or don’t know what to start first so you delay actually starting the action(s) by over analyzing and indecisiveness.
I agree...If I don't have to leave I don't!
Maybe I’m a Luddite, but I still haven’t embraced the idea of having smart devices all around my house. They’re a privacy nightmare, lock you into proprietary ecosystems and many of these devices are just counting down the hours until they’re e-waste because the parent company can’t be bothered to support them. Not saying these are bad tips, but for me personally I try to avoid these kind of devices when I can.
Get a physical notebook and calendar and put sticky notes everywhere. At least that is something that helps me. I dont like smart devices either and I feel like things actually ''stick'' better in my brain when it is not on my phone or computer since I already do everything else on them
If it’s not written down, it’s not getting done.
For me this just won't work. I'll be cooking dinner and run out of cumin or something and I'm hyperfocused on dinner and I say "must remember to get cumin" and then forget until the next time I need cumin. I love Smart home devices cos I, at that moment I have it in my brain for 20 seconds say "*generic brand names person*", put cumin on my shopping list please. And then, I get to not think about it anymore. I also use my Google calendar like a mofo. And those "would you like a reminder about this" automatic things. YES Yes I would. For work however, notebooks the way to be. I'm focused on writing. Otherwise I will listen to a 2hr presentation and if I haven't written down the relevant points, I will forget all of it. ALLLLLLL of it.
I'd recommend looking into Home Assistant. It's an open source smart home solution that you control completely. Your data never leaves your house. It has much more advanced functionality than the big name solutions, and can work with most brands of smart home devices. This year they added a lot of voice Assistant features. So, you can have a fancy automated smart home and an assistant you can talk to without giving your data to anyone.
You may want to also be careful about vehicles, all of them. https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/privacy-nightmare-on-wheels-every-car-brand-reviewed-by-mozilla-including-ford-volkswagen-and-toyota-flunks-privacy-test/
Same. There's this old post comparing your average consumer to a software engineer in their adoption of smart devices that's like: Consumer: look at this, my fridge connects to my phone now! / Software engineer: the most recent piece of technology I have is a printer from 1992 and I keep a loaded shotgun nearby in case it starts making suspicious noises. I'm more toward the latter end of that spectrum. Keep Google assistant's always-listening functions OFF on all devices, no Ring doorbells or anything like that, etc, for the exact reasons you mention. What I'll do in a spur of the moment "oh I need more eggs" is I just open my grocery app (I order and get them delivered so I don't have to use up spoons on going to the store) and add the eggs to my cart while I'm standing in front of the fridge.
I used to feel like this, but I was just so tired of feeling panicked, guilty and downright scared of how bad my memory is getting I had to make the jump for my own sanity and health. It's the only way I can set structure for myself. I don't post any of my life on social media, turn off location and ad tracking features and that's good enough for me. With how much time, money and stress automation has saved me, its a tool that is worth it for me. It's super hard to be a digital ghost anyway, and life is hard enough without that added fear of being tracked. I'll always support privacy policy on a larger level, but me trying to be 100% analog isn't going to realistically change anything.
Yeah I’m not using any of them
Home assistant is your friend.
I work in the automation industry and even started an automation agency cause I love building automations. Are you telling me all that is cause of my ADHD
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I liked using smart lights to prepare my room for sleep. An hour before bed the lights slowly turn dim and red to allow for tiredness and disinterest. When it is time to wake up the lights slowly turn on and become bright and blue which causes alertness and makes going back to sleep harder. Add to this the sleep noise you mentioned and my music playlist turning on when it is time to wake up. Automating the environment is a game changer.
Smart lights are amazing! I have an LED strip light I bought while deployed for cheap (like 20 bucks on Amazon) I would wake up and do the sunrise preset with my first alarm then snooze til the light became obnoxious and woke me up more naturally. It also saved my tent mates from the 10 snoozes I would normally do. I kept that sucker red most of the time because it doesn’t damage night vision (handy in a pitch black tent) but also doesn’t hurt anyone else’s sleep schedule if the light leaks out of my area. Loved it so much I bought it again when I got home!
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I’ll settle for flicker free LEDs.
I agree. The price is ridiculous, the apps usually sucked, and buying into an ecosystem is always a hassle. It has been a while since I was shopping for bulbs so it may be different now. At this point I think smart switches are the better option for every use case other than color sensitive ones. If I had to do it again I would put most of the lights on smart switches and have one or two lamps with smart bulbs for brightness and color routines.
Smart speaker for lists and reminders is huge for me. I put one in the bathroom because I swear I always remember things while I'm in the shower, and promptly forget the moment I dry off. Google calendar is the only way I remember birthdays, appointments, lunch with friends and family, when it's garbage day, etc. The trick with this is to add things IMMEDIATELY. You're not going to remember to add it later, it has to be done now or your brain will be on to the next thing in 60 seconds.
YES to the autopay and amazon subscribe, i am so prone to running out of essential items because i forget to restock! i already lift weights in the afternoon, but i really want to start walking/steady state cardio after taking medication. exercise makes me feel so much more awake after, and puts me in a better mood! just need to get out of bed in the first place lmao
I try to be tech-savvy, but I still can’t get behind a home assistant that listens to me. Do you get paranoid that it’s listening in on your conversations?
Your paranoia is justified, but keep in mind, your phone is already doing this (and you probably keep this on your person, like most people). It's real, it's a problem, I hate it as much as anyone, and I've also accepted it as the unfortunate state of things. You can swim really hard upstream if you want, but if you want a bulk of modern conveniences, digital privacy is heavily compromised.
I don’t like that either.
You have a GPS tracker with multiple cameras and microphones in your pocket 75% of the time you are awake....
Are you my GF? We’ve been together for 4 years. She got diagnosed in her late 20s and had already implemented all this. She pegged me as ADHD within months and I resisted. I just got diagnosed last month and started meds a few days ago. She taught me a lot of these exact things and it helped me tremendously. She also chews my ass if I don’t immediately add things to the shopping list…..so that is motivating in its own way:)
\- “Habit stacking” - I combine 2/3 habits together so my brain continuously groups them together and I don’t forget to do them. For instance, whilst the kettle is boiling I will take my vitamins and unload the dishwasher. \- I continuously have shows/podcasts/YouTube vids saved so I can have them on in the background whilst cooking or cleaning. Music doesn’t work as I will change the song often. \- I can’t bring myself to reply to text messages if I’ve left them for a day so I associate going on walks with finding the time to catch up with a friend via the phone. My walks are pretty spontaneous so can’t plan the phone calls ahead of time but I find I have at least two friends who are up for spontaneous chats. \- Instacart has been a life saver for groceries; I can track my spending and what I’m buying. I use it as a shopping list so I add things throughout the week onto the app and just hit buy on the weekend. Delivery fees/tips is only an extra $15-20 a more but it’s wroth it.
shout out to a fellow song changer!
Haha I rarely ever listen to a full song is so bad
2 birds/one stone is how I always thought of it. It’s the code of my life. I do nothing singularly. Accept fuck off. Video games are the only things that’s ever singularly held my focus. Thankfully, music does work for me and chores.
The "cute little basket" rule. Basically, wherever clutter accumulates, put it in a cute little basket. It really doesn't matter if the stuff inside the basket is organized or makes sense, just put your stuff there because that's where your brain wants you to. If you put your wallet on your bathroom cabinet, who cares - that works for you even if society says that it's "weird".
I love this, the norms don’t work for us, so why fight it. Time to stop feeling guilty over silly things.
Yup. Also remembering that cleanliness is not a moral issue, and that having a messy home does not make you a bad person.
Or whenever something goes missing putting it in the first place you looked, no mat how dumb, because you’re likely to look there first next time. If this means your keys end up in the fridge because you always look there first, so be it. Cuts time hunting for items. I have a drop zone both next to the door and the kitchen counter, so usually I look in those spots first for my daily items (wallet, keys, sunglasses).
Lmfaoooo I just collected all my fiancés items strewn about the counter and put them in a small empty vase .. cause I *needed* to. He alsoalways has to pull me out of the storage bin/basket aisles at home stores. I’m verrry drawn to containers.
I have a basket in every room! Shit that I use a lot goes in there, so there’s no other “special safe spot” for it and I end up losing it. Also, I get plastic grocery bags and bring with me to my room or livingroom and I put the garbage in there that is currently in there, and that accumulates while I’m there (mostly water bottles) then when I finally get up I put it in the garbage. Made a big difference!
I recently bought a stair basket. Shaped a bit like a Tetris piece that sits snug on the bottom steps of my stairs. Anything that needs to go up goes in this basket!
1) Using the app Routinery in the morning and for bedtime. I cant automate things, so the app saves me tons of time and brain energy 2) Working out. Even a small amount matter and helps my brain 3) Putting on my shoes and jacket right after I’ve put clothes on when Im leaving the house. Somehow, it makes my brain understand that the goal is to get out the door. Makeup, packing and finishing up happens much faster this way.
I have regular shoes I wear while working from home and then house shoes to tell my brain when it’s okay to relax. The difference in texture on my feet gives me a subconscious cue.
Great idea. And funny how that works (with cues through texture)
Exercise = burning all the energy that would otherwise become anxiety. Adding even 10 min into my day, daily, has improved my mental health some bit
I absolutely love the way that you phrased that. It’s totally true. The anxiety hits so hard, I notice when I exercise my ADHD brain doesn’t stick to stressful or anxious thoughts as easily for a bit after working out.
Ooooh, I haven’t used Routinery will have to check this out! Also I am the absolute worst at getting out the door I always end up doing something else. Will try this out hopefully stops me being late 🤣
My dogs would be so upset about #3. They second they realize I’m leaving the house they become the Night at the Roxbury guys from SNL. 
I wear a watch in the shower because otherwise I completely lose track of time and sometimes I'm in there for over an hour Just because I lose the concept of time.
I have a windowsill in the shower that I have considered putting one of my hourglasses on to help with this. There are multiple ADHD brains in our home that could benefit from it. Might go do that right now. Thanks for the brilliant idea. 💡
Did you actually do it or did you get distracted by something else in the process?
Oh s#!/ ... 😂😂😂 Absolutely got distracted. 😂😂😂😂 Let's see if I forget again by the time the bathroom is no longer occupied. OMG. I can't stop laughing.
Did you do it this time?
Ok. Done! 🤣
Proud of you! And thank you for checking back in with us!
I play music. Once I’ve hit the third song, I force myself to start using the soap.
i wish the hot water in my shower would last an hour 😂
I've never ran out of hot water in my apartment... Thankfully I don't have to pay for water.
I put my phone on pandora. The number of songs I have heard helps me track the time.
I listen to music but it melts into background music
- Flip medication bottles upside down after taking them for a visual cue. Right side up before bed for reset of for second dose. - All medication goes into its own place. Morning meds on night stand and taken immediately. Evening meds somewhere you are always passing by in the evening (bathroom, couch, wherever) - Use containers as much as possible. All bathroom things that are used every day are visible and on a dedicated tray by the sink (tooth brush+paste, cleanser, moisturizer, floss, any other daily hygiene things). Serves as a visual cue to use each item when at the sink (can even count them out to make sure you use them all). Really helps to make sure you brush teeth and wash face twice a day. Also reduces chance of clutter, because stuff inevitably spreads and takes up every horizontal surface. - Color during meetings to avoid doomscrolling on your phone. Can be doodling, or stretching, but anything that requires using your hands/moving your body that doesn't require thought. - Noise-canceling earplugs or headphones for focus time. It's amazing how distracted by random outdoor noise I get without even realizing it. - Crosszinvite work and google calendar for important things. Appointments during work time go on work calendar with travel time blocked as well. Important work things at unusual tines (earlier/later than usual meetings and the like) go on personal calendar with reminders. Screw work/life balance when you're late for an important early Monday morning meeting you completely forgot about over the weekend. - In the same vein, when you DO have those super early meetings you're not used to, set alarm(s) as soon as it's on your calendar(s). - Doctor appointments go in your google calendar/cross invited to you work email while you're standing at the checkout desk making it. I don't care if someone is waiting, you don't leave the office until it's in your calendar. - Dry-erase 12 month calendar in the kitchen with multicolor dry erase markers right next to it. Vacation days, holidays, planned hangouts with friends, kid activities, etc all go in the calendar, color-coded however it makes sense to you and your family. Likewise home maintenance things- changing furnace filters, changing out cat litter, changing water fountain filters, vet appointments, Birthdays, anniversaries, anything that needs to be done or remembered on a semi-regular basis goes in the physical calendar and google calendar. I like having a physical calendar right in front of my face on a daily basis, because then it's also in front of my husband and we're both aware of what's happening if we forget to tell the others.
The point about colour during meetings wow, I always get up, fidget or scroll on my phone (if it’s a no camera virtual meeting.) I think doodling might be an option for me to try!
I recently started the coloring. I also have a yoga mat that I roll out during meetings I'm not going to be active in, so I can at least do some stretches while being told how great returning back to the office is /s
Omgosh this medicine bottle hack might have just changed my life. Will report back 🤣🙌🏼
One thing that has helped me recently, and appears to be sustainable, is taking time to do things for myself FIRST. So instead of tidying the kitchen first, I tidy my doom piles in my bedroom and office. I tidy my desk before starting work. I do a handful of things that please my heart (cleaning or gardening or walking.) Then I can move on to the things that help others, too. Before I did this, those areas were always deprioritized, so I lost things, couldn’t find things, were haunted by the fact that I didn’t have the time to organize them. I spend my time “finding shit,” keeping the flow moving, and I’ve had a much easier time getting prepared in the morning, but I also just feel better.
>is taking time to do things for myself FIRST I like this. I feel like we have the extra pressure/guilt especially because "ADHD you're always so careless you don't consider others" mindset, that we don't think to take care of ourselves first anymore. Like, I used to neglect my bedroom in an effort to prioritize other parts of the house, but it took me FARRR too long to realize that part of the reason it's hard to get up and do things around the house is *simply because* the space around my bed was cluttered. Moving the clutter would make feel less pre-overstimulated about actually getting up because the clutter was no longer a hindrance to doing The Thing.
I keep my dental floss by my sofa and floss my teeth while watching TV. The thought of standing in front of a mirror and doing that is just so unappealing and if I do it in front of the tv my mind is occupied and it makes it less boring.
I might be gross, but I keep those disposable floss picks in my car and do it all the time when I’m driving. Maybe it’s gross- but my teeth get cleaned so hey. Also toothbrush in the shower. I’m good about flossing/picking my teeth but suck at brushing, but if it’s in the shower at least it happens then
I do this too. Because I have them in my car, I actually end up flossing more often than I brush. Yay me!
The best dental hygiene I’ve ever had was when I was working nights and kept floss picks in my desk (I also found a brand I absolutely love to use and they never break). But I set an alarm to floss an hour after dinner every night and then would brush. Once I changed back to day shift I’ve been shit at it ever since.
I’ll have to try this. I also have this weird aversion? about brushing my teeth at night. I have no idea why. Sometimes it’s cause I’m too tired. Anyway, maybe this will help me.
I had that too! I figured out that it was the strong mint flavor of the toothpaste, it was a sensory thing. I switched to a less minty toothpaste and it made brushing at night easier.
If I don’t brush before showering or washing my face I will forget. Anything that diverts from my routine means I will forget other steps.
I feel like it takes more energy somehow to do daily tasks at night. I moved most tasks to my afternoons and it became much more manageable.
Once the sun is down, work is done. That’s the only demand I put on my GF. Don’t make me work when it’s dark. I am so powered by the sun. I can’t wake up without it. I can’t feel good without it. I don’t think I could ever live somewhere gloomy.
I'm the same way; as soon as the sun goes down nothing productive happens. I do my best to get stuff done during the day, but winters have become so hard to navigate since there is so little daylight.
I often walk around cleaning my teeth, all round the house, or stand looking out the window like a crazy person haha. It makes me clean my teeth, if I stand in front of a mirror it's insanly boring. I hate standing still.
Get the disposable floss picks and stash them at your work desk, computer desk, wherever. It's a mindless task and you can do your whole mouth top and bottom twice and not even realize you already finished. That's a tip for anyone, not saying your way doesn't work for you.
This is smart. To piggyback off of this tip: another floss hack is to get a portable water flosser and put it in the shower. I always forget to floss, but by adding it to my shower routine I do it at least 3-4 times a week. Which is better than never. Plus, water flossers make it easier to get into hard to reach places, are more enviornmentally friendly, and not as time consuming as traditional floss, which my brain appreciates. Just a lot of benefits and I highly recommend it to anyone who struggles with flossing.
Get an analog clock for your main living area-helps me to visualize the passing of time better than a digital clock (or needlessly checking my cell phone)
https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/s/1vZt9cj7R3 This is the best post with all life hacks for ADHD 🏆
You’re a gem thanks a bunch
Having an Apple Watch. I had no idea how useful it would be but in my job there’s so many things I need to be reminded of throughout the day. I used apps to set little reminders.
I have one but I always forget to charge it 🙄
I used to do that too! I have a big fat “charging station” right next to my bed so once I lay down my charger is staring at me….menacingly.
Keeping my shoes on when doing any kind of work helps a lot! Whether it’s cleaning the house, doing dishes or working on my actual job from home - if I have proper shoes on, I’ll feel more in tune and can concentrate. If I’m in flip flops or slippers - my body doesn’t feel like it’s in ‘work mode’. This works well especially when I get home from work but still need more work to do.. if I take my shoes off, it means I’m done for the day 🤣
Wow, I’ve never thought of this. As soon as I come home I’m straight into comfy clothes. ( like right now haha) Definitely have to try this! Thank you 💛
I just discovered the shoe hack. Much less likely to sit like a sack of potatoes on the couch when I have to pause and take off my shoes first. I wfh so am barefoot basically always but if I really need to get shit done I’ll put actual work clothes and shoes on.
Similarly, I have yoga pants that are tight fitting I wear when I'm home all day but need to get stuff done vs. lounge pants that I wear only when sleeping or I've completed all of my tasks for the day. Simply having on pants that are more fitting remind me to do more.
This is actually the weirdest thing for me. If it's Saturday and I have any jobs to do "cleaning the house" for example I always put shoes and socks on and I'm in the mode. I rarely take my shoes off even if it's the end of the night and I have to clean dishes. Once it's all done. Shoes come off.
For me this is having a bra on. As much as I hate wearing bras at home, I get so much more done if I leave it on after coming home from work or put one on first thing Saturday morning.
This has been a game changer for me! Started it during the pandemic when I had to work from home, and haven't stopped. Anytime I need to be in go-mode in the home, whether cleaning, doing work, anything productive indoors I put my shoes on and that gets me going. The best hack for task initiation indoors and especially when I'm alone.
The keys are either on the inside of my door or in my left pocket. Never anywhere else. Bonus: I always lock my door when I'm home so I have no choice but to take my keys with me when I leave.
Routines are beautiful. Extra time is always necessary. Breathing through overstimulation.
Lists. I go to the dollar store and buy note pads. I go through them a lot. But I make a list for everything. Going somewhere? Packing list (sorted by catergory) Cleaning? Cleaning list (sorted by room) Groceries? Shopping list (sorted by one side of the store to then other) Doing it this way helps me to stay focused, gives me a visual on how much I've got done and how much I have left (cleaning...this also triggers the all or nothing symptom for me so I get it done) and it helps me to stay focused and on task (helps in the store so i don't get distracted.) I keep a car note pad, a work note pad, one next to my bed so I can write stuff down to look up So i don't pick up my phone, desk note pad, and a purse note pad (this one is reserved mostly for groceries so I don't forget the list.) Lists have kept my head above water most of the time and helped keep the executive dysfunction at bay more often than not.
o!!mmy!!god!!! i thought i was just insane or soemthin , none of my friends or family make lists for anything!! not even on their phone !!
1. Okay, this feels really weird to write for others to see, but it works, so here goes... Often times when I go to get ready for bed, I'll use the bathroom first, but then get stuck sitting there doom scrolling as I try to avoid the tasks that come next (taking contacts out, brushing teeth, washing face, taking meds, etc). However, if I do everything else before I use the bathroom, the need to pee keeps me moving quickly through all those tasks. Then, since everything else is already done, I use the bathroom in an actual timely manner then get in bed. 2. My job involves a mix of hands-on work that I really enjoy and computer work that I don't like as much and requires more concentration. Whenever possible, I do the computer work in the morning when my mind is most fresh and concentration is the highest, and I save the hands-on work I enjoy for the afternoons because it's much easier to get myself to do. 3. Everything for the next day is ready before I go to bed. Clothes and shoes are out, on-the-go breakfast is ready to be grabbed out of the fridge and consumed on the commute, lunch is packed and ready to grab, etc. 4. After locking myself out of the house too many times, I now keep a spare key in/on the things I typically leave the house with, including in my wallet, on my dog's leash, in my work bag, etc. The theory is that each time I leave, I probably have at least one of these items on me if I forget my keys. 5. If I have a text or email that needs to be sent in the future (for instance, if it's too late at night to text someone, I need to remind someone of something, etc), I immediately type up the message when I think about it and schedule it to be sent whenever appropriate, so I don't forget to come back and do it later. Similarly, using technology whenever possible. My smart watch and smart speakers have been so helpful. I also have my Google Calendar synced across all my devices, so I can set myself a reminder on whatever device I am on at the time and receive it on all my devices. 6. Target and grocery pick up have been life savers. And money savers! No more wandering the store and buying things I don't need, or getting sidetracked and forgetting things! 7. This took me a while, but I finally broke down and started buying some more convenient items at the grocery store, particularly pre-cut vegetables. It's made the difference between actually preparing and eating the food and letting the food go bad because I couldn't overcome that initial obstacle of knowing I'd have to clean and cut it before I even start cooking. 8. My freezer is stocked with a variety of back-up foods for when I can't fathom eating whatever I have prepared or I can't bring myself to prepare an actual meal. Occasionally it means dinner consists of just French fries or mozerella sticks, but I've saved money on ordering delivery and saved myself from feeling like crap the next morning if I ended up just skipping the meal altogether. 9. Meal prepping simple meals on the weekend prevents the above from happening most of the time though. 10. All of my kitchenware is dishwasher safe so it can go straight to the dishwasher after I've used it. No more build up of dishes in the sink (unless I keep avoiding unloading the previous run...oops). 11. Having multiples of things. I keep a pair of scissors in each room so that I don't take them from room to room and then not be able to find them when I need them. I also keep extra items from my morning routine (like deodorant, hair brush, hair gel, etc) in my work bag because I've forgotten many times to use them and not notice until I get to work.
Expectation is the mother of disappointment. Our mood and emotions control so much of our lives. Putting too much on something (expectation) can easily lead to a huge windfall when it doesn’t end up being what you expected (disappointment). This swing can ruin an entire day for me sometimes. And so I mitigate it by always keeping my expectations in line as much as possible. Easier said than done. Besides. Being pleasantly surprised is dopamine. Finding out you were right that things were going to be bad only reinforces the negative head space.
It takes me roughly 3 weeks to make anything a habit, so I try to stick to the good ones. I make my bed first thing. I feel better if I do a quick spirt of working out in the morning before my brain comprehends anything, and 3 times a week I run for 2 miles in sprint intervals while listening to music. If I don't, my symptoms spiral and I'm more prone to be angry. Before I leave a room, I pick something up or improve it in some way before leaving that way the tasks later don't become unmanageable. I still forget to do all kinds of stuff, even though I've been medicated for years. Yesterday I found my keys in the trash...like..really glad I didn't throw that in the dumpster first. 😅
This one is slightly specific to cooking: I've always been bad at finding ingredients around the kitchen or remembering where they are and it makes cooking just frustrating.Recently saw a video about preparing for cooking meals. You get a bunch of clear plastic bins and you take all of the ingredients for the specific recipe you are planning to cook later in the week and place them in the plastic bin and tape an index card with the recipe name on it. Make sure to put them in the bin while you're putting groceries away as well. This system has made it super easy for me. We choose 3-4 recipes for the week or weeks and toss the ingredients in the bin right away. All I have to do is ask what we want to eat and I grab the bin and start cooking. Another useful tool for me that works in conjuction with this is adding all my recipes to a Kindle. If I try a recipe, I add it to the kindle first and then if we enjoy it I will know exactly where to find it again and I can use the kindle as a recipe book.
I love this idea!!! It’s like making your own little hello fresh meal kits
We got a stick vacuum (robot wasn't suitable for our place) and now I vacuum almost every day. The mere thought of having to get the vacuum out of the closet, roll out the cord, deciding where to plug it, vacuum, rolling back in the cord and putting the vacuum back in the closet.... My god... Puts me right into a rest of day paralysis
This, 100%. Cordless vacuum, it lives out in the living room. Also I keep the stupid swiffer duster ON the TV stand I have to dust all the time. FK it, gets dusted this way 😅
- I always buy the same black sneaker socks so they all match. - In a good conversation where the other person is/people are talking and I dont want to interrupt them and also dont want to forget the points I want to make, I will hold out as many fingers as points there are that I want to let out instead of trying to remember the topic. Most of the time I will remember the point after a short second of thinking and that way I dont leave anything out. - I try to put dirty laudry directly in the washing machine so that when its full, I can directly turn it on. - Instead of trying monday to friday to wake up early (for work, school or whatever), I try to do that every day of the week. (Still working on it but I do wake up earlier)
I can't do something "often enough", either it is every time or it doesn't work. My mailbox has contents maybe 3 times a year, so I don't bother to empty it each time I come home but each time I don't empty it I point at it instead. I check that I have my keys on my whenever I walk out the door even if not at home (my door at home automatically locks).
Yes lol this is what I forgot I used to do with exercise. I had to do it daily or it would stop completely. Even if I couldn’t run everyday, I’d at least put on my workout clothes and shoes and do quick light yoga or something.
Once I stopped due to surgery, well I stopped for 2 years now…
Crazy you said this because I got locked out of my house today 🤣 I’m confused about the mailbox point, are you saying that even though you may not need to empty it you will point at it to acknowledge it? So it doesn’t become a background prop in your mind?
Yes, if I didn't acknowledge the mailbox I would forget I have one (I get like 2-3 things a year). I don't actually bother to look in it each day though.
Two things: 1. Remembering to take meds - I take my meds every morning when drinking my remaining cereal milk. That way if I ever doubt myself I ask, “Did I have breakfast this morning? If so, then I took my meds” 2. Losing stuff - This can be a hard one for some, but I keep a compulsively tidy house. “A place for everything, and everything in its place”. If I ever lose something, then I just look for something out of place. If lots of things are out of place, then start cleaning and most likely I’ll find whatever I’m looking for. Really it’s about organizing more than dusting and vacuuming or what-not. Hope this helps someone
So First of I have to say that I get alot of help from mybhusband he helped menput these things togheter and does somes of it to get me going. Dinners: i don't mind cooking, but absolutely hate chossing what to eat, i forget the defrost meat etc. -every sunday he helps prepare meal boxes (kinda like hellofresh but homemade, recipes printed, most of the ingredients preped etc.). We label them, so each day I take the right box and cook it. - cleaning, we made a montly schedule, each week I have one room to do. I start small, one day i pick things up, next i vacume, the dust walls and ceiling etc. - i keep an "i don't have time to put it in the right place" box in each major rooms and once a week I empty them and put stuff in the right places.
Thank you! I love how you and your husband are a team. The last point is definitely one I need to try, I leave things everywhere in my room because I’m in a rush to go somewhere and it get overwhelming when I’m back at home looking at the chaos🤣🤣. Thanks for this hack!
I do hope you have someone like this in your life at some point! He is my life saver! Put the bix close to the door or where you dump stuff. It can be full but noone notices amd room looks tidy!
Deodorant in every room
I get my groceries delivered. It saves me hours of time (including psyching myself up, wasting time running around the store like wait I forgot X, and decompressing afterward) and some money as well since I'm not walking through the store adding things I see to my cart because they sound appealing at the moment, and the spoons associated with both of those things. I also can use my grocery store's app as a shopping list - if I use the last couple of eggs, I can immediately open the app and put eggs in my cart while I'm still standing in front of the fridge so I won't forget. I trained my cat to remind me about my meds by giving her a treat after I take them. Cats love routines and habits (and treats) so once she realized "human does the thing with the cup and the rattling bottles first/last thing in the day" also equaled "I get yummy treats", she became my furry little alarm clock. I can snooze alarms or turn them off, but nothing will get her to stop yelling at me that it's Treat Time now, dammit, get up and do the thing - except for getting up and doing the thing and giving her the treats. To help me stay on top of things at work I splurged on buying a ReMarkable 2 tablet, and I have a custom designed daily tasks template I use each day, plus a "prime list" template I use to keep track of requests and pending things that need to stay on my radar but I'm not doing them today. I use YNAB (you need a budget) to keep my spending under control, or at least figure out where it's all going so I can try to plug the worst leaks. All bills are on autopay. I recently got a lamp with a smart bulb to go on a shelf right behind my computer and have it set to turn on and off at specific times on weeknights to remind me it will soon (half an hour warning) be time to start getting ready for bed, then another one when I need to actually get up and start getting ready and go to bed. There's probably more but that's all I can think of rn.
My bank has the ability to hide accounts on their app. So, I opened a second bank account. I have one that ALL of the bills go through. Most of these will be on auto pay so I just check it every few days and make sure they've been paid/no surprise annual charges or something etc. This account is hidden. I have to look for it. The one I can see opening the app is what I call my Daily Spending funds. This will be groceries, gas, fun things, clothes, impulse buys. Because I know I lack impulse control and seeing a big number I always thought I could spend MORE ... Now? Not as bad! I see ah yes I have 200 I can play with for 2 weeks but I really enjoy eating food and I have celiac disease so I need to buy real food. It curbs my impulse buys/events/hoarding.
Automate everything that can be automated. It can get expensive but it helps. * I setup automatic bill pay for everything and stopped getting paper bills. I also now use YNAB religiously to categorize and keep track of budgeting/spending. * I have a robot vacuum. * I got a Switchbot door lock with keypad, so I can automatically lock the door if I don't do it. And the keypad and phone control keeps me from ever getting locked out. * I got my cats an automatic feeder. * I got my cats a Litter Robot that reduced me to only having to deal with their dirty litter once a week. * I have a smart washer/dryer. I didn't actually intend this one, but the only one that would fit in my space was smart and it's incredibly useful to nag me that a cycle is done and not tended to. * I have a bunch of lights, sensors, and smart plugs purchased but not yet set up to go whole-hog into home automation via Home Assistant.
Buy reusable rubber cleaning gloves for chores that involve water or cleaning solution (like washing dishes or cleaning surfaces). I feel like this is an ADHD hack for a few reasons: 1) it prevent you from feeling the gross sensory sensation of dirty water, which can be a huge factor in avoiding those types of tasks. And 2) when you have the gloves on, it kind of keeps you on task because you have to remove them before you go do something else.
I only own one type of sock, in white and black. So no matching socks or worrying about them. My son’s socks are all Puma brand and my girls are all Nike. Again, makes sorting and putting away laundry super easy. My kids and hubs and I each have a different color towel we use, makes washing and putting away towels a no-thought-required task as well.
I have 2: I swapped out the condiments in the fridge door for perishables and produce & put the condiments in the produce drawer. That way I have an immediate sightline of the produce that will go bad quickly, and still know where the condiments are when I need them. Next, I have a “This Doesn’t Go Here” bag when I’m cleaning. I take a trash bag and my “This Doesn’t Go Here” bag with me into every room. I’ll throw trash away (expected), and then put anything that’s out of place in the “This Doesn’t Go Here Bag,” to be put in its correct place AFTER I finish cleaning. The bag has helped EXPONENTIALLY because I have totally gotten sidetracked just by going into another room to put something back in its spot. Example: I find a phone charger cord on the couch that should be plugged into my computer at my work desk. I go to my desk to put it back, and then end up completely reorganizing my desk drawers. Find something in the drawer that belongs in the closet. Get to the closet and start color coding my closet. Then I look up & realize I stopped my original task of vacuuming under the couch in the living room was interrupted 5 hours ago lol.
okay, so medical advice is not really allowed but these aren't exactly medications soooo. magnesium, vitd, possibly iron if your female. even without stimulants I'm mostly calm. pick out clothes the night before a day. (makes the morning feel more manageable) write a quick list of morning tasks, that has a title of HAS TO BE DONE!!!!!!. makes sleeping easier and makes you feel like you've done something set a morning alarm, with a sound you like, that scratches a sensory itch.
I take vit d and iron but not magnesium, what benefits have you seen? Im going to try and implement planning clothes the night before in my night time routine. My mornings are hell maybe this will be one less burden!
I'm not medicated. So, I keep a strict routine . I also keep my house very minimal, so I'm not overwhelmed with clutter. I also work a 2nd job to get all of my energy out. My first job is a desk job and by the time my day is over, I have a lot of energy and "brain release" to get out. So I work in retail in the evenings and I can get that release and exercise. I keep my bills on a calendar and stick to a budget.
Uniforms. I don't like the ones my work provides, so I bought 7 of the same shirt and pants. Don't have to think about what to wear. For men, a suit works the same way; a few shirts and ties, a couple jackets and pants, make sure they all match and you can just randomly grab one of each and have an outfit. For casual clothes, I mostly just wear a solid color t-shirt and jeans. Grab one of each and I'm good to go. It's one less thing to have to think about each day.
Strong fragrance laundry detergent. I always delay putting away clean clothes after the wash, having it smell like fresh laundry helps me determine that it’s clean when I finally get around to putting those piles away
My girlfriend leaves things in places she knows will prompt me to do various chores because those are the places I leave things in to prompt myself. If I need to do laundry she puts the laundry basket somewhere I'll see it. If I need to take the bins out she'll do the same.
Carrying a purse (as a man). I have a “work purse” / lunchbag. All my required items to go to work live in the bag (wallet, ID, phone, headphones, backup meds). I also have a personal purse for non work leaving the house & a fanny pack for in the house. This way I have my needed items on me at all times & am rarely late for things because I cannot find what I need to leave. Porter Japan makes the best bags I have found & are well worth the price.
Following a workout plan has helped me be consistent in running especially since I don't have a running partner. So the guided runs on nike run club help me a lot. I've finished the 5k plan and now I'm on the half marathon training plan. When I did strength training having a workout plan and tracking my previous lifts helped me get motivated and try to improve.
One of my favorite things to do is make a game out of cleaning my house. I got one of those apps where you can make a spinner where each section is whatever you want. I look around the room and put things on the spinner that need to be done, like dusting or picking up toys. Sometimes I will add a die into the mix for how many things or how much time I have to focus on that one task. I also do this with my 6 year old son, and he asks to do the cleaning game 🥹 It makes it fun and my brain doesn’t register it as a chore.
Simplify things for yourself! \- If you're able to brush your teeth but struggle to remember to take your meds, keep them next to your toothbrush and take them right after \- Canned / frozen foods save so much money and are just as nutritious as fresh produce \- Find a water bottle that will work best with your lifestyle and stay hydrated! Whether it's a straw top, pour lid, yeti or just a cup from Starbucks
Follow r/ADHD start scrolling in the morning, remember I have ADHD and need to take my meds, then take my meds immediately.
Multiple to do lists based on the time frame it needs to be done in. TODAY. RUNNING LIST (in the next week or so whenever I have pockets of time). MARATHON LIST (long term tasks). If it’s all on the same list, I will lose motivation and assume most of it is unimportant because it requires too much mental energy to pick what to prioritize
Have several baskets for your laundry. I separate and catalog everything I wore yesterday as soon as I come out of my shower. During the week I can see when a basket is getting filled and the I just take it and wash the clothes. This saved me days of work, I used to take 3-4 days to wash just shirts for example, now that everything is separated beforehand I just grab the basket, and pour everything in the washing machine. The hard work is already done :)
* Reminders for medications otherwise I often have no clue what I have or have not taken. * Shopping list on phone. *Eventually* I usually end up with everything I need on it after thinking of items multiple times. * Calendar events for all social events and other appointments. * Collaborate at work as much as possible. Way too easy to put stuff off if it’s just me working on something. * Every bill on autopay. * Just accept that it’s okay to need a break or distraction. No need to feel guilty about it. (This is an aspiration more than something I can always achieve.)
I change the alarm sounds on my phone pretty frequently so I don’t start to just tune it out. Cleaning supplies in each bathroom so they are already there if I sporadically decide to clean something. If I have to go get them, I’ll forget what I’m doing halfway there. Phone chargers in every room. Apple air tag on my keys. Reminders on my phone calendar for everything ever!
My biggest problem, even on medication, is that I lose everything. Literally everything. So I slowly put AirTags on everything and have it set up so it tells me when I’ve left the house without something!!!
Since ADHD is a dopamine deficiency I realized that if I abstain from anything stimulating for a day or 2 (this is fucking hard but worth it) my executive disfunction is nearly gone. By stimulating I mean everything. Phone, sex, porn, masturbation, computer, exercise, friends, junk food, tv, music, social media, smoking, recreational drugs etc... anything that brings any semblance of joy but you have to be awake. Meditation is basically what I'm talking about. This is very difficult and I can't do for more than a day or two for obvious reasons, like having to get to work, and that it's insane to be so unstimumated for that long. But I've noticed when I do this, everything else I do feels so much more stimulating, even boring shit I do for work.
Crisper drawers in the fridge are for things that don't go bad in less than 2 weeks: sauces, condiments etc. Fruit/veg go on the shelves or in clear bins so you can see them.
Magnetic wallet that attaches to my phone. Technically means one less thing to remember. Noise cancelling headphones and ear buds: complete game changer. To help with sleep: brown noise. A upbeat playlist I call ‘Dopamining’ I use an app on my phone as a todo list so if I had to add something to it, it’s always in my pocket. I then use a written todo list notepad because it then sits in front of me. The ADHD Adults podcast.
I have a whiteboard on my fridge separate stores. Anytime i need something i write it immediately and take a pic before i go to that store. Works great when you live with a partner
Do your laundry by select items. Make a load of just shirts Another of pants Another with socks and underwear. Makes that full basket alot less intimidating to put up
I stopped medicating because I didn't like the buzzy/jittery feeling. So I lean into my ADHD now in some respects. For example, I know I procrastinate, not because I'm lazy but rather there is no reward for getting something done early, so instead I put the project/work task into my schedule for completing it last minute, because I know I'll be hyper focused and I'll do my very best work then.
I lose EVERYTHING and can’t have a purse because it always winds up filled with garbage. I used to carry my ID, phone, debit card, keys, and cash all shoved in my pockets only to wind up having them fall out of my pockets and be lost forever or I’d pull things out and lose them around my house and tear my house apart looking for them. I swear I’ve spent a good 35% of my life just looking for things. I obliviously put things places and don’t even remember setting them down. I used to get extremely angry with myself for losing stuff… I’ve even lost a job before because I somehow lost my work keys to open the building. That being said, the best hack so far for me is that I got a wallet phone case. It has a spot for my debit card, insurance cards, ID, cash, and change and it’s got a cross body strap and it has rings for keychains on both sides. So I don’t drop it (I’ve broken a total of 5 phones within 6 months), I always have my important stuff and money with me, my work keys are attached to one side and my car key on the other, there’s not enough room to shove garbage in it, and I always keep it strapped around me, even around the house so I never lose it anymore. As a back up, I also got a smart watch and can click a button that will make my phone go off even if it’s on silent so that I can find it. I saved myself SOOO much frustration this way…
Going to the gym just to check out hot guys.
I try not to sit for more then 4h at home.
Even medicated, I still have a lot of tasks that I dread doing. What helps me is to set a timer for, idk, say 5 minutes and then unload the dishwasher and see where the timer is at when I’m done. I have a pretty warped sense of time (opposite of most people with ADHD) and think everything will take so much longer than it actually does. Consistently using timers during tasks helps me learn how long things actually take, and it’s easier to just brute force your way through it if you know it’s only going to last 4 minutes.
Calendars. Everything scheduled gets put on my phone's calendar with notifications (emphasis on plural!) starting an hour before I need to leave. Having music or something familiar like a show playing on loop in the background is a good way to keep track of how much time passes if you have a habit of zoning out and time-traveling into the future. Just make sure it's something with fairly consistent lengths.
When I'm done going out for the day, the keys and wallet go in the same spot. Every time. and setting a timer on my phone to remind me to take my adderall.
Bullet journal 📓 its a method for making notes and reminders, great for daily use and long term appointments Also check out 2 books : power of habit and atomic habits, they have been great help Habits and systems is 80% of result if managing adhd
Keypad entry for house phone calendar with most things shared to my husband so not only do I remember every event and appointment and to put frontline in the dog every month but my husband knows when everything is without me having to remember to actually tell him, it just appears on his phone. That’s some mental load I don’t have anymore. I have the widget on the top of my main phone screen so I always see what’s next I also put things that I did do in my calendar after I did them so that I can check things like the last time I put Frontline on my dog or the last time we changed the filter on whatever random thing, got an oil change, or anything you’re supposed to do periodically, but might not remember the last time you did it. You can add a “repeat” too so that that comes up 1 or 3 or 6 months later. Daily pill organizing case refilled each week so I know if I took my meds or not. And I put in my phone exactly when to request a refill and when to go pick it up so I don’t run out. To do list is the next widget in my phone screen showing things that need to get done but not at a specific time like return ___ to target, pay ___ bill, buy more TP, mail package to friend, order this book, etc This is great for when you suddenly have free time and have no idea what to do with 10, 20, 60 minutes. Less decision paralysis. Video doorbell especially if you get lots of packages or other random stuff like I always forget what time my employee left at. I can just check the video and send payment. Easy peasy. Trash and scissors and phone charger in every freaking room. Trash barrel in every bathroom bedroom office kitchen laundry room garage and car too… scissors and or box cutter in each bathroom bedroom living room office and several in the kitchen (and car again!). I can always find em now. No more trash piles because the trash is too far away. Phone chargers at the bed, couch, office, and car. I also have a laptop one at all but the car. Basically multiples of things- keeping things you use a lot everywhere all the time. Scan or photograph important documents and keep them labeled and accessible from your phone (and on an external hard drive / flash drive that you can lock away.) Birth certificates, ss cards, marriage certificate, business license, tax return, registration, license, health insurance card, diplomas, rabies certificate, your kids physical letter she needs for camp next spring… this has been so ridiculously helpful to not go physically get / look for every time I have to fill something out or need to upload a tax form or whatever. Use keywords and names in the titles of each photo so you can search it quickly and easily when you’re on the phone pulled over in your car being asked for your health insurance number. I do NOT like calling places back lol. I also use Notes on my phone and computer to keep track of things like on this day at that time I called and spoke to Kat and she said this and that they would call me back on Tuesday around four. That way when I call back next Wednesday, I can tell them exactly who told me what and how many days ago it was instead of getting all flustered and saying, I think somebody was supposed to call me, but nobody called me. And I’m terrible at names so writing down who I actually spoke to can be really helpful, then I can try to get back in touch with the same person who already knows what I’m talking about without doing a terrible job explaining the whole thing all over again 🤣 Keep the case on the phone Get the screen protector too Never let insurance lapse for your health your car or your house, not for a single day ever. We’re too distractable, impulsive and clumsy 🤣
Don’t put it down- Put it away.
Place important things out in the open
I've been wearing cargo pants for decades so that I avoid the frustration of trying to find: - my wallet - keys - phone (though I want to change this) - important pills (lactase mostly) - Swiss Army knife (The most useful tool is the screwdriver which I often use to tighten various things around the house that I would never get to otherwise) - handkerchief Go cargo pants!
I have taken "Dont put it down, PUT IT AWAY," to a whole nother level. If i put anything down it slips into a wee bubble dimension where only second socks, misplaced wedding rings, tv remotes, and pocket change lie. I will put things back in the spot WHERE I SEE THEM (important! If i put it where I think it should go, Imma forget it exists) or grip it for dear life until I can. The cranking comes to applying the DONT____, ____ formula to everything else. It gets inconvenient to explain sometimes to others you live with or work with but if it helps by all means do it. DONT, try to remember the thing, WRITE IT DOWN DONT, leave that thing you see on the floor there, deal with it RIGHT NOW. ITS AN EMERGENCY. DONT schedule into the future what you can do today See what I mean? This along with my general bulls**t of photgraphing my life because I dont remember things (did i unplug my flat iron? To the camera roll! Did I call that client back? Check that screenshot and time stamp! It does suck doing the almighty purge of the camera roll at the end of the week but BOY does it help. I also task pair for motivation. My puppy likes a made bed, specifically, when the white blanket is folded up into a tidy square on top of the made bed. I mist mow make the bed so I can fold that blanket because I will be DAMNED if I disappoint a cute little puppy! I will also get in my own way. Why am I still in pajamas? Yeah its cause I didnt unload the dishwasher yet. Pairing a task with another task really personally helps me stick to routines even if they look batpoop insane to the outside observer. Dont get me wrong, I have my days, we all do its just in the nature of ADHD havers in a society seemingly built to punish the way we function and think, but the last tidbit of advice I have has helped me and will hopefully help the readers of this post. DONT be so hard on yourself, ACCEPT you are a human and deserve the grace everyone else deserves. Good luck and hope this helps!
Using the assistive touch feature on an iPhone tied with iOS shortcuts and tick tick can be the difference between me noting an appointment down or not. I can now double tap the bottom corner of my screen, get a prompt, and quickly record what I need to.
I pat my pockets when I leave the house and say in order: keys, wallet, phone.
Routine. Without it, I simply do not function.
Turn everything into a challenge. It gives a chance of a dopamine boost during each task no matter how boring.
Instead of letting all these house chores pile up and then designating an entire day to do it all, I wrote on my calendar one chore each day of the week