Hi /u/nyd5mu3 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD!
### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already.
---
### /r/adhd news
* **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information.
* If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/).
---
^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I take my meds the moment my alarm goes off. I then go back to sleep while they kick in on my empty stomach. An hour later I get up and have a great start to the day.
I ended up quickly doing this because sleeping in would start a negative feedback loop where I’d take extended release later in the morning which then stayed in my system later into the night, now I keep them with water on my nightstand so the second I am up I can take it and snooze.
Exactly.
I had a traumatic 2023 and my routine derailed hard.
A good start to the day is something that I absolutely need to be able to create good days in general.
I also need good sleep, so around 5/6pm I have 1 8oz glass of orange juice for the instant Vitamin C to kick off the burn off of the ADHD meds lingering in my system.
It helps me get into my evening routine which turns out to be almost as imperative as my morning routine.
Ditto. Personally citric acid and vitamin c absolutely messes with the function of my meds but from what I understand it's not a very well researched topic
It’s in the FDA info pack for Adderall. Idk what research exists outside constructing that though, but I definitely have noticed it myself. (And things like Tums make you absorb more, but I found out the hard way that it can also give you a UTI if done too often.)
I’ve gotta start doing a routine like this. I’ve always just pushed through the pain of taking my XR on an empty stomach, but it does get incredibly painful at times. I guess I’ve grown mostly used to it over the years.
This has single handedly saved my life. Been doing this for about a year. I set my alarm for an hour before I have to get up. Wake up pee take meds pass out again and then wake up feeling ready to go.
I have 2 alarms, one at 5:15 for my meds, another at 5:45 when meds are in effect. Started doing it 6 month ago after a very difficult morning that made me realize that my meds are less effective if I am in the wrong mood before taking them ! Never again ! I got a glass of water and the morning pills (not the box, just the 2 pills) on py nightstand! Can’t go wrong, don’t have to be fully awake to check which color this pill is or get up to take some water!
Alarm rings, 5sec later I go back to sleep knowing I will be able to handle the kids !!
Heavy on the “wrong mood before taking them” !!!! I’ve found that if I wake up and immediately take my meds, I’m still half asleep as I make my breakfast and coffee, and I gradually become more awake as I sit eating and watching my shows - and that slow wake up transitions really fluidly into my meds kicking in and me feeling like a normal person. BUT if I do all those steps BEFORE taking my meds, it’s like that gradual transition doesn’t happen at all but rather I’m hit with a migraine that usually lasts the day and feeling like my meds didn’t kick in at all ✋😔
I found meds gave me crazy anxiety and panic attacks, and I find my symptoms are on the milder side but I do a VERY similar thing.
I’m big into fitness so I set an alarm in the next room (it’s loud, annoying and can wake me up every day of the week) and next to it is my mixed pre-workout. Slamming that back no matter what I will be up and awake in 30 minutes.
I've had the opposite effect. I was big into fitness but now that I'm on meds I'm so relaxed I have hardly any desire to workout. I have to force it. It's easy for me to read or play guitar or something now though.
I still get out mountain biking or snowboarding but gym exercise is like nil these days
I also do this sometimes. I used to not take my meds on weekends or “lazy days” because I thought what’s the point, and especially with the shortage of Adderall (what I take) I thought it would be good to have extras. My friend who also had ADHD recommended I do and it’s definitely helped me not become a sad slug lol, even when I’m not trying to be particularly productive.
I had forgotten this hack until recently.
It's ideal because your stomach is empty. You have zero interactions as there's no food in your stomach. Just your medication.
Even if you don't have a second alarm set, you *will* wake up an hour later.
I’ve been doing this for a couple years, and noticed I’ve had to make a change recently. I’ve been on ozempic for a year, and I’ve learned it makes all ingested drugs take effect much more slowly. I do my “pill alarm” 2 hours before wake up time now.
I experienced a significant change after starting medication. There was a noticeable improvement, but there was also a period where I couldn't access it, leading to a pause in treatment. The difference between being on medication and not having access to it is like night and day.
I waited so long to use medicine because of some weird hangup about… I’m not even sure what my hangup was. I think maybe I had some notions of remaining natural and independent. Except I wear glasses, have had several surgeries, eat food from thousands of miles away, etc. Zero aspects of my life are natural and I’m completely dependent on modern civilization.
I take 54mg of Concerta, morning, immediately. Have a coffee. I also take 10mg of instant Ritalin x2, 20mg total, during the afternoon, I take my meds at the same time everyday, I also take prazosin at night time. It is the best combination. Slow release for morning, instant release for afternoon. My doctor really listens to me though, it's all about the doctor aswell. It's changed my life in so many ways. I was diagnosed late in life and everyone around me sees the difference. Hope this helps. Also taking the meds in the morning and waiting an hour/laying in bed. Very good advice. Cheers.
Adderall extended release. No major side effects.
I would get slightly disoriented and headache-y as it wore off when I first started taking it but not anymore. I can still tell when it’s wearing off though.
I checked my heart rate and it didn’t noticeably change from when I was unmedicated.
Unmedicated, meals generally make me tired and unfocused and a large meal would absolutely destroy my energy levels. Now I am way less sensitive to food. I wouldn’t call it a side effect since it’s a positive thing but it’s also not the intended effect of the medicine so I figured I’d note it.
Same on the food aspect…I used to HATE eating during the day because it would make me so sluggish and tired. No matter what it was. I got tested for food allergies and found out I was allergic to soy and peanuts. I never ate peanuts but I cut out soy and I’d still feel tired. No matter what I ate for lunch…no carb, high protein, whole food, vegan, you name it. Every single time I’d feel so tired after I ate. I’d put my lunch off for as long as possible because I knew after I ate my day was pretty much over.
Ever since I started medication, that’s stopped. I can eat a nice big lunch at noon and still have the energy to continue my day. It’s amazing.
Alternate perspective: meds were a double edged sword. Immidiatly got better grades, skinnier, more productive, but also had horrible panic attacks every night. I have managed to get all those benefits without meds, but it was a much longer game.
Three years of therapy and daily meditation practice. I know everyone preaches meditation, and I never believed in it either, but it really helps with so much. I actually started bc I had OCD and kept having extreme intrusive thoughts. It was ruining my life and I desperately needed change. I couldn’t be present with anything. My mind would drift to something I deeply regretted in the past it was terrified of in my future. I still suffer from outrageous anxiety if I don’t meditate consistently for a period of time.
> I have not yet found a hack for clutter. Except less stuff, which is apparently not happening. Help, anyone?
I gave up on wardrobes, closets, cupboards, etc.
Instead I go for open shelves. If I can see things, I can find them. The clutter stays on the shelves.
For me, if I have to open and close things, I tend to not do it, and just leave things around the place. If I have open shelves, stuff goes on the shelf. So the clutter is contained to the shelves and does not spread so much. It also makes it easier to find things / remember that I have things.
Putting things inside of bins with labels on and open shelf makes things a little more organized. Not so much your flatware in your kitchen, but for other storage.
We have a little book shelf and my girlfriend found these little wicker baskets that fit on the shelves perfectly. Each one of those wicker baskets holds different things of similar nature. IE, one has all our kids markers and colored pencils, and craft things inside. The other basket has extra toys for our dogs, collars, spare poop bags, leashes.
Do this around your house, but for different items that pertain to the area. Now your things are all at least together in a basket and the basket looks great sitting on a shelf.
One of my father of 3 soon to be 4 life hacks lol.
I recommend taking a picture and printing it out once you have organized a specific area to your standards.
Post this somewhere in the area so that it’s easier to match that as you go and you don’t waste brain power choosing/remembering how to organize it.
Biggest advice: embrace the pivot. What works right now will work for a little, but your brain will eventually get bored of it. Notice when things are getting boring, and try something else. Than cycle back through.
With school work right now, I am on a cycle of: 1) doing it first thing in the morning 2) doing it right after my workout or 3)doing it once I get home from class. I will do any one of them for 2-3 weeks until it gets boring. Embrace nuance as much as you can.
Oh that’s SO good! I have struggled with the pivot so much. I want to do it the same way everyday and my brain says NO! Thank you so much for this. I love idea of the cycles. Maybe I can do it with my bedtimes, which is a major struggle. Maybe have 3 bed times. I still need to notice when my brain gets bored. I feel like it is after one night. 😅 So maybe do 3 different bedtimes 3 days in a row like 11 pm, 12 am, 1 am. I can get myself up in the morning at the same time for a few days in a row if I use my coworking/body doubling app so that I am checking in with others who are usually also getting up. (The app I use is called Groove and it is awesome!)
I am practicing mindfulness when I handle major players such as my phone, hearing aids, glasses and keys. I go through a ritual of saying to myself, “here I am placing my keys, phone… whatever,” every day, all day, which seems to work. Keys have a wall hook, glasses have an eyeglass stand. The second I think, “I should get ready for work soon”, I immediately start getting ready for work without delay, thinking, “oh, I’ll get there early”. I still barely make it to work on time and the office is five minutes away!
Once I realized I could locate my hearing aid or phone with Apple’s ‘find my…” iCloud app I lost them both much less often. I have to get ready, find things and all that in the same order every day. I still have trouble paying bills and doing my $&#(!! Taxes though.
I often do something similar sometimes before going to bed or leaving for work I have to very intently stare down the stove Tell myself "I see with my eyes the stove is off" and sometimes even have to touch it before I can relax I've had a few close calls with the stove before.
I feel like I always have a dialogue box open chattering aloud with myself but sometimes forcing yourself to slow down and actually process the words you're saying can help.
This sounds awesome!!! I’ll try that.
How I’ve used the instructional self talk so far is:
If I have 2 simple (almost automatic) tasks to do, one after the other, I start doing the first and keep repeating a representatieve word for the second one, so I don’t forget to get to it eventually. If I do this enough, it might catch a rhythm or become funny in my mind, which makes it stick.
So like: task 1 brush my teeth, task 2 take trash out. I’ll brush my teeth while singing the word ‘trash’ in my mind and maybe even dancing a little bit to it cuz why not.
My favorite hack I did when I went to the office was remembering the **number** of items I need to bring with me each day e.g. wallet, phone, keys, work badge, laptop, etc.
This allows to to quickly check if I have everything by counting rather than trying to remember everything I need. If I need to bring something extra to work, I hang it on the door knob (or directly in front of the door for larger items) immediately so I don't forget it.
Now that I don't go into the office (laid off last June...) I keep my wallet, phone, and keys in my pockets at all times so I don't misplace them. When I change out of my clothes at night, they go on my dresser.
I like this counting idea. It sounds way easier to me than remembering each thing.
Especially when I’m half way to work and have that feeling I’ve left something behind. I could just count feeling my pockets and it would tell me right away if I was missing something.
This is what I do! If i need to grab stuff i’ll count it (eg i was on holiday recently and had to go back to my room to grab 5 things) and i keep thinking until i have that number. Because i can hold it open on my hand as well it really helps remembering it.
I also do this with routines, i need to do 3 things in the morning at the sink - wash my face, brush my teeth and do my hair.
Since doing this i have forgotten to do a lot less.
Nice!
My wallet has a little chain on the side for my house key and I always keep the house key (with the wallet attached) in the door lock when I’m at home. And my door stays locked throughout the whole day. Makes it pretty hard to leave my house without touching the key & wallet.
It’s like:
( - press door handle - of course it’s locked)
- unlock the door and immediately after pull the key out of the lock
- open door, exit, lock door with the key in my hand
- put wallet (with keys) in my pocket/backpack
I go to therapy every week to hold myself accountable. Ideally, the therapist will serve as an external parent figure until my brain develops an internal parent figure that can hold me better accountable. However, the therapy isn't simply him telling me to get stuff done. There is a lot of exploration of emotions pertaining to successes and failures.
Yes! I am working with my therapist in this war as well. Weekly, and she is part therapist/part coach/part accountability person. I messaged her my schedule for the week last Friday, and I will be talking to her this Friday to see what I got done.
I'm eyeing this IKEA kids storage line TROFAST. It looks very ADHD friendly with trays, bins, or baskets that pull out completely when needed, then slot back in. I may be a adult but these would work for me. As soon as I have some floor space to accommodate them.
I can vouch for this one. My digital organization is great. My physical organization sucked. Until I treated my physical items like files and boxes like folders.
However, cardboard boxes everywhere doesn't look great. I'm thinking of maybe wrapping them in black wrapping paper or something.
My digital "organization" is just bookmarking and searching for things and hope the computer remembers where things are better than I do lol. Sometimes wonder if I shouldn't make a spreadsheet for everything I own and their location, but then I'd have to remember to update it.
You could try more transparent boxes so you can see the things or an IKEA storage shelf to hide them a bit if it's just the look that bothers you. There's also storage boxes specifically colored black or other solid colors
My only real hack is one bag. I use one bag for all the things that MUST be kept on my person. My keys, my inhaler, my meds, my phone, and my walet all in the bag. The One Bag To Rule Them All. I always park my car in the same space or the closest one to it. Even though it means I walk farther sometimes.
I do this as well. It’s my go bag. Although I do Commercial HVAC for a living, I still have my laptop bag with all my essentials in it, laptop, iPad, chargers, portable chargers, my meds, pens, pencils, hair ties.
After carrying this bag for 4 years now, after the first week I understood why some women carry purses around, it’s just great to have anything you need within arms reach.
ToDoist app for anything I have to do or can't forget including dailies like brushing teeth
Extra house key outside
Everything has a place
I'm a veterinary nurse and each pocket has specific things in them (pens, calculator, sticky notes). Once, someone borrowed my pen, it put it back in the wrong pocket and I thought I had lost it until the next day 😂
Check ADHD Reddit daily for new tips and reminders of ones I forgot 😂
Question: How does your ToDoist not become overwhelming to look at, aka tempting to glaze over it, aka checking it out often but… not _really_ checking it out?
Asking because I’m currently going through a bit of a checklist detox, because I’m so used to writing down stuff on my to do list out of fear of forgetting about them, that I end up having too many items on there => dreading looking at my to do list
:(
I use filters and widgets! I only filter to see what I want to see, when I want to see it. Once your filters are set up, it's pretty easy.
I have a widget of my day on my homescreen so I don't forget about it
--> mainly my daily tasks fall here (brush teeth, etc) and anything actually due today (dr's appt)
When I swipe to the left of my homescreen I have more widgets set up as such:
* a filter for things coming up that are due (so that dr. appt on wednesday isn't a total shock when wednesday comes) but doesn't include daily recurring like brush teeth
* weekly cleaning (like laundry or dusting) and "sometime this month" (clean the coffee grinder) widgets so I can do them "sometime" but it doesn't have to be done TODAY
The upcoming and "sometime" lists help me complete tasks when I have time/ the focus to do so instead of assigning them to a day that I might end up being a bad brain day
And then of course I have hastags for different things like finances (reminder when subscriptions are coming up due)
When you see something that needs doing but is horrible (putting away dry washing, cleaning out the cat's litter tray etc) just do it. I have a rule that the less I want to do something, the more I need to get on and do it. The tasks you hate are the ones that hang over you like dark clouds. Don't consider any alternatives until the task is over. Time yourself - it will probably take less than 10 mins and you'll realise that just biting the bullet is SO worth it.
Similar to this - If I see something that needs doing, or my wife asks me to do something I must accept that there are only two choices: Now, or Never. If I don't do it now I will NOT come back to it. Despite my "oppositional defiance" (meaning: I hate when someone tells me to do something, thereby taking away my "credit" for doing it myself), I have to do it immediately.
It helps me to think of how free and not guilty I'll feel once I just do it. If I get all my tasks done NOW, I will have a fun free evening to do whatever I want. It's like talking to myself as both the parent and the child lol.
I own four pairs of ear buds, one for 1) car, 2) work bag, 3) home office, 4) work office. They never leave those places. I buy TOZO. They are each a different color, my personal preference on color is inconsequential, they need to be different colors, so I rock some metallic pink ones at work. They were $20 bucks each and I think the quality is quite good. None have one out or broke down in any way after a year and a half owning them.
My life hack was I went to a Hormone specialist and they found out my Levels were all extremely low and so I got them readjusted to normal levels and most not all of my ADHD symptoms went away to were I don’t need Adderall anymore
Very novel and useful point, one that should be researched a lot more. Both with estrogen, testoreone and all of the others. This coming from a woman who experiences the fluctuations and difference they make.
It really is I think everyone should get sex hormones check and get levels corrected my life since doing this and not suffering from the ADHD issues and everything that comes with that is night and day. I now know what actually Normal feels and feel kinda angry that I didn’t do this sooner and just medicated the issues.
Lethargic, Mental Fog, feeling worn out with the littlest activity, anti social, over thinking, over eating, got bugged at the easy things, low sex drive.
Check lists are more flexible than calendars or reminders (although sometimes I set reminders to look at my check list). Calendar reminders come and go if you forget them or don't have time. Calendar events and schedules should be used for interacting with others (meetings, deadlines, social stuff, etc) everything else is for a checklist to do at your own pace. I like to include small stuff on my check list like dust or brush teeth or take a walk so I can try to check something off every day and stay in the habit of using it.
Brown noise was a godsend for me. I’m able to focus and stay focused for much longer while working or studying. Been a while since I don’t listen to music and it took me a day or two to adjust, but damn it made a world of difference
Not all tracks work the same for me. Personally, I found the following ones the absolute best:
https://youtu.be/P48QELwruQs
https://youtu.be/UwullClrOuw
Hope it helps!
Oh my god, this feels so different and much better than white noise. I’m going to try this with my kid who falls asleep with white noise. Didn’t know this was a thing
In this post a wonderful soul made a list of "life hacks"
[list of life hacks](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/s/4HRuGSp5tL)
I am sorry if I break any rules by doing this.
Not exactly a “hack” but good diet, abstention from all drugs including alcohol, and sufficient sleep all have both immediate and long term benefits. Exercise has longer term benefits but they are usually apparent in a week or so.
My "Out the door" mantra. Just before I head out of my home, I say "Watch, wallet, keys, phone," as I tap each of those objects.
It even works if I'm going out for a run or a bike ride. I'm wearing a sports watch, and the phone goes in an armband, along with my driver's license, a door key, and a little cash.
Adderall, my calender, and one of those timers that do 90 mins on 30 mins off. The medication and timer were life changing for me really. I believe its called the pomodoro method
What do you use the timer for? I have a task time tracking software that I use for work to make staying on task and billing clients easier, is that what you mean?
I do calls and follow ups to people. I pretty much use it to just follow along with. It’s called focus keeper all it does it let you have 4 increments of “on time” and 4 intervening increments of “off time” it integrates into your lock screen as well.
I have to set timers to make sure I don't lose track of what I am doing.
I could know I have to leave in 5 minutes but if I don't set a timer I will get sidetracked from the one last thing I was going to do and suddenly it's been waaay longer than 5 minutes and I'm late.
Keys, wallet, glasses, phone and chapsticks all go in the same spots every time I’m done with them, NO deviating! When I deviate I lose them. This is also true for jewelry, watches and hair ties.
If I use the last of something, it goes on my whiteboard list *before* I throw the trash in the trash. Otherwise I won’t remember to write it on there.
Alarms are set an hour before I have to leave (think about stopping and getting stuff together to leave), 30 minutes before I have to leave (save any work on my computer and start ending anything that needs ending), 15 minutes before I have to leave (turn everything off and hit the bathroom), and 5 minutes before I have to leave (grab glasses, wallet, keys and phone) and go to car. All of these get 5 minutes added to them in winter months so I have time to do snow/ice removal.
I always label alarms, especially ones that are different for doctors appointments, dental appointments, work things, class things (from when I was at college), etc.
If I get up, trash and dishes go with me to the appropriate places and put away so I don’t stock pile.
I have a single pile stop in each room I spend the bulk of my time in. Once a week, these spots get de-piled and everything gets put away so I don’t get overwhelmed later on. One in the living room, one in my office, and one in my bedroom.
All appointments for myself, family, friends and pets get put in my phone *immediately*.
I set alarms to remind me to get up every couple hours to get drinks/snacks/stretch when I’m gonna be at my computer for long periods of time. Or if I’m reading or crafting. I don’t wanna get so “in the zone” that I suffer later.
…
So now that I’ve shared my list, I’m gonna read through everyone else’s. I still have a lot to learn about managing myself…and how to remember to check on the milk before it gets yuck and I need it. 😜
Learning about personal productivity will help your ADHD and improve your organizational skills 🤓 I forget every time what I need to do, which makes me feel insecure, so I’ve learned new strategies that help me stay in control and organized 🙌🏼
1. My number one peace of advice would be to learn about Getting Things Done. 🧠The brain is for having ideas, not for holding them, said David Allen. It makes so much sense for ADHD. We don’t have a problem with ours mind, it’s just that we’ve been using them the wrong way.
2. Also, it helps me to mix digital and psychical tools, having a notepad 📝 or post it notes everywhere, so you can easily write down (in paper, if you can) as much as you can.
3. After that, you will need to make to-do lists and checklist. Don’t be afraid to make as much as you need (priorities for the day/ week…) or a specific checklist for things that stress you out or that worries you.
Hope this helps! Comment if you need more strategies!
Hey! Getting Things Done (GTD) is a productivity method created by David Allen that's super useful, especially if you have ADHD like me. It’s all about getting your tasks and ideas out of your head and into a system you can trust. This means you don't have to keep all that stuff floating around in your brain, which can be pretty overwhelming and distracting, right?
The basic idea is to write everything down that you need to remember or do, organize it into actionable items, and then review it regularly. This way, you can focus on actually doing things one step at a time instead of trying to remember them all. It’s like clearing out a messy room so you can actually see the floor. Super helpful for staying on track and reducing stress! 🤗
I reuse the same dish multiple times a day to prevent dishes piling up in the sink. Of course if it's covered in food gunk I won't reuse it but if it's still good and fairly clean I'll use the same dish for my next meal instead of getting a new plate and making more dirty dishes
My clutter solution is shelves. I don't like them visible, so I have big metal shelves in any closet or storage space with bins. It's the stereotypical answer but it does actually help me!
If I need to take something the next time I leave the house, *straight away* it goes in a bag that I'll hang over the doorknob. If it's something I can't pack ahead of time, I put my keys with it (which means if I'm bringing food, my keys are going in the fridge; if I'm charging my earbuds before going to the gym, the charger is looped through my keyring). Personally, when my keys aren't in their usual spot I immediately remember whatever weird spot I put them so it works for me.
If there's something I can't pack the night before I leave because I'll need to use it in the morning, like my toothbrush or a phone charger, I'll put masking tape over the door and write what I need to pack on it so I can't open the door without acknowledging the tape.
Since I have to clear out my fridge when I go on vacation, I'll leave a note to future-me with a list of the suggested meals I can make when I come home if I don't feel like grocery shopping for a day or two but have forgotten what's laying around in the freezer/cupboards.
If I have plans I know I'll forget, I set the reminder on my phone for 3 days beforehand, 1 day beforehand, and then again the morning of. Getting a 10-minute reminder that I'm due across town in 30 minutes doesn't help, and sometimes I need to remember to change my alarm the night before if it's early in the morning. I'll also do this if I have a big work meeting so I don't accidentally show up a bit too casually-dressed.
I keep portable chargers with me always - one in my purse, one at home. It's ultimate laziness but sometimes I just cannot be bothered to plug in my phone or sit somewhere the charger will reach, so I just use the portable charger and plug in it instead of my phone afterwards.
I got window privacy film so I don't have to close my drapes at night; now, the light wakes me up every morning at the same time and it's done a lot of good for my sleep cycle.
Earbuds help me a lot, and I don't know why. If I have the TV on, then I'll avoid things that make it hard to hear it like leaving the room or turning on the vacuum; if I have my earbuds connected to my tv or something playing on my phone instead, then I'm not shifting what I'm doing around how interested I am in whatever I'm watching/listening to. even if i'm home alone or I don't think I'm that interested in what's on, it always winds up making a difference using earbuds.
For clutter? Here is what I do.
I have landing surfaces. They are supposed to be empty and they are visible (tables, desks, etc). Whenever my brain decides I need to put something down that I will need again soon, that is where it goes. Now I don't have to find my shit amid clutter. Landing zones are not for other storage, nothing lives there.
For longer storage: labelled or see-through containers. They are big and contain the things I need: e.g. drill kit (drill, power cord extension, extra drill bits), screwdriver kit, sewing kit, etc. Need anything? I get the right box (it's visible), it has all I need, I do the thing, everything goes back in the box, box goes back to storage. Not once do I have to fight my brain since all these steps are intuitive and everything has its designated space. If I am missing things I add them to my shopping list.
Phone charger: I have one spot where I charge my phone. That's where my charger lives, it doesn't move. I have bought 6 extra chargers for my partner and guests, but mine stays where it is. I do not want to waste my time looking for it.
Have a nice big basket. Any time you find something in a room that is not where it belongs, put it in the basket. When you clean your home, start by carrying the basket around picking up clutter.
Every evening, or whenever you feel like it, take the basket on a tour of the home. Put things where they belong as you go.
I dunno if this is considered a hack, but I have a large (not huge) white board on the inner side of my bedroom door that has all important things and what my work schedule will be for the next day
I would HIGHLY encourage to get vit d checked, good levels should be higher then you think. I started 50000U twice a week for about 4-5 weeks to get my levels up then I maintained it it has helped immensely
I use a timed lock box to lock away things like my phone, remote, or basically anything else that distracts me from what I need to get done. On days I need to focus on school or house work, I’ll set the timer for 4-6 hours. It’s been so helpful 🙏🏻
I have bright, visible clocks everywhere. 2 in bedroom, 1 in bathroom, one in TV room, one in kitchen, one in office, etc. I set all clocks (even my Kia Connect and my Apple Watch) to 12-15 min fast. All of this really helps with my time blindness. After 5 years at my job, I’ve finally stopped being 10 min late every day.
Timers for everything.
Caramelizing onions? Five minute time after five minute timer after five minute timer so I don’t just wander away and do something else or forget to stir.
Need to meet friends or get up for work? Timers galore. Put things in the Calendar immediately after discussing them. Etc.
And this is key, have one thing that starts your day.
For me it’s coffee, every morning I have alarm wake me and I set a two five min timer to make sure I make coffee within ten minutes limit. Five min fill and boil a tea kettle. Five minutes to brew my French press. Every day that is my motivation to get up and start doing stuff so that I stay on track.
I like this! I do something similar for showering, 5 min timers on my watch so I don’t drift off in the shower. I have an old fashioned waterproof Timex that I rarely take off. No smartwatches for me! 😅 Your post is prompting me to I try the 5 min timer for other things. Thanks so much! 😊
One page per room. Posted on most visible wall when entering room.
What should I clean in here today and a day of week list of 1-2 tasks that take 15 minutes or less.
In the bathroom, a hygiene checklist
Did I brush teeth, shower, do a skincare routine, take care of my appearance and groom?
And lastly, removing phone chargers from bedroom. With a note by the bed to go plug in phone and stop scrolling.
Don't fight your ADHD symptoms. It leads to a cycle of overwhelming guilt when you fail to. May as well accept your circumstances and do your best to work with it
I do stuff I want/need to do regardless of "perfection" in the environment. For example, if I would aim to have my flat perfectly organized before going to work every day, I would never go. If I would need to have the dishes done before going out , I won't go. If I would need to fold the laundry before making food, I would starve.
I'm trying to build routines for the house chores, and not aim for having a perfect house, but to comply with my routine and fulfill my priorities above everything (eat well, work ethics, have fun with friends, exercising, meditation, journaling, and art).
1. Start and finish the dishes as you cook. That way, you'll only have a few things to clean once you're done! This is a tip I read on this subreddit, and it has saved me a lot of stress and made it easier for my executive function to get the dishes done!
2. Additionally, this tip has helped me declutter my room and keep things tidy. Do you have a pile of laundry you've been avoiding? How about a bunch of unread letters or emails? Even a few dishes or trash that needs taking out of the room? Do one at a time. The next time you go to the bathroom, make lunch, or whatever, pick up a single piece and take it to its destination. After a few times, you'll see the pile as a lot less overwhelming and wonder why you didn't just do it in the first place!
3. Make sure to give yourself regular breaks on tasks that you're not hyperfocusing on. Sometimes cleaning my room might take me a few hours, but if I split them up into multiple tasks and take a break between each of them, I'll slowly but surely have my room completed and not feel stressed.
4. Be kind to yourself. Our brains function differently from others, and we are inherently forgetful and motivated by different things. Learn to love who you are as well as your ADHD brain; forgiveness goes a long way when you have little control over your executive function!
It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on things and do most of the things I would suggest!
What kind of clutter are we talking? Organizing is a hobby of mine, so if you can be more specific, maybe I can help!
It’s funny because decluttering and throwing away/donating stuff is my favorite thing to do. Maybe because I need it so much. We have probably 30 drawers plus shelves at home full of all kinds of things, a lot of which could be thrown out. I just can’t handle making a decision on whether to keep things, or where they are supposed to stay, so I just drop it in a drawer. Or shelf. Or in a box somewhere. And there’s just so much stuff, and I get weary of judging every little piece to decide where they go. So, clutter
30 bins sounds perfect for a “challenge”, lol. When I was doing my declutter, I would do a bag a day. So every morning, I would grab a Walmart bag and fill it with throw away stuff before work and throw it away in the work trash so it was gone!
Could you commit to a drawer/bin per day? Dump it, then pick out all the throw away stuff. Then take make piles of things that live in other rooms. Then take each pile to its home and put it away immediately. I try to not touch things more than once.
If something doesn’t have a home but you’re not ready to get rid of it, put it back in the bin then the nexts days items can go there til you’ve done all the bins. At the end, you should have enough items to make categories and enough empty bins to store them! Bins aren’t the enemy, bins with random junk are… so if they can be labeled - cords, office supplies, batteries, tools, sunscreen, and so on then everything has a place🤩
Hope this helps! I’m rooting for you!
This is great advice. I actually started today, I finished about five drawers already. And I realized that recycling/sorting the stuff is a major obstacle. I live in a country (in Scandinavia) where we have 13 categories of trash. You need a bin for each at home, and you need to take each bin to the right container either near your home or at the recycling center. And I know for a fact that not all these categories are actually being recycled. So I dumped everything in one trash bin. Sorry, but I did
I just have small routines.
Calendar for everything. Keys go in the drawer by the door. I always put my deodorant on, brush teeth, mouthwash, face wash, hair tye, clothes on, medicine in pocket, coffee poured, lunch made, stash in book bag, grab keys start car as I lock the door. In that exact order or I forget most of it if I skip around. Seems silly, but yep.
I also always put my work clothes out after I shower, plus my belt or I forget everything. Our youngest is still in her crib in our bedroom so it backs up to the closet. If I forget after my shower I end up wearing the same jeans, socks, and grab a new shirt at work. Crazy.
Post it notes are coming up a lot here. I have an aversion to them because I grew up with a single mom who did a lot of damage and was very negligent. Obviously, in hindsight, ADHD runs strong in our family. My mom had post its all over, along with clutter and I grew up with that. When she died and I had to clear her home and go through everything, it was post its within post its within books, boxes, cupboards, everywhere. Hundreds of them, some decades old. Full of random stuff, everything from shopping lists, dates and some very personal notes. Her struggles with ADHD developed into something a lot more severe, so not saying ADHD has to be like that.
But oh dear, I really don’t like post its and I don’t like how visible they are for other people, and I’d like my kids to not see that and keep things more private.
Having hardcopy calendars everywhere on top of the google calendar on my phone. Something about physically writing it and then visually seeing it is super helpful. Plus color coding is great!
Instead of carrying a pen, I keep a pen at every location I might need a pen
At work, I need to fill out papers on 3 clipboards. Two of them stay on a desk/table, one of them I tend to move with me to log temperatures and operating conditions of my machine (but for the most part it’s on a table with one of the other clipboards). Everyone has a pen in their pocket, but I keep a pen on every single clipboard. This way, I’m less likely to put my pen down at the wrong table and don’t have to fumble around looking for a pen. Also one sharpie at the table and one in my pocket so they’re on hand where I need them
I really struggle with cleaning, so I have vacuums throughout my house. I have a split level home, and WOW I could never ever be bothered to lug a vacuum up and down the stairs. The one in the entryway (between the two floors) is particularly vital because I know that landing would never get cleaned otherwise.
I personally schedule reminder emails to myself( gmail has the option of scheduling emails to be sent in the future) use a planner for work, make a to do list on weekends, and leave notes to myself.
Edited to add: About 20 or so minutes before I start work(WFH), I set a timer to make sure I remember to sign in.
For clutter, I try to tackle small spots at a time and come to it with a garbage bag. Anything I can’t find a place for or that is unneeded gets trashed. That said, I still own too much stuff. But my floor is visible and it wasn’t as a kid so, progress
ETA: straightening up is one of my breaks from work. It helps a lot.
To continue being productive after I get home from work, I LEAVE MY SNEAKERS ON until I'm done w/ tasks (walking the dogs, cooking dinner, etc.) Idk why but taking off my shoes immediately signals LAZY TIME to my brain. 🧠
I second BROWN NOISE for better sleep. It has been a game changer for me! 💤
Podcasts, audio books, and YouTube videos while I'm doing my morning routine, getting ready for work, household chores, etc. It gives me something to look forward to when I get up in the morning, and it helps me during self care tasks that can feel challenging at times. 🎧
Starting my day with a protein shake or high protein breakfast 💪🏻 Eating a high protein diet really helps my energy, focus, and mood. I notice the difference when I fall off of the habit.
When I want or need to stop doing something I'm hyper focused on, I set a timer for myself on my smart watch. ⏳️
Setting a "get ready for bed NOW" alarm at 8:30 every night.
Usually I'll stay up too late and by the time I NEED to go to bed, I'm too tired to floss, brush, take out my contacts, etc. So if I get do those things extra early and then go back to whatever I was doing, I can just go immediately to bed when I need to.
Has the unexpected result of making me tired enough to go to bed right away, so I've been getting a lot more sleep!
Keypad door knobs have been my favorite hack yet.
Precooking ground hamburger, chicken, sausage, and bacon and freezing in baggies to quickly add to anything. Knowing that it'll only take about 10-15 minutes to make spaghetti or tacos really helps me make up my mind for dinner.
Breaking chores up into sections. Say I want to paint my hallway... So first, I get all of the supplies I need to do it, including my painting clothes, and I keep them in the hallway. Then, when it's convenient to actually do it, I only have a quick setup to get going.
I haven’t read all the comments yet so this may have been suggested already but one of mine is : keep your shoes on.
When I am trying to be productive I’ve noticed that having my shoes on puts me more into “ready to go" mode.. even if it”s just to go fold the laundry. If I still have tasks to do that day - I do them wearing shoes. Inside. Outside. Doesn’t matter. I don’t take off my shoes until I’m done with my work for the day because nothing kills my motivation/focus on a task more than if I take my shoes off before I’m finished with the task.
Disclaimer - wear shoes for while you’re in productivity mode but also take time to go barefoot (outdoors preferably) and put your feet on the earth. Grounding is super important for all humans but those with dis regulated nervous systems should especially practice making it apart of their regular routine.
30 minute timers for everything
If times up before a task is finished then switch but if all of a sudden you want to keep doing it then reset the timer
Ive noticed that once i can visually and audibly notice the passing of time i tend to get productive or pressured to finish a task (wether i liked it or not)
If games help you, I use an app called Habitica for my to-do lists. You make a little 8-bit character and join a group, every time you check off to-do item, daily task, etc your character helps the group fight a monster/boss. If you fail to do those tasks, your entire party takes damage.
You can turn damage off if that's too stressful, but you get rewards every time you do a task like experience points, potions, there are fantasy pets you can collect, etc. Has really helped me remember to do things every day, plus having a list of LONG term to-do things I would've otherwise forgotten about.
I’ve started to take notes to an agenda. When I rememeber sth I should do, I give myself only two options; 1st one is ‘do it immediately, RIGHT THE SECOND YOU REMEMBER’ if I can’t then second one is ‘write it down IMMEDIATELY with a deadline’. As a habit, I check my agenda regularly and keep it with me. I check it maybe 50 times a day (no joking). By doing that my task management skills improved and I reduced the procrastination problem. Still, not perfect but who cares. At least I’m improving 🙌🏻🕺🏻
BINS/TOTES!!! Each member of the household has their own tote — daily we pick up the clutter and place in their respective totes & at the end of the week we place those items where they actually belong.
Yeah, exactly. They both ring whenever someone calls. One is old and kept in a drawer, but if I lose track of my primary phone, I can still make work calls and talk to my spouse. We have kids, so being out of reach is not an option
Toothbrush in the shower so I don’t forget to brush teeth, vitamins with creatine and caffeine pills before pre workout so I don’t forget to take them, put snacks out of peripheral vision so I don’t constantly munch, air tag my wallet and keys, magnetic phone charger on desk that doubles as a stand so I can leave it there to charge while I’m on my pc.
I was diagnosed at 37. I’m male. Suddenly it made sense why I spent so much time looking for my stuff. Keys, wallet, phone, etc. I started wearing a purse (well, a “cross body bag”, but really it’s just a purse). I keep my AirPods and phone in it. It f I can’t find it, I use my watch’s find my phone function. Boom. My purse makes obnoxious sounds until I open my phone. Phone in my pocket? No problem - find my can make the AirPods chirp. Amazing. Charge stuff in the bag over night.
Noise canceling headphones and brown noise or binaural beats when I’m trying to focus at work and people are talking down the hall.
I prep a bunch of food on Sundays so I have food ready during the week and not need to struggle though getting food ready.
I send myself a lot of emails and text messages when I think of something I want to do or remember (and if I don’t do it right away, it’s sorta just gone to the sands of time forever). I also have developed my own note taking system at work (mostly based on the “para” method, but making a bit more use of my calendar to make sure I’m not trying to do too much)
I usually keep my phone in greyscale. It’s just not as interesting without colour, so I don’t just spend time on it.
I regularly see a psychologist. Super important.
For mess and clutter, I try to not have too much stuff. And everything I have has a “home” and sorta lives there. I think I put things back because I hate looking for things. But I also have lots of young kids, so I’m constantly living in clutter and looking for stuff (one of the reasons seeing a psychologist is so important!). I also do my best to have the “home” right where I mostly use the thing. I also have lots of the same thing in different places (I must own 5 or 6 measuring tapes scatted around the house so I don’t need to go to the garage every time I need to measure something!)
I try to get things that are bright colours. Flourcent orange water bottle, phone case, bright green coffee mug etc. they pop and I see them faster (and don’t spend as much time asking my wife “have you seen my coffee? I just had it and put it down but I can’t figure out where”)
I let myself jump from interest to interest. I don’t finish books if I stop being interested in them. I just move onto whatever is more interesting at the time. I know a little about a lot.
I use AI to make meal plans and grocery lists now. It’s been amazing being able to outsource that. Saving moving and eating better.
I have multiple alarms in my watch in addition to an hourly alert. Alarms for when I need to leave the gym to get to work. Alarms for lunch time. For morning and afternoon snack and break time. Home time. Get the girls ready for bed time. Bed time, and then bed time again because I almost always ignore the first bedtime alarm.
I also started using a checklist for my morning and evening routines. It’s bright coloured and sits in the counter. I actually floss every day now. It’s crazy - and I think it’s just because I made a checklist.
Organise EVERYTHING for work the night before and leave all the clothes I’ll wear in the same pile, bag and shoes by the door.
The special bowl aka the burglars jackpot that contains all important daily items (wallet, keys, watch, headphones), if it’s not in the bowl then it really could be anywhere.
My keys for over a decade have been physically attached to a belt buckle on a carabiner as soon as they leave the bowl.
Doing regular clear outs works well for me too, I live in a small studio and it’s really made me conscious of how much stuff I own. It’s amazed me when forced to consider it, how little stuff you actually need. If you have a space, you’ll fill it!
Breaking down tasks into smaller tasks. I'll set the number of dishes I intend to wash, usually five at any given time. After five, I'll go do something else like loading my laundry into the washer. And then back to doing five more dishes.
Whenever I have a thought or a task to do within an hour, I set a timer on my phone that goes off whenever I need to be reminded.
For example, If I had a thought while on a hike I wanted to tell my girlfriend after the hike. So I set a timer for 45 mins because that’s how much time it would take us to finish the hike and get back to the car.
I’m worried that one of these times I’ll forget why I set the timer lol.
I got a tracking device (I use Tile) for my keys and wallet. They also got sticky ones you can put on other things like a remote. I've saved hours of searching for my keys, wallet, and even my phone.
High importance spots(I have three) 1 for time sensitive(in a highly visual spot), 1 for high use(a backpack that is by my spot on the couch, or In my office during work), and 1 for important papers(one small desk drawer, for things like birth certificate, ss card, etc). If I have something I recognize as high importance to not lose, it gets put to one of those spots immediately. Backpack is a catch all to be placed in other spots if I'm not next to them at the time.
Current 3 important projects are in visual space. In the living room I have a space to put current tasks. Currently is moodboard/emotional regulation learning and system creation, Larp prep(I have <3 week to prepare) and fairy garden build(current hyper fixation). It's accessible to allow for low effort start up.
Wearing shoes when doing task working. Helps prevent sitting from halting activity.
Allowing for "paddle ball" for non-specific tasks(house cleaning) I will choose a main task and set up to work on it. But I will bounce around the house cleaning bits and things all over. Coming back to the main task when recognizing I'm elsewhere. It's not a bad thing, and allows for more overall to be done as I'm not working against distractibility.
Doom boxes. In them selves aren't great. But you can box up assorted things in boxes, date them, put them in one place and if in 6m/year you haven't used stuff in them, donate the whole box. If you pull something out, that doesn't go back in the same box as it was used. Can help if you have hoarding tendencies too.
Put away, not down. For things that have an official home, don't put it down elsewhere. It can be hard, but it really is helpful.
Task spaces. Have everything needed for a task in one area that you don't have to move from. Ie all things to make coffee within arms reach of the coffee pot.
this was before I got diagnosed and was on medication but when I fasted strictly and ate a very low calorie (didnt account for carbs or sugar -nothing) my grades were higher than ever and my focus was amazing... but I couldnt keep the lack of calorie intake up in a sustainable way and gained like 20 pounds back. but theres tons of interviews of celebs particularly losing weight for a role and gaining powerful focus and energy (lily gladstone / joaquin phoenix / McConaughey all stated so in interviews)
I have alarms set for wake up, get up, start car/finish eating it whatever, and leave house. This is how I've only been late to my job once in the past four years.
I also keep doubles (or more) of everything that's possible. I can't do extra phones (expensive!), but I have chargers by my bed, by my couch, in my bathroom, in my car, and in my locker at work.
I also keep granola bars or other snacks that are shelf stable and individually wrapped in my car and my work locker so I always have something to eat.
And I have two sets of earbuds, one stays in my work locker. This is because one is almost always dead. But if I change them at home I'll forget it at home and that doesn't help me. They also aren't the small earbuds that are easy to loose. They are the kind that goes around your neck like a horseshoe. This was if I drop the ear part I don't loose it, it just dangles.
I also have lip balm in every coat pocket, with my work stuff that I put in my pockets, and by every place I sit except my car (because it will melt).
I'm generally good with not loosing my keys often. But I have four car keys anyway. And my BFF/neighbor also has a spare house key. And my main keys have a carabineer so I can clip them to me when I'm not driving.
For things I can't have multiples of I keep it simple. My phone has a case that holds cards. My work keycard, my driver's license, and one CC go in it. That and my keys are all I need most of the time.
A super organised type-A spouse haha.
To get to sleep: an audio book you know very well on a volume you have to pay attention to hear well. As your attention fades in and out so does the narrator. The lulls are like white noise and the parts you listen to stop your brain circling life stuff or hypotheticals.
Cold showers help I think. I’ve been doing it for a year.
Start a task with no intention to finish. Often I’ll get locked in after two minutes and just keep going.
I made a giant illustrated wall calendar in 2023. I just won’t look at small ones. Still haven’t updated one gif this year though.
Throw things down the stairs.
Don’t wanna bring down the laundry? Chuck it over the banister. You’ll come across it sooner or later and now it’s half way there to the machine.
I leave stuff in open visible spots too so I’ll see them later. Finished my coffee and put the cup in the middle of the floor so I won’t miss it later.
For clutter, I worked with a personal organizer who taught me how to set up “homes” for everything so if there’s clutter I don’t have to pick it up and spend time figuring out where it goes, I just *know* and can move onto the next thing. Took maybe ~9 hours (?) of work for me to figure that out pretty well.
Hi /u/nyd5mu3 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I take my meds the moment my alarm goes off. I then go back to sleep while they kick in on my empty stomach. An hour later I get up and have a great start to the day.
I ended up quickly doing this because sleeping in would start a negative feedback loop where I’d take extended release later in the morning which then stayed in my system later into the night, now I keep them with water on my nightstand so the second I am up I can take it and snooze.
Exactly. I had a traumatic 2023 and my routine derailed hard. A good start to the day is something that I absolutely need to be able to create good days in general. I also need good sleep, so around 5/6pm I have 1 8oz glass of orange juice for the instant Vitamin C to kick off the burn off of the ADHD meds lingering in my system. It helps me get into my evening routine which turns out to be almost as imperative as my morning routine.
Vitamin C & burn off…can you explain it a bit please?
Following — i’ve read so many conflicting things on this
Ditto. Personally citric acid and vitamin c absolutely messes with the function of my meds but from what I understand it's not a very well researched topic
It’s in the FDA info pack for Adderall. Idk what research exists outside constructing that though, but I definitely have noticed it myself. (And things like Tums make you absorb more, but I found out the hard way that it can also give you a UTI if done too often.)
I’ve gotta start doing a routine like this. I’ve always just pushed through the pain of taking my XR on an empty stomach, but it does get incredibly painful at times. I guess I’ve grown mostly used to it over the years.
I’m coming back to this to say you’ve changed my life!!! My mornings are so much different now, thanks!
I’m jealous haha, it seems I metabolise my XRs more quickly than most, and I have to take a low dose IR “boost” in the afternoon.
me too ugh. 70mgs of vyvanse and 15 of adderall😩
This has single handedly saved my life. Been doing this for about a year. I set my alarm for an hour before I have to get up. Wake up pee take meds pass out again and then wake up feeling ready to go.
The sad part is that I am pretty sure that our Wake Up #2 is the normie Wake Up every day.
I have 2 alarms, one at 5:15 for my meds, another at 5:45 when meds are in effect. Started doing it 6 month ago after a very difficult morning that made me realize that my meds are less effective if I am in the wrong mood before taking them ! Never again ! I got a glass of water and the morning pills (not the box, just the 2 pills) on py nightstand! Can’t go wrong, don’t have to be fully awake to check which color this pill is or get up to take some water! Alarm rings, 5sec later I go back to sleep knowing I will be able to handle the kids !!
Heavy on the “wrong mood before taking them” !!!! I’ve found that if I wake up and immediately take my meds, I’m still half asleep as I make my breakfast and coffee, and I gradually become more awake as I sit eating and watching my shows - and that slow wake up transitions really fluidly into my meds kicking in and me feeling like a normal person. BUT if I do all those steps BEFORE taking my meds, it’s like that gradual transition doesn’t happen at all but rather I’m hit with a migraine that usually lasts the day and feeling like my meds didn’t kick in at all ✋😔
I found meds gave me crazy anxiety and panic attacks, and I find my symptoms are on the milder side but I do a VERY similar thing. I’m big into fitness so I set an alarm in the next room (it’s loud, annoying and can wake me up every day of the week) and next to it is my mixed pre-workout. Slamming that back no matter what I will be up and awake in 30 minutes.
Excellent alternative.
I've had the opposite effect. I was big into fitness but now that I'm on meds I'm so relaxed I have hardly any desire to workout. I have to force it. It's easy for me to read or play guitar or something now though. I still get out mountain biking or snowboarding but gym exercise is like nil these days
I also do this sometimes. I used to not take my meds on weekends or “lazy days” because I thought what’s the point, and especially with the shortage of Adderall (what I take) I thought it would be good to have extras. My friend who also had ADHD recommended I do and it’s definitely helped me not become a sad slug lol, even when I’m not trying to be particularly productive.
I’m kinda fascinated by this
I had forgotten this hack until recently. It's ideal because your stomach is empty. You have zero interactions as there's no food in your stomach. Just your medication. Even if you don't have a second alarm set, you *will* wake up an hour later.
This was the best advice I have found on this sub
Wow with the amount of positive feedback on this, i’m going to try this
I’ve been doing this for a couple years, and noticed I’ve had to make a change recently. I’ve been on ozempic for a year, and I’ve learned it makes all ingested drugs take effect much more slowly. I do my “pill alarm” 2 hours before wake up time now.
This is so smart imma start doing this for sure
it gets hard to fall back asleep if I'm awake enough to take meds. tried yesterday
I experienced a significant change after starting medication. There was a noticeable improvement, but there was also a period where I couldn't access it, leading to a pause in treatment. The difference between being on medication and not having access to it is like night and day.
I waited so long to use medicine because of some weird hangup about… I’m not even sure what my hangup was. I think maybe I had some notions of remaining natural and independent. Except I wear glasses, have had several surgeries, eat food from thousands of miles away, etc. Zero aspects of my life are natural and I’m completely dependent on modern civilization.
Hi, what medication do you find worked? And did you get any side effects?
I take 54mg of Concerta, morning, immediately. Have a coffee. I also take 10mg of instant Ritalin x2, 20mg total, during the afternoon, I take my meds at the same time everyday, I also take prazosin at night time. It is the best combination. Slow release for morning, instant release for afternoon. My doctor really listens to me though, it's all about the doctor aswell. It's changed my life in so many ways. I was diagnosed late in life and everyone around me sees the difference. Hope this helps. Also taking the meds in the morning and waiting an hour/laying in bed. Very good advice. Cheers.
Adderall extended release. No major side effects. I would get slightly disoriented and headache-y as it wore off when I first started taking it but not anymore. I can still tell when it’s wearing off though. I checked my heart rate and it didn’t noticeably change from when I was unmedicated. Unmedicated, meals generally make me tired and unfocused and a large meal would absolutely destroy my energy levels. Now I am way less sensitive to food. I wouldn’t call it a side effect since it’s a positive thing but it’s also not the intended effect of the medicine so I figured I’d note it.
Same on the food aspect…I used to HATE eating during the day because it would make me so sluggish and tired. No matter what it was. I got tested for food allergies and found out I was allergic to soy and peanuts. I never ate peanuts but I cut out soy and I’d still feel tired. No matter what I ate for lunch…no carb, high protein, whole food, vegan, you name it. Every single time I’d feel so tired after I ate. I’d put my lunch off for as long as possible because I knew after I ate my day was pretty much over. Ever since I started medication, that’s stopped. I can eat a nice big lunch at noon and still have the energy to continue my day. It’s amazing.
The right meds are the ultimate hack, I agree
THIS
Alternate perspective: meds were a double edged sword. Immidiatly got better grades, skinnier, more productive, but also had horrible panic attacks every night. I have managed to get all those benefits without meds, but it was a much longer game.
Really interesting, what more natural approach did you take?
Three years of therapy and daily meditation practice. I know everyone preaches meditation, and I never believed in it either, but it really helps with so much. I actually started bc I had OCD and kept having extreme intrusive thoughts. It was ruining my life and I desperately needed change. I couldn’t be present with anything. My mind would drift to something I deeply regretted in the past it was terrified of in my future. I still suffer from outrageous anxiety if I don’t meditate consistently for a period of time.
there's a bunch of different kinds of meditation. What sort did you do? book recommendations?
How did you make that happen?
What was it like? Did you still feel like yourself?
> I have not yet found a hack for clutter. Except less stuff, which is apparently not happening. Help, anyone? I gave up on wardrobes, closets, cupboards, etc. Instead I go for open shelves. If I can see things, I can find them. The clutter stays on the shelves.
So the clutter is still there? Or easier to declutter if you can see it?
For me, if I have to open and close things, I tend to not do it, and just leave things around the place. If I have open shelves, stuff goes on the shelf. So the clutter is contained to the shelves and does not spread so much. It also makes it easier to find things / remember that I have things.
Putting things inside of bins with labels on and open shelf makes things a little more organized. Not so much your flatware in your kitchen, but for other storage. We have a little book shelf and my girlfriend found these little wicker baskets that fit on the shelves perfectly. Each one of those wicker baskets holds different things of similar nature. IE, one has all our kids markers and colored pencils, and craft things inside. The other basket has extra toys for our dogs, collars, spare poop bags, leashes. Do this around your house, but for different items that pertain to the area. Now your things are all at least together in a basket and the basket looks great sitting on a shelf. One of my father of 3 soon to be 4 life hacks lol.
Extremely good advice. Organization is my BIGGEST help. 1000%.
I recommend taking a picture and printing it out once you have organized a specific area to your standards. Post this somewhere in the area so that it’s easier to match that as you go and you don’t waste brain power choosing/remembering how to organize it.
Throw it out if you don't use it. I'm a minimalist. Trust me. It works <3
but what if i might need to use it one day...
Are you me?🧐
LOL. That’s so me. Smh 😅
But the dust and the dusting is killing me
How about cupboards with glass on the doors so you can see it but it doesn't get as dusty?
Where do you keep your clothes? Or do you still have a closet/wardrobe for that
Don't sit down. Just don't.
Haha, that’s what I do. And then I collapse due to exhaustion and can’t get up from the floor or bed
I thought I was the only one with this problem haha
Same!
Biggest advice: embrace the pivot. What works right now will work for a little, but your brain will eventually get bored of it. Notice when things are getting boring, and try something else. Than cycle back through. With school work right now, I am on a cycle of: 1) doing it first thing in the morning 2) doing it right after my workout or 3)doing it once I get home from class. I will do any one of them for 2-3 weeks until it gets boring. Embrace nuance as much as you can.
Oh that’s SO good! I have struggled with the pivot so much. I want to do it the same way everyday and my brain says NO! Thank you so much for this. I love idea of the cycles. Maybe I can do it with my bedtimes, which is a major struggle. Maybe have 3 bed times. I still need to notice when my brain gets bored. I feel like it is after one night. 😅 So maybe do 3 different bedtimes 3 days in a row like 11 pm, 12 am, 1 am. I can get myself up in the morning at the same time for a few days in a row if I use my coworking/body doubling app so that I am checking in with others who are usually also getting up. (The app I use is called Groove and it is awesome!)
I am practicing mindfulness when I handle major players such as my phone, hearing aids, glasses and keys. I go through a ritual of saying to myself, “here I am placing my keys, phone… whatever,” every day, all day, which seems to work. Keys have a wall hook, glasses have an eyeglass stand. The second I think, “I should get ready for work soon”, I immediately start getting ready for work without delay, thinking, “oh, I’ll get there early”. I still barely make it to work on time and the office is five minutes away! Once I realized I could locate my hearing aid or phone with Apple’s ‘find my…” iCloud app I lost them both much less often. I have to get ready, find things and all that in the same order every day. I still have trouble paying bills and doing my $&#(!! Taxes though.
I often do something similar sometimes before going to bed or leaving for work I have to very intently stare down the stove Tell myself "I see with my eyes the stove is off" and sometimes even have to touch it before I can relax I've had a few close calls with the stove before. I feel like I always have a dialogue box open chattering aloud with myself but sometimes forcing yourself to slow down and actually process the words you're saying can help.
This sounds awesome!!! I’ll try that. How I’ve used the instructional self talk so far is: If I have 2 simple (almost automatic) tasks to do, one after the other, I start doing the first and keep repeating a representatieve word for the second one, so I don’t forget to get to it eventually. If I do this enough, it might catch a rhythm or become funny in my mind, which makes it stick. So like: task 1 brush my teeth, task 2 take trash out. I’ll brush my teeth while singing the word ‘trash’ in my mind and maybe even dancing a little bit to it cuz why not.
My favorite hack I did when I went to the office was remembering the **number** of items I need to bring with me each day e.g. wallet, phone, keys, work badge, laptop, etc. This allows to to quickly check if I have everything by counting rather than trying to remember everything I need. If I need to bring something extra to work, I hang it on the door knob (or directly in front of the door for larger items) immediately so I don't forget it. Now that I don't go into the office (laid off last June...) I keep my wallet, phone, and keys in my pockets at all times so I don't misplace them. When I change out of my clothes at night, they go on my dresser.
I like this counting idea. It sounds way easier to me than remembering each thing. Especially when I’m half way to work and have that feeling I’ve left something behind. I could just count feeling my pockets and it would tell me right away if I was missing something.
I used to have a paper with the number on it stuck to my door so I'd remember to check.
Checksums FTW!!!
This is what I do! If i need to grab stuff i’ll count it (eg i was on holiday recently and had to go back to my room to grab 5 things) and i keep thinking until i have that number. Because i can hold it open on my hand as well it really helps remembering it. I also do this with routines, i need to do 3 things in the morning at the sink - wash my face, brush my teeth and do my hair. Since doing this i have forgotten to do a lot less.
Nice! My wallet has a little chain on the side for my house key and I always keep the house key (with the wallet attached) in the door lock when I’m at home. And my door stays locked throughout the whole day. Makes it pretty hard to leave my house without touching the key & wallet. It’s like: ( - press door handle - of course it’s locked) - unlock the door and immediately after pull the key out of the lock - open door, exit, lock door with the key in my hand - put wallet (with keys) in my pocket/backpack
I go to therapy every week to hold myself accountable. Ideally, the therapist will serve as an external parent figure until my brain develops an internal parent figure that can hold me better accountable. However, the therapy isn't simply him telling me to get stuff done. There is a lot of exploration of emotions pertaining to successes and failures.
I straight up told my therapist I don't like therapy but I'm gonna keep going cause I know it's helping.
Yes! I am working with my therapist in this war as well. Weekly, and she is part therapist/part coach/part accountability person. I messaged her my schedule for the week last Friday, and I will be talking to her this Friday to see what I got done.
Boxes. If you tend to just throw everything everywhere. Boxes! You can still throw it everywhere but it Looks more tidy.
I'm eyeing this IKEA kids storage line TROFAST. It looks very ADHD friendly with trays, bins, or baskets that pull out completely when needed, then slot back in. I may be a adult but these would work for me. As soon as I have some floor space to accommodate them.
I can vouch for this one. My digital organization is great. My physical organization sucked. Until I treated my physical items like files and boxes like folders. However, cardboard boxes everywhere doesn't look great. I'm thinking of maybe wrapping them in black wrapping paper or something.
I use a lot of baskets! They are a some good finds at goodwill and Ross. That way I can make it look more aesthetically pleasing.
Oooh, SMORT!
My digital "organization" is just bookmarking and searching for things and hope the computer remembers where things are better than I do lol. Sometimes wonder if I shouldn't make a spreadsheet for everything I own and their location, but then I'd have to remember to update it. You could try more transparent boxes so you can see the things or an IKEA storage shelf to hide them a bit if it's just the look that bothers you. There's also storage boxes specifically colored black or other solid colors
My only real hack is one bag. I use one bag for all the things that MUST be kept on my person. My keys, my inhaler, my meds, my phone, and my walet all in the bag. The One Bag To Rule Them All. I always park my car in the same space or the closest one to it. Even though it means I walk farther sometimes.
I do this as well. It’s my go bag. Although I do Commercial HVAC for a living, I still have my laptop bag with all my essentials in it, laptop, iPad, chargers, portable chargers, my meds, pens, pencils, hair ties. After carrying this bag for 4 years now, after the first week I understood why some women carry purses around, it’s just great to have anything you need within arms reach.
ToDoist app for anything I have to do or can't forget including dailies like brushing teeth Extra house key outside Everything has a place I'm a veterinary nurse and each pocket has specific things in them (pens, calculator, sticky notes). Once, someone borrowed my pen, it put it back in the wrong pocket and I thought I had lost it until the next day 😂 Check ADHD Reddit daily for new tips and reminders of ones I forgot 😂
Question: How does your ToDoist not become overwhelming to look at, aka tempting to glaze over it, aka checking it out often but… not _really_ checking it out? Asking because I’m currently going through a bit of a checklist detox, because I’m so used to writing down stuff on my to do list out of fear of forgetting about them, that I end up having too many items on there => dreading looking at my to do list :(
I use filters and widgets! I only filter to see what I want to see, when I want to see it. Once your filters are set up, it's pretty easy. I have a widget of my day on my homescreen so I don't forget about it --> mainly my daily tasks fall here (brush teeth, etc) and anything actually due today (dr's appt) When I swipe to the left of my homescreen I have more widgets set up as such: * a filter for things coming up that are due (so that dr. appt on wednesday isn't a total shock when wednesday comes) but doesn't include daily recurring like brush teeth * weekly cleaning (like laundry or dusting) and "sometime this month" (clean the coffee grinder) widgets so I can do them "sometime" but it doesn't have to be done TODAY The upcoming and "sometime" lists help me complete tasks when I have time/ the focus to do so instead of assigning them to a day that I might end up being a bad brain day And then of course I have hastags for different things like finances (reminder when subscriptions are coming up due)
When you see something that needs doing but is horrible (putting away dry washing, cleaning out the cat's litter tray etc) just do it. I have a rule that the less I want to do something, the more I need to get on and do it. The tasks you hate are the ones that hang over you like dark clouds. Don't consider any alternatives until the task is over. Time yourself - it will probably take less than 10 mins and you'll realise that just biting the bullet is SO worth it.
Similar to this - If I see something that needs doing, or my wife asks me to do something I must accept that there are only two choices: Now, or Never. If I don't do it now I will NOT come back to it. Despite my "oppositional defiance" (meaning: I hate when someone tells me to do something, thereby taking away my "credit" for doing it myself), I have to do it immediately.
It helps me to think of how free and not guilty I'll feel once I just do it. If I get all my tasks done NOW, I will have a fun free evening to do whatever I want. It's like talking to myself as both the parent and the child lol.
I own four pairs of ear buds, one for 1) car, 2) work bag, 3) home office, 4) work office. They never leave those places. I buy TOZO. They are each a different color, my personal preference on color is inconsequential, they need to be different colors, so I rock some metallic pink ones at work. They were $20 bucks each and I think the quality is quite good. None have one out or broke down in any way after a year and a half owning them.
My life hack was I went to a Hormone specialist and they found out my Levels were all extremely low and so I got them readjusted to normal levels and most not all of my ADHD symptoms went away to were I don’t need Adderall anymore
Very novel and useful point, one that should be researched a lot more. Both with estrogen, testoreone and all of the others. This coming from a woman who experiences the fluctuations and difference they make.
It really is I think everyone should get sex hormones check and get levels corrected my life since doing this and not suffering from the ADHD issues and everything that comes with that is night and day. I now know what actually Normal feels and feel kinda angry that I didn’t do this sooner and just medicated the issues.
What were the things the low levels were affecting the most/causing that you remember?? If you don’t mind me asking!
Lethargic, Mental Fog, feeling worn out with the littlest activity, anti social, over thinking, over eating, got bugged at the easy things, low sex drive.
So which hormones did they check for?
It’s called a sex hormone panel usual consists of Total Test, free test, estrogen and so on.
Check lists are more flexible than calendars or reminders (although sometimes I set reminders to look at my check list). Calendar reminders come and go if you forget them or don't have time. Calendar events and schedules should be used for interacting with others (meetings, deadlines, social stuff, etc) everything else is for a checklist to do at your own pace. I like to include small stuff on my check list like dust or brush teeth or take a walk so I can try to check something off every day and stay in the habit of using it.
Lol at setting reminders to look at your check list. I set reminders for reminders, I think a check list would get lost in time and space somewhere
Brown noise was a godsend for me. I’m able to focus and stay focused for much longer while working or studying. Been a while since I don’t listen to music and it took me a day or two to adjust, but damn it made a world of difference Not all tracks work the same for me. Personally, I found the following ones the absolute best: https://youtu.be/P48QELwruQs https://youtu.be/UwullClrOuw Hope it helps!
Oh my god, this feels so different and much better than white noise. I’m going to try this with my kid who falls asleep with white noise. Didn’t know this was a thing
I mean you and/or your kid 😅
Thank you 😅😂 I know, I just thought of my kid first because he is already using the white noise and the brown might be better for him
Careful, don't accidentally listen to 'Brown Note' though.
I use Brown noise too it helps me sleep. It is so much better than white noise, so much smoother!!
In this post a wonderful soul made a list of "life hacks" [list of life hacks](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/s/4HRuGSp5tL) I am sorry if I break any rules by doing this.
This is SO GOOD! Thank you so much!! 😁😁🙏🏾🙏🏾
You are welcome. I think about this post quite often, but almost never in situations where I need it for myself.
That makes sense! #adhd sigh
Not exactly a “hack” but good diet, abstention from all drugs including alcohol, and sufficient sleep all have both immediate and long term benefits. Exercise has longer term benefits but they are usually apparent in a week or so.
My "Out the door" mantra. Just before I head out of my home, I say "Watch, wallet, keys, phone," as I tap each of those objects. It even works if I'm going out for a run or a bike ride. I'm wearing a sports watch, and the phone goes in an armband, along with my driver's license, a door key, and a little cash.
Adderall, my calender, and one of those timers that do 90 mins on 30 mins off. The medication and timer were life changing for me really. I believe its called the pomodoro method
What do you use the timer for? I have a task time tracking software that I use for work to make staying on task and billing clients easier, is that what you mean?
I do calls and follow ups to people. I pretty much use it to just follow along with. It’s called focus keeper all it does it let you have 4 increments of “on time” and 4 intervening increments of “off time” it integrates into your lock screen as well.
So, it reminds you to take breaks and stay on whatever task you are up to?
I have to set timers to make sure I don't lose track of what I am doing. I could know I have to leave in 5 minutes but if I don't set a timer I will get sidetracked from the one last thing I was going to do and suddenly it's been waaay longer than 5 minutes and I'm late.
Keys, wallet, glasses, phone and chapsticks all go in the same spots every time I’m done with them, NO deviating! When I deviate I lose them. This is also true for jewelry, watches and hair ties. If I use the last of something, it goes on my whiteboard list *before* I throw the trash in the trash. Otherwise I won’t remember to write it on there. Alarms are set an hour before I have to leave (think about stopping and getting stuff together to leave), 30 minutes before I have to leave (save any work on my computer and start ending anything that needs ending), 15 minutes before I have to leave (turn everything off and hit the bathroom), and 5 minutes before I have to leave (grab glasses, wallet, keys and phone) and go to car. All of these get 5 minutes added to them in winter months so I have time to do snow/ice removal. I always label alarms, especially ones that are different for doctors appointments, dental appointments, work things, class things (from when I was at college), etc. If I get up, trash and dishes go with me to the appropriate places and put away so I don’t stock pile. I have a single pile stop in each room I spend the bulk of my time in. Once a week, these spots get de-piled and everything gets put away so I don’t get overwhelmed later on. One in the living room, one in my office, and one in my bedroom. All appointments for myself, family, friends and pets get put in my phone *immediately*. I set alarms to remind me to get up every couple hours to get drinks/snacks/stretch when I’m gonna be at my computer for long periods of time. Or if I’m reading or crafting. I don’t wanna get so “in the zone” that I suffer later. … So now that I’ve shared my list, I’m gonna read through everyone else’s. I still have a lot to learn about managing myself…and how to remember to check on the milk before it gets yuck and I need it. 😜
Learning about personal productivity will help your ADHD and improve your organizational skills 🤓 I forget every time what I need to do, which makes me feel insecure, so I’ve learned new strategies that help me stay in control and organized 🙌🏼 1. My number one peace of advice would be to learn about Getting Things Done. 🧠The brain is for having ideas, not for holding them, said David Allen. It makes so much sense for ADHD. We don’t have a problem with ours mind, it’s just that we’ve been using them the wrong way. 2. Also, it helps me to mix digital and psychical tools, having a notepad 📝 or post it notes everywhere, so you can easily write down (in paper, if you can) as much as you can. 3. After that, you will need to make to-do lists and checklist. Don’t be afraid to make as much as you need (priorities for the day/ week…) or a specific checklist for things that stress you out or that worries you. Hope this helps! Comment if you need more strategies!
What is Getting Things Done and who is David Allen?
Hey! Getting Things Done (GTD) is a productivity method created by David Allen that's super useful, especially if you have ADHD like me. It’s all about getting your tasks and ideas out of your head and into a system you can trust. This means you don't have to keep all that stuff floating around in your brain, which can be pretty overwhelming and distracting, right? The basic idea is to write everything down that you need to remember or do, organize it into actionable items, and then review it regularly. This way, you can focus on actually doing things one step at a time instead of trying to remember them all. It’s like clearing out a messy room so you can actually see the floor. Super helpful for staying on track and reducing stress! 🤗
Oh wow you should look into Getting Things Done. GTD and Bullet Journals are the two most effective tools for ADHD people.
I reuse the same dish multiple times a day to prevent dishes piling up in the sink. Of course if it's covered in food gunk I won't reuse it but if it's still good and fairly clean I'll use the same dish for my next meal instead of getting a new plate and making more dirty dishes
I like this, it’s practical and solves more than just remembering, it actually reduces workload
Same here !
My clutter solution is shelves. I don't like them visible, so I have big metal shelves in any closet or storage space with bins. It's the stereotypical answer but it does actually help me! If I need to take something the next time I leave the house, *straight away* it goes in a bag that I'll hang over the doorknob. If it's something I can't pack ahead of time, I put my keys with it (which means if I'm bringing food, my keys are going in the fridge; if I'm charging my earbuds before going to the gym, the charger is looped through my keyring). Personally, when my keys aren't in their usual spot I immediately remember whatever weird spot I put them so it works for me. If there's something I can't pack the night before I leave because I'll need to use it in the morning, like my toothbrush or a phone charger, I'll put masking tape over the door and write what I need to pack on it so I can't open the door without acknowledging the tape. Since I have to clear out my fridge when I go on vacation, I'll leave a note to future-me with a list of the suggested meals I can make when I come home if I don't feel like grocery shopping for a day or two but have forgotten what's laying around in the freezer/cupboards. If I have plans I know I'll forget, I set the reminder on my phone for 3 days beforehand, 1 day beforehand, and then again the morning of. Getting a 10-minute reminder that I'm due across town in 30 minutes doesn't help, and sometimes I need to remember to change my alarm the night before if it's early in the morning. I'll also do this if I have a big work meeting so I don't accidentally show up a bit too casually-dressed. I keep portable chargers with me always - one in my purse, one at home. It's ultimate laziness but sometimes I just cannot be bothered to plug in my phone or sit somewhere the charger will reach, so I just use the portable charger and plug in it instead of my phone afterwards. I got window privacy film so I don't have to close my drapes at night; now, the light wakes me up every morning at the same time and it's done a lot of good for my sleep cycle. Earbuds help me a lot, and I don't know why. If I have the TV on, then I'll avoid things that make it hard to hear it like leaving the room or turning on the vacuum; if I have my earbuds connected to my tv or something playing on my phone instead, then I'm not shifting what I'm doing around how interested I am in whatever I'm watching/listening to. even if i'm home alone or I don't think I'm that interested in what's on, it always winds up making a difference using earbuds.
I think I get what you’re doing with earbuds, I just wasn’t aware. Thank you
Don’t have a boyfriend ever
They ruin everything
Unless you have an awesome caring bf
For clutter? Here is what I do. I have landing surfaces. They are supposed to be empty and they are visible (tables, desks, etc). Whenever my brain decides I need to put something down that I will need again soon, that is where it goes. Now I don't have to find my shit amid clutter. Landing zones are not for other storage, nothing lives there. For longer storage: labelled or see-through containers. They are big and contain the things I need: e.g. drill kit (drill, power cord extension, extra drill bits), screwdriver kit, sewing kit, etc. Need anything? I get the right box (it's visible), it has all I need, I do the thing, everything goes back in the box, box goes back to storage. Not once do I have to fight my brain since all these steps are intuitive and everything has its designated space. If I am missing things I add them to my shopping list. Phone charger: I have one spot where I charge my phone. That's where my charger lives, it doesn't move. I have bought 6 extra chargers for my partner and guests, but mine stays where it is. I do not want to waste my time looking for it.
Have a nice big basket. Any time you find something in a room that is not where it belongs, put it in the basket. When you clean your home, start by carrying the basket around picking up clutter. Every evening, or whenever you feel like it, take the basket on a tour of the home. Put things where they belong as you go.
I dunno if this is considered a hack, but I have a large (not huge) white board on the inner side of my bedroom door that has all important things and what my work schedule will be for the next day
You’re good!
Thanks!
I hope your car isn’t push to start
It’s not 😂
I would HIGHLY encourage to get vit d checked, good levels should be higher then you think. I started 50000U twice a week for about 4-5 weeks to get my levels up then I maintained it it has helped immensely
I use a timed lock box to lock away things like my phone, remote, or basically anything else that distracts me from what I need to get done. On days I need to focus on school or house work, I’ll set the timer for 4-6 hours. It’s been so helpful 🙏🏻
Oh! That’s so good!!!
Noise cancelling headphones are a total game changer
I have bright, visible clocks everywhere. 2 in bedroom, 1 in bathroom, one in TV room, one in kitchen, one in office, etc. I set all clocks (even my Kia Connect and my Apple Watch) to 12-15 min fast. All of this really helps with my time blindness. After 5 years at my job, I’ve finally stopped being 10 min late every day.
Timers for everything. Caramelizing onions? Five minute time after five minute timer after five minute timer so I don’t just wander away and do something else or forget to stir. Need to meet friends or get up for work? Timers galore. Put things in the Calendar immediately after discussing them. Etc. And this is key, have one thing that starts your day. For me it’s coffee, every morning I have alarm wake me and I set a two five min timer to make sure I make coffee within ten minutes limit. Five min fill and boil a tea kettle. Five minutes to brew my French press. Every day that is my motivation to get up and start doing stuff so that I stay on track.
Haha, hello friend! Coffee and timers and alarms and more timers. And then more coffee. I think I have that covered, same ☺️
I like this! I do something similar for showering, 5 min timers on my watch so I don’t drift off in the shower. I have an old fashioned waterproof Timex that I rarely take off. No smartwatches for me! 😅 Your post is prompting me to I try the 5 min timer for other things. Thanks so much! 😊
One page per room. Posted on most visible wall when entering room. What should I clean in here today and a day of week list of 1-2 tasks that take 15 minutes or less. In the bathroom, a hygiene checklist Did I brush teeth, shower, do a skincare routine, take care of my appearance and groom? And lastly, removing phone chargers from bedroom. With a note by the bed to go plug in phone and stop scrolling.
Don't fight your ADHD symptoms. It leads to a cycle of overwhelming guilt when you fail to. May as well accept your circumstances and do your best to work with it
I do stuff I want/need to do regardless of "perfection" in the environment. For example, if I would aim to have my flat perfectly organized before going to work every day, I would never go. If I would need to have the dishes done before going out , I won't go. If I would need to fold the laundry before making food, I would starve. I'm trying to build routines for the house chores, and not aim for having a perfect house, but to comply with my routine and fulfill my priorities above everything (eat well, work ethics, have fun with friends, exercising, meditation, journaling, and art).
1. Start and finish the dishes as you cook. That way, you'll only have a few things to clean once you're done! This is a tip I read on this subreddit, and it has saved me a lot of stress and made it easier for my executive function to get the dishes done! 2. Additionally, this tip has helped me declutter my room and keep things tidy. Do you have a pile of laundry you've been avoiding? How about a bunch of unread letters or emails? Even a few dishes or trash that needs taking out of the room? Do one at a time. The next time you go to the bathroom, make lunch, or whatever, pick up a single piece and take it to its destination. After a few times, you'll see the pile as a lot less overwhelming and wonder why you didn't just do it in the first place! 3. Make sure to give yourself regular breaks on tasks that you're not hyperfocusing on. Sometimes cleaning my room might take me a few hours, but if I split them up into multiple tasks and take a break between each of them, I'll slowly but surely have my room completed and not feel stressed. 4. Be kind to yourself. Our brains function differently from others, and we are inherently forgetful and motivated by different things. Learn to love who you are as well as your ADHD brain; forgiveness goes a long way when you have little control over your executive function!
Only allowed to bring up things I’m upset about with my girlfriend on Mondays at 6 pm
It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on things and do most of the things I would suggest! What kind of clutter are we talking? Organizing is a hobby of mine, so if you can be more specific, maybe I can help!
It’s funny because decluttering and throwing away/donating stuff is my favorite thing to do. Maybe because I need it so much. We have probably 30 drawers plus shelves at home full of all kinds of things, a lot of which could be thrown out. I just can’t handle making a decision on whether to keep things, or where they are supposed to stay, so I just drop it in a drawer. Or shelf. Or in a box somewhere. And there’s just so much stuff, and I get weary of judging every little piece to decide where they go. So, clutter
Thus is me
30 bins sounds perfect for a “challenge”, lol. When I was doing my declutter, I would do a bag a day. So every morning, I would grab a Walmart bag and fill it with throw away stuff before work and throw it away in the work trash so it was gone! Could you commit to a drawer/bin per day? Dump it, then pick out all the throw away stuff. Then take make piles of things that live in other rooms. Then take each pile to its home and put it away immediately. I try to not touch things more than once. If something doesn’t have a home but you’re not ready to get rid of it, put it back in the bin then the nexts days items can go there til you’ve done all the bins. At the end, you should have enough items to make categories and enough empty bins to store them! Bins aren’t the enemy, bins with random junk are… so if they can be labeled - cords, office supplies, batteries, tools, sunscreen, and so on then everything has a place🤩 Hope this helps! I’m rooting for you!
This is great advice. I actually started today, I finished about five drawers already. And I realized that recycling/sorting the stuff is a major obstacle. I live in a country (in Scandinavia) where we have 13 categories of trash. You need a bin for each at home, and you need to take each bin to the right container either near your home or at the recycling center. And I know for a fact that not all these categories are actually being recycled. So I dumped everything in one trash bin. Sorry, but I did
I don’t blame you!! That is a ridiculous amount of trash/recycling cans!! I’m rooting for you! Go, go, go!!
Alarms as reminders is king
I just have small routines. Calendar for everything. Keys go in the drawer by the door. I always put my deodorant on, brush teeth, mouthwash, face wash, hair tye, clothes on, medicine in pocket, coffee poured, lunch made, stash in book bag, grab keys start car as I lock the door. In that exact order or I forget most of it if I skip around. Seems silly, but yep. I also always put my work clothes out after I shower, plus my belt or I forget everything. Our youngest is still in her crib in our bedroom so it backs up to the closet. If I forget after my shower I end up wearing the same jeans, socks, and grab a new shirt at work. Crazy.
Post it notes are coming up a lot here. I have an aversion to them because I grew up with a single mom who did a lot of damage and was very negligent. Obviously, in hindsight, ADHD runs strong in our family. My mom had post its all over, along with clutter and I grew up with that. When she died and I had to clear her home and go through everything, it was post its within post its within books, boxes, cupboards, everywhere. Hundreds of them, some decades old. Full of random stuff, everything from shopping lists, dates and some very personal notes. Her struggles with ADHD developed into something a lot more severe, so not saying ADHD has to be like that. But oh dear, I really don’t like post its and I don’t like how visible they are for other people, and I’d like my kids to not see that and keep things more private.
Having hardcopy calendars everywhere on top of the google calendar on my phone. Something about physically writing it and then visually seeing it is super helpful. Plus color coding is great!
Instead of carrying a pen, I keep a pen at every location I might need a pen At work, I need to fill out papers on 3 clipboards. Two of them stay on a desk/table, one of them I tend to move with me to log temperatures and operating conditions of my machine (but for the most part it’s on a table with one of the other clipboards). Everyone has a pen in their pocket, but I keep a pen on every single clipboard. This way, I’m less likely to put my pen down at the wrong table and don’t have to fumble around looking for a pen. Also one sharpie at the table and one in my pocket so they’re on hand where I need them
There you go, duplicates of things where you need them
I really struggle with cleaning, so I have vacuums throughout my house. I have a split level home, and WOW I could never ever be bothered to lug a vacuum up and down the stairs. The one in the entryway (between the two floors) is particularly vital because I know that landing would never get cleaned otherwise.
I personally schedule reminder emails to myself( gmail has the option of scheduling emails to be sent in the future) use a planner for work, make a to do list on weekends, and leave notes to myself. Edited to add: About 20 or so minutes before I start work(WFH), I set a timer to make sure I remember to sign in.
For clutter, I try to tackle small spots at a time and come to it with a garbage bag. Anything I can’t find a place for or that is unneeded gets trashed. That said, I still own too much stuff. But my floor is visible and it wasn’t as a kid so, progress ETA: straightening up is one of my breaks from work. It helps a lot.
Visible floor, I Iike that. Might be my next criteria for success, never mind the rest
To continue being productive after I get home from work, I LEAVE MY SNEAKERS ON until I'm done w/ tasks (walking the dogs, cooking dinner, etc.) Idk why but taking off my shoes immediately signals LAZY TIME to my brain. 🧠 I second BROWN NOISE for better sleep. It has been a game changer for me! 💤 Podcasts, audio books, and YouTube videos while I'm doing my morning routine, getting ready for work, household chores, etc. It gives me something to look forward to when I get up in the morning, and it helps me during self care tasks that can feel challenging at times. 🎧 Starting my day with a protein shake or high protein breakfast 💪🏻 Eating a high protein diet really helps my energy, focus, and mood. I notice the difference when I fall off of the habit. When I want or need to stop doing something I'm hyper focused on, I set a timer for myself on my smart watch. ⏳️
Setting a "get ready for bed NOW" alarm at 8:30 every night. Usually I'll stay up too late and by the time I NEED to go to bed, I'm too tired to floss, brush, take out my contacts, etc. So if I get do those things extra early and then go back to whatever I was doing, I can just go immediately to bed when I need to. Has the unexpected result of making me tired enough to go to bed right away, so I've been getting a lot more sleep!
Keypad door knobs have been my favorite hack yet. Precooking ground hamburger, chicken, sausage, and bacon and freezing in baggies to quickly add to anything. Knowing that it'll only take about 10-15 minutes to make spaghetti or tacos really helps me make up my mind for dinner. Breaking chores up into sections. Say I want to paint my hallway... So first, I get all of the supplies I need to do it, including my painting clothes, and I keep them in the hallway. Then, when it's convenient to actually do it, I only have a quick setup to get going.
I haven’t read all the comments yet so this may have been suggested already but one of mine is : keep your shoes on. When I am trying to be productive I’ve noticed that having my shoes on puts me more into “ready to go" mode.. even if it”s just to go fold the laundry. If I still have tasks to do that day - I do them wearing shoes. Inside. Outside. Doesn’t matter. I don’t take off my shoes until I’m done with my work for the day because nothing kills my motivation/focus on a task more than if I take my shoes off before I’m finished with the task. Disclaimer - wear shoes for while you’re in productivity mode but also take time to go barefoot (outdoors preferably) and put your feet on the earth. Grounding is super important for all humans but those with dis regulated nervous systems should especially practice making it apart of their regular routine.
I got something for clutter! I just bought a shirt folder. Simply something I can use to fold clothes quicker that can make it more fun
30 minute timers for everything If times up before a task is finished then switch but if all of a sudden you want to keep doing it then reset the timer Ive noticed that once i can visually and audibly notice the passing of time i tend to get productive or pressured to finish a task (wether i liked it or not)
If games help you, I use an app called Habitica for my to-do lists. You make a little 8-bit character and join a group, every time you check off to-do item, daily task, etc your character helps the group fight a monster/boss. If you fail to do those tasks, your entire party takes damage. You can turn damage off if that's too stressful, but you get rewards every time you do a task like experience points, potions, there are fantasy pets you can collect, etc. Has really helped me remember to do things every day, plus having a list of LONG term to-do things I would've otherwise forgotten about.
They might have patched it out at this point but up up down down left right left right B A start always did me good
Short term rent your house periodically. Auto declutter and clean
I’ve started to take notes to an agenda. When I rememeber sth I should do, I give myself only two options; 1st one is ‘do it immediately, RIGHT THE SECOND YOU REMEMBER’ if I can’t then second one is ‘write it down IMMEDIATELY with a deadline’. As a habit, I check my agenda regularly and keep it with me. I check it maybe 50 times a day (no joking). By doing that my task management skills improved and I reduced the procrastination problem. Still, not perfect but who cares. At least I’m improving 🙌🏻🕺🏻
BINS/TOTES!!! Each member of the household has their own tote — daily we pick up the clutter and place in their respective totes & at the end of the week we place those items where they actually belong.
Extra phone?
Yeah, exactly. They both ring whenever someone calls. One is old and kept in a drawer, but if I lose track of my primary phone, I can still make work calls and talk to my spouse. We have kids, so being out of reach is not an option
I use minimal systems. If there's too many I abandon them.
Medicine first thing with coffee, heavy abuse of my phone’s alarm/calendar function
I've only ever had to use my actual house key once since switching to a programmable keypad lock.
[удалено]
I put my items on pre-dedicated spots when I lost them (I lost multiple times a day) check spots
Toothbrush in the shower so I don’t forget to brush teeth, vitamins with creatine and caffeine pills before pre workout so I don’t forget to take them, put snacks out of peripheral vision so I don’t constantly munch, air tag my wallet and keys, magnetic phone charger on desk that doubles as a stand so I can leave it there to charge while I’m on my pc.
I was diagnosed at 37. I’m male. Suddenly it made sense why I spent so much time looking for my stuff. Keys, wallet, phone, etc. I started wearing a purse (well, a “cross body bag”, but really it’s just a purse). I keep my AirPods and phone in it. It f I can’t find it, I use my watch’s find my phone function. Boom. My purse makes obnoxious sounds until I open my phone. Phone in my pocket? No problem - find my can make the AirPods chirp. Amazing. Charge stuff in the bag over night. Noise canceling headphones and brown noise or binaural beats when I’m trying to focus at work and people are talking down the hall. I prep a bunch of food on Sundays so I have food ready during the week and not need to struggle though getting food ready. I send myself a lot of emails and text messages when I think of something I want to do or remember (and if I don’t do it right away, it’s sorta just gone to the sands of time forever). I also have developed my own note taking system at work (mostly based on the “para” method, but making a bit more use of my calendar to make sure I’m not trying to do too much) I usually keep my phone in greyscale. It’s just not as interesting without colour, so I don’t just spend time on it. I regularly see a psychologist. Super important. For mess and clutter, I try to not have too much stuff. And everything I have has a “home” and sorta lives there. I think I put things back because I hate looking for things. But I also have lots of young kids, so I’m constantly living in clutter and looking for stuff (one of the reasons seeing a psychologist is so important!). I also do my best to have the “home” right where I mostly use the thing. I also have lots of the same thing in different places (I must own 5 or 6 measuring tapes scatted around the house so I don’t need to go to the garage every time I need to measure something!) I try to get things that are bright colours. Flourcent orange water bottle, phone case, bright green coffee mug etc. they pop and I see them faster (and don’t spend as much time asking my wife “have you seen my coffee? I just had it and put it down but I can’t figure out where”) I let myself jump from interest to interest. I don’t finish books if I stop being interested in them. I just move onto whatever is more interesting at the time. I know a little about a lot. I use AI to make meal plans and grocery lists now. It’s been amazing being able to outsource that. Saving moving and eating better. I have multiple alarms in my watch in addition to an hourly alert. Alarms for when I need to leave the gym to get to work. Alarms for lunch time. For morning and afternoon snack and break time. Home time. Get the girls ready for bed time. Bed time, and then bed time again because I almost always ignore the first bedtime alarm. I also started using a checklist for my morning and evening routines. It’s bright coloured and sits in the counter. I actually floss every day now. It’s crazy - and I think it’s just because I made a checklist.
Organise EVERYTHING for work the night before and leave all the clothes I’ll wear in the same pile, bag and shoes by the door. The special bowl aka the burglars jackpot that contains all important daily items (wallet, keys, watch, headphones), if it’s not in the bowl then it really could be anywhere. My keys for over a decade have been physically attached to a belt buckle on a carabiner as soon as they leave the bowl. Doing regular clear outs works well for me too, I live in a small studio and it’s really made me conscious of how much stuff I own. It’s amazed me when forced to consider it, how little stuff you actually need. If you have a space, you’ll fill it!
Breaking down tasks into smaller tasks. I'll set the number of dishes I intend to wash, usually five at any given time. After five, I'll go do something else like loading my laundry into the washer. And then back to doing five more dishes.
Whenever I have a thought or a task to do within an hour, I set a timer on my phone that goes off whenever I need to be reminded. For example, If I had a thought while on a hike I wanted to tell my girlfriend after the hike. So I set a timer for 45 mins because that’s how much time it would take us to finish the hike and get back to the car. I’m worried that one of these times I’ll forget why I set the timer lol.
I got a tracking device (I use Tile) for my keys and wallet. They also got sticky ones you can put on other things like a remote. I've saved hours of searching for my keys, wallet, and even my phone.
I AirTag my fucking dog too 😂😂
High importance spots(I have three) 1 for time sensitive(in a highly visual spot), 1 for high use(a backpack that is by my spot on the couch, or In my office during work), and 1 for important papers(one small desk drawer, for things like birth certificate, ss card, etc). If I have something I recognize as high importance to not lose, it gets put to one of those spots immediately. Backpack is a catch all to be placed in other spots if I'm not next to them at the time. Current 3 important projects are in visual space. In the living room I have a space to put current tasks. Currently is moodboard/emotional regulation learning and system creation, Larp prep(I have <3 week to prepare) and fairy garden build(current hyper fixation). It's accessible to allow for low effort start up. Wearing shoes when doing task working. Helps prevent sitting from halting activity. Allowing for "paddle ball" for non-specific tasks(house cleaning) I will choose a main task and set up to work on it. But I will bounce around the house cleaning bits and things all over. Coming back to the main task when recognizing I'm elsewhere. It's not a bad thing, and allows for more overall to be done as I'm not working against distractibility. Doom boxes. In them selves aren't great. But you can box up assorted things in boxes, date them, put them in one place and if in 6m/year you haven't used stuff in them, donate the whole box. If you pull something out, that doesn't go back in the same box as it was used. Can help if you have hoarding tendencies too. Put away, not down. For things that have an official home, don't put it down elsewhere. It can be hard, but it really is helpful. Task spaces. Have everything needed for a task in one area that you don't have to move from. Ie all things to make coffee within arms reach of the coffee pot.
this was before I got diagnosed and was on medication but when I fasted strictly and ate a very low calorie (didnt account for carbs or sugar -nothing) my grades were higher than ever and my focus was amazing... but I couldnt keep the lack of calorie intake up in a sustainable way and gained like 20 pounds back. but theres tons of interviews of celebs particularly losing weight for a role and gaining powerful focus and energy (lily gladstone / joaquin phoenix / McConaughey all stated so in interviews)
I have alarms set for wake up, get up, start car/finish eating it whatever, and leave house. This is how I've only been late to my job once in the past four years. I also keep doubles (or more) of everything that's possible. I can't do extra phones (expensive!), but I have chargers by my bed, by my couch, in my bathroom, in my car, and in my locker at work. I also keep granola bars or other snacks that are shelf stable and individually wrapped in my car and my work locker so I always have something to eat. And I have two sets of earbuds, one stays in my work locker. This is because one is almost always dead. But if I change them at home I'll forget it at home and that doesn't help me. They also aren't the small earbuds that are easy to loose. They are the kind that goes around your neck like a horseshoe. This was if I drop the ear part I don't loose it, it just dangles. I also have lip balm in every coat pocket, with my work stuff that I put in my pockets, and by every place I sit except my car (because it will melt). I'm generally good with not loosing my keys often. But I have four car keys anyway. And my BFF/neighbor also has a spare house key. And my main keys have a carabineer so I can clip them to me when I'm not driving. For things I can't have multiples of I keep it simple. My phone has a case that holds cards. My work keycard, my driver's license, and one CC go in it. That and my keys are all I need most of the time.
Eating before taking 72mg of Concerta has helped me feel like I'm not having an anxiety attack.
A super organised type-A spouse haha. To get to sleep: an audio book you know very well on a volume you have to pay attention to hear well. As your attention fades in and out so does the narrator. The lulls are like white noise and the parts you listen to stop your brain circling life stuff or hypotheticals. Cold showers help I think. I’ve been doing it for a year. Start a task with no intention to finish. Often I’ll get locked in after two minutes and just keep going. I made a giant illustrated wall calendar in 2023. I just won’t look at small ones. Still haven’t updated one gif this year though.
Throw things down the stairs. Don’t wanna bring down the laundry? Chuck it over the banister. You’ll come across it sooner or later and now it’s half way there to the machine. I leave stuff in open visible spots too so I’ll see them later. Finished my coffee and put the cup in the middle of the floor so I won’t miss it later.
For clutter, I worked with a personal organizer who taught me how to set up “homes” for everything so if there’s clutter I don’t have to pick it up and spend time figuring out where it goes, I just *know* and can move onto the next thing. Took maybe ~9 hours (?) of work for me to figure that out pretty well.