What's your best life hack for handling the condition?
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I Keep my keys and wallet in the exact same place in my house, I place them there as soon as I walk through the door. Saves me huge amounts of time searching for them as my squirrel brain would place them in the strangest places
This one of the things I used to think EVERYONE does, before I was diagnosed... blows my mind how most people aren't super anxious about forgetting important things. They NEED to be in the same, fool-proof place.
I strongly encourage people to read up on ADHD to help build their vocabulary around their condition; it makes it a lot easier to understand and communicate your symptoms and needs to medical providers, and reduces the likelihood of things getting lost in translation.
I also strongly recommend the book 'How to Keep House While Drowning' by KC Davis if, like me, you struggle with "adulting"; she's a counselor with ADHD herself, and wrote the book explicitly for people who are neurodivergent, disabled, etc.
It mainly affects me by making it so hard to start activities. Once I've started, I get by pretty fine.
What helped me so far:
- Set up a timer and start as soon as it rings
- Put my home/housework on a table and stare at it for 5/10 minutes without being allowed to start. Set a timer as well. I get so bored that I'll happily start once the time is over
- Pomodoro technique and time tables where I plan out my whole week down to the hour (with 20-25% buffer time)
Also, I have mood fluctuations, which I tackle by expressing my feelings and giving myself quiet times to "digest" all the things that happen and to sort my thoughts. That's very important for me.
Yeah, I definitely have a hard time starting anything. I also have a hard time with sticking with it and seeing it through to the end, which makes tasks like de-cluttering, rearranging, deep cleaning really hard for me. Can I ask how you exactly go about handling your mood fluctuations? I have them too. Usually I just do whatever I can to "ride them out" at the time but sometimes when I'm working, I can't really do that. I have to put them on the back burner but also try to take that energy and put it into getting through my shift/work day. When I do that though, I feel oddly numb. Not quite like a zombie going through the motions, but close enough. Then when I'm off work, I usually feel more calm and on an even keel so I figure I don't "have" to journal or think back, etc.
Getting into a routine was the hardest thing for me once I left home. Making lists for everything became my go to. At work, I kept a small notebook and wrote everything I needed to complete that day along with notes along the way of things that I had to do that were not on the list. (When I left one job, they asked if they could keep my notebook!) At home I made lists for myself from morning til night and even made them for my children with clipart since I started them on lists as toddlers! Most of my children have ADHD and my middle daughter's lists are so detailed that her morning one begins with: "turn off alarm"! She said that she feels a sense of accomplishment when she gets to check off an item.
My Asperger wants me to have lists, but my ADHD is so stressed out by lists, that I don't write them anymore.
Talk to your Doctor, find a medication that works and stick to it. I have severe ADHD that didn’t get diagnosed until I was an adult (due to my child getting diagnosed and me recognizing I have the same condition). I do the things mentioned on this list - lists, routine, etc - but the most effective thing I found was a meditation that really helps. If I miss a few doses, I really can tell, and so can those around me.
I've always had issues with medication, unless it's antibiotics. I have a high drug insensitivity, thicker lining of my brain/spine, and a faster metabolism of drugs in general. I get it from both sides of my family but especially my Dads. It makes it really hard, and risky, for me because eventually the point comes (very quick) where a current dose doesn't do it so it needs to be upped. Once I max out on the scale, I'm screwed. I'm a firm believer in medicine, will always advocate for it, but for me it's mostly a no-win. I keep some prescriptions, like for anxiety especially, but use them sparingly. Mostly for me, it's coping skills or bust. *sigh*
Every thing I own is out in the open (in a nice appealing way). My clothes go on open shelves. I have no cabinet doors and my pantry is open in the kitchen. Food in the fridge go in clear bins so I can see everything.
Also less is more. I don’t buy things I don’t need (note this doesn’t apply to my hobby’s, I haven’t been successful here). I don’t have any extra kitchen stuff/food, toiletries and Knick Knacks.
The biggest way I cut down on food waste is I shop at bjs and when I run out of something I put it in my cart. When shopping this way I also get to do a free pick up which is perfect because going into the store is a nightmare. Everything I can’t buy at bjs I buy from thrive (it’s like a internet version of Whole Foods).
I get everything ready for work the night before so all I need to do in the morning is get dressed, wash my face/brush my teeth and put my food in my lunch box. I recently attempted to make a fresh breakfast and eat before work and it was a nightmare.
And I agree with the lists, lists for everything. When I clean I put everything (I mean everything on the list) and put it in the order I’ll do it so if I start doing something not on the list, I yell at myself to stay on track and add the thing I almost got distracted by to a different list. I use lists on my phone and dry erase boards.
That is something I have to do daily. You learn to make it part of your everyday life.
My suggestions are mostly what everyone else has already posted, but I'd like to suggest 2 more. I don't know if this is just a "me" thing or not, but it helps.
I got myself one of those under the desk, foot cycle/pedal exercisers. They're pretty cheap for just a basic model and mine has held up great for last 3 years or so. It's kinda like fidget toys, only for when you're hands are busy.
At work (I work at home) I don't need it really when I'm interacting with customers or colleagues (which is often), but during the times I need to focus on spreadsheets, writing, or in meetings/seminars, it comes in handy.
Otherwise I'm with everyone else: lists, routines, calendars, phone alarms.
The last suggestion is usually annoying as hell but I set up a "reward" system for myself. If something comes up or happens, and I have 15 minutes to do it in, then I'll make myself do it then give myself a reward.
For example, my brain always says that once I pull my laundry out of the dryer, into the basket, and cart it back upstairs, laundry is "done". Meaning I'll just set the basket down and include it in my "room chores" list. Aka, who the heck knows when I'll actually get around to that.
Instead, I make myself fold and hang my laundry after bringing it up right then and there and give myself a small reward. Usually the reward is a piece of candy/chocolate or a cookie.
The funny side effect of this has been, it really DOES sate my sweet tooth. Instead of waiting all day to have a slice of cake or a bowl of ice cream after dinner, I find that I don't actually WANT it at the end of the day.
Like yesterday, I earned 4 rewards: 1 cookie for each time, so 4 cookies!
However today, I've only earned 1 cookie for running an errand. There's 3 more things on my list to do today (day off) and I have yet to do any of them because... Bored Panda. I take my wins where I can. :/
I have to have a rewards system too. It's so hard to start any process (chores, dinner, food shopping, etc). I sit on the couch and see a random item across the room that I need to pick up and put away, but I just sit there and stare at it. It's hard to explain. Am I the only one?
- lists
- routine
- storing everything in the calendar (mobile phones are amazing)
- spreadsheets for expenses like rent etc. wich checkmarks to mark when you payed them
- office noise and movements distract me horribly - never in life have i been so focued as when I started working from home during COVID
I agree with everything you said. I always try hard to have enough money in the bank so the same day a bill arrives in the mail, I pay it. Then I reward myself with 1 cookie, LOL. I know not everyone is financially able to do this, I wasn't a couple times, but these days it helps. I also especially agree about working from home. My first foray into the working world (full time) was in big call centers and I didn't realize how on edge it made me until I I could work from home a few years later.
I bought these digital clocks that can hang on in the wall or sit up and they are in every room
Me too, and I was able to get 12" diam. wall clocks at the Daiso store that just opened up here in Henderson, NV for $4.66 each, they have quartz movements and keep perfect time!
Not us (even though we're pretty sure we have it, our mother won't get us diagnosed) but our best friend
CAFFIENE. LOTS OF IT. It helps more than people think
400mg caffeine tablets first thing in the morning for me establish my day, as brewed coffee (which I still love to drink on occasion) tends to disrupt my gut
Make lists and calendar notifications for all events in the future. (with atleast 1 week, 1 day, and 12 hours before the event. and the 15 mins before)
Have a routine for a certain time of day. Keep 2 lists, one for the day and one for the stuff you might tackle in the future. 2 lists are less stressful to me. In public, read the room and act accordingly to stay under the radar. I organize closets and drawers. It makes me feel like I'm in control of my life to my ducks in a row.
Most of the things already mentioned. During meetings, when my focus starts to slip away, I doodle on paper. It looks I am taking notes and it ensures I can keep focus. Win-win!
Binders. For everything. Got homework? Put it in a binder. Need to organize papers? A binder. Also, keep a calendar and write everything down
The fact that I can Out Task someone with a Degree and Multitask as a "strength" on their Resume! 🤣
The fact that I can "out-task" someone with a degree, who listed "multitasking" as a strength on their resume!
I don't have ADHD, but I have a very hard time following through and remebering tasks. I make a lot of lists, and I crossing off stuff from my lists gives me a little dopamine rush everytime!
I work from home and can get easily distracted by things going on in the house or my phone. So I set a timer when I need to focus on a task and then once the timer goes off, I set another one for a 5 minute ADHD allowed moment and repeat until my work day is done.
I have what is most likely undiagnosed ADHD but… here are some of my tips that help me focus
-Try to have two options if something to do, so if something doesn’t interest you or you can’t focus on it try the other one
-LISTS.
- Sometimes things are done the normal way for a reason.
… this was a bit hypocritical. I write lists sometimes and they do help but most of the time I forget or get distracted and so I have several half-finished lists
Make lists. Make lists for everything. I prefer paper. I like writing them down & crossing off.
Dental floss picks, I keep them beside my bed so that when I inevitably forget to do anything before bed I can still floss my teeth.
I have a hard time focussing on things I should be focussing on, unless it's a clear task like pick up parcel at so and so. I can lose myself in things I like, and procrastinate on end the things I don't like (or if I don't procrastinate I do them in three seconds with minimal effort and half-assedly). Can't prioritize, everything is equally important or unimportant. I can multitask but don't ask me to explain afterwards what I did or how I did it. The only thing I have zero issues with is keeping things organized in my home (not so much at work) and I spend the majority of my day in dreamland. When I was a kid this used to be 100000x worse, it's a miracle I even finished anything. Now as an adult I've found ways to work around it, mostly. Sometimes I suspect myself of having ADHD-I, but on the other hand I don't think my supposed symptoms are as bad as some people seem to have them. So maybe I'm just weird :')
👍Yes you're weird but, you're weird like us While I hold 0 degrees in the medical field, I'm pretty sure you are ADD/ADHD to some level/extent.😎 Not to worry, unless it seriously impacts your life in a negative way, consider your weirdness as your Super Power 😁
Load More Replies...
can i ask, what are the symptoms of ADHD? (if this offends anyone i’m truly sorry.)
There are many symptoms, and not everyone has all of them... Best to check here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adult-adhd/symptoms-causes/syc-20350878
Load More Replies... The doctor-monitored Adderal XR (or equivalent) since my 20s (I'm almost 80) has helped me live an “ordinary life”: College graduate, steady career in my selected profession, celebrating 50+ years of marriage, three children graduated from the university of their choice without issues or topics of concern and are all now raising families of their own. Currently, we have seven delightful grandchildren with whom we interact regularly, and I have some mega-cool lady friends. For those who are with out-of-control ADHD consistently performing sequential everyday tasks? I don't think so.
I have a hard time focussing on things I should be focussing on, unless it's a clear task like pick up parcel at so and so. I can lose myself in things I like, and procrastinate on end the things I don't like (or if I don't procrastinate I do them in three seconds with minimal effort and half-assedly). Can't prioritize, everything is equally important or unimportant. I can multitask but don't ask me to explain afterwards what I did or how I did it. The only thing I have zero issues with is keeping things organized in my home (not so much at work) and I spend the majority of my day in dreamland. When I was a kid this used to be 100000x worse, it's a miracle I even finished anything. Now as an adult I've found ways to work around it, mostly. Sometimes I suspect myself of having ADHD-I, but on the other hand I don't think my supposed symptoms are as bad as some people seem to have them. So maybe I'm just weird :')
👍Yes you're weird but, you're weird like us While I hold 0 degrees in the medical field, I'm pretty sure you are ADD/ADHD to some level/extent.😎 Not to worry, unless it seriously impacts your life in a negative way, consider your weirdness as your Super Power 😁
Load More Replies... can i ask, what are the symptoms of ADHD? (if this offends anyone i’m truly sorry.)
There are many symptoms, and not everyone has all of them... Best to check here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/adult-adhd/symptoms-causes/syc-20350878
Load More Replies... The doctor-monitored Adderal XR (or equivalent) since my 20s (I'm almost 80) has helped me live an “ordinary life”: College graduate, steady career in my selected profession, celebrating 50+ years of marriage, three children graduated from the university of their choice without issues or topics of concern and are all now raising families of their own. Currently, we have seven delightful grandchildren with whom we interact regularly, and I have some mega-cool lady friends. For those who are with out-of-control ADHD consistently performing sequential everyday tasks? I don't think so.
