Ask any person you know with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and I’m sure they have some original coping or organizational skills, guaranteed.
My tips, however, are more random or intense holy grail hacks and habits that I’ve implemented in my life that’ve helped me manage my biggest nemeses as a woman learning to cope with ADHD while growing into adulthood: executive dysfunction, disorganization, and general forgetfulness.
Tech-free planning
Phones and laptops are full of distractions. A text from a friend, a Canvas notification, a game. The odds of me getting distracted by something on my phone while trying to be productive are like seven to three, and reminders and to-do lists are too easy to ignore on a laptop.
My organizational methods are a physical planner and sticky notes. It’s genuinely changed my life, as I no longer rely on myself to remember anything. I write just about every task, every commitment, random notes, and even every party into my planner, and I’ve rarely forgotten about a task or event since. I even put sticky notes on my walls.
If you struggle to use a planner, I cracked the code — it has to be cute! I only started consistently using a planner after I found something I loved looking at and was excited to whip out. In my experience, a binder-style planner is the way to go, since I can move everything around. My hot pink Filofax keeps me afloat (she makes me feel like Samantha Jones from Sex and the City), and I’d die without her.
Alarms: name them and use them
I know I just said I keep all organization off my phone, but this doesn’t count. I have terrible time blindness, so I like to set alarms for everything throughout my day to create structure.
Every night, I set a minimum of five alarms for the morning: one to snooze, a second to actually wake me up, a third to mark the halfway point before I need to head to class, a fourth 10 minutes before I need to leave, and a fifth for go time.
I don’t rely on myself to remember any small detail, so every alarm is named. If I have to get gas in the morning, my alarm will read “car needs gas before class.”
Scheduling everything early
I know we’ve all fallen victim to the waiting mode. There’s something scheduled for a weird time of day, and you just don’t feel like you can do anything until then, even if you have hours to kill.
To combat this, I started scheduling everything early. I love having early classes; anything in the afternoon kills my productivity. Once it’s done, not only am I ready for the day, but I feel more productive, and I’m more likely to keep being productive.
The only times I’ve been able to get myself to exercise consistently are when I schedule a workout class for early in the morning. I have no time to get anxious or cancel if I’m rushing out the door.
Create a work mode
It can take a while, but figuring out your ideal lock-in circumstances is vital.
I have my own routine for when I really need to focus. I wear a hoodie, so my periphery feels darker, I put on my noise-canceling headphones, go to the library, sit crisscross applesauce in a quiet corner, and I play “Careless Whisper” by George Michael on loop on the lowest possible volume on my laptop to add a little background noise. It has to be to “Careless Whisper.” If I have to lock in at home, I’ll sit under my bed or under a blanket, but the rest is the same.
Of course, the traditional advice of “study in public and rely on social pressure” works, but take the time to find the perfect setting for you to achieve flow state; everyone has their perfect circumstances.
Stay dressed and keep your shoes on
If I know I need to be productive when I get home, I don’t take my shoes off. Once the shoes come off, I’m in relaxation mode, and it becomes so much harder to get back into my productive headspace. The same goes for changing into comfortable clothes; it’s a relaxation trap.
Make your own cookbook
I’ve been compiling all the recipes I enjoy into a document. Once a new meal gets into the brain, the past ones are banished to the crevices of my mind. My recipe list has saved me on more than one occasion and reminds me of those hyper fixation meals I entirely forgot about, but are ready for a comeback.
Freeze everything
I forgot for so long that freezing things was an option. I hate eating the same thing back-to-back, so my easy fix is just to freeze the extras. I may not want to eat it now, but in four days it’ll probably sound really good. I even keep some frozen cooked chicken to pop into my soups whenever I please.
Keep a consistent grocery list
I have a grocery list pinned in my notes app that lists everything I enjoy and is split into categories. Before I go shopping, I pick and choose what I need and form a smaller list. This is a fail-safe way to ensure I don’t shop like a 16-year-old looking for snacks or obscure ingredients.
Two laundry baskets
I have two laundry baskets. One for dirty clothes, another for half-dirty clothes: the stuff that isn’t clean enough for the closet but not dirty enough for the laundry. I also have a pile for the clean clothes I throw around my room while getting ready, and I need to put them away. This helped me tremendously; now my clothes are out of sight instead of decorating my bedroom floor.
Dump station
I love a dump station, it’s a classic, but it seems a lot of people have forgotten about it. I have a comically large, plastic margarita glass that stores my keys, wallet, and digital camera. The constant “where are my keys” battle is over, and I won.
Ditch the top sheet
I started consistently making my bed every day when I finally gave up on the top sheet. It’s so easy just to throw the comforter over the bed and leave out the extra steps. Every winter, when it gets to blanket and top sheet weather, I occasionally struggle, but at least my bed is made every other season of the year.
These few hacks and tips, while small, have helped me overcome a lot of my daily challenges and helped me take my life into my own hands. Managing ADHD isn’t about finding a single cure but about making a personalized toolkit. Stop fighting your brain and start collaborating with it; even the smallest, most targeted hack can be a total game-changer.
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