My neuropsychologist told me that I've done a great job coming up with ADHD hacks without even realizing I have ADHD so I thought, why not share those with other people?
You'll probably find things like this all over the internet (and I encourage you to look for more and let me know what you find). But, here are MY top 8 life hacks for thriving with ADHD.
*I am NOT a psychologist, psychiatrist, or mental health professional of any kind. I am sharing these things because they have helped me. If you are struggling with ADHD or a mental health condition please consider consulting a professional.
1. Put things I need to take with me near the door.
This is one that I learned in university and it is VERY helpful. If you can't walk out the door without moving the item then you are MUCH more likely to bring it with you. I use this strategy for things I need to put in the car, things I need to return, things I need to mail, etc.
2. Brightly coloured sticky notes in key places.
I like to put them on the door with my grocery or errand list and on the fridge with reminders of what food is about to spoil. It's important for me to switch up the colours now and then or I'll just glaze over and not see them at all.
3. Putting the laundry basket in my way near the top of the stairs to remind me to put the laundry in.
I also use try to use timers to help me remember to take the laundry out but I keep forgetting to actually SET the timers so I won't list this as something that works for me. (Do YOU have any tips to remember to take the laundry out?)
4. A quick-look to do list for each day that leads me to OTHER to do lists so I'm not overwhelmed seeing everything in one place.
I use OneNote for this. I'll make a list for the day that includes things like "Administrative tasks," "Client XYZ work" etc. Then I have lists for each of those things and I hyperlink to them in my main list (crucial because I will lose the other lists if I don't 😅).
5. Setting multiple reminders before I need to go to an appointment.
I'm not a huge fan of cell phones, to be honest. I fantasize about a life so simple that I never need to go to an appointment or remember anything EVER. But that world will never exists, so I use my calendar app to track my appointments and make sure that I set it with multiple reminders before the event. This even includes a reminder the day before.
6. Using a Google tasks to remind me of routine things that are less important.
The lack of multiple reminders for the Google tasks app means I can't rely on it for anything important. BUT I can use it to help me remember things that it's OK for me to put off - like organizing my cupboards or hemming a pair of pants. I leave them in my notification drawer on my phone until I get a spurt of can't-sit-still-but-nothing-to-do energy and then I kill em all off at once.
7. Setting actual events in my phone to remind me to do important tasks.
My to-do lists on my computer only work if I'm actually AT my computer, so they are GREAT when I'm working. But household tasks are another story. I won't be at my computer when I need to book an appointment, cancel a subscription, or change my sheets. So I set these as actual events with multiple reminders on my phone. If I absolutely can't get to them when scheduled I can always RE-schedule them with new reminders.
8. Creating "zones" in my fridge.
You've probably seen things like this all over TikTok. So many people suggest putting your condiments in the drawers instead of the doors since drawers are where vegetables go to die. And that's no lie. (Hey that rhymed!)
I literally used to throw things away when no one was home and bury them in the garbage can out of embarrassment because I couldn't understand why I just couldn't manage my damn groceries. (Spoiler alert... ADHD).
Personally, I'd rather remove the drawers entirely and just have a bunch of shelves. That's not an option for me so I've designated the drawers as "back up" zones for fruits and vegetables. Anything brand new goes in those drawers and gets cycled out once our "must be eaten first" shelf is empty.
I've even labeled the inside of my fridge to make sure everything stays in its zone. It helps other people know how to put things away so I can find them (and I'm so grateful they play along). I helps me find what I'm looking for. It helps me track our stock better. AND labeling the fruits and vegetables drawers has helped me actually OPEN them sometimes 😮
Here are my fridge zones (and, yes, I have labeled the shelves on the doors, too 😅):
Thawing zone + leftovers area
Eat this first
Vegetables
Fruits
Eggs
Drinks
Snacks
Dips + spreads
Stuff for sandwiches (condiments)
Stuff in jars
The biggest hack here is to figure out how YOUR brain wants to categorize your food. I lump all my jars together so they have a section. You might not. Figure out what works for you.
I hope this was helpful for you! Maybe you can use these hacks in your everyday life or even in your business 🙂
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