Tips and Tricks: Managing the ADHD Life

There are constant moments when you think of every grandiose idea possible, and decide to pull the trigger on the all at the same time. Just as the morning sun creeps over the horizon, you decide that it is a good idea to start working on the next big project. While shuffling about to see what you can concoct before your morning run, you throw breakfast on the stove and hustle out without a second though. The next thing you know, you step in from your run and the oatmeal is taking over the pot, then you notice that you are already an hour late for work on a day when you scheduled a last minute meeting with your manager or teacher; there was a need to discuss something very important.

Even though the scenario above sounds like a minor mishap that anyone might experience, this sort of cramming of activities is all too familiar in the day of an ADHD'er. As thoughts constantly cycle about in our minds, it's all too easy to get caught up biting off more than we can chew. Some refer to those of us with ADHD as "intense" individuals. There is a constant feeling that everything needs to get done now!

Let us take a look at how we can use the skills we have, thanks to Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder, to not only avoid crashing and burning but to even accelerate beyond what is expected of most people. The ADHD life gravitates toward overworking until we completely crash and burn.

Tips and Tricks for Managing ADHD Life:

1. Track what you do on a cell phone, notepad or device that you tend to take everywhere you go.

2. Set timers, reminders and notifications on calendars, so that you don't have to pay attention to the time.

3. Keep a to-do list and focus on only tackling one task at a time. Highlight priorities!

4. When you get a new idea, write it down to address later.

5. Be honest with others when feeling like you have missed something due to taking on too much at once.

6. Think twice before trying to take on the world. Look at your tasks for the day and see which ones might not matter much to you, or might not even be necessary. Remove those activities from your to-do list and take a breather during that time.

7. Schedule at least 2 hours of "do nothing" time before bed, and do not try to squeeze in last minute tasks that are not relaxing.

8. Find something every month to force yourself to complete, such as a book or video game. This helps practice optimizing the use of hyperfocus, so that you are able to build better discipline for completing school or work projects.

9. Set deadlines for completing activities and projects. Without setting deadlines and sticking to them, many things simply will not get done.

10. When planning with other people, request specific meet-up times. Also, give yourself an hour to prepare, since something random will likely come up while getting ready to head out. Individuals with ADHD are notorious for running late, due to random derailing ideas.

Lastly, set multiple goals! Having weekly, monthly and even annual goals helps us see our progress. The ADHD mind is result driven, so if you have nothing to build progress toward, life can begin to feel like it is spiraling out of control with no breaks. Structuring your life this way will not only allow you to run full steam ahead during scheduled functions, but it will let you identify when it might be appropriate to scale thing back a little.

When you have ADHD, you never truly feel like you are doing enough. So, being able to actually look at everything you are doing, and building strong coping mechanisms will go light years. Bring order to the chaos. Until the next post, you can put those headphones back on and play the next track...