Tips for Managing Adult ADHD in Daily Life

PRODUCTIVITY

A wall calendar: A dry erase wall calendar is a great way to keep on top of things. Use bright colors and cross off each day that goes by– this helps a ton with time blindness. 

Use color: People with ADHD are often visually oriented. Use colors to help things stick in your memory, highlighting important dates, files, putting to-dos on bright paper, and adding stickers or color to anything that needs your attention. You color-coding on Google calendar. 

Break down tasks: Create mini-deadlines. This boosts confidence and keeps you from feeling overwhelmed,

Try the Pomodoro Technique: Set a timer for 20 minutes and begin working on your task. After 20 minutes, take a 5-minute break and repeat. Give yourself a check mark for every cycle completed.

Reframing: Combat unhelpful thought patterns by reframing tasks in a positive or more realistic way. For example, if you are delaying a project because, “there’s so much work it’ll take forever,” try re-writing the thought, “if I begin this today, I’ll feel better, and there will be less work tomorrow.”

24-Hour Hot Spot: Have a designated area somewhere like your desk where you can place your “need to-dos.” Place anything there that needs your attention within 24 hours so that it doesn’t get lost. 

Pocket Notes: Writing on your hand is risky; try writing important things on notes and putting them in your pocket. Make sure it’s your dominant side pocket, so you’re more likely to reach in there and find your reminder. 

Get Smart(phone): Utilize your notepad, reminder alerts, and calendars to help you meet deadlines. Don’t be shy about setting several obnoxious reminders leading up to your deadline. 

Set a Wind-down Alarm: Program your bedtime for an hour before you intend to be sleeping. Use this alert to power down electronics, dim the lights and begin your bedtime routine.

Happy Lamp: Many people with ADHD have physiological differences in their circadian rhythms that make it hard to get consistent sleep. Using a happy lamp or getting 20 minutes of early morning light exposure will boost circadian rhythm. 

Melatonin: Many people with ADHD have lower levels of melatonin. Try a supplement or have melatonin-inducing snacks like tart cherry juice. 

No Late Lattes: It takes your body up to 12 hours to fully metabolize caffeine. Skip caffeinated beverages within 5-7 hours before bed for better sleep.

Quiet your mind: Using techniques like progressive muscle relaxation can help quiet your mind and ease you into sleep.

Get Noisy: Noise machines, especially pink noise (think ocean waves and raindrops), can boost sleep stability. 

Keep it Cool: Turn the temperature in your room down to 65-68 °F, the ideal range for sleep. 

Wake up at the same time daily: Your body’s sleep system thrives on consistency. Keeping a regular wake time to maintain a consistent schedule and regulate your sleep hormones. 

Sleep Mask: Using an eye mask or blackout curtains can completely transform your sleep because darkness is key to keep melatonin flowing. 

Only use the bed for sleep: Doing non-sleep activities in your bed can create unhelpful associations like bed + work, bed+ horror films. Only use your bed for sleep (and intimacy); sleep therapists call this stimulus control. 

Lock Box: Phones are one of the biggest distractions, especially for people with ADHD. Use a timed lock box when you have important tasks!

Look around you: Creating a clear space that is void of distractions is important for productivity. Do your best to have a clear space or use baskets to hide distractions while you’re working. 

Just do the thing: Whenever possible, do things immediately. When life gets busy or distractions come along the ADHD mind has a hard time regrouping. No matter how annoying it may feel, take a deep breath, put on your disciplined pants, and just do the thing. 

Get stimulated: ADHD minds often feel understimulated which can lead to dropping boring tasks for more exciting ones. Get a fidget spinner, soothing music, slime, exercise, a podcast or anything that helps you get going. Pair activities if it helps you with your goal. 

Try L-Theanine with caffeine: Supplementing L-theanine with Caffeine can help boost the “focus” effects of caffeine while lulling anxiety. Studies show this combo helps improve sustained attention and cognitive performance in people with ADHD.

Positive Self-talk: Meet your negative inner voice with an encouraging one. Try phrases like “I tried my best”,  “nothing is perfect, I’m human”, or “I am strong, capable, and I can get through anything.”

Hug your inner child: Many people with ADHD grow up feeling misunderstood, so, positive reassurance from your adult self to your inner child can go a long way. Imagine your inner child and give them an encouraging hug. Try cheering them on and letting them know that you’ll do your best to guide them with acceptance. 

Clarify your goals: Clarify your final goal and then break down the “mini” goals you need to meet along the way to get there. Focus on the very first mini-goal, set a deadline, and work on that only. If you still feel overwhelmed, break your mini-goals down further. The point is to just get moving ahead.

Schedule downtime: Set aside time every week (or even every day) to just do whatever you want. You can blast music, zone out on your phone, indulge in a hobby– whatever brings you joy. Scheduling in this “do whatever I want” time brings structure to downtime, so you don’t waste hours feeling guilty. 

Accept the highs and lows: Learn to accept emotions without judgement. When you feel extremely sad, frustrated or anxious, try not to fight it. Sit with the feeling, allow thoughts to come and go without judgement, and remind yourself that everything passes with time.  

Journal it: Writing out your thoughts and feelings every day, or when upset, can help you work through what you’re experiencing and find calm. 

Breathwork: Feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, and anxious is common with ADHD. When you feel these, take a few deep breaths in through your nose and slow breaths out through your mouth. It activates your parasympathetic nervous system and calms down your body’s stress response.  

Take a time-out: When you feel angry, frustrated, overstimulated or ready to lash out – take a time-out. You can take a walk, sit quietly, listen to soothing music, or anything that brings calm. Feel empowered to remove yourself from situations to take care of yourself. 

Learn to be kind: Your brain is wired in a way that makes planning, attention, biting your tongue and execution of tasks challenging. Instead of being mean to yourself, try phrases like “ok, ADHD, you win this round.” 

Find like-minded people: Being surrounded by people who understand you is important. If your current circle is open, try telling them what it’s like. You can also find support groups online. 

Get a therapist: Therapy can be a huge help for learning emotional regulation skills and self-acceptance. Think of therapy as personal training for your brain– sometimes, you need a little guidance to whip things into shape. There are many online options available now which makes therapy more convenient and affordable than ever.