#adhd life hacks

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

My Simple Hack for Starting Tasks

Future ADHD

[jennhasadhd]

🧠✨️ Positive self descriptions that I attribute to being influenced by my ADHD:

Adventurous, Bold, Charismatic,

Cheerful, Clever, Creative, Curious,

Daring, Dedicated, Determined,

Dynamic, Eager, Empathetic,

Energetic, Fair-minded, Friendly,

Fun-loving, Funny, Generous,

Gentle, Hardworking, Helpful,

Idealistic, Imaginative, Impartial,

Independent, Innovative, Inquisitive,

Insightful, Intelligent, Intuitive,

Inventive, Knowledgeable, Lively,

Logical-minded, Methodical, Meticulous,

Objective, Observant, Open minded,

Optimistic, Outgoing, Passionate,

Perceptive, Persistent, Personable,

Persuasive, Philosophical, Pioneering,

Playful, Reflective, Resourceful,

Respectful, Savvy, Sensitive, Sensual,

Spontaneous, Sweet-natured, Sympathetic,

Systematic, Talented, Understanding,

Unique, Versatile.

[theshmaylor]

ADHD and To-Do Lists

It's a common problem we have. You create a new to-do list or start a planning journal and promise "this is the perfect way to keep a to-do list. I'm Getting Myself Together. this time I'll stick with it. this time I'll Do The Thing Correctly."

And then 4 months later you look around and it's been at least a month since you last looked at the list and you have no idea what important things you have to do and everything is an anxious spiraling mess with no structure for awhile. Then in another few months you find another guaranteed "perfect", ADHD-friendly method to keep a list and the cycle repeats again.

Well, what I've found is there is no perfect to-do list. There's only the to-do list you're willing to use in the moment, and the way to solve this problem is to make a new list before you get to the phase where everything is falling apart.

Let me explain. ADHD brains crave novelty. Without new things, we get under-stimulated and bored (this can be true for everyone, but is worse in ADHD people). That's where the symptoms of impulsivity and difficulty with long-term habits come from.

So, instead of trying to force yourself to keep and maintain the same long-term list or planner, my approach is to IMMEDIATELY create a new list when you feel yourself beginning to ignore the old list. Make it in a different place with a different method. And, most crucially, transfer the incomplete to-do items from your old list to your new list. Reword or reorder them to spice it up.

It sometimes feels silly to make a new list when the old one seems like it's still working, but doing it early lets you skip past the few months where you're left untethered with no list and constantly forgetting about important things.

When I say "different method," it doesn't have to be complicated or overly structured. Just different from what you were doing before. Some of my to-do lists have been:

An email draft

Loose sheets of lined paper

Loose sheets of unlined paper

A .txt file

In a small spiral notebook

A dedicated email account where each to-do item is an individual email sent to myself

An app on my phone with little checkboxes (specifically google Keep, but I'm sure non-google options exist)

A WordPad file

A series of post-it notes stuck on top of each other

Obviously some of these are more convenient than others for portability and accessibility, but for myself I've found that the novelty is more important than how user-friendly it is. (Your mileage may vary of course)

It can be easier said than done to recognize that you're becoming bored with the old list and to get the motivation to create a new list, so I understand if you're skeptical. This idea may not work for you, but it's been the most successful to-do list approach for me, and I'd suggest giving it a try if you've been struggling to make other things work.

[gabby-i-guess]

ADHD PSA #2: The Dinner Formula

Feeding yourself is easily one of the hardest responsibility as an adult. It's even harder if you're neurodivergent - textures are ✨a lot✨, cooking takes so much energy, and actually planning meals can be almost impossible. A lot of us just end up not eating properly, because it just takes too much brain power some days.

So, let's make it simple.

dinner = a carb + a fat + a protein + a vegetable + incentive

"Okay..." You say, "but what does that mean??" Well, it can mean lots of things. I'd suggest making a personal, physical list of things you like/have. But for now, here's mine:

A carb: rice (instant packets are perfect), pasta, noodles (yep, 2 min noodles count), bread, potatoes

A fat: (that's right. A fat. That shit helps you digest all the vegetably goodness, okay? Don't go crazy, but some is necessary) butter, regular old vegetable oil, sesame oil, olive oil, cheese, cream, or whatever is already in the other ingredients (e.g. meat, nuts, avo)

A protein: chicken (pre-cooked works wonderfully), mince, tofu, egg, nuts, mushroom (gross but if you really must), salami, tuna - fuck it, even frozen chicken nuggets count

A vegetable: green is best but anything will do! Broccoli, kale (I love kale chips), spinach, red pepper, peas, beans, carrots, ANY AND ALL frozen veggies. Also - blending or finely shopping your veggies can be a lifesaver if you're not a fan of veggies

And finally, the most important bit - incentive. This is whatever will make your brain want to eat the meal. No judgement, I promise. The goal is to give your body the fuel it needs to keep chugging along - if the fuel has to be topped off with Bacon Bits and aioli, so be it. Mine are...

Incentive: seasoning like Nando's peri peri salt, chicken salt, garlic, onion, curry powder, lao gan ma. Toppings like fried onion, sesame seeds, pine nuts, cheese. Sauces like sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, Japanese mayo, pesto, aioli. Or maybe, some random factor, like chop sticks, blue food dye (I'm a PJO fan...), a special bowl, preparing it as snack food, cutting things up into fun shapes, or buying alphabet pasta.

Finally, let's round out this post with some examples of dinners I've made recently using this formula:

Pasta + cream + chorizo + blanched and blended spinach + pesto = creamy pesto pasta

Flavoured rice pack + sesame oil + egg + broccoli + soy sauce and onion = simple fried rice

Couscous + salad sauce + Dino chicken nuggets + salad pack + the aforementioned Dino chicken nuggets = an insanely good salad (AND I took the leftovers to work)

I really hope this helped someone. I'm sending you all so much love and good vibes. This humaning shit is insanely hard and complicated, so if you're just getting through each day without adding to or subtracting from the population, you're already doing such a great job.

Be kind to yourself ❤️

[habijob]

Adhd life hack?

Listen to covers of your favorite songs in languages that you don't understand,

so that you can get your background noise but aren't getting distracted

[hyperfocusedmama]

[keepchangingandneverstop]

Day 145 - New ideas for ADHD chore and budgeting haxx

Results:

Pro-tip: maybe get something smaller than an 8" cylinder vase

[romanticizedlife-patchnotes]

*Patch Notes 7/05/23*

I bought a filing cabinet for 4 dollars.

It's a little janky and missing the rods to hang the file folders in its bottom drawer. But it's enough to test out an ADHD organization tip I found on Pinterest that I thought was mind blowing. Also acquired were a 25 pack of hanging file folders and a 10 pack of 2" wide expanding folders, both more expensive than the filing cabinet itself.

My goal was to replace one of the drawer carts in my study, because it's not good use of space for what it's being used for(storing spare planner pages). I further planned to get rid of the other one (paper and similar material storage) but decided that one's doing just fine as is.

Anyway, hanging files went in the top drawer and I started sorting planner pages into them. And then I realized that, since I switched planner styles a couple months ago, I didn't actually have that many planner pages. Most of them were (out)dated Daily pages that went straight in the bin. Most of the drawers were actually empty. And I have all these damn hanging files. It was very frustrating!

So I kind of started picking through whatever loose papers were in the room, including on a folding table that's been stacked high with various unsorted papers for roughly 6 months. I've been referring to it as the Table of Terror on my To Do lists, generally in an vague un-actionable task to "Deal with it" or "Sort it out."

I started taking papers off of it, tossing the ones that were clearly outdated or useless, and sorting the rest by hastily constructed categories into the hanging files. It was kind of cool how naturally it happened? This was not a project I intended to tackle tonight, but it's somehow mostly done.

I do have to label these (preferably before I forget what the categories are supposed to be) but holy shit, it's sorted. I can do stuff with these papers now.

This thing was piled a foot and a half deep. Now look at it.

Now here's the real neat thing about this filing cabinet thing. A lot of the things on that table weren't papers. They were just odd things that didn't have homes. A bunch of tools and supplies that are hard to categorized and store.

So. Those 2 inch expanding files? I opened those up and lined them in the bottom drawer of the cabinet. Suddenly all those odd things have homes. Oddly shaped envelope punching jig? Homed. Plastic tablecloth I use as drop cloth? Homed. Little camera tripod that's been floating around for ages? Homed.

Look at this shit. I could alphabetize this if I wanted. Astounding. Like, there's things I technically have organized that would be better off in here. I could fit all my stamp carving tools in one of these folders. All my clay tools in another. Almost regretting buying my big art supply drawers. Absolutely regretting buying at least one of them.

Anyway that's my night. Still have to draw and don't have time to play Zelda but WHOOOOOOO!!

Also got some spray paint I'd describe as "Persona 4 Yellow" that this thing will be getting a makeover with at some point. It was a toss-up been that and bright aqua. I cannot tolerate greige.

Things to left to do:

Label folders

Continue to sort things into it

Paint the the cabinet

Clear the table and (finally) put it away

[miragetheshadow]

New life hack unlocked: pretending Looks To The Moon is my big sister.

No Mirage, Moon would want you to get a good night's sleep instead of staying up too late listening to music and scrolling Tumblr. She wouldn't want you to be tired for class tomorrow!

No Mirage, don't bottle up your emotions or sit alone in your room and cry, big sister Moon would want to help you through it and give you a hug, so why dom't you talk to friends or family?

No Mirage, don't go into people pleaser mode, Moon wouldn't want you to devalue yourself (even if she's a hypocrite).

Yes, Mirage! Moon is very proud of how you've been studying.

[ruthbaderjaneway]

Looking to connect with other writers who are neurodivergent, especially those who have ADHD. Would love to hear your favorite tips/tricks/writing hacks.

Person with ADHD image by by Chen from Pixabay. Chen has AMAZING ADHD content.

[itsaspectrumcomic]

Behold, my new favourite item

[gabby-i-guess]

MINI ADHD PSA: Words to Live By

Hello neurodivergent friends <3 today I just want to gift you with a quote I think about a lot:

"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."

And here are some examples of where I apply this in my own life:

Dishes - fill the sink, soak the dishes for an hour, and empty (all of) the water out again. It's not properly cleaning the dishes. But, they are cleaner than they were before, and less likely to make you sick

Showering - can't manage a shower? Baby wipes, a damp cloth, or splashing water on the important bits is still better than not cleaning yourself at all. And you deserve a clean, healthy body

Food - some days, preparing a meal is literally impossible. It's okay to snack. Snacking is better than not eating at all

Cleaning - 2 minutes of cleaning in your bedroom will make a huge difference, I promise. Here's how to clean for ADHDers :)

Exercise - move your body, even a little bit. Dance to a song. Walk to your mailbox. Stretch

Go forth and half-ass it, Tumblr friends - if anyone asks (including that little asshole part of you that just loves to shit on you), Gabs said you could. You deserve to care for yourself. You deserve to do things your own way without shame. You deserve to feel a little better today than you did yesterday.

Love you all, bye ❤️

[catgirl-catboy]

Honestly, to any fellow neurodivergents that struggle with doing tasks: have you tried doing the task intentionally badly?

I'm serious. I always used to struggle with getting schoolwork done on time. Then one day, out of a place of spite, I tried to write the shittiest assignment the teacher ever damn graded. (It was a stupid assignment.) Got fed up with the bit halfway through and began writing the assignment in earnest. This has helped me start shit halfway since.

Even if it doesn't work like that for other people, half-assed is better than not finished. Half ass cleaning? Guess what, the space is still cleaner.

If you are reading this, I encourage you to try that thing you are procrastinating on or struggling with using the minimum effort possible.

[chaoticbuggybitchboy]

I highly recommend that everyone (especially nd people who struggle w self esteem) have a collection of “proof people don’t hate me” and go look at it whenever they’re sad. I’ve compiled report card comments, stuff my friends say, all sorts of things that made me feel cared about and appreciated. And anytime I get that feeling that I’m worthless and unloved, I go through that file folder and feel better.

[greentrickster]

Fun fact: people with ADHD actually love sitting around with absolutely nothing to occupy them, they've just been taught to think that they hate it. No really, I'm saying this as someone who has rampant ADHD myself, sitting down and doing nothing actually rocks so hard.

The issue is, it's something that we have to do ourselves, on our own terms. Because yes, I would absolutely rather start chewing off a random limb rather than sit and wait for someone or take a trip longer than two minutes without my MP3 player or a book. That is torture, and it should be banned.

In contrast, realizing that my brain's spinning a bit too hard and fast, taking a step back, turning off my computer/tablet/phone, getting myself all comfy-cozy in a nice chair or on my bed and letting my brain just spin for awhile? That's great! It gives me a chance to properly process everything that's going on in my head without any extra stimulus vying for attention until everything slows down enough that I can go back to what I was doing.

It's not about trying to 'become still' or 'let my head empty' or an 'I have nothing to do' situation. It's an active choice that allows my brain to regain a level of equilibrium and what is, for me, a normal speed of thought and mental activity while in a comfortable setting. 10/10, highly recommended, your brain wants to go so this is how you let it safely run around off the leash for a bit!

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

My Simple Hack For Starting Tasks

Future ADHD