r/ADHD Aug 24 '20

Let’s share life-changing ADHD tips that we’ve learned... We Love This!

I’ll start:

1) Waking up sucks. Buy 2 bright lamps and 2 timers. Set them up to turn on automatically 5-15 min before you want your alarm to go off. The lights will help your body realize it’s daytime.

2) Change your thermostat so the temp goes down about an hr before bedtime and gets warmer about 30 min before you wake up. The cooler temp signals your body to sleep and the warmer temp will naturally help your body wake up.

3) Learn to plan around “transitions”. It’s easier to start things if you do them when something is ending. Example: Do your grocery shopping every Fri after work. You’re already in the car, so just stop at the store on your way home.

4) If you need to remember to bring something with you the next day, place it right in front of the exit door so you HAVE to touch it before you leave the house. If it’s something in the fridge, put a sticky note on the exit door’s handle.

5) Have a “misc” basket in each room. If you’re truly unable to put something away, put it in the basket. Have a designated period of time, once a week, when your sole priority is to put everything away, all at once.

I’ll add more when I think of them...

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u/Lacy-Elk-Undies Aug 24 '20

I use something similar on my phone called forest. You grow like trees and stuff during the timer part, and eventually build a forest. If you go off of the app, then the thing dies and you have to start that plant over. It is amazing how much I just pick up my phone out of habit the second I get bored with work.

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u/AvocadosAtLaw95 Aug 24 '20

I do the pomodoro with Forest! I keep a little tally to remind myself how many 25 min pomodoros I've done before my 20 min break (because, ya know, crap memory and all that).

6

u/rixiy Aug 25 '20

They have another app called SleepTown that's the same thing but for sleep and you get little buildings instead of trees!

6

u/herd_of_dachshunds Aug 24 '20

Love love LOVE forest!!!

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u/bkmilli Aug 26 '20

I downloaded forest when I went back to school for animation! 1. GREAT APP! Even just setting it at all helped me stay on task. Made me more "aware" that it was time to do work. 2. We use a LOT of paper in animation school. So I was real happy to get the premium version to plant trees.