It’s estimated that around 11 million American adults live with ADHD. The trickiest aspect of treating ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is that it goes undiagnosed in most adults. If you think you might have ADHD, the best thing you can do is speak to your doctor to get professional help. Living with this condition affects every part of your life, but it is possible to manage ADHD with a combination of medication and lifestyle changes.
1. Clean Up Clutter
Organization is difficult for anyone. When you have ADHD, it can completely throw off your ability to focus. One of the most common symptoms for people living with ADHD is distractibility and clutter quickly leads to distraction. You need to create a tidy space to foster a sense of calm that you can adequately function in.
Start by figuring out what you need to access at all times, then put the rest away in storage or eliminate it altogether. Keep all your storage well-labeled so you can quickly find things when needed.
2. Use Organizational Tools
There are plenty of organizational tools available these days that can help manage ADHD. For example, you can use a day planner or a calendar app on your phone to keep track of appointments and important dates. Setting up reminders will help you stay on top of your engagements.
With regards to day-to-day tasks, start using lists to know what you want to do each day. Another common theme with ADHD is forgetfulness, but if you have visible lists, you’ll always be reminded of what’s important.
3. Use Alarms for Time Management
You may also be prone to procrastination, which around 20% of adults engage in daily. One way to avoid putting important tasks off is to tackle them as soon as they come up. Whatever it is—an important phone call or filing your taxes—doing it right away will prevent problems later.
Phones are a double-edged sword for people with ADHD. They are a distraction that we always have with us, but they can also improve time management. Use your phone’s clock app to set alarms throughout the day, reminding you to take care of urgent matters.
4. Always Plan to Leave Early
ADHD can often make you late for things, whether it’s a dinner date or a work meeting. If you know that you’re going to take a bit longer to get ready to leave the house, tell yourself you’re leaving 20-30 minutes before you actually need to. Over time, as you improve your organization and time management, you’ll find yourself arriving at events on time.
5. Say No When You’re Busy
Many people living with ADHD find themselves double-booked or overwhelmed by work projects. Some people thrive when they pack their schedule, but that doesn’t work when you have attention issues. If you have too much on your plate, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all that you have to do. It’s hard to say no to people, but the more you let work pile on, the more you’ll unravel in the anxiety of it all.
Say no when you’ve got commitments. If you can focus on one thing at a time, you can get a better handle on your life and be a more effective friend, family member, or colleague.
6. Budget Carefully
ADHD might affect your financial life as well. Managing finances requires careful budgeting, planning, and organization. When you have ADHD, it can be a real challenge to give enough attention to financial planning, which can lead to money problems. You could be overspending and missing bill payments when you don’t have a good handle on your income and expenses. Implement bill payment reminders and consider working with a financial planner to help you improve your financial well-being.
7. Put Your Phone Away
As mentioned earlier, your phone is helpful but also a distraction when you have ADHD. Your phone is one of the best adult ADHD organizational tools, but it’s also really easy to become distracted by the countless apps on your phone. Take a few minutes and set up time limits for the more distracting apps on your phone. Things like social media and online shopping apps are designed to capture your attention. By putting time limits on them, you can prevent them from wasting your time and distracting you from what’s important.
8. Spend Time Outdoors
Our society puts a lot of pressure on people to be productive at all times, which is a big reason why 83% of people experience work-related stress. For those with ADHD, it’s important to stop what you’re doing, go outside, and let your mind reset from time to time. The effects of ADHD often lead to stress. Exercising and spending time outdoors can alleviate this stress and bring clarity to your daily life.
9. Practice Meditation
Another way to calm your mind is to meditate. Various types of meditation can be implemented into your daily routine to improve your overall mental health. When it comes to ADHD, mindfulness meditation is likely to be the most helpful. Mindfulness is all about existing in the present moment. ADHD causes your mind to flit around aimlessly, which makes it hard to focus and stay organized. This form of meditation will help you slow down and get a handle on your life.
You Can Manage ADHD
Getting organized is much harder for people with ADHD than it is for those without it, but implementing these tips into your daily life will have a huge impact. Be patient and start small with one or two tips, and once they have become a habit, you can implement more techniques.
At Comprehensive Wellness Centers, our programs are designed to help those with mental health issues learn how to function and find fulfillment in life. To learn how we can help you or a loved one manage ADHD, schedule an appointment with us today.
