10 ridiculous ADHD hacks
Hi ADHDers!
Does anyone else have ridiculous ADHD hacks?
Like the sort of hack that would make someone say '“you ain’t gotta do all that”!
I have at least 10 of them!
I know what you’re thinking, 10 is a lot. But I’m going to cut right to the chase, no fluff! Well, not that much.
Shall we begin?
👞 Keeping my shoes on
Putting shoes on when I’m sitting at my home desk. It puts me into ‘focus’ mode and somehow chains me to my desk and I’m able to focus.
Also helps me with restlessness and not fidgeting - partly because I don’t walk around my house with shoes on so I have no choice but to sit and finish what I’m doing so I can get up.
Someone else on X/Twitter said this works for them too!
🎶 Music makes me stay in control
If you sang the Ciara tune when you read the title, we’re kinfolk!
Listening to music to do chores, admin, to get me pumped up to do anything. Lots of people don’t like to work with noise as it’s distracting, but for me, the rhythm of the beat gets me going.
Listening to a song I like, helps me get over the feeling of dread and break down the mental hurdle.
🧐 Chewing gum
Might be a little weird but chewing gum helps me stay focused when I’m either drafting or reading a long document at work.
I guess the consistency and routine of the chewing helps me fixate on whatever I’m doing at the moment.
🎮 Gamification
Using game-like elements for my real-life works a treat!
Missions - I set myself ‘hard missions’ like needing to reply to texts, admin or emails before I can progress to ‘easier missions’.
Beat the clock - Timed things I need to do before my alarm goes off.
🎯 Arbitrary deadlines
This is very fake it until you make it. I do this thing where I set myself a fake deadline, but it doesn’t stop there. I have to:
Publicly announce or tell someone I’m going to do something by a specific time so I HAVE to keep my word.
Create fictitious scenarios that induce adrenaline so I’m motivated and driven by anxiety to complete something. Stuff like ‘things will go very badly’ or ‘they might ask for it earlier’
Sickening, I know.
💆🏾♀️ Declutter
Is anyone ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Like I need things to be IN MY FACE or else I’ll likely forget about it - people too!
So what does this look like?
Mini containers, shelves, mounted clothes rack, a whiteboard, sticky notes on my forehead, you name it!
🤗 RSD related
Well, if you read my last newsletter, there’s a whole heap of things I’m doing to cope with RSD. Check it out!
🕰️ Time blindness / Time agnosia
I set multiple alarms around 2 hours before I’m meant to leave, at several times. I have to use the most annoying ringtone known to man, so it irritates me and forces me to rush so I leave on time.
My Neurotypical friends are always so surprised when they find out I have to do all of this because of my ADHD.
So there’s 8, I know I originally said 10. But I have a couple of not-so-ridiculous ADHD hacks for each trait, that have been a success for thousands of people which I’m proud of here.
What are some of your ‘ridiculous’ hacks?
That’s all from me,
Rach, with ADHD.
It’s late. I am currently suffering from the adderall shortage. It messes with my sleep pattern. So…yes I did a responsible workout, reorganized a bit in the basement…joined your Substack…and now I’m going to add one more tip you probably already know about? Pleasure bundling? I heard about it on NPR. Say you don’t want to necessarily have a meeting with someone…Make the meeting at one of your favorite restaurants. (Especially if they’re paying). But you don’t have to go that far, just pair whatever you don’t want to do together with something you DO.
Having trouble getting to the gym? Only listen to your favorite crime podcast when you workout. Believe me. You will be RACING to the gym.
And if you go at the buttcrack of dawn, sleep in your gym clothes…if you need an extra 5 minutes. My kid’s 16, now, but when she was 3, I could’ve used that one, big time.
I should have written this FIRST: THANK YOU for starting this newsletter!! I was diagnosed with severe ADHD very late in life, 47. I am 51, now, so I am super grateful to be learning anything you have to share.