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Navigating your days plan as an adult living with ADHD/ADD can be overwhelming when it feels like everything is moving too fast for your brain.
You may often find yourself forgetting things, you are not always on time, and sometimes you make impulsive decisions that get you in trouble. You’re not alone. Many other people who are neurodivergent also struggle with daily executive function myself included.
If your day feels slippery, check out our top tips for living with ADHD.
Build routines visually
An ADHD brain is a hectic brain, and a hectic brain is forgetful. Creating visual day plans is a simple way for you and other adults with ADHD to start building structured days that are repeatable and easy to come back too instead of getting lost.
Visual timelines allow you to see your day quickly, just the way your brain likes and helps you build structure in your day that helps you stay grounded.
For example, your morning routine might look like this;
- Wake up at 8am
- Have Breakfast
- Get Dressed
- Leave for work
By taking your simple routines and adding recognizable visuals such as color or even image, you can see your day at a glance which is especially helpful for busy, fast paced ADHD brains trying to navigate a busy work day and even helps to build time awareness without you realizing.
Prioritize on the hard stuff first
It might seem counter-intuitive to do the hard things first, but, for those who have ADHD, your brain works on reward. All those small jobs you prioritised over that really big hard one gave your brain a quick reward making it harder to commit to the really big wall you left until last.
So how do you avoid procrastinating and getting more stuff done? Prioritize your daily tasks from hardest to easiest. This alone will make it easier for you to focus on getting through the day without anything left over at the end.
This simple tip is the ultimate ADHD life hack.
Use dopamine rewards to drive you
ADHD’s main driver is a neurotransmitter deficiency, specifically Dopamine which is your brains reward chemical. It is what helps you hyperfocus on the things you love and avoid the things you hate. While purely anecdotal; ADHD is almost like both a lack of dopamine and an addiction to dopamine.
If you wake up each morning and go straight for the thing you love; You can often find yourself lacking for the rest of the day and being unproductive and not getting much done.
What happened? You dumped your brain with dopamine and now, nothing else you think about compares.
That is why you feel bored for the rest of the day.
So, instead of waking up and diving head-in to your hyper focus; Choose one goal for the day, something hard that you really don’t want to do and almost force yourself to do it.
Everytime you think about taking a break, try and remind yourself how energetic and good it feels to be doing the thing you love. Use your brain against itself; Teach that if it does something hard, you will give it exactly what it wants.
You control your brain, it does not control you.
Don’t overfocus, Take regular breaks
You’ve heard it before, ADHD is a superpower – and that hyper focus sure can be a superpower, but, with great power comes great responsibility.
When you push yourself too much for too long without refuelling you burn out. This leads to burnout, a drop in attention, a foggy brain, a day that slips away and a task list that just keep building day on day.
Take regular breaks. Adults with ADHD often have more trouble with “time-on-task,” meaning focus tends to fade as a task drags on. Research suggests that breaking work into shorter stretches can help protect attention, and the evidence is strongest for active breaks: even a brief bout of movement or exercise may improve attention and inhibitory control in the short term.
The exact ideal schedule varies from person to person, but working in shorter blocks with planned breaks is more evidence-based than trying to push through for hours.
Set long term goals with no deadlines
Goals keep us moving forward, improving as people, but it is easy to get side tracked and lose sight of longer-term goals.
Start with small, specific goals and gradually increase their complexity as you gain confidence. Use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
SMART is a goal-setting framework designed to make objectives clear and attainable:
- Specific: Defines clear, concise goals.
- Measurable: Allows tracking of progress and outcomes.
- Achievable: Ensures goals are realistic and attainable.
- Relevant: Aligns goals with broader objectives and values.
- Time-bound: Sets deadlines to create a sense of urgency and focus.
This method was created by George T. Doran in his 1981 paper titled “There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives” and exists to provide a structured approach that enhances focus, motivation, and accountability, ultimately increasing the likelihood of achieving personal and professional goals.
Create a Support Network You Can Trust
Having a reliable support network is invaluable. This can include family, friends, colleagues, and mental health professionals.
They can provide encouragement, accountability, and practical assistance. Joining support groups specifically for adults with ADHD can also be beneficial, as you can share experiences and strategies with others who understand what you’re going through.
Additionally, you can seek out support groups consisting of other neurodiverse individuals, giving you an opportunity to see how it affects others and how they deal with it on a day-to-day basis, potentially offering insight into management and coping strategies you have not yet thought about.
Everyone Has Good Days and Bad Days; Remember, It’s OK
I’m unsure about you, but I and those around me are consistently too hard on ourselves, always trying to live up to a lifetime of other people’s expectations.
It is hard, but try to remember that there will be both good and bad days.
On bad days, remind yourself that it’s okay to struggle and that tomorrow is a new opportunity to try again. Practice self-compassion often, give yourself positive reinforcement, and seek support when needed.
Remember, managing ADHD is a journey. Much like life, it has its ups and downs, but persistence is key to continual progression and managing ADHD/ADD as an adult.
