2 Simple ADHD Hacks That Magically Made Me Productive
I have seen a huge wave of millennials discovering that they are ADHD lately! It's so wild because for most of us, our parent's didn't "believe" in ADHD... Whether they were afraid to medicate us or just thought we weren't "applying ourselves enough" (sound familiar?), it definitely was doing us a disservice by not exploring resources. As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, i can say that it's truly life-changing to discover this about yourself and realize that there are eplanations for so many of the struggles you've faced your whole childhood! I'll tell you my personal experience and you tell me if it tracks with what you experienced growing up.
I remember always having trouble concentrating in school. My whole school career I attended private classical schools, so the curriculum was quite advanced and if you missed a beat, it was easy to fall behind. I was easily distracted. I always had music stuck in my head and it felt like I was constantly sorting through thoughts that came to mind. When it came time to do my homework, I would get so overwhelmed that I would occasionally just... not complete it. I LOVED Spanish, environmental science and language arts. I would quite often get As in those subjects because they interested me and I could hyper-focus because I actually enjoyed them! But when it came to Math and Chemistry, or Literature, I had so much trouble staying focused. A lot of times the information went over my head and it would just overwhelm me, so instead of researching and trying to figure it out, I would zone out. But I could remember facts and music so easily, it didn't make sense to my family, why I was struggling and getting zeros on my homework, or just forgetting to do it altogether. Always getting in trouble and feeling anxious at school and at home, it was really hard on me for a lot of years.
I was surrounded by very smart classmates (who have gone on to become scientists, attorneys, financial advisors and physical therapists) and I always compared myself to them. My negative self-talk and constant criticism surrounding my school performance convinced me that I was lazy and dumb and wouldn't ever be able to succeed at anything besides singing, my only talent. I managed to graduate with a B average and got accepted to Texas State University, so at least there was that. But by that point, I didn't have many aspirations besides becoming a wife and mother and tending to my family. And THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH CHOOSING THAT PATH, but there's a difference between choosing it and feeling like it's the only thing you're capable of...
ADHD affected my personal life, as well. I was constantly trying to overcompensate for my shortcomings by singing or trying to be funny, but really I was being obnoxious and pushing people away from me. There was nothing subtle or demure about me. I was a jabberjaw who was constantly looking for approval, to no avail. I had a small circle of good friends, but there were bullies, as well. Those who rolled their eyes when I actually did try to engage in class because I was getting answers wrong. Snickered when teachers had to remind me to focus or stop talking to my neighbor. It was pretty humiliating and added to my self-deprecating beliefs immensely.
Imagine my surprise when, as an adult, a family member got diagnosed with ADHD and told me that medication was changing everything for him! I went and got diagnosed and discovered that the whole time I was in school, talking smack to myself and "failing" and disappointing everyone... I was actually struggling with a disorder. So many things made sense now... decision paralysis, racing thoughts, being distracted by little things, insomnia, getting stuck in a loop of chores because I was getting distracted by other ones... Finally there was an answer.
Unfortunately for me, I'm unable to take stimulant medications because of a heart condition, and then I have been pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 5 years, so I couldn't explore the non-stimulant options either. Now that my kids are both weaned, I'm definitely looking into those options, too.
So... I've been continuing to struggle with managing my ADHD on my own and finding tools that help me stay on task, manage my home and my families' schedules, as well as my businesses that I run from home while I raise my daughters.
THERE ARE TWO HACKS THAT HAVE CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME and they are so stinkin' simple that it's a little embarrassing but I'm proud to say that by doing these two things, I've been able to confidently stay on top of everything and less things are falling through the cracks. For so long, I've felt like I've been momming and running my household in a pretty mediocre fashion, but these hacks have helped so much!
1. Work for 30 minutes and then give yourself a little treat!
Positive reinforcement often really works for people who suffer with ADHD. Setting one small goal, so we don't get overwhelmed, and then hyperfocusing until the one task is complete can really train our brains to focus. An example would be 'I'm going to fold this huge basket of laundry and then I'll make myself an iced coffee and read for 30 minutes.' or "After I vacuum the house, I'm going to turn some music on and stretch for 15 minutes.' <3 You can obviously tailor this to whatever treats you love. Iced coffee is just my personal vice...
2. "Don't put it down. Put it away!"
If you find that one moment the house looks relatively tidy and then you blink and it looks like a tornado came through... you're probably not doing this. It's such a simple concept, but it is the reason that my kitchen is finally clean after 15 years. Ex.: When I make a sandwich, I get everything out to make it, i.e. peanut butter, jelly, bread, knife, plate, and then I make the sandwich. By the time the sandwich is made, I just want to sit and eat it and I'm overwhelmed by the jars and supplies out, I accidentally leave the bread open and it dries out, the crumbs and drip of jelly on the counter stress me out and I go in the other room to eat so I don't have to look at it. And this can happen with tons of different projects, so now, I do it this way: I get out the plate, then I take the bread out and PUT IT AWAY. I get the knife and peanut butter out. I spread the PB on and then PUT IT AWAY. Then I grab the jelly and put that on my sandwich and then PUT IT AWAY in the fridge. Now all I have to do is put the knife in the dishwasher and wipe up the crumbs! Now my kitchen looks pretty like it did pre-sandwich and I don't have to stress about cleaning the kitchen later. EASY.
I've got other hacks that help me focus, but I'd love to hear if you try these two simple hacks! Please let me know on Instagram and tag me if you post about it. We've gotta stick together so we can keep working on becoming our best selves. :*
