The ‘Common Sense’ ADHD Hack will CHANGE YOUR LIFE 🙌🏻

[hayley.honeyman]

Working WITH your ADHD instead of against it will change your life! Instead of trying to change who you are innately, find tools that SUPPORT who you are. A hair tie cup, a fanny pack holder, whatever it is! 🌱🙌🏻

[camiscreatures]

This is definitely something that works a lot better when you have control over your space and live alone. I’ve tried to do this when living with family and my partner and it’s never worked out unfortunately

[corylcreates]

Some ppl will say "you only need one thing, so get rid of multiples because it's clutter" (or similar), but for me, I need multiples. One each in the main places I spend my time. One example is claw clips, because I hate having to go around the house looking for them. So now I have my multi-pack of clips spread around the house.

[brianaglover]

I DO THIS!!! Small laundry bin in every room for socks & bras, a small trash bin in every room for snack wrappers/napkins/tissues, I have a cloth bin that lives ON my couch in the corner for all the random crap I only ever use when sitting on the couch (like nail clippers, eye drops, a couple hair ties and claw clips, my spare glasses, a phone charger…)

[laurab.]

I switched to scrunchies and they are so much better because they are easier to see. They also help me not tie my hair too tight and I get less headaches. I can also put them on my wrist if I want my hair down for 5 minutes.

[E-magineMySurprise]

For similar reasons I moved my contact solution, case, etc to the kitchen. It just works better with my ADHD brain and behaviors.
**It may not work for anyone else, but it works for me right now and when it stops working, I'll adapt at that time.**
This mindset shift has been life-altering for me, when I remember to use it.

[skyelirious]

Got myself a second laundry basket for clean laundry. Game changer.

[ohrats]

Love that. My #1 habit that fools people into thinking I know what I’m doing is that I always ALWAYS clip my keys to my bag as soon as I take them out of the car ignition or the door lock. I even fooled myself for a long time thinking “I can’t have adhd because my friends with official diagnoses lose their keys practically daily, and I never do!” Except I had forgotten it’s was more like “I never do *anymore* ” because I built the habit a long time ago, being fortunate I found something that worked for me early on. Not saying I’m “better” than others who still lose their keys. I just have that one thing figured out lol

Maybe it works because I always always have my bag when I leave the house. It’s a comfort thing for me, so it’s a lot harder to forget something that I need in order to feel calm. But yeah, try carabiners, my friends 🙂 Clip those keys to something you never leave the house without and see if that works for ya ☺️

[christianavance]

In every apt I've had for the past 15 years, the 1st thing I've done is locate a place by the door that I can drop my keys, sunglasses, anything in my pockets as well as large items like grocery bags my purse or backpack and dog leashes. I've stopped losing important things and forgetting to grab things on my way out the door as well.

[Izzy-cpyt]

I do stuff like this all the time, and it always amazes me how much easier it makes things just buy adding a cup or a hook or changing the way I frame something. Such a small change fixes so much!

[imajenn]

Keeping House while Drowning is a must read. It helps you reframe self care & do stuff like this. Also, half-assed is better than nothing. Picking up a cookie off the floor as a 'gift to your future self' can motivate + dopamine+ care. That book is Hands Down the best thing that helped me Emotionally about my house. Laundry is morally Neutral.

Her website struggle care has a tool kit for things like declutter, cleaning schedules, meal prep.

Love your stuff!!💙

[jakebeach]

Yes! My dressers/hampers are all in my hallway because that was where I'd always get dressed, put dirty clothes, store clean clothes, etc. I did this before I even knew I had ADHD, but it has helped me keep up with laundry a lot better

[smig]

Yes! Me and my mom suspect that she could have ADHD. She used to leave her purse and work stuff all around the living room, because it was the closest space when she got home. Now we have a special cabinet near the entrance just for her purse, papers, binders, etc. Solid advice.

[HTNPSullivan]

I have a pair of reading glasses in my bedroom, living room, kitchen and purse. I rarely fail to put each pair in its spot when I am done, but if I misplace one I am less agitated about it because I know I have others. Each pair also has a case, which is easier to spot than the glasses. I also have a cup of pens in the kitchen, living room, home office, and at least one pen or pencil next to lists I keep that help me keep track of stuff, like when I took my medications, when I gave my bird HER medication, when I cleaned her cage, what time I went to bed and when I woke up (I have sleep issues), when I washed my face/brushed my teeth/showered (I have memory issues), and so on. For me, having multiples is less stressful than misplacing stuff and having to figure out where I put it. But each one still has its assigned spot.

[aonain]

gamifying also helps as a strategy to work with it, not against ✨

[nahos]

What I've started doing when I feel like I HAVE to clean but CANNOT is I put on a youtube "clean with me" video and it instantly gets me in the cleaning mood ❤ just a little lifehack for yall to try ❤️

[rayokay]

Yes! I have little “drop spots” all over my house! I have trinket dishes in the bathroom, a little bin in my living room, a tray in my bedroom… the list goes on. Having designated places for things is so helpful.

[morkmorp]

I learned this early to help my husband’s ADHD. We went through the whole house to find everything that could be optimized to work with his brain. Helps immensely.

[paulinahafer]

That‘s solid advice right there. Instead of thinking „how can I stop myself from doing this?“, sometimes the best path is to accommodate that behavior and find a solution that matches what you‘re already doing.

[meratheafflictionwarlock]

Yeah, I usually keep my laundry basket next to my bed, because realistically that's where I take my clothes off at the end of the day, and then I can just put them straight into the basket and not leave them on the floor. Sometimes I misplace the basket and then the clothes end up on the floor..

For a long time I had this bin next to my desk, and I'd put all my empty soda and sparkling water bottles straight into it, and it was easier to take them to the store when the bin got full. I've misplaced the bin and now the empty bottles end up on the sofa and the cans accumulate on the desk and around it.

I've also misplaced the trash bin I had next to my desk, and now the desk is always a mess.

I used to have a basket for my dishes close to the desk as well, so that I could put them there and then easily bring to the dishwasher, but during the winter I misplaced the basket, I had used it for something else, it was full of stuff, and chaos ensued.

I used to have a little shower caddy as a tiny trash bin on my fridge door, so that when I was making sandwiches and stuff, I could put the tiny amounts of trash into it. It was an amazing system, but then I took it away and forgot to put it back and the countertop is just full of little trashes all the damn time.

I gotta get my good systems back. I also gotta get rid of both of my sofas, because they just take up space and I keep piling stuff onto them. They're not serving their intended purpose at all and they're just making my life more difficult. Also I could easily set up the bottle/can bin and a trash bin close to my desk if I didn't have this massive corner sofa taking up all this space. It's just.. my parents want this big sofa now, which means that I have to clean up the whole house before I can let them in to come pick it up, and I think that has put on some extra pressure, which makes it more difficult to get things done.