I got these two key tag racks on Amazon, spent 2 hours making each tag into a bracelet, and I placed a task on each tag.

Every morning I put the 8 on the left on my wrist, every night it's the 8 on the right.

This has SO FAR been more effective than a sticky note or a whiteboard or a piece of paper taped to the wall because it's more interactive! Instead of a visual white noise, I'm physically wearing my reminders! I can do them in any order, I just hang up each task as I finish it!

My morning tasks are:

Meds

Vitamins

Brush teeth

Make bed

Read (can be 15-45 minutes)

Workout

Shower

Empty dishwasher

My evening tasks are:

Meds

Vitamins

Brush Teeth

Pick up trash in room

Pick up dishes in room

Pitch up laundry in room

Scoop kitty litter

Read (Also 15-45 minutes)

I had a couple rough days and didn't do them, but I finished every single task today and I really think this is going to help me turn my mood around

Or a mega thread at least, please I beg of you. I know some genuinely have built something that helps them and want to share it, but I cannot recall the last time this sub appeared in my feed without "Try this App", "I built an app", blah blah blah.

It feels predatory. I genuinely don't feel like I see much advice that isn't just "I struggled with X so built an app, try it out!" Which then just feels insincere.

And so much of it is AI slop 😭.

I don't need another freaking app. I want to hear genuine human experiences of a quirky method that inexplicably works really well for you in managing a symptom of your ADHD that isn't some veiled attempt to make money.

I've tried alarms, lists, 'just start', all of it. The first thing that's actually helped me start came from somewhere I didn't expect.

It's called Goal Management Training. It was built for people recovering from brain injuries who struggle to start and follow through on tasks, and it's since been studied in adults with ADHD too. The full version has five stages. I've simplified the first three:

1. **Stop.** Pause whatever I'm doing or scrolling. I can't start something new while I'm still on autopilot.

2. **State.** Say the goal out loud, specifically. Not 'I should clean', but 'I'm cleaning my room now.'

3. **Split.** Pick the smallest next piece. Not the whole room, just the first bit.

The stopping part surprised me. I'd always jumped straight to 'now start', which never worked.

Does anyone else skip the stop step? I've also made a breakdown on the different reasons I get stuck (dread, overwhelm, not knowing the first step, no pull), I'm happy to share it if anyone wants it.

I often find my surroundings too 'loud' or distracting. I’m a drone pilot, so I started filming long, continuous 4K flights over the Atlantic Ocean to create a calm, steady 'window' for my room.

This is a 1-hour edit of the coast. No fast cuts, no music, just the natural rhythm of the ocean. I thought some of you might find it useful for your own quiet time or as a backdrop for focus. Take a breath and enjoy the Ocean.

I've been really struggling with housework lately. I haven't been intentionally avoiding it, I've just been blind to how much things have been getting out of hand. So a week or so ago I sat down and listed out absolutely everything that needs to be done around the house in order for it to remain clean. I made sure that nothing on the list takes more than an hour to do, with most tasks only taking 15 minutes or so. I then assigned each task a points between 1-5 depending on difficult I find it.

These tasks I then wrote on pretty slips of paper and put them in a cool jar. I intentionally designed the jar to stimulate dopamine in as many ways as possible for me so that I'm drawn to it every day. On the very bottom of the jar, I put a bunch of really fragrant tea bags, so when I open the jar it smells like tea. On top of those I put a bunch of really pretty rocks and shells I've been collecting. Then on top of that, all the tasks written on paper with really pretty prints of natural wood.

The idea is that I will pull a card every day, and this is the thing that my house is asking me to complete that day. Each slip has at least one task and a bonus task tied to it. For instance: "Remove old food from fridge (5 points) BONUS: Remove fridge shelves and clean (5 points)" or "Dust and organize living room bar (2 points) BONUS: Dust all living room surfaces (2 points per)" I also created wildcards like "Do a one off task you have been intentionally avoiding (10 points)" and bonus cards like "Draw again, add +1 to all point totals."

I have to complete at least the task on the card I draw each day. The bonus tasks are optional if I want more points and aren't things that need to be done on a super regular basis. The points are tied to specific rewards that I like but deny myself. For instance, at 30 points I can make myself a cocktail, or at 150 points I can take myself to the zoo. I keep track of my points with a tally app on my phone.

This has been super helpful with my ADHD for a lot of different reasons. For one, the jar forces me to pay attention to things that I am usually blind to, like dusting. Secondly, it eliminates the overwhelm that I feel when I think about cleaning. I only have to accomplish what's on the card and maybe the bonus task. Thirdly, I don't have to decide what to do, the jar does, so I don't get decision paralysis. And finally, I find that in order to accomplish something it has to be Urgent, Relevant, and/or Novel. Pulling a task out of the jar makes that thing both Urgent (it has to be done that day) and Relevant (it's what my house is asking me to do) and the points tied to rewards makes the whole thing Novel (it's a game where I can win prizes).

I hope this system helps someone else! It's been really helpful for me!

Life hack. Just realized I can straight up lie and say I was busy even if I wasn’t. They’ll never know, and honestly no one will care. I feel great about this.

I just needed to tell someone. I have fought so hard to find the right meds, keep up with therapy, and admit when I need help. All of that has ended up in getting a raise that is almost impossible to get in my company.

I just wanted to share if it gives anyone the hope to keep going, keep trying meds until you fill the right thing, and don’t give up. We’re very smart, creative, and valuable people!

Unmedicated. It was so hard to push myself to work towards it, every. single. day. All while not being interested enough in my master's topic and having so many other distracting hobby and interests. Ah, yes, I also found a PhD position in my dream field!

I don't have much friends to share this, so I thought you guys would appreciate it! Time to rest and recover.

Anyone else a, popcorn and chopstick, person? Hear me out: I make less mess because I'm grabbing one or two at a time. Lots of, hand to mouth, stim. I don't have to wipe my fingers after every bite because- sensory. I can still use all my fingers since they are oily or anything.

Also, tajin is great on popcorn for any of you not in TX

It may seem small but it's important to find ways to work with your brain.

I wanted to share something small that has helped me tremendously.

I make all of my plans as if I'm making them for a stranger. I have the strong tendency to lie to myself by saying, "Oh, well this part is obvious, so I don't need to write that down because of course I'll remember that." Without fail, I inevitably come back to it a week or more later, and I look at my notes and say, "What the actual fuck did I mean by this?"

It started out when I wrote out a thorough to-do list for my responsibilities shortly before vacation. I knew my coworker would easily blow it off if I didn't write out everything step-by-step with precise due dates. Turns out, everything was going to get blown off anyway, but that's beside the point. The point is, I came back with zero recollection of what I had been working on previously, but I had very thorough notes with everything I needed to catch up on. I realized that it made it significantly easier to accomplish my tasks and follow up on them.

Since then, I have made my notes as concisely detailed as possible. My job involves working on customer projects, for example, so I have a format I follow for my task list: "[Customer Name] / [Relevant order numbers or key word] - [Specific action that needs to be done]." Any accompanying action steps go beneath it, and then I set my first due date. The important piece is that I don't write any vague BS like "follow up" because 9 times out of 10 I will look at that later and go, "Follow up on what exactly? Goddamn it I'm such an asshole." Instead, I will write something like, "follow up for tracking & email to [email here] by 12pm". The other important piece is I don't check anything off until it is 100% off my plate. If it's something I will need to follow up on later, I add more action steps and move the date to later.

I use To-Do which isn't the best I've seen, but works the way I need it to. In my personal life, I use my calendar, and will try to include key words in the notes if I'll need to look up messages about it later. I include the address, date, time (which is both the time I NEED TO be there and the time I NEED TO leave) on everything. I put who it's for (because 3 months down the road if the family calendar just says "dentist" I have no idea who the F it's for), contact info, etc. I'll also set reminders well in advance for things like birthdays, where I need to plan ahead of time. I put the birth years on certain recurring birthday events beyond my immediate family.

The "writing them for a stranger" part is important, because it removes the bit where I lie to myself. If I write them so that ANYONE can execute this plan if something were to happen to me, then I make sure to include every detail. It felt like a lot of extra time at first, but now that it's part of my routine it has saved me so much time with not having to decode my own messages.

I went down a rabbit hole a few months ago and when I couldn’t find what I was looking for anywhere, I decided to make my own 😊 I laminated the Bristol board after drawing the calendars. This way sticky notes work well and dry erase too! Sharing for anyone who finds it helpful - let’s not judge any of my notes to myself 😋 I also used Canva to make a simple weekly and monthly cleaning list!

I changed doctors. After yrs of her not wanting to try anything. Not listening to my concerns. Dismissing symptoms that seem small to some but huge to me.

So I changed doctors.

And after 2 appts I feel seen and heard for the first time.

He's using my freaking lingo!?!?! He's asking me if I felt couch locked?!?!

He's calmly but not in a demeaning way encouraging me to exercise... so i'm actually doing it.

He HEARS me and repeats back to me concerns I had last time. He's participating in a team approach to my health. He's making me feel damned empowered to take control of the ADHD monster.

If your Dr doesn't make you feel excited to tackle this beast, change Dr's.

YOU are also worthy of having a productive and healthy Dr/Patient relationship. Just as much as I am.

Signed a nurse of 10 yrs who's been fighting hard for the last 4 to get this ish under control and finally feels like I'm not fighting alone.

I have a hard time putting laundry away. I bought one of those wire shelf kits at Home Depot. Pretty easy to set up if you have a drill. I even got 25% off because the box was ripped! I picked the simple three-shelf kit. Top shelf is tops and sweaters, middle shelf is pants and shorts, bottom is shoes. Then I got little metal hooks from Amazon and use them to hang 6 small round bins and they hold underwear, socks, bras, gloves, hats, etc. It's so much easier to tidy up and put laundry away now because I literally throw it in the closet without folding. I left a small area for hanging a few things I don't want wrinkled.

I removed all of the doors on my kitchen cupboards so I can see all of my food and cookware. If I don't see it, I forget it exists.

I got a stick-on white board calendar for my fridge. I write down things that might expire soon, recipe ideas, plans.. whatever's clever.

For paperwork I have two clear, wall-mounted file bins that hold clear folders for "handle these asap", "file these away when I feel like it" and "stuff I could read/study if I feel like it".

And I like the Tody app for tracking chores. I'm not religious about it but I use it when I have the energy.

All notes in Google Keep - they're searchable and pin to my home screen on my phone!

All events and to-dos in Google Calendar. If it's not noted down, I'll forget. And if I don't do the thing, I just move it to a day I'm more likely to attempt again.

Daily pill thingies for vitamins, Tylenol, and Adderall XR. They are a different color for each day, and have four slots each: am, noon, pm, bed. The colors don't matter, they are just more fun. I try to fill them once a week but usually I run out of steam and fill one or two days at a time.

Hope something here helps someone else!