Tips for Managing ADHD and ADD

Tips for managing ADHD and ADD,  Patrick McKenna and Rick Green

1. Acceptance. 

You need to understand that you are "built" differently.

2.  Educate yourself.

It's NOT about a lack of willpower. It's NOT about laziness. It's NOT about stupidity. It's hereditary/genetic, it's a part of who you are.  Understand your particular "flavor"—ADD is different, very different, in different people. Target the challenges that trip you up.

3. Bend the world to you

Do what you are good at, have other people do the things you aren't good at

4. Chunk it up.

Put tasks in small chunks that have clear goals and are actionable items.

5. Take action.

Take an action and let it lead to inspiration

6. Always move forward.

Start doing, stop waiting 

7. Use doorways to remind you.  

Leave things in front of the doorway.  Tape notices by the light switch.

8. Make an Entrance.

Be a positive, supportive, interesting person each time you walk through a door.  Create a great character.  Who are you?  Draw upon who you want to be.  Choose to be who you want to be, regardless of how you feel at the moment.

9. Meditate.

Walk and focus on the feeling of your feet on the ground.  If you remember something when you are walking, bring a smartphone so you can take a voice note.

10. Seize small opportunities.

Get a grip on your steering wheel, take 3 deep breaths, and allow yourself to get present.

11. Sing, dance, move!

An active, involved, and moving ADHD person is a lot better off.

12. Don't apologize.

So what if you have lots of post-it notes everywhere, and many keys?  That's who you are!  Don't apologize for it.

13. When you screw up, apologize.

Take responsibility, but do not be a punching bag or a doormat.

14. Do the right job.

The happier the person is, with a sense of purpose and mission, the better it is.  Think about your strength and what fascinates you.  Try to blend your passions with your work.  Then you won't have to work a day in your life.

15. Find the right partner.  

What matters most in life is relationships.  What makes great relationships?  Great communication.

16. Simplify.  Declutter.  

If you live in a world of clutter, your world is cluttered.  Reduce the noise and keep it simple.

17. Start small.

Pick one room to clean so you can see your progress.

18. Exercise.

Exercise is good- it will help manage some of the mood symptoms and anxiety.

19. Forgive yourself and others.

Forgive yourself that you are human and that you make mistakes.

20. Make lists.

21. Reframe it.

ADHD is not a disease, frame it as wiring.  A victim state of mind is not useful. You are not defective.  You are not alone, and you have a great life ahead of you.

22. Clarify your goals.

We have a difficult time projecting ourselves in time, it is always just now.  Set specific goals, create deadlines, put some stakes in the ground

23. Choose your distraction.

We study and work better with music or TV in the background.  Baroque classical music is supposedly great

24.  It is your experiment.

Medication might be a small part of it, talking with a doctor.  The dose often goes down over time, it allows people to open the door to get better.

25. List your strengths.

Often even if you have many weaknesses, if you are good at something it is easier to overlook your weaknesses.  Most ADHD people are honest, empathetics, great with kids, and intuitive.

26. Journal.

At night take 5 minutes and write down what you did that day, and how you felt.

27. Turn off the TV.

For every hour of TV you watch it lowers your personal happiness by 3%

28. Laugh.

If we didn't know how to laugh at ourselves, we'd be depressed.  Have a sense of humour, it is a life saver.

29. Only one master schedule.

We tend to be visual and tactile learners -use only one calendar.

30. Dont trust feelings of being overwhelmed.

Tackle projects in chunks.  It'll take less time than you think.  Example- if there are a bunch of Legos on the ground needed to be cleaned up, it won't take 'forever', just get started and do it is pieces.  Chances are it will take a much shorter time than you expect.

31. Build a team.

Stop trying to do everything yourself.  Stop trying to solve it all on your own.  A coach is often someone who has ADHD themselves and is eager to teach someone else.  Why live 20 years older with the condition when you can have a coach who has lived and dealt with it and can now help you with it.

32. Keep it together.

Put a paper shredder right where you have the mail.  Make it easier for yourself to be orderly and efficient.

33. Get real about time.

There are two times, now and not now.  you self medicatew ith adrenyln. try to cram in too much in too little time.  adhd medication had adrenyline in it?

34. Express gratitude.

Especially when you don't feel like it... thinking about what you are grateful for can increase your happiness by 30%

35. Create a bigger context .

Do it for more than just yourself.  Remember you could be doing it for those who love you, and for other people.

36. Don't overdo the good habits. 

We are excited by newness and novelty.  It takes time for things to work.  Stick with something.