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I have ADHD. Here's some stuff I do to cope: - I try to get myself to do recurring things at a specific time. It's too hard to wake up at say 7:00 a.m. The
by amorphid 9y ago
I have ADHD. Here's some stuff I do to cope:
- I try to get myself to do recurring things at a specific time. It's too hard to wake up at say 7:00 a.m. The reason it's hard it because I forget to set an alarm clark. Instead I'd cope by just making sure I get a job where I don't have to be there before a certain time, and that time is after I'd naturally wake up.
- When I need to do something I on a recurring basis, I try to make the task visible. Like living a toothbrush lying by the sink, putting vitamins in a 7-day pill thing for the week, etc.
- I have have 11 bank accounts, each with a single purpose, and I have automatic transfers set up between all of them (it's not perfect, but it's pretty good). I prevent overdrawing a checking account by using a pre-paid debit card that won't let me take the balance below zero. When I have to buy something that requires a tip, where the tip will be subtracted from the bill later, I pay with a credit card and then immediately send a payment from the debit card to the credit card. I pay all my bills on the day I get paid, so I don't have to remember to do it later.
- I embrace trying new things, because if I'm wired to be attracted to shiny objects, I might as well find a way to enjoy them!
- lately I've been exercising a lot, and that seems to help
- medication, which may or may not help, but it doesn't seem to be hurting
- I plan as few things as possible, so I have less to remember
- I archive or delete my email as fast as I can
- limeblack 9y agoI have several bank accounts but 11 seems like it would add complexity.
- amorphid 9y agoIt's easier than trying to manager the details in an app like Quicken.
- smichel17 9y ago> It's too hard to wake up at say 7:00 a.m. The reason it's hard it because I forget to set an alarm clark. That's only true if waking up at 7am is the exception rather than the rule. I've found that morning is by FAR my most productive hours, so I need to wake up early. I bought a cheap, battery powered alarm clock[1]. Opened it up and cut the part of plastic pieces of the snooze buttons (on top) so they can't push the actual button underneath. Set alarm for 7am while it's open (the minute and hour buttons double as snooze, so we need to disable them, too). This provides the three essentials of a functional alarm clock: 1. It's hard to change the time. It's hard to enforce an early bedtime if you know you can always push back your alarm a bit. And it's hard to resist doing that when you know how tired you'll be in the morning. Enforcing a wake-up time puts the right incentives in place. When I don't get enough sleep, my thought becomes "Why did I stay up so late, again?" instead of "Why didn't I let myself sleep in?". Making it a pain to change the time of the alarm provides enough time delay to ask yourself whether this is really what you want to be doing. 2. It can't be snoozed Snoozing is terrible. It makes your body temperature drop back to sleeping levels, which makes it even harder to get out of bed next time. It also lets you waste away the morning with the assurance that you won't fall asleep and miss the time sensitive thing in a few hours. No snooze forces you to start your day immediately. 3. It's not on your phone[2] Charge your phone away from your bed to avoid mindless browsing when you wake up. Better to start your day thinking about what you will actually do. A proactive start sets you up for fewer reactive distractions. --- [1] It's a generic model that can be purchased through many brands. I did a quick Amazon search to find the model; this was the first result I found: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015MDVZI0/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015MDVZI0/ [2] If you insist on a phone alarm, Talalarmo for android is the next best thing: https://f-droid.org/app/trikita.talalarmo https://f-droid.org/app/trikita.talalarmo
- amorphid 9y ago>> This provides the three essentials of a functional alarm clock... All good points. In my case, I left out the part about how I don't want a regular bedtime. When I have tried to sell myself on the idea of a bed time, I found it too hard to commit to the idea. Instead I usually just go to bed when I start feeling sleepy, which in typically in the 9p to 12a range.