Top 5 Tips to be Productive with Adult ADHD...

Does this artwork make your head hurt? Is it hard to focus on the words beneath the chaos? Welcome to my brain.

ADHD...it's a label right?! We identify with it, experience the symptoms and think we should experience some sort of feelings kin to inferiority.

ADHD is like giving your Jack Russell Terrier Red Bull in their water bowl.
It's messy. It's impulsive. It's distracting....But it doesn't have to be.

Here are my 5 tips for being productive with ADHD.

1. Always make a daily to do list. 
Whether it be the night before or in the morning while drinking coffee, MAKE A LIST!
Prioritize your top 3 goals for that specific day. It's ok to add more, but put an asterisk next to your top three. This is your brain, so that at the end of the day when you feel exhausted and drained from the way your mind bounces around you will look back at your 3 goals and feel a sense of accomplishment.

2. Beat the timer.
In the mornings while waiting for my coffee to brew I play 'beat the timer'. I fold and hang all clean laundry in the dryer in the time the coffee brews.
It also works well if you don't have a lot of time for cleaning. Set a timer for 30 minutes or an hour and race to get done. Speed is our love language. Hug that positive flaw tight and utilize it to get things done quickly. By setting the timer you are able to focus and get a specific task done, i.e. cleaning.
Another example is if you have a work assignment, school assignment (ahem, still a college student over here) then set a stop watch and spend 1 solid hour studying. It sounds difficult, but when you can look at the stop watch and see time is passing quickly you are able to better focus.

3. Be ready to walk out the door before starting a 'project'. 
How many times are you ready and then suddenly you are lost in a Pinterest project you have had saved for three years, but forgot to do umpteen thousand times. So, don't sit down and start something until you are ready. Find you keys, shoes on, purse ready, coffee in hand. Double check to see if you forgot anything and then check again. Now you may craft, but for the love of all things chocolate set the dang timer so you remember when it is time to leave.

4. Organization is everything. 
Have a simple spot for everything that you use daily. Piles and disorder only overwhelm your already exhausted Jack Russell Terrier Red Bull brain. So have structure and order for each day. Have a place for everything and complete a 15 minute pickup to put things back in their spot before bed each night.

5. Fidget. It's ok. 
For me, I can't sit still. No really. As a 32-year-old adult-ish person, I can't. So I chew gum. If you see me smacking. Take note. It's my self discipline tactic to not run laps or stand on my head while doing whatever monotonous task is in front of me. Also, have a fidget spinner. Yep. I use it while studying, reading etc. It helps me to stay in my chair. Sounds silly right? Try it. Only an ADHD mind would understand.

Love,
A girl thriving with ADHD