10 Tips for Adults With ADHD
The following are tips designed to help you, as an adult with ADHD, at work, at home, or at school.
- While at your desk, keep only what you’re working on out in front of you. Get everything else out of sight.
- Do you catch yourself drifting during conversations? It’s OK to ask a person to repeat what he or she has said.
- Set a timer to go off in 15 minutes and stay with a task for those 15 minutes. Don’t drift off and do something else. Reward yourself when the time is up.
- Delegate! If you can afford to hire people to help you, do it!
- Be realistic: If you know you can’t wipe down every cabinet in your kitchen, for example, choose the ones that need the most attention and focus only on those.
- Begin with the task you dread the most. Once done, you’ll feel a huge sense of accomplishment and will more likely have the energy and confidence to tackle the other things on your list.
- Use the “10 in 10” method to reduce clutter. Get a garbage bag and walk through your house and find 10 things to throw away in 10 minutes. Do this once a week.
- Make it a family affair. Give each family member a room or task to be in charge of. To prevent boredom, rotate chores.
- Be playful. Write down chores, toss them in a bowl, and pick your chore for the day or week. Or draw straws. Think of creative ways to get things done.
- When someone’s speaking, concentrate on waiting until he or she ends his sentence before you jump in. If you have a question, ask permission before asking it: "Excuse me, may I ask a question?"
