this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2023
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Neurodivergent Life Hacks

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ADHD here. Remembering things is a lost cause for me.

Instead, I lay physical "traps" for myself. Things in physical space that hinder my autopilot, snap me out of the trance, and give me a chance to reorient my focus into something more productive.

It's not foolproof. Far from it. But it does help a lot.

Edit:

Just thought of another one I do: I have a phone casing that lets me keep cards in them. One of my credit cards go there, of course.

But the more important thing in there is my apartment access card. If I ever forget to bring my phone, I will only get as far as the security door outside before I realise I have to turn back.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I wish this worked for me. I’ve put things on the doorknob of my bedroom and still forgotten to take them out of the house. Setting reminders on my phone works though for some reason

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I am soo blind to phone reminders. I have one go off every day telling me what to take to work and it's just a thing that exists that I jus switch off daily without thinking. Can't even be bothered to remove it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

My plan A -- tie the lanyard of my keys to whatever I need to take with me.

B -- Walk out and put it in the car the night before. Interestingly, this is the most annoying to actually do, but I have never regretted it afterward.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

"Go put your keys in the fridge" is what my MIL says when she wants us to take home leftovers. But it hinges on remembering to bring your keys 🤔

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have a dumping area in the kitchen where I eat my breakfast and drink my coffee. I shove anything I need to remember in what will be my eye line when I sit down.

I have tried the tip someone gave me once of putting house keys on top of lunch box on fridge as well so as not to forget it. Pretty good idea!

I have a routine of just pulling my lunch out when I get the milk for my coffee at the moment though and that's working quite well.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I have a routine of just pulling out my lunch when I get the milk for my coffee

I think someone once told me that this is called “habit stacking”. It’s when you take a habit that you already do every day (like brushing your teeth) and mix it with something else you need/want to do (like listening to an audiobook)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is the way. Although not foolproof, somehow 😭

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The adhd gremlin is surprisingly adaptable.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I try to put my clothing hamper on my bed when doing laundry at night, so I don't forget to move it to dryer. If its morning and I plan to leave, I put it in front of the door if I remember to.