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Jul 18 , 2022 • 4 min read

How to deal with ADHD as an adult

How to deal with ADHD as an adult

If you’re one of the 139.84 million people in the world that are affected by ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), you can understand how challenging it can be to avoid distractions, stay focused, and work efficiently. We’ve put together a list of helpful tips and strategies that highlight ways in which you can manage your symptoms, drive productivity and perform at your highest level. Our sources come from medical researchers and magazines like Medical News Today, WebMD, Advanced Psychiatry Associates, and more, but don’t serve as a whole truth. If you think you have ADHD you should consult with a medical professional. With that being said, let’s dive right in. 

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What is ADHD? 

According to the CDC, ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood that often lasts into adulthood. Someone with neurodevelopmental disorders can experience difficulties with language and speech, behavior, memory, learning, and motor skills. Dealing with these symptoms in adulthood can cause difficulty at work or school, at home, or in relationships, and can become more prevalent as the demands of adulthood increase, like paying bills on time, concentrating at work, and delivering tasks on time.

There are three types of ADHD:

  1. Predominantly Inattentive Presentation
    • Inattentive Presentation makes it harder for an individual to organize or finish a task, pay attention to details, or follow instructions/conversations. They are easily distracted and can often forget the details of their daily routines.
  2. Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation
    • Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation presents itself more physically than inattentive presentation. It causes more fidgeting, talking, and the inability to sit for long. This person might feel restless and have trouble with impulsivity. 
  3. Combined Presentation   
    • Symptoms of the above two types are equally present in the person

Helpful Tips & Tricks 

One of the biggest trademarks of ADHD is lack of attention and being easily distracted, making the ability to stay organized one of the greatest challenges adults with ADHD face. Being aware of this challenge yet feeling like not much can change can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and in some cases anxiety. 

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Fortunately, there are ways to break down whatever it is you might be working on into smaller steps to stay on top of your work and stay organized. 

Use a calendar or planner to schedule and organize your tasks, activities, and appointments. Not only will this help in remembering deadlines and important events, but it will also serve as a solution for organizing your day-to-day duties. Make it a habit to check it each morning so you can assess and prioritize your tasks for the day. If you go with an electronic calendar on your phone, computer, or a specific app, you can set up automatic reminders to ensure nothing will slip your mind. 

Break it down when you can. Do you have a big task or project coming up that feels impossible or overwhelming to complete? Or maybe you aren’t sure where to start. Try breaking it down into smaller, more manageable tasks that are easier to approach. Create a checklist of what steps need to be accomplished in order to reach your end goal. Once you have your initial checklist, putting the items in chronological order of what needs to be done when can be really helpful so that you have a physical step-by-step guide.

For example, if you have a project that says ‘Complete Research Paper’ or even ‘Clean the entire kitchen’ try adding subtasks like ‘gather research materials and books’ or ‘put all dirty dishes in the sink’. And let’s be honest, crossing items off a checklist is always a great feeling! 

Listen to music or use a white noise machine. Research has shown that listening to music builds better focus, self-control, and even social skills in people with ADHD. Music and its rhythm is a structure, and structure is soothing to an ADHD brain that’s struggling to stay on a ‘linear path’. Keep in mind, however, that songs with lyrics could possibly have a distracting effect. Create a playlist that’s a nice mix of some of your favorite songs sprinkled together with some classical music and instrumental pieces. 

Keep things visual and colorful. A common symptom of ADHD is forgetfulness. If something is out of sight, it’s also out of mind for someone with ADHD. Keeping visual cues or color coding files, folders, and notes can help you keep what’s important at the top of your mind and hard to miss.

Minimize Distractions, use BlockSite. You don’t have to go it alone or tackle these hurdles alone when you use BlockSite. Our features are built to minimize your distractions, increase your focus, and help you achieve your goals in a way that’s comfortable for you. Choose the websites and apps you want to be blocked and for how long you want them blocked. With tools like Scheduling Mode and Work Mode, you can set specific times of the day to complete tasks while your distractions like YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, etc. are blocked.  

Living with ADHD is no easy feat. However, there are tools and strategies you can implement to help in order to make it that much easier. The good news is that not all of the strategies are limited to what you’ve read in this article. If you find that you are having a hard time staying focused and that the internet and your phone are one of your larger distractions, consider trying BlockSite for free today.