8 Tips for Living With ADHD as an Adult

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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental diagnosis that involves issues with attention, executive functioning, hyperactivity, and impulse control. Typically,ADHD symptomsemerge in childhood, but some people go undiagnosed—and untreated—until adulthood.

Untreated ADHD in Adults

Figure Out What Works For You

Countless books, blogs, and articles have specific and detailed suggestions for living with adult ADHD. Although well-intentioned, these suggestions often require the sameexecutive functioning skillsthat ADHD interferes with.

People with ADHD are often pressured to stick to schedules and systems that work for neurotypical brains. If you have difficulty sticking to a particular system, it is okay to let go of that expectation.

Instead of choosing the best location for your keys and trying to remember to put them there, notice where you tend to put them naturally. Then, designate that location as the spot where your keys go.

Keep Things Visual

Onesign of ADHD is forgetfulness.If something is out of sight, a person with ADHD may not remember it. Visual cues can keep important things at the forefront.

If you need a regular reminder of something, keep it in a basket in a location you pass regularly. Keep a schedule where you can see it. A whiteboard allows you to jot down what you need to remember each day.

Determine Your Optimal Level of Stimulation

Through trial and error, figure out what works for you. Then, set up your workspace to fit those needs. Remember that your needs might change over time, so be flexible and change your system as needed.

Here’s How to Optimize Your Space For Better Mental Health

Remember That Your Brain Craves Novelty

ADHD brains process the neurotransmitter dopamine differently thanneurotypical brains.Because of this, people living with adult ADHD will often find it easier to focus on things that are new. Regular changes to the environment or workspace can keep the brain engaged.

When you notice that your routine is not holding your attention as it did before, make a small change to keep things interesting and keep your mind engaged. People with ADHD tend to thrive in positions where they do a variety of tasks. This makes teacher, engineer, and small business owner allgood jobs for people with ADHD. In these roles, their duties vary so they remain interesting and novel to the ADHD brain.

How Embracing the Chaos Helps My ADHD

Practice Self-Compassion

Many people with ADHDalso experience anxietyand depression.They often struggle to live up to neurotypical standards and keep neurotypical schedules. Even when these standards are not essential for functioning, society often punishes or ridicules people for diverging from them.

If something works for you and is not harmful, that is okay. Know that you can follow different routines, and that is not a reflection of your value as a human.Practice being kind to yourselfand letting go of expectations that do not serve you.

Getting down on yourself for having different needs or brain functioning can be a vicious cycle, making you try harder to force yourself to meet these arbitrary expectations and becoming more upset with yourself when you are unable to do so.

Break Tasks Down

When starting a task or project, remember that you do not have to finish it all at once. You can do part of a task and then take a break. For example, if washing the dishes feels like too much, just wash one plate, and then stop. Half done is better than not starting, and it is okay to stop even if you have not finished everything.

If you find that starting the task gives you the energy to keep going, you can wash more. However, take things one step at a time, and give yourself permission totake breaks as neededor stop and start.

Use Alarms and Reminders

People with ADHDmight experience meta-forgetfulness, or forgetting that they tend to be forgetful.You might find yourself thinking, “I don’t need to write that down; I will remember it.”

Instead, tell yourself that it is okay that you will not remember it. Now, you can write it down and set a reminder for yourself. People with ADHD also oftenlose track of time, so frequent cues and reminders can help you stay on track.

You might have to set multiple reminders for different things—since it is easy to dismiss an alarm, and you might forget that you dismissed it. Having several reminders or cues can help you follow through and remember what you are doing.

Try Body Doubling

“Body doubling” refers to having another person present while you complete a task. People with ADHD tend to do well with another person present while they work on something as this is a physical cue to remind them of the task and acts as an accountability booster.

Although research is lacking on the benefits of body doubling, some adults with ADHD have reported that this practice helps them stay on task and improve executive functioning. They’ve found it helpful when doing activities such as studying, doing dishes, and exercising.

Summary

There are many ways in which people living with adult ADHD can adjust their schedules and complete tasks. If you find that you’re having a hard time staying on task, amental health professionalcan help you create solutions that are tailored to your needs.

Top ADHD Resources for Adults

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: What you need to know.Salavert J, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Moreno-Alcázar A, et al.Functional imaging changes in the medial prefrontal cortex in adult ADHD.J Atten Disord. 2018;22(7):679-693. doi:10.1177/1087054715611492Zhou R, Wang J, Han X, Ma B, Yuan H, Song Y.Baicalin regulates the dopamine system to control the core symptoms of ADHD.Mol Brain. 2019;12(1):11. doi:10.1186/s13041-019-0428-5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.Molavi P, Nadermohammadi M, Salvat Ghojehbeiglou H, Vicario CM, Nitsche MA, Salehinejad MA.ADHD subtype-specific cognitive correlates and association with self-esteem: a quantitative difference.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):502. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02887-4Brooker RJ, Moore MN, Van Hulle CA, et al.Attentional control explains covariation between symptoms of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety during adolescence.J Res Adolesc. 2020;30(1):126-141. doi:10.1111/jora.12506Eagle T, Baltaxe-Admony LB, Ringland KE.Proposing body doubling as a continuum of space/time and mutuality: An investigation with neurodivergent participants. Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. 2023;85:1-4. doi:10.1145/3597638.3614486

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: What you need to know.Salavert J, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Moreno-Alcázar A, et al.Functional imaging changes in the medial prefrontal cortex in adult ADHD.J Atten Disord. 2018;22(7):679-693. doi:10.1177/1087054715611492Zhou R, Wang J, Han X, Ma B, Yuan H, Song Y.Baicalin regulates the dopamine system to control the core symptoms of ADHD.Mol Brain. 2019;12(1):11. doi:10.1186/s13041-019-0428-5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.Molavi P, Nadermohammadi M, Salvat Ghojehbeiglou H, Vicario CM, Nitsche MA, Salehinejad MA.ADHD subtype-specific cognitive correlates and association with self-esteem: a quantitative difference.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):502. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02887-4Brooker RJ, Moore MN, Van Hulle CA, et al.Attentional control explains covariation between symptoms of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety during adolescence.J Res Adolesc. 2020;30(1):126-141. doi:10.1111/jora.12506Eagle T, Baltaxe-Admony LB, Ringland KE.Proposing body doubling as a continuum of space/time and mutuality: An investigation with neurodivergent participants. Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. 2023;85:1-4. doi:10.1145/3597638.3614486

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: What you need to know.Salavert J, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Moreno-Alcázar A, et al.Functional imaging changes in the medial prefrontal cortex in adult ADHD.J Atten Disord. 2018;22(7):679-693. doi:10.1177/1087054715611492Zhou R, Wang J, Han X, Ma B, Yuan H, Song Y.Baicalin regulates the dopamine system to control the core symptoms of ADHD.Mol Brain. 2019;12(1):11. doi:10.1186/s13041-019-0428-5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.Molavi P, Nadermohammadi M, Salvat Ghojehbeiglou H, Vicario CM, Nitsche MA, Salehinejad MA.ADHD subtype-specific cognitive correlates and association with self-esteem: a quantitative difference.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):502. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02887-4Brooker RJ, Moore MN, Van Hulle CA, et al.Attentional control explains covariation between symptoms of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety during adolescence.J Res Adolesc. 2020;30(1):126-141. doi:10.1111/jora.12506Eagle T, Baltaxe-Admony LB, Ringland KE.Proposing body doubling as a continuum of space/time and mutuality: An investigation with neurodivergent participants. Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. 2023;85:1-4. doi:10.1145/3597638.3614486

National Institute of Mental Health.Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: What you need to know.

Salavert J, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Moreno-Alcázar A, et al.Functional imaging changes in the medial prefrontal cortex in adult ADHD.J Atten Disord. 2018;22(7):679-693. doi:10.1177/1087054715611492

Zhou R, Wang J, Han X, Ma B, Yuan H, Song Y.Baicalin regulates the dopamine system to control the core symptoms of ADHD.Mol Brain. 2019;12(1):11. doi:10.1186/s13041-019-0428-5

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data and statistics.

Molavi P, Nadermohammadi M, Salvat Ghojehbeiglou H, Vicario CM, Nitsche MA, Salehinejad MA.ADHD subtype-specific cognitive correlates and association with self-esteem: a quantitative difference.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):502. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02887-4

Brooker RJ, Moore MN, Van Hulle CA, et al.Attentional control explains covariation between symptoms of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety during adolescence.J Res Adolesc. 2020;30(1):126-141. doi:10.1111/jora.12506

Eagle T, Baltaxe-Admony LB, Ringland KE.Proposing body doubling as a continuum of space/time and mutuality: An investigation with neurodivergent participants. Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility. 2023;85:1-4. doi:10.1145/3597638.3614486

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