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Post by speedy1 on May 26, 2019 10:10:33 GMT
Don't know if there's a thread 4 this but thought it'd be good 2 share coping strategies
After all I think we're all agreed that u don't grow out of ADHD u just develop suitable coping strategies (if u r smart enough)
So here's my top tip 4 saving possible hours of ure day
Always put ure keys in the same place or same pocket
I spent ages looking 4 the van keys at work always going through every pocket 2 find them in the last 1 I check
So now I have a dedicated pocket & I've made it into a routine 2 get my stuff out lock the van & put keys in the pocket
It's saved so much time & panic!
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Post by vagueandrandom on May 26, 2019 23:32:45 GMT
Ah, yes, I have special places for things . . .
I have a 4 pocket system for coats/ jackets, but it’s stuffed at this time of the year
when the weather’s so changeable and you keep on having to change coats!
I also have a place for keys, sunglasses, diary, purse, hairbrush etc. . .
on a table in the kitchen for when I get in . . .just don’t distract me when I walk through the door!
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wilzo
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Post by wilzo on May 27, 2019 6:28:33 GMT
I didn’t even realise this was a coping strategy!! I’ve always put my keys in the same pocket (RHS) with one pack of gum, wallet always on LHS and cigs in breast pocket 😂 always, without fail..
I have a similar system for everything else in my life. Those drawer dividers from Ikea are really useful to help me remember and organise my stuff
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Post by speedy1 on May 27, 2019 9:33:07 GMT
I think we all have coping strategies & we don't realise it
I have 1 for when I'm cashing up the till I always count the money into stacks
That way when I 4get which ten or hundred I'm on (which I will) I can just recount the piles.
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wilzo
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Post by wilzo on May 30, 2019 22:23:54 GMT
I’m always taking photos of stuff. I always have my smart phone with me so taking a photo of shopping lists, things in shops I want to buy (stops the impulse buys and allows a cool off period). My memory is pretty rubbish so this tip helps me compensate.
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wilzo
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Post by wilzo on Jun 7, 2019 10:39:00 GMT
Another tip that has benefitted me is limiting the amount of projects/ ideas I have on the go.
I have terrible completion rates for these projects, most of which end up being stored half finished. This leads me to the office back log and anxiety about having these things lying around (all in the to do list).
I’ve now limited myself to 5 projects and I can’t take anymore on until another is finished. Helps keep my limited memory space in check.
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Post by speedy1 on Jun 9, 2019 10:31:09 GMT
Getting people 2 txt me instead of ring me when they want me 2 do something
That way when I've 4gotten what date time & basically every detail they've just said
I can just check my phone & it's always on me! (until I lose it again!!)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2019 16:09:34 GMT
Getting people 2 txt me instead of ring me when they want me 2 do something That way when I've 4gotten what date time & basically every detail they've just said I can just check my phone & it's always on me! (until I lose it again!!) I pretty much run my business like this 😂
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Post by jp on Jul 2, 2019 13:03:47 GMT
Jeeze I write too much. Sorry.
I’m brief: Keys and wallet in one place Trackers on keys and wallet Find Phone app set up Eat well Don’t write to do lists Shared calendar Alarms alarms alarms Finish rather than start Allow yourself downtime Oh and find time in the wild ☺️
Waffly version: I haven’t found many top tips apart from trying to put my keys in the same place. Which as VnR said gets screwed at this time of year (that’s ANY time of year!) because I work in different places and wear different coats, and carry different bags depending on what I need for work, and well, I’m ADHD 😒
So if I don’t focus hard as I go through the door I’ve gone off on a tangent because the cat needs feeding or whatever... Y’all are familiar with that I guess.
For a while I had alarms set on my phone that asked different things like “on track?” Sometimes they worked very well. However they just became more and more annoying, like a nagging parent, so I deleted them.
My biggest success and top tip: I stopped writing “To Do” lists. They were a source of anxiety, shame and guilt. Instead I’ve been trying to visualise outcomes. Like imagining a finished barn rather than writing “Finish the Barn”. I know what needs doing to get there and the lists don’t help at all. I do occasionally write lists of course e.g. cutting- or shopping. I have a huge mood board where I put images that helps reinforce the visualised completion thing.
At one time I wrote down ALL the things that I needed and wanted to do from brushing my teeth to saving the planet. A fun but futile distraction. Couldn’t possibly decide which of the 1000 things to do first. Even when I applied various matrixes with weighted criteria... The thing is we only have this one life - and we are basically free to do whatever we want. It’s a nightmare!
Eating well really helps I think - the trick is remembering - especially since I’m rarely hungry. Always been like this even before meds.
Setting up a shared calendar on the phone with my partner. Her telling me that we have dinner with friends next Thursday was of course pointless. Mostly it’s her who fills it out. I’m like a child with this! When there’s something really important with a deadline or an actual time involved I try to set alarms for the morning of the event and then an hour before. I still mess up but less than before. I also now know that dates and times don’t go in so when someone gives me a date I usually remember to say “Hang on a sec - I’ll need to put that in my phone.” This all works well until I loose my phone or forget to charge it or look at it.
Allowing myself downtime - rather than feeling guilty about it.
I have trackers on my keys and wallet. So if I have my phone and the lost thing is within hearing range I can find it. Can use the tracker to find the phone too. Or I can use my partners phone to find mine with “Find Friends” or “Find Phone” apps.
At the moment I’m trying to focus on finishing things rather than starting them. It’s painful but satisfying.
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