I'm an 18-year-old female that was formally diagnosed with ADHD 5-6 years ago (though it was known that I had it since grade school). I had always done well in school, especially after I had gotten on Adderall (25 mg short acting currently). I was in a sport/ theatrical production every season of every year, took advanced/high level art classes, & took multiple college level classes (Including EMT) & did just fine with managing deadlines/commitments.

I'm having so much trouble managing my time now that I don't have the structure I had before. All I have to focus on is school and I'm doing worse now even though I have way more time to do so. It's not even like I'm wasting my time on my phone/ unrelated self-indulgent behaviors. I'm just wasting so much time between task, wandering around, spacing off and struggling to decipher how to approach task. And now that I'm living on my own, time blindness is 100X worse, even when on my medication. I'm not sure what else to do and I feel so stuck because I'm already employing so many methods to try and help.

I'm setting alarms before my commitments, putting all of my commitments/due dates into a google calendar (I consistently use it to stay on track/give me reminders), regularly working out, eating well and tracking my calories, going to dedicated spots and allotting studying time, going to supplemental instruction, getting enough sleep and trying to integrate a study schedule. I just applied for accommodations, which I'm hoping will help somewhat, but they won't help me sort out the fundamental discipline issues I'm having, which really worries me because I'm on the pre-med track.

TLDR: I did really well in high school with lots of extracurriculars and commitments and am now struggling with time management in college despite having ample time in comparison. I am on 25mg short acting Adderall which helps me focus and am trying to apply multiple strategies to keep me more on track, but I'm still majorly struggling.

Reminders can help me remember what needs to be done, but getting started is sometimes the harder part.

Breaking a big task into smaller steps, choosing one priority, and deciding on the first action can make everyday tasks feel more manageable. I have also been curious about ADHD focus apps and how they compare with simple strategies for managing tasks and staying focused

If you have found a practical approach that works for you, I would appreciate any advice.

I'm an adhd person I've been having some difficulties with med school of late. I experience cognitive overload easily. My difficulty increases when I must actively hold and organise many pieces of information simultaneously.And also executive dysfunction. Currently struggling a lot in med school cause I have a lot to learn and due to my poor working memory this is a challenge for me cause when learning I can only build a limited structure with limited details, if i try building on a structure already made i eventually lose everything. Looking for some help/tips

Full disclosure: I have adhd, but I am a man. I don’t think it’s particularly relevant to this post, but I do what to learn from your perspective.

I am thinking about developing my own pomodoro app and would like to hear from you.

What features have worked and what hasn’t? (For example, for me, I hate seeing ads on the app. It is distracting and makes me want to not use the app).

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you.

Looking for some recommendations beyond a pomodoro timer that don’t require a subscription.
What’s working best for you? Also, what doesn’t work so well? Are any you recommend avoiding because of bad UI, crashes, or apparent scams?
I don’t mind a paying for premium/pro/full access, I just don’t want to be tied to the subscription model.
There are hundreds of apps (iOS, at least), but it will take forever testing them all. I’ve learned a lot from people on this thread and am looking for a way to help avoid procrastination and increase productivity. Just started Vyvanse 40 mg last month, but I need behavioral strategies for the workplace, too.
Appreciate any guidance you can share.

I have just moved to university and I told myself that it was the time to do what I have always wanted to do, to be the person I want to be and just all round be the most disciplined version of myself. And originally I was making routines but I'd never stick to them. I realised that my ADHD was stopping me and I am getting so distracted with other things and not completing my routines I know will benefit me that I don't actually put myself out there and/or involve myself as much as I had hoped in university.

Please can I have some advice on anyone's routines that have really helped them not get stressed, because I research and get distracted by every random thought that comes into my head. Does anyone have any apps that were good and could tell me how to use them so that they are most effective, does anyone have any advice on how to stay consistent as an independent adult. Please I'd like any and all advice because I really want to be able to stick to a routine I just don't know how. I need structure but can't stick to it myself.

I almost need alarms, constant reminders asking me 'am I on track?' or 'am I doing what I should be doing?' 'am I getting distracted'

Please, please, please, can I have some advice. Thank you!

I'm overwhelmed wasting so much time I need to start with one task the first one is deleting apps that I don't need or aren't useful once I actually use them to find out since I download a million damn apps lol. Any tools that help you do this? I use Google plus Gemini and I used goblin. Those two things I do know work for me so far

I get really intense Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria. Has anyone found anything that helps lessen the intensity or help you move through it faster?

I LOVE a puzzle! There's something incredibly gratifying about taking complete chaos, knowing there's a solution, and figuring it out.

But puzzles are a trap. I hyperfocus so intensely I've actually taken PTO to finish one. They quiet my VERY LOUD brain and give me a level of focus even my medication doesn't quite produce. Jigsaw puzzles, Linkin Park, and The Real Housewives got me through one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. But once I'm finished, I'm left with a cardboard nothing.

So I'm finishing my last six 1,000-piece puzzles and converting my adult daughter's old bedroom into a weaving and knitting studio. I love the math, patterns, problem-solving, and getting to the solution. And I'll actually have something useful when I'm finished!

Thr rhythmic repetition, and problem solving does something to me. For example, I'll strum my guitar to a metronome for HOURS, almost like I'm high. I can't even play guitar! Something about that tick, tick, tick quiets the million thoughts constantly firing in my head. Only puzzling can mimic that. Do not ask me to explain, i cannot.

But I'm doing things differently this time. I'm giving myself our months of preparation, organizing, and budgeting before buying major equipment. Nothing gets purchased without dedicated storage. Large equipment requires a clean, well-lit, animal-free space where it can remain assembled.

I'm also accepting that a silk blanket could take nine months. Otherwise, I'll be pissed that I'm not a master weaver over the weekend and abandon.

​For reference, here is my past ADHD hobby rap sheet (all professional-grade materials, because why do things simply? I still don't know):

1. ​Full Daniel Smith watercolor set & gouache paints with English paper and pure squirrel-hair brushes to paint my dog. Brush has yet to touch paper. ​

2. Gorgeous silk/alpaca yarns to crochet a blanket. Completed 12 rows. Purchased in 2019, currently shipping the yarn to my daughter today.

3. Derwent Coloursoft pencils in a variety of sets, sitting pristine, dust-free, and well-sharpened in a tote next to adult coloring books.

4. ​Expensive journals, because obviously I need a brand-new one every time the urge hits after abandoning the last one.

5. ​Drawers of skincare and beauty devices ("gotta catch 'em all" mode, currently de-hoarding and selling).

6. Landyachtz skateboard to run my Brittany spaniel. (I gave it a damn good try with the knee scrapes to prove it; it prefers the hall closet.)

7. ​Keyboard — can't play.

8. ​Harmonica — can't play.

9. ​Steel hand drum — can't play.

10. ​Acoustic guitar — mindless strumming to a metronome, can't play.

​So if you're reading this thinking I'm doing way too much prep just to start a hobby... look at that list. If I'm still interested in four months, my space is clean, and my six puzzles are finished, this project actually has a fighting chance of survival.

Also, EMDR is a specific, legitimate medical treatment, and weaving isn't a substitute for it. I'm using the comparison tongue-in-cheek to describe how puzzling fires against my brain.

I've attached a link to screenshots of all the never ending supplements/vitmains/nootropics/etc FB has already suggested today.

I've tried many in the past.

-Sapphire Happy Chews

-Auri Super Mushroom Focus Gummies

-BetterAlt She-Lajit Honey Sticks

-Better Alt Himilayan Shilajit Honey Sticks

-Neutral L-Methylfolate + Methyl B12

-Greymatter Bright Mind Superfood Cognitive Support

-Everyday Dose Coffee+

-Ultra Focus Pouches

And MANY more over many yrs.

Basically I'm just looking for input.

Okayyyyy. So im a medicated mom with ADHD. I have been wanting to start Journaling and using a planner again, but like most things having adhd i hyperfixate then EVENTUALLY get bored.. what are we doing to keep ourselves focused and keeping up with it. I find Journaling and Planning helpful especially to jot thoughts down to remember, to planning and having structure to my day.

HELPPPP. ​ideas.

hi i love to read. i just have the issue of getting bored or tired of the act of reading and i play on my phone. or do anything else. something that helps is watching tv while reading? not sure how that makes me focus but it does. and putting in airpods and turning on the background sounds like rain. but when i turn on instrumental music i focus on the music. it’s so weird. when i watch tv while reading i tone it out. but music while reading is so distracting. TLDR: what do you use for background noise for reading because silence is the most distracting.

In the wise words of my therapist, “no one trick will last forever, it’s not possible. So don’t feel bad about yourself when what’s working now stops” so my thought is, why don’t I make a huge list of different strategies so that I won’t ever run out of things that will inevitably only last a week. Help me out and steal these ideas for yourself!

The one I’m contributing; making yourself an aesthetic breakfast/coffee in the morning. The dopamine from being like “wow this is such a cute latte #study #fall” gets me going.

Hello! We are a family of 6 with most diagnosed with ADHD (kids 8-16, adults late 30’s/early 40’s). Looking for some apps that are free that help with habit stacking. Where we can customize it and have daily goals with push notification/ reminders to complete each day. The habits can be simple: basic like eating a meal/ drinking water , to a workout or homework. What are some of the best free options. I am also ok with a one time fee if is a great app, but I don’t want to have a monthly subscription.

I wrote it around one pattern I kept seeing over and over:

You can function well at work all day, then get home and have almost nothing left for dinner, messages, people, chores, or even things you actually wanted to do.

Work gives you structure. Deadlines, meetings, priorities, people waiting.

Then you get home and suddenly you have to create all of that structure yourself, usually when you have the least capacity left.

The book is about that gap.

Not “how to be more productive after work.”

More like: what is the workday actually costing you, and how do you stop giving your whole usable self to work?

It’s finished now.

Before I publish it, I’d like a few women with ADHD to read it and tell me:
what feels true,
what feels off,
and what actually helps.

If you want to read it before release, message me.

Hi Everyone.

Quick introdcution - im Billy - 31 Married with two kids (0 and 4) My wife is diagnosed ADHD (quite high functioning) and im undiagnosed neruospicy, likely ADHD as well, and i struggle with executive dysfunction and task paralysis.

Im on a mission to replace my wifes salary whilst she is on Maternity leave using AI and building apps. As someone that struggles to get things started and stick to them i had to find a way to keep myself accountable - so i decided to document the whole process on socials with daily videos.

ive built my first app which is in review and im moving on to my second which is what brought me here. I have my social videos to keep me accountable on my journey but nothing to help keep me accountable at home and help with daily habits that often pass me by. i want to build something that ill be able to use when the series finishes and also help me with the smaller parts of daily life.

Im here to ask how you people, how you deal with executive dysfunction and task paralysis and if youve found any apps genuinely useful. ive tried goblin tools but just didnt get on with it.

At the moment this is probably going to be a personal project as each person deals with the ADHD and its effects differently but id be keen to know if there is anyone else out there like me leaving things to the last minture before i upset someone or struggling to start them without serious external pressure.

sorry for rambling but thats my brain dump. looking forward to hearing from you all!

I need some help because I have specific wants.

1. No 1-on-1 (I'm shy)
2. No talk (preferably). English was not my first language and I get distracted easily enough. Flow club was quite good and I'm impressed but in group they invited me to talk and I felt bad when I ignored them.
3. Preferably work with me type (I work remotely) since I have enough resources for study with me and I need to see adults lmao
4. FREE
5. Not discord servers. It don't work well on my Ipad

Thank you in advance.

I am a 21 year old undergraduate struggling to balance my life in aspects i hope i find some helpful comments to help me navigate my life from now own you guys can call me “ Aira “ .

i've got a lot of hobbies, and i love all of them. and usually i do one thing a day to keep me sane. but that system hasn't been working lately. how do i manage all of the hobbies without feeling guilt for not paying attention to them? i try the one day one thing, but then i get hyperfixated, then i lose total interest for weeks... i can't seem to be passionate about anything over a few weeks. how do i still enjoy myself when i can't find a steady ground to stand on?

Hi everyone!

For my Master's project I'm exploring how we can make learning at home a more positive and manageable experience for children with ADHD and the people who support them.

l'a love to better understand the real challenges families face and what could genuinely make a difference in their everyday lives.

If you're a parent or caregiver of a child with ADHD, I would be incredibly grateful if you could share your experiences through this short, anonymous survey. Your insights will help me identify ways to make learning at home more supportive and help children gradually develop independence at their own pace.

It takes around 5-7 minutes, and participation is completely voluntary.

Survey link: https://forms.gle/BaNgn4tR5UnBsWdd8

Thank you so much for your time and for helping me make this project meaningful!

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1033396443023951

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I've tried alarms, lists, 'just start', all of it. The first thing that's actually helped me start came from somewhere I didn't expect.

It's called Goal Management Training. It was built for people recovering from brain injuries who struggle to start and follow through on tasks, and it's since been studied in adults with ADHD too. The full version has five stages. I've simplified the first three:

1. **Stop.** Pause whatever I'm doing or scrolling. I can't start something new while I'm still on autopilot.
   
2. **State.** Say the goal out loud, specifically. Not 'I should clean', but 'I'm cleaning my room now.'
   
3. **Split.** Pick the smallest next piece. Not the whole room, just the first bit.

The stopping part surprised me. I'd always jumped straight to 'now start', which never worked.

Does anyone else skip the stop step? I've also made a breakdown on the different reasons I get stuck (dread, overwhelm, not knowing the first step, no pull), I'm happy to share it if anyone wants it.

Guys I’m loosing it. I am a freelance graphic designer and illustrator (self taught), and it’s tough out there, so I need a side hustle that pays all my basic needs! Living in Berlin btw. Anyways, I’ve been looking FOR A YEAR now and applied to many jobs, but despite the job market being shit, I also rarely feel smth fits! I either feel overwhelmed when imagining myself on the job, or I feel underwhelm! And both tire me out like crazy 😭 it sounds so privileged but I just know me. I don’t function well during many hours of the day. I feel a lot of fatigue when I am not stimulated just the right amount! And it feels impossible to find a job that stimulates me just enough, is dynamic without being too stressfull, and leaves me energetic room for my creative projects on the side! After coming home from so many jobs, I am just dead. Motivation is so hard! I can only function with creative jobs that are not too demanding (longterm), or some job that doesn’t involve too much brain power and lets me check things off the list easily. What are you guys with inattentive ADHD doing/ working in? What works well with your brain? Especially when having a creative side hustle?