When Memory is Not Enough
With the busy lives most of us lead, even those who don’t have attention deficit disorder forget appointments, where they put their glasses, if they already mailed a letter and so on. If you have ADHD chances are you not only forget to start something, but also to stop if you’re in hyperfocus mode. You might forget where you’ve put something important, or to bring something necessary with you when you leave the house. Timers and reminders are great solutions—not perfect, but great.
Some people have trouble getting started or staying focused. Use a kitchen timer or “timetimer” (www.timetimer.com) and set it for 15 or 20 minutes. Knowing that you only have to do something for that brief span can make it easier. Use a variation of that for anything you may get overly involved with. Set the timer to remind you to stop. Or say you need to leave the house at a certain time. Set the timer to remind you that your leaving time is in __ minutes.
As for reminders, some people use reminders on their phones or computers. Others prefer post it notes, or signs on the wall, the door, the bathroom mirror—wherever you’re are certain to look. What are some of your best strategies?
