What quick tips can be offered to help adults with ADHD Inattentive type cope with the day-to-day activities of life?
What quick tips can be offered to help adults with ADHD Inattentive type cope with the day-to-day activities of life?
The following are tips for adults with ADHD, inattentive type, for self-regulating (controlling one’s behaviors, emotions and thoughts), and regaining control over many daily tasks:
To help cope with distractions:
- Request a quiet or private work area; move to an unused conference space or other area where there are few distractions or noise.
- Wear earphones with soft music to cover up office noise.
- Redirect phone calls to voice mail and return phone calls at set times throughout the day.
To help stay organized:
- Set aside the first 10 to 20 minutes of your day to organize your tasks for the day.
- Work on and complete one task at a time before moving on to the next one.
- Keep a to-do list in a notebook or on your phone.
- Put appointments in your phone and set up alarm reminders before the event.
- Mark deadlines on calendars as a visible reminder tool.
- Use daily planners or online task organizers to help keep track of tasks and events.
- Use sticky pads to write important notes and place them in appropriate areas where they will be seen.
- If a filing system is needed, use labels or color-coded folders or tabs.
- Set up online automatic payment of bills so you don’t forget to pay them.
To prevent losing or misplacing important items:
- Identify specific areas to place specific items and get into the routine of only placing items in these designated spots.
To help stay focused:
- Take handwritten notes during meetings; or tape record as a backup and to fill in details.
- Break up larger tasks into smaller ones. Reward yourself when each task is completed.
- Take short breaks to prevent boredom – take a short walk, do some stretches, drink some water.