15/10/2025
5 rules I live by as an ADHDer:
1. Don’t put it down, put it away
I had to re-train my brain to stop taking the shortcut that put me into a stressful cycle of clutter and extra work later on. Instead of putting something down, I repeat “don’t put it down, put it away” to myself. It has drastically cut down on extra tasks to “do later”.
2. Work when motivation strikes, not on a strict schedule
As a creative, I don’t work on a 9-5 schedule - not to mention ADHDers don’t work well on typical timelines as it is. I don’t need to force myself to work between certain blocks of time, I can work only when I’m motivated and creatively inspired to do so and still be successful. There are no rules to creativity and forcing yourself to be in a box just makes the excecutive dysfunction worse. Find what works for you, and go with it.
3. Lists are everything
Brain emptying is essential to staying organized & not forgetting things (well, less forgetting of things). Utilizing my notes app, I dump every “to do”, grocery item or idea into a task list and let it sit there, instead of bogging down my brain. Even if I never look at the list again, it’s still written down somewhere and not floating around taking up precious space. Working through a daily task list has been the best system for me, I even add simpler items such as “eat lunch, get dressed” etc so I can check them off for extra dopamine.
4. Downtime is essential to success
Taking time to become inspired by resting and doing things you love, like consuming others creations such as music, tv shows, movies, books, social media are just as important as doing “important” tasks. If you don’t take time to do what you love, you will not have the capacity to become inspired to create your own life.
5. Progress over perfection
I used to live my life trying to be like everyone else, trying to be perfect. Only to realize that I could never achieve perfection, and I’d just burn myself out trying. Some is better than none. If I just wash the cups, it’s better than washing no dishes. If I just tidy one room, it’s better than tidying none. I unsubscribed from perfection, and just strived to be better than I was the day before. I don’t let the fear of not being good enough hold me back, I simply try my best, and that’s enough.
