Go to dayoneapp.com/struthless and use the code struthless to get a limited-time offer of a two-month free trial with Day One Journal Premium :) p.s.: hope ya liked the video! curious as to people's favourite adhd workaround ideas, and lmk if i should make a deep dive on any of them :) cam xoxo
Would you be willing to deep dive on AI use for this kind of thing? I've been thinking recently about how useful an "AI secretary" will be in the future and I'd love to start doing that today. I know it can be a controversial topic, and I don't like generative AI myself, but the tech exists, I may as well get some use out of it.
The Reverse Pomodoro for when you're struggling with a task. Attack it like a ninja for 5 minutes, then spend 25 mins in "recovery." Makes it so much less threatening, you can actually make progress.
Yes I love this, I do this for house work!!!! I find that sometimes when I start I'm keen to keep going, but I make sure that I only go into it being fully accepting that I ONLY have to do 5 minutes. And that way, IF I continue, it's fully my choice 😄
Mine: 1) If you really absolutely have to do something now, write it on a slap bracelet (from the 90s) in dry erase marker. You can't take it off until you're done. Super motivating to finish! 2) I have so many interests, so to keep myself from totally jumping ship all the time, I do "classes" (I happen to be in circus classes that use a six-week schedule, so I just follow that timing) and I get to pick 2-3 things to do that session. I try to pick 1 piece/type of media, 1 artistic hobby, and 1 movement hobby to keep it balanced. 3) I keep a 3-song playlist of my current "on repeat" songs (yes it's sometimes just the same song three times) and if I need to, say, fold laundry, I make myself a promise that I only have to do it until those three songs are over. It's shocking how little time it actually takes to fold the laundry vs. how much mental energy I put toward not doing it.
Addition to no.3, I would spend ages making the playlist to accompany the task, but now I use spotify's AI feature (beta). Something like "make a 15 minute playlist of my most played songs from the last month" and spotify makes it for me, it stops me spiralling into a playlist mode
My niche ADHD life hacks: 1: get a clothing steamer so you can easily get wrinkles out of clothes when you inevitably forget to fold them but then have something important to go to. 2. Use deli containers for food and meal prep, they all have the same size lid despite being different sizes, they're stackable and they're cheap enough that if you forget to clean one out you can just throw it away. 3. Only worry about organizing the things you need for day to day life. If you try to organize everything you're going to fail. Organize the things you need for day to day and everything else can go into a junk drawer and you can worry about it later. 4. organize things visually. hang things on your walls with hooks, pegboard etc. I can't remember to put things back in drawers but storing stuff on my wall I can instantly see when something is not where it is supposed to be. 5. shop at yard sales. Yard sales are so cheap you can impulse buy stupid shit without breaking the bank or feeling ashamed, plus you never know what you're going to find so every shopping trip is like a treasure hunt.
I do most of these on the regular. Totally agree these work. I'll have to look into the clothing steamer though. My grandma is always worried about my clothes being wrinkled. Usually I just assume no one is going to care because I can't be bothered, but if there's a quick fix out there that'd be nice.
a really cool thing for #1 as well if you're like me and will just forget about the clothing steamer after buying it is to hang your outfits in the bathroom whilw you're taking a hot shower, it won't be as effective as a dedicated clothing steamer but it will diminish the most obvious wrinkles
I’d replace the plastic with glass on second tip, as they get super nasty and are a waste, but definitley having the same size helps out neurotic brains haha. Silicone moulds that are used for meal prep are also amazing. They have perfect sizes for 1-2 cups and are rectangle size to stack neatly
my most recent hack is telling myself "What if I do ____" instead of "I HAVE to do _____" It takes away this sense of doom if I don't do the thing, and I engage the curious part of my brain instead. I also found it gives me a small boost of thrill like I just tricked my brain into thinking "OH! What WOULD happen if I did that??"
I like that! I conditioned myself to thinking "I want to do ___" instead of "I have to do ___", which already helps a lot ('coz really, I dont *have* to take out the trash, I *want* to take it out because I don't want my apartment to smell bad, it's a choice). I'll try out yout method as well, I feel like this could work for me!
Yes I do this! I ask "what happens when I...?" And it's awesome for creative block. What happens when I ..mess around with crayons, set a timer for 10 mins of drawing, try to draw this lion, try to improvise knitting? If I'm dissatisfied w the results, at least I know I've successfully answered my question and Found Out What Happens
Re: Get a library card. FULLY agreed! I've been using the library instead of just buying books when the impulse hits me, and it's so helpful for my bank account as well as getting me to actually read the book I am interested in instead of leaving it on a shelf for years and years.
Most libraries these days have so much more than books. If you explore the local library you might find they also have sewing machines and tools you can borrow, a garden seed bank, free access to Rosetta Stone to learn a language, a computer center with a proctor who can help you if you get stuck on something technical, social events like book signings or readings or poetry clubs, to name a few that I have found. Its worth exploring the possibilities.
Gives you access to BorrowBox and Libby which are both great for Audiobooks with the latter being able to sync with your eReader if that's your preferred way to read.
I got a library card, and the first book I checked out using it was "Taking Charge of Adult ADHD" by Russell A Barkley, PhD. I haven't finished it in the first 3 weeks that I had it and I renewed it which is peak ADHD but I'm working on myself.
My favorite meta-hack is this: with ADHD, no system or technique will help you forever. Our brains want novelty. I'm no longer stressed when GTD stops working for a bit, or I fall off of journaling, or pomodoros stop giving me focus. I just grab another trick from the bag and do that for a while instead.
100% agree with this! The key is to have a bunch of tools in your tool belt so that when one stops working, you switch to another. This is a great meta-hack.
My quirky ADHD hacks: 1) On organizing & piles of stuff: horizontal is hidden, vertical is visible. If it’s hanging on the wall, I’ll actually see it. My measuring cups hang on the wall in my kitchen with labels. 2) On laundry: I color code sorting & never change the temp. I just love color so that makes it more fun. I never buy stuff that can’t be batch-cleaned. I only buy the exact same hangers to reduce sensory overload. I wash loads in order of importance….whites, darks, muted colors, “reds” (bright, warm colors that may bleed), and sheets/towels. I roll towels like I’m at a spa. 3) I forget to eat, so I keep bright oranges on the counter. I love how they smell, they are fun to look at, involve peeling with my hands, and they taste amazing. Sensory happiness!!! 4) I get dressed up to clean the house in “my signature style”. I got my best colors done & my proportions measured, so I only buy clothes that are “my signature style”. It helps me SO MUCH to know everything goes together & it curbs my impulsiveness when shopping. 5) I cut my hair short so it wouldn’t run down my sensory battery. It’s so fast to style/clean/care for & doesn’t distract me when I’m trying to focus. 6) I cook casseroles in bulk for my family, so I only have to do dinner dishes every 3-4 days. I don’t follow a recipe and it’s different every time. I load them up on veggies that nobody knows are there. Such a game changer to make cooking challenging yet easy on my executive function. 7) I keep my favorite spice combos on sticky notes inside the pantry where I keep my spices, so I don’t have to go pull out my cookbooks. I rearranged my favorite recipes on a colorful document that was organized in a way that made sense for how my brain works. 8) I made a cheatsheet on instant pot rice because I can never remember the proportions. It’s branded with a logo I designed for my family which makes it all feel cohesive to me. 9) I get super overwhelmed cleaning the kitchen, so I always go in the same order: 1. Trash 2. Bring all dishes to the kitchen 3. Put away clean dishes 4. Do the easy dishes (don’t require scrubbing) 5. Soak. After experimenting for some time, after 20 minutes of soaking, most dishes are ready to be cleaned (I set a timer to wait). I always wear my pretty rubber gloves because I can’t handle the sensory load without them. I play either my “fun music” my “French cafe lounge music” or listen to a book on audio on my Alexa. Alexa devices are a necessity. I sometimes pretend I’m a surgeon while I’m doing it just to mix things up. Bottom line: I took stock of the challenges I have, took inventory of what makes me happy, and designed fun solutions that combine effective routines with variability & novelty while conserving my limited sensory input & executive functioning.
This might not be an obscure hack, but I love 'follow the dopamine'. The concept of not having to struggle through the hard/guilt stuff before being 'allowed' to do something you actually want to do is having a major impact on my life, and it turns out that yes, once I'm going, the hard tasks become way more doable and I get both done! I'm autistic, but most of my friends have ADHD, so bonus: Tell your ADHD friends that you love them, that you appreciate them, remind them of fun things you did together or suggest/bring something they enjoy! They will forget, and reminding them of the good mental 'out of mind' stuff is one of the most powerful boosts I found.
I put off doing things unless I think I can do the whole massive thing in one go and do it well, but I had a shift in perspective recently when my mother came to visit. She's an avid gardener, and I had moved into a new place about 4 months prior to her visit. I had grand ideas about the garden I wanted to create, but in that time I hadn't done anything because the state of the garden was nightmareish and I thought I would have to devote an entire weekend to clearing out the weeds, making the soil nice and workeable, actually planting things, etc... When my mother arrived, she wanted to get cracking on part of it, and my natural response was 'we don't have the time to do the whole thing though'. She basically said 'so what?' And I realised I didn't have an answer. Planting half a garden would be better than never planting a garden. So we did what we could whilst she was visiting, and the following weekend I finished the job because I had momentum. The whole experience really made me rethink the many, many things I put off under the guise of needing to find the perfect moment where I would have enough time and energy to do the entire thing perfectly in one go. And now when I fall into the familiar trap of 'everything or nothing', I remind myself that 'something is better than nothing'. Half a garden is better than no garden.
This is an amazing mind shift - I too am a new gardener and in my head it was going to be the most amazing garden but the physical reality of prep and then overwhelm has meant I do very little.
I've realized something like that myself fairly recently. I spent months trying to perfect a website sequence with a whole invisible workflow for each step in the process in hopes of maximizing sales. It turned out ok but really drained my batteries, took way too much time, left me feeling mentally overwhelmed and fragmented a fairly simple process into hundreds of different micro-concerns that took away my focus from the main objectives. I don't expect you to understand the ins and outs of that process but the point is that I tried building something way too complicated for my skill level (at the time) and almost destroyed my drive to continue in that line of work. What I realized after that was to just start small with the necessities, keep things simple, and refine it later after looking at it and seeing what's missing or what areas need improvement. Even after losing money on this project, I felt a tremendous weight lift after realizing this. To make it even more simple, I'll remember your story and adopt your saying "Half a garden is better than no garden". Thanks for sharing!
A job worth doing is worth doing well - this has been a major freeze point for me. If I can’t do it well I won’t do it at all. “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” Has been an extremely liberating counter perspective
Once I learned that I can do things without it having to be perfect it was much easier to get started 😊 before then there were soooooooo many things that just never got done because I never even started 😢
Instead of asking "Why can't I..?" asking "What is preventing me from..?" also adding or removing a layer. Often my concentration is hurt more by being a bit too cold or hot and it isn't until it becomes unbearable and I change my clothes that I realize how much it was adding to the struggle. Finally, I put tons of extra things in my phone/calendar, people's ages, siblings names, the full details of events including when need to leave, where and when everything is happening, maybe even what I am going to wear, even notes to my future self: "A lot of old traumas come up this time of year, be gentle with yourself", "The holidays are going to take more time than you remember" etc. The seconds of focus that takes at the time reaps huge rewards later when I do it.
One of mine that's been helping that I sort of got from another video was that understanding building a habit with ADHD takes wayyyyy longer than other people. So once it does start getting easier, don't think "ah I've done it. I can mentally let go now because I have made this habit" it's a _trap_ and you have to keep pushing even when you hit that point lol
I just did two of these at once! I used Chat GPT to help me make a slogan for going through my craft supplies, "Create it or donate it!" I have a million projects (often gifts for others) that have 90% of the supplies and Ive never started. This is my way to commit to finishing some and get rid of the rest.
I LOVE this idea! I am also a hoarder of craft supplies and good intentions. I have a painting I started when my friend was pregnant, and that child just turned 10 last month. it's... yes. "Create it or donate it!" is a GREAT great slogan! Thanks for sharing!
Dude, library card + Libby app! The Libby app has saved me hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, because audible used to be one of my biggest discretionary expenses. I love our public libraries.
Something that had worked well for me: Use public transport to get to work. It has helped me "transition" my mind from "work mode" to "home mode", becomes an integrated form of exercise, has helped my morning routine (if I miss the bus, I'll be late!!) and gives me some downtime while my meds kick in. Not to mention, financial savings, reduced stress AND.... you can't get a speeding ticket in a bus as a passenger! ;)
Dressing more presentable and less bed rot is real for sure. In the book "The War of Art" the author likens the creative process to courting a muse. Clean your space, dress nice, comb your hair... and creativity (and better living in general) is more likely to visit you. Sitting down to draw or paint (my main crafts) might be like sitting down for a date, in terms of prepping yourself and your space.
I don’t believe i’m going to abandon my new obsession of fountain pens and journaling! Not like balisong flipping, fpv droning, track racing, virtual reality, home improvement etc
the journalling is different because I can iterate on it and change it up over time. I've been able to keep it up for 5 years now, where most of my obsessions are like less than a year
Less a hack, more a perspective shift. My favourite tagline is "Death to the Should". Especially early in my diagnosis, I consciously tried to notice where "should" was popping up in my writing or mental talk. It gave me space to stop, examine *why* I should x, y, z thing, and eventually spot a bunch on ingrained ableist assumptions about the "correct" way to do things. Freeing myself from the Should has opened up a lot more space to do things in a way that works for my brain.
borrowing your tagline because my therapist told me to notice how often I think about 'how I should feel' or 'how I should be doing things' and it's been so eye-opening how I have been overparenting myself to somehow magically become neurotypical.
I reward myself with a distraction, Wash the dishes, then play a game. Research, then something light. I want to thank you. Some of your videos are what has inspired me to start. Just wanted you to know.
I do something like this. I feel myself wanting some mental junk food while there's also a chore that needs doing, I'll tell myself, "Earn it!" and do the task first and enjoy the "bad" thing after.
"An ounce of Action is worth a tonne of Theory" is one I love from Ralph Waldo Emerson. I struggle with perfectionism, and it freezes me. If I just throw some effort into different areas of my life and strive for Progression over Perfection, I get so much more done. Love the library card one, I own too many books, and I think audible might serve my senses better in the future.
USE A SCREEN READER! Most apps on computers have inbuilt screen readers that are really helpful for digesting those important emails, webpages, documents etc that are hard to read when you can’t focus. I literally use screen readers all the time for work so I can actually digest the information instead of struggling to focus on reading it
It's not a personal one, but a very well-known one, but "A home for everything, and everything in its home." The moment I don't have a dedicated place to put something, it becomes the start of an ever-battled mess.
To go along with the blood test one, get a sleep test done if you're constantly tired, falling asleep, low energy, can't get out of bed... I spent *so much* of my late teens and early twenties beating myself up for my need of 10 - 14 hours of sleep. School and parents and friends all lead to a belief that it was a "me" problem, and that I should just work around it. Don't. Get a sleep study done. They'll also probably test your blood for cross over symptoms. Turns out, medication exists to turn 14 hours of sleep into 8 hours, and the extra 6 hours you get back can be *life changing*
That tip on questioning your opinion on learning is great. I always hated studying and reading books, but now I'm starting a consultancy company and since I love what I do as a software consultant, I naturally found myself reading articles and listening to audiobooks of random programming topics because I find it all so interesting. Anyways, turns out that this is real learning and before that, I have never had a true understanding of how it felt to learn when you aren't being forced to learn. I thought I hated reading, but turns out I just hated reading stuff I was told to read.
I noticed that I had trouble working at home and even at a cafe. As soon as I started dressing up like I was going to the office, I was more productive, focused, and also felt better about myself. It’s a great ADHD hack
To combat perfection paralysis and procrastination: Some of my hacks / mantras are: -- "Half assed beats no assed. All day, every day!👍" All the time, every time. -- "Something is ALWAYS better than nothing." "Just do it." "Decide to." -- "Can't do everything? Just do one thing." -- The Rule of 3 - just do the first smallest step. OR just do the first 3 smallest steps. And repeat them outloud to myself - and over and over again -- until done. Then do the next 3 smallest steps after that. And on. This hijacks the brain to focus on what you want it to focus on and it executes it. -- "Progress, not perfection." -- "Just try. ALL you have to do is try." -- " Just start. ALL you have to do is start." -- "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -- Teddy Roosevelt. Thought switching: practice awareness of thoughts and when i have one that's disempowering ir that doesn't serve me or my goals, switch it to a thought and or belief that does. It's useful to even have a mental amd or written arsenal of antidote thoughts so you have them ready and don't have to think of one on the fly. And or write down your most common self sabotaging thoughts and beliefs and devise & write down the sntidote thoughts and beliefs to them. Another trick to use in the moment or overall, is to practice awareness of when you're thinking or believing unhelpful thoughts, think of the opposite thought or belief or something like that that still makes sense and technically COULD be possible and switch to that thought and belief and decide to believe, think, and act toward that more self empowering thought and belief which will actually get you what you want / achieve your goal/s.
Getting a watch has honestly changed my life. I am so much better at judging how long it takes to do things now, and it feels absurdly wonderful to check the time with a quick glance at my wrist instead of fumbling around for my phone, unlocking it, immediately getting distracted by 15 irrelevant notifications and forgetting what I unlocked it for in the first place, re-pocketing it without checking the time, going "wait ... goddammit," and fishing it back out of my pocket, getting distracted AGAIN, etc etc. Between my wristwatch and my mp3 player, nowadays I pretty much only use my phone as a GPS and a ... um ...call-making thingy. What do you call those, again?
I can second this. I started wearing a watch 2 years ago and yes not looking at my phone for the time is a time saver because I don't get sucked in and has given me a better perspective on amounts of time that tasks take. And repeated tasks for which I STILL couldn't estimate accurately, I started texting my best friend "starting ____ now" and then text "done" and did this a few times and then looked back at the time stamps and was like "ohhhh so it actually takes me about this much time to do this thing. Huh."
When I’m struggling with overwhelming emotions, either due to ADHD or some other big event. I have the stoic mantra “with what I know, and what I have, I’ll do the best I can.”
I thought i was the only one who could only concentrate or listen better when i was fiddling with my hands, especially drawing. Instead of taking notes in lectures id doodle on paper....now i feel normal thanks
OMG! Thank you for addressing the macro scale of planning with ADHD brain. I got so frustrated with the timer your way to success model, I would shut down at any "productivity" oriented advice. Alarms send me into a spiral. Thinking about the ebb and flow I have on a longer timescale is the first thing I haven't immediately been repelled by in a LONG while.
off the top of my head (there’s so much more) here’s some of my hackz: - pre-set your meds!!! i have prescribed medication as well as supplements, and the thought of unscrewing every lid every morning sucks so much that i’ll only take the actual medication and then wonder why i’m tired for not taking iron & b12 for three weeks. i get those weekly pill containers, and then i can also see if i’ve taken my meds for the day, instead of forgetting if i have or not. - have multiples!! tissue boxes, candle lighters, face cleansers (one in the shower, one at the sink) stops me avoiding a simple task just because i would have to get up and go get something. my brain loves everything that’s ✨Set & Forget✨, since it’s going to forget anyway, might as well prepare for that inevitability. basically just automate as much as possible.
Love your list, sounds like mine 🙂 I set meds once a month. Multiples, I also have scissors and pens in every room including my car. When laundry goes into a machine, "(insert name of phone assistant) set a timer for (length of machine cycle) minutes.
dude the tagline thing is such a game changer. i could never remember which way my door locked because, in my head, it was always "righty tighty" (locked) "lefty loosy" (unlocked) but then i made up the rhyme, "left no theft, right, come inside" and remembered every time
The way I literally just got a library card last month because I'm so sick of getting buyer's remorse after online shopping at 2am or coming home from weekend shopping. It was awesome getting to bring home new books, get that dopamine hit, without money out the bank. Checking the blood is so necessary because I didn't know I was suffering from severe sleep apnea, no wonder I was falling asleep at work and never felt rested no matter how long I slept. Been 1 month on a CPAP machine and the improvement to my quality of life has been astronomical. Thanks for the great video as always!
I have a to-do list method I call my Tarot To Do or maybe my To Do Deck (name is still a work in progress). Issues I have with a conventional to-do list: - I end up writing the same things over and over again. It feels like wasting paper. - looking at a whole list all at once is overwhelming. I don't know what to do first. - I inevitably start with the least urgent most fun thing to do and get stuck just doing that. So I printed out a pdf of Rider Waite tarot cards (because I like the way they look), and I wrote my tasks on them that are things I'll need to keep doing probably forever. Like washing dishes and brushing teeth and cleaning my car. Of a morning, I stack my deck in the order I want to do the things and then I cycle through, one card at a time and discard the things I've completed. I can see my deck going down and I'm not distracted by the next card. When I forget what task I'm doing, I can go look at my deck and the card I'm working on is right there. I usually combine this with the pomodoro method and have breaks in my day. I want to make this into an app but... I haven't yet. I've been getting tasks done this way for maybe about 3 years now? Honestly life changing.
The Brili app is very similar, and has been so helpful for me! It gives the flexibility to make your own routine, but you can switch around the order or duration of tasks.
The Best tactic of all: 1. Get the Essentials right first (sleep, eating, exercise, rest) 2. Find out who you are and what you truly want in life (your brain needs to support that) 3. Design your environment to making it all fun when doing anything (design your wallpaper on your phone for focus modes, design your room with big areas for certain things and design your Computer the same that everything makes sense) BONUS: find out when your energy peaks are (I use the RISE App in it's like a cheat code when you follow your energy phases throughout the day) Hope that help and much love to all you beautiful brains! ✨
My hack - I have a song that triggers me into work mode. Sort of like in that movie Inception how they have a song that wakes them up. I’ve learned to associate the song with starting anything that I can have music on for.
I’m so happy you mentioned the vitamin deficiency!! I say that so often to people get your bloods checked even before taking antidepressants. For years I was prescribed on and off anti depressants one day randomly had my bloods checked and turns out I was super deficient in vitamin d since then I’ve felt so much better even the winter just gone I didn’t suffer with SAD like usual. GET UR BLOODS CHECKED PEOPLE ❤❤
Also:alltime favorite channel and I really appreciate you dude! Also, this topic is kinda new and I love it! Pls talk about being an artist and maintaining workflow with adhd. It's something I have been struggling with: creative process vs. Forced focus kinda thing
The biggest motto or tagline that’s helped me is “something is better than nothing” Being a perfectionist has been a crutch most of my life. If I felt like I didn’t have the time to do it “right” in my own mind then I wouldn’t do it at all… I let this run my life! I wouldn’t clean the house, cook food, it even got to the point where showering regularly was hard.. because if I couldn’t do it to the deepest most perfect level “then why do it at all” When I finally forced myself (repeatedly for months and still struggle at times) to start adhering to “something is better than nothing” it helped me break through all these road blocks I had in my head.
I take advantage of my many on-the-go projects to be able to procrastinate LOL Don't feel have the mental capacity for pattern drafting right now? There's fabric to be cut out! No? There's resin projects that needs to be poured! No? How about some repetitive sewing? No? Sand/buff projects while chilling with a movie! No? There's dishes! There's gardening to do! A wide variety of options from physical to chill, heavy mental/focus work to complete brain shut off and even, indoor/outdoor help keep me going, feeling accomplished and not 'forced' into doing any ONE thing :D
I’m only recently realising I have ADHD, and all of these suggestions are either things I’ve started doing, or things I know would help. I felt like I uncovered a secret and epic life hack when I finally got a library card a few weeks ago 😂 And leaning into hyperfocus has definitely been helpful with creating RU-vid videos. Now, I need to work on all the other distractions!
8:06 From one non-doctor to another, ask a partner or bed buddy if they think you have sleep apnoea. It's an ADHD comorbidity and makes you tired, focus and screws your focus.
Something that works for me is the Best Me/Shit Me to-do list. Cannot remember who I learned this from but it's been so helpful. You basically write 2 lists of tasks - things you'll do when you feel good and productive (ie best you) and tasks you can do when you feel like utter shit (ie shit you). The idea is that if you tick off things on the shit list you start feeling better cos you're accomplishing things, and inevitably you'll move onto the Best Me tasks. And the tasks can be anything, even if it feels insignificant. One of mine is "have a shower". Turn anything into an accomplishment and it feels your dopamine monster. Thanks for the hacks! I'm definitely going to try the minimalist phone thing cos my phone is my greatest weakness and enemy.
4:58 i didn't realize i do that dress up thing, but it's super helpful! I have Fridays off and usually have a plan to go be creative in a place where all the stuff in my house won't distract me, but then get stuck on the couch. Picking out fun clothes makes me want to go there more than hang out on the couch because I like to imagine I'm the main character in other people's lives 🤪
I’m getting closer to finding officially that I have ADHD or Autism or OCD… I have SOMEthing, I just don’t know what the “official” diagnosis would be yet, BUT, these kinds of videos are legit lifesavers for my spicy brain.
All three of those are so ridiculously commonly comorbid that you are very likely to have all three. In particular, Autism and ADHD can cause OCD due to the tendency for overstimulation and obsessive ritualization of stimming practices. Not to mention the Depression and Anxiety caused by living in a Neurotypical world. Any Neurodivergence will lay under a slew of mental health issues frosted over the top. Good luck to you. You must have come pretty far already to be close to a diagnosis of any kind and I am proud of you.
Remember these diagnoses are just some people's ideas about what other people are going through. They're very smart people, but a diagnosis in mental health is never exact and always a bit of a guess. It's just a tool to help point you towards the treatment most likely to work for you, don't let it define you or stop you from trying things that might not fit it. And don't be afraid to say it doesn't fit anymore as you grow and change. I was dxed with bipolar at 18 and got sold the idea I'd need meds for life. Then I had a hysterectomy for endometriosis and boom all signs of bipolar were gone. I'm still crazy, just a different kind than when I was younger 😆 Happy Pride 🏳️🌈 and good luck finding what helps you be the best version of yourself ❤
Talk to your primary care provider, ask to see a psychologist for psychological testing. Get diagnosed, get clarity, get help, get the resources you need. These videos will only do so much, and the professionals will help you a TON :)
@@aprildawnsunshine4326 Hi, just so you're aware, you ARE spreading medical misinformation. Autism and ADHD are genetic problems, not made up ones. OCD can also be genetic depending on whether or not it is attached to ASD/ADHD, but it can also be a symptom of anxiety (which is not genetic). Yes, having autism or ADHD can define you. It IS an exact science because there are LITERAL BRAIN SCANS to back this stuff up. It is NEVER "a bit of a guess", and if it was, I would've been diagnosed over a decade ago! Also, bipolar disorder CAN be beaten, that's why it is a DISORDER and not a DISABILITY (unlike autism and ADHD). And yes, a lot of bipolar disorder can be affected by hormones! No sh*t you'd stop showing symptoms after getting a hysterectomy! But unfortunately, you CANNOT surgery-away or outgrow LITERAL AUTISM AND ADHD. Those are LIFELONG DISABILITIES. Like yeah, as a gay AND disabled person, happy f*cking pride. But do NOT spread medical misinformation because you think an herbal tea can cure disabilities. SMFH
Thank you for sharing your hacks!! I’ll try them deff. Here’s some of mine: - Trying to keep your stuff in the same place after use, your keys in the same pocket of your backpack for example - Keep my phone in do not disturb, but if someone calls me twice, it does ring. - Notifications off from SN, only check them when you want to get in. - post it notes al over the house, and or behind my phone… just write stuff down, it works - try to keep your email clean, delete trash so you are aware when you get a new mail. - use calendar notifications for friends and family birthdays.
I've been following your channel for a while now and I just wanted to drop in and say that you are an incredible teacher & storyteller. The way in which you provide such interesting content in such a creative and engaging format is truly inspiring, and especially satisfying for my brain. It is truly an art form and the quality of your videos are a testament to your hard work and skill. The way in which you allow your wide variety of skills to flourish through your youtube videos is really inspiring and important to have as an example for someone like me who sometimes questions whether I'll ever find a way to do something that I love while allowing myself to continue evolving and exploring, which is what my adhd brain seems to need and want. I especially like how you tend to relate the information to some kind of deeper message or wisdom about life - makes it all the more impactful! All of this is to say, thank you for sharing your work with the world and keep it up!!!
Love the library card suggestion! Also great if you hyper-fixate on crafts like I do, just borrow some instructional craft books from the library. In Australia the library also allows you to borrow audiobooks, digital books and magazines. Which means you don’t even have to physically go to a library. My best tip for following your latest craft hyperfixation without spending all your money is to buy your supplies second hand. Op shops are full of other people’s discarded craft obsessions and often you can find things brand new in sealed boxes. Facebook marketplace and gumtree are also places to look for supplies and often people give stuff away for free.
Hey Cam I just watched this video and one of yours on goals - can you make one about consistency? It’s one of the biggest things I struggle with (especially with ADHD too). But with keeping a goal that doesn’t have specific milestones, but is more like “I want to do this every day” like with exercise pr learning an instrument or something. Things that require time/practice/patience/consistency more than anything 💛 You’re the best
Not sure it will work consistently, but setting up a task so when I have the tiniest bit of motivation I can jump into it. Yesterday I got everything out to clean the bathroom so today it got done. Not to say I didn't complain about my past self "setting me up", but starting was so much easier.
hack list: 1. library card 2. rhyming rules 3. AI for admin tasks 4. meet meds halfway (i.e. steer your focus responsibly) 5. no bed-rot clothes 6. minimalist phone launcher 7. blood test 8. question the way school made you feel about learning 8½. couch or phone, never both 9. account for short bursts of obsession (←i wish this one was expanded upon; i know this happens to me but not how to harness it) i'm unmedicated and trying to get diagnosed for ADHD. this took me 4 rewatches and 2 accidental clicks away from the page to put together, and the first few attempts I missed out over half the hacks, and while watching I would quickly forget the previous hack. (e.g. while listening about rhyming rules, I had no idea what the first hack was any more, but now that I can see it on the list I can remember it much more comprehensively). so I've made this list for accessibility for people like me, but i'm probably the worst person to have made this list. if someone with access to medication or without ADHD could do the summary next time i can guarantee there will be a lot of quiet appreciation for it :) i understand that videos on youtube require enagagement and the conspiracy theorist in me says that this list wasn't part of the description, chapters, or pinned comment because of fears around impacting engagement, but without a list like this it's very hard to take anything away from the video after finishing it.
In one of your videos you said "if you are going bald, just finish the job. Nobody likes a balding man." Well, I just turned 24 and I am going bald and it's quite noticeable to the point it's becoming an insecurity. I know what I have to do but I don't know if I have the strength to do it. Genes can sometime be a son of a beesh!
Anyone who needs to ise metal keys - there's a type you can get where the handle is a carabiner - they latch onto your key chain. Their handle is nice snd big and comfortable, and they cone in different colors.
That last hack. . . Hell yes. Took me till 30 to figure it out. Now I have the hobby wheel. Basically I just accept that every few weeks \ month I switch gears. I quit beating myself up about it and just save \ backup \ save notes where we're I left off and run with it. When the wheel spins back around to the same obsession I use my notes to find where I left off and pick it back up =)
Dude I've followed you for so so long and feel so related with the way you process things, so a year ago when I got my diagnosis for ADHD I was like "I bet Struthless has ADHD too". Today this video came on in my youtube page and I was like "AHA!! KNEW IT!!" outloud at the coffee shop I'm sitting in lol Thank you for all the amazing content all of these years, you're simply awesome
Never occured to me before, but I've picked up a lot of slogans to help me function without realizing it, usually just stuff I heard from other people that stuck to me. My dad used to say "your second impression is always more important than your first". Helps me get past any social awkwardness with new situations or people, and also teaches me to take a closer look at people when getting to know them. My mom loves "forget planning, pick a piece and puzzle" when doing her jigsaws. I repeated it a lot when stuck on big projects for school. Sometimes if I'm not sure what to do for the whole thing, I get frozen and do nothing. But it really doesnt matter *where* I start, only that I did. My father in law always sarcastically used "good enough for government work", and it's also surprisingly helpful. I have extremely high standard for myself, that can sometimes lead to no work getting done because I'm hyper fixated on getting something perfect that doesn't matter. The mental disconnect of saying it meets somebody else's standard works, because if it doesn't really matter to me personally, that's an okay thing to settle on, but it doesn't feel like compromising on MY standards, if that makes any sense. There's also "getting up only sounds hard when you're down". Which is kind of a play on how cliche the Rocky "how many times you get back up" kind of tagline is. Kind of like the opposite of easier said than done, sometimes when I'm at the bottom it feels worse than it actually is, and reminding myself that it won't feel like a big deal when it's over helps.
Always a pleasure man! You never give the viewer the feeling of being less than the person on the screen. Those productivty gurus and people, even those who just try to help always seem like they are miles ahead. Your videos always give me the intention that you have struggles like all of us, find ways to work them out and then help your audience do the same. Thank you :)
The clothes one is so true, I have a WFH "uniform" that's very comfy: trackies, loose shirt but I'm not allowed to sleep in them, and vice versa not allowed to work in pjs
Wearing nice clothes is a big bump in energy and positive feelings for me. Partially because my special interest is fashion. I sometimes dress up really stylish just to do chores or work at home. It flips a switch in my brain that says ok time to get serious! And just makes me feel good about my body. It took a long time to find clothes that feel good both sensory wise and body image wise. But when I’m wearing my favorite clothes I just feel so good every time I walk past a mirror. And I feel comfy cozy without being sleepy tired.
i get the presentable / bed rot dichotomy. i recently (as of three days) put together a morning routine where i do a bunch of tasks and tick them off in notion. one of them is put on a little bit of manageable, minimal makeup. it's easy and it makes me feel so much better.
Glad I found this video. I've been diagnosed very recently and have to start finding out what works for me. Your video is much more inspiring than all the standard stuff that you see everywhere else, so thanks for that! Also lots of thanks to all the people who commented, your ways of dealing with it also gave me lots of inspiration.I'm not sure how this will turn out for me, but I trust that I will be able to find my way.
I second the library card hack! Also, because loans give you built-in deadlines, I find that I finish a lot more books now. I've never cracked open most of the books I own because they're not urgent, but ever since downloading the Libby app, I've read so much. Another great thing about Libby is that loans return automatically when they're due unlike physical library loans.
The List. The Au/OCD part balances the ADHD well for me by making the weekly to-do list of things that 'have' to get done and the stuff I would 'like' to do. So when I find myself staring at the houseplants absolutely overwhelmed by which project to tackle next, I go back to the list. It feels good to cross stuff off. And there are things that you know you have to do regularly like feed the cat, or eat breakfast. Good touchstone too for when you start to feel bad after doomscrolling or Redditing for too long. 'I just demolished 3 hours. What to do so I feel better? Hey look, I already thought about this!!' The List will be remade each week. So it doesn't have to be completed, and if you spot something you want to do, add it so you can safely come back LATER.
My guy. Your videos have done me such justice. I'm on the verge of a diagnosis (long overdue) and the impulsivity part in the beginning hit me right in the feels. Not knowing what's wrong and having something click like this is wild.
When I'm in a pit of doom thinking anxious thoughts I've realised that memorising the periodic table keeps my brain busy enough to stop me overthinking and catastrophising... and I'm invested because I want that piece of useless knowledge locked in my brain for the nonexistent day someone asks for it.
Idk if it works for all libraries but registering library cards with Libby has been a lifesaver! Now I can find the book I get curious about (such as the one in the video) immediately and start listening (yay impulsivity)!
i love you man. still remember the first day i found you here a couple of years ago , for a while you were my adhd obsession. Love how ur videos are always a surefire way around bs. so glad you re still here. Returning to ur channel feels cozy, every time. Lots of love & health to you and the fam!
Pledge fluffy duster. I no longer have to move tchotchkes, it takes like 15 minutes to dust the entire house and I didn't get bored. Thanks Pledge. Another for me is learn for your brain. I learn more from conversation than reading, if I read it doesn't go in but if I listen and chat to the person like they're there with me it goes in - even if it's a podcast and they don't reply. I need that feedback.
DayOne is awesome! Been using it for years. What a brilliant sponsor!!! You should be so proud of yourself. Congratulations on both that and taking the time to take care of yourself and go to the doctor. I can’t wait to see what your Iron fortified self gifts us with.
Once,when I was really struggling to get stuff done, a friend shrugged her shoulders and said, "Some days you dig with a shovel, and some days you dig with a spoon. Just don't stop digging." I like that because it reminds me that I don't have to knock it out of the park every day. As long as I keep trying, I'm doing good 😊
I always soak paint brushes when I leave my art stool even if only for a minute. It sucks to ruin a paintbrush. Best to wash them completely and dry them but sometimes it’s just too demanding. You explain the macro better than ever heard it before. thanks for the wisdom.
I aim to make a to do list for each day. When I've found myself getting derailed more often, I'll aim to spend a few days to a week also making a list of what I did instead. Putting my To-Do side by side with I-Did is a great way to see patterns I miss in the moment. When my brain is/isn't cooperating across the day? Where I might be planning in a way that is making things harder for me? When does my focus drop off in the afternoon/pick up in the evening? It's let me view patterns at a wider scale, and given me information to make more useful tweaks moving forward. It also gives me the chance to recognize successes that I missed while I was busy beating myself up for what I didn't do.
I am increasingly spending less time online, as someone lately diagnosed with AuDHD - but for you, Struthless, I'll never turn off the notifications. Thanks for sharing your journey at your own pace! X
Was working with my therapist today and he suggested something that I think fits as an ADHD lifehack. If you find you're distracting yourself with something you put on in the background, try and set some time to wholly dedicate yourself to that. So for me, I draw and I watch youtube, and the youtube part of that is negatively impacting my drawing. So I've been tasked with drawing on its own for two hours, and then watching youtube on its own for three hours, rather than drawing and youtubing for five hours. The hope is that I will get more out of both of those experiences despite less time. Will find out if it works or not tomorrow, cause in classic ADHD fashion, I decided I wouldn't start it today.
Just to maybe add to the "don't wear bed rot clothes" topic. Since we struggle with task switching, I think sometimes it's just the switch that helps me get into a new task. If I'm struggling midday, I will sometimes take a quick shower and change into a similar lounge wear outfit, and that switch makes all the difference. I don't think putting on business casual or something would do much beyond make me uncomfortable, but the clothes change and shower really helps. Sometimes I'll just put on a baseball cap that I call my writing hat, and that helps too. Mr. Rodgers had something way back in the day with that sweater switch haha.
Having a crash day, so I can't really contribute right now, but this was very useful and had a couple of good - NEW - ones, even for me, and I've been diagnosed for almost 15 years now. Thanks, man. Appreciate it!
When it comes to online shopping, impulse buying ‘just one more thing…’ and I have a rule for myself that I can only get xyz IF I go through the whole shop. Every item gets my eye cast over it, and if I like it, I add it to my cart. This results in an *insane* amount of stuff in my cart. It can take *days* for me to go through a whole shop, but that’s the rule. It always ends in one of a few ways: - not getting anything because the shop has an auto-cart clearing after a specified period of time (and it’s too frustrating to refill everything that as thought I wanted, so I either get nothing, or just the thing I actually need) - Seeing the total and getting put off the idea of spending any money, much less that much - Comparing all the items I want and drastically reducing what I want. Each item looks *amazing* on its own page, but when they’re all together, some stuff ‘sparks joy’, and the rest feels like filler (so the filler goes). Once I reduce the filler, other stuff in there starts looking like filler too, and I re-evaluate so many purchases - Trying to reduce the total to below a nice round dollar figure. Looking at items in cart view also takes away the emotional pull of the lovely pictures of shiny things and puts it in terms of name->price. It helps me re-frame things from ‘do I want this’ to ‘do I want to give up $x for an xyz’ Having to go through the whole shop also means it’s a dopamine booster that I can jump in and out of for days/work around household tasks etc. Other people have told me that’s a stupid amount of time/effort and they ‘could never’, but it’s saved me thousands in unnecessary purchases, makes me happy (and I never get FOMO from ‘oh, I should have gotten this other thing whilst a I was getting xyz’). This tip plus asking myself ‘does this thing move me towards my goals or further away from them?’ have been really helpful for me
I'm glad your channel is doing well, you're one of my favourite creators! You deserve it. I've found for myself that yoga has been very helpful. First, because my joints are just whack. And second, because if you know a few yoga poses/flows, you can do them wherever. Taking like 2 mins to do a yoga flow is super easy, and builds a bit of momentum for other stuff. Also brings me back to my body. I can't stand long exercise routines so if I sprinkle yoga flows while I'm waiting for the kettle to boil to whatever, I get some exercise in. And if I'm stuck on the sofa, a yoga flow can get me out of that blegh state.
Thanks so much for this!! Loved hearing some fresh “hacks” that specifically from a creative. I was diagnosed a couple years ago in my mid twenties and still haven’t found my groove so will definitely try some of these!
Really love the rhyming one. The body is a huge part of ADHD management too. I practically didn't have trouble with my symptoms when eating healthy, but had to be medicated to function when I was eating garbage. Just got back on the healthy eating train and don't need the meds anymore.
I dunno if its just everything going on but i feel like everytime i end up finally click on your vids i end up teary eyed and kinda a little motivated compared to before. I'm so bloody stuck right now and out of all the videos ive tried to watch, yours are the only ones ive actually been able to focus on compared to other self helpy kinda youtubers. All the colours and little clips really help absorb the information better. I'll scurry off and get a blood test now. My attention span is scuffed as.
5:23 - On the subject of minimalist phone launchers, the one he shows is expensive and subscription. I use one called Before Launcher. The free version is already solid and I think I only paid like $7 for the Pro version.
Thank you for mentioning the blood work! I had this issue a few years ago and I also thought it was just the adhd so that is super helpful for this out there who might not have thought about that!
Hmm niche hacks… assume you’ll fail, well that’s more of the extreme version. But do your best to not make the goal to succeed. I find whenever I go on the adhd side quests it generally comes with a feeling of wanting to do something in order to succeed or to have a completed working thing at the end. I do my best now to make it so that my goals in these side quests aren’t success related. I just bought a 50 year old motorcycle to restore. I didn’t go into this wanting a running bike I went into this wanting to practice on a cheap crap bike that very well might not run but will give me a whole heck of a lot of knowledge by the end. Getting it to run now is just the icing on the fake
having an open wardrobe where i can see all my stuff has changed my life. Also letting go of thinking i need to fold my clothes.just sort them into nice looking boxes. Also velvet hangers so my hung up clothes don't fall off.
A job worth doing well is worth half-assing. Combats the inner perfectionist who ends up paralysing me so the thing never gets done. I end up doing the thing very well despite going in with the intent of making a hash of it. My confusion and my later focus meet in the middle and I actually get the thing done.
The library hack! Yess! Every time I get the urge that I could maybe sate with an impulse purchase, I just head to the library and grab a whole pile of books I know I'll maybe read one or two off.
Yeah I have sensory issues with clothes, so I could end up living in pajamas, but what I learned to do is dress in nice athletic clothes. Those are clothes that you can clean the house in, go for an impulsive hike, or huddle and hide from the world…. But it feels like you’re resting after a good activity where you exerted yourself, which is a lot of us after getting out of bed and doing hygiene, eating healthy food and taking meds haha that’s a lot of effort for us, and healthy effort. It’s a good way to have your clothes make you feel. Plus I have so many issues with dirty clothes, but wearing work out clothes feels like they’re supposed to get dirty and it’s ok to have fun in them.
In addition to 3:35 a big life saving hack for meds-taking ADHDers!! Ever had problems with the side effects of your stimulants medication? Apparently (my neurologist approved) ADHD meds may cause OCD like symptoms. You may not notice this or understand you show those symptoms (because you need to understand what OCD is like in the first place) but getting OCD treatment in addition can help a lot, so If you have issues with obsessive/compulsive behaviors (like picking your skin randomly without being able to stop for example) you should try consulting with a psychiatrist or neurologist and explaining them the situation. I take stimulants since I was 7yo and only recently (25yo) my psychiatrist prescribed me Prozac for my skin picking. It life changing. I’m no longer need to choose between functioning and not being obsessively stuck in activities I don’t want to do.
I use the "pick it up put it down" method of cleaning, where instead of being overwhelmed by a large mess of clutter in front of me, I pick up one thing, look at it, and put it where it belongs. I know on the surface this is how putting things away actually works, but when I task myself with picking up the nearest thing and putting it away, it helps.
Love tge school exemple. I think the same. I stopped reading cause of school. Then i had a stressfull job, found that reading is one of the most relaxing activities, now i just love reading
now let me tell you something. years ago i assumed that i have adhd because i saw your videos and felt them a lot. last month after years of waiting and questioning, i finally got my diagnosis and even if i feel bad for have to living with it sometimes, your videos make me feel a lot more better and hopeful. your videos give me the positivity i need. thank you so much for that 🥹🫂💙🌀
