a few years ago, i decided to be more vocal and transparent about my struggles (& successes!) with ADHD. at some point around the pandemic, i started researching heavily about the complexities of ADHD and experimented with different ways on how to manage it in my day-to-day. i also started sharing my learnings 'publicly' via TikTok and IG [@gratefulmindsco] –– and in doing that, i realized i was helping a lot of people and facilitating a lot of productive conversations about ADHD.

i'll tell the full story some other time, but i took a break from posting content on those mediums (TLDR: creative burnout + such). so this is me bringing that back in blog form here –– hope this helps reach someone who needs it!

a few of my go-to adhd productivity hacks

i'm going to try and narrow these down to a few-ish, because really i can write about these for days. the one's i'm sharing here are ones i regularly do:

• 👟 wear shoes inside the house when you're doing chores. this might be sacrilegious if you were raised in an asian household (like myself), so get yourself some house shoes. idk the science behind this, but somehow it works.

• take breaks regularly. sitting still and staring at my computer for 2-8 hours consecutively does not work for me whatsoever. even if i am able to do this, i get extremely burned out by the end of the day. taking non- screentime breaks throughout the day are essential.

• ⏰ set a timer & stick to it. if you're like me and you tend to have a laundry list of tasks to get done at work, then timers are your best friend (!!!). at the start of the day, i'll make a short list of what i want to accomplish and will set a 1-hour timer for each task. once that timer goes off, i take a 10-15 minute break and get back to it. you can do this for non-work productivity (like cleaning) too.

• 🧼 tidy up your designated work space. this is a work-specific thing – i personally cannot think straight if my desk is cluttered. i won't even sit at my desk or use my monitor if that's the case. before i even open my laptop, i spend about 10-15 minutes tidying up and it seriously helps.

• 🎧 noise cancellation headphones. i got the airpods max last year, and they changed my life. also do not underestimate the value of playing background music while you're getting sh*t done – it's good for dopamine too.

alright that's all i got for now. hope this helps and lmk if you have others to share that work for you!