Dealing With ADHD as a Professional Adult

For most of my life, I had no idea that I had ADHD. I was only just diagnosed in my late 20s.

However, I’ve had ADHD the whole time. I thrived in reading and writing classes, but I would daydream in math class. I read books way beyond my grade level, but I struggled with fractions. My parents assumed that because I was gifted with language, it meant I would simply not be skilled in math. Of course, this wasn’t true - I just wasn’t interested in math. My lack of focus was responsible for my missing skills.

My ADHD worsened when I went to college. I couldn’t rely on rote memorization or raw intelligence like I could in high school. I never learned how to focus. I’d once again spend my classes daydreaming, absorbing none of the information. I had to take physics twice to pass it.
I was still undiagnosed.

I started considering if I had ADHD when my friends (usually diagnosed as adults) would openly talk about their challenges. A couple of years ago, a therapist friend told me he’d noticed some symptoms in me, so I finally made a point to seek a diagnosis. The doctor’s assessment was a real big shocker: “you have ADHD.”

I’d earned two degrees and built a successful career, but I had a lot of setbacks. My ADHD diagnosis was reassuring: there was a reason why I struggled. It also helped me put the pieces together: I learned more helpful systems to adapt my brain to the world I live in. I had the option of medication, which I ultimately decided to take. 

Some notes on the medication:

Those with ADHD are so incredibly fortunate that the medication is extremely effective: about 70% of adults see improvements in their symptoms. There are lots who choose to go without it, but I felt exhausted from having to constantly fight my own brain. I decided to give it a shot.

And it’s worked wonders for me. 

Previously, it was a struggle to sit down and write a whole blog post, start to finish. Now, I can get a thousand-word rough draft done in about a half-hour. I don’t find myself glancing at the clock during tasks that require deep focus. I don’t have empty boxes piling up in my living room, waiting to be taken out to the curb.

However, the medication also presents some challenges:

When I take my medication, I’m able to focus for extended periods of time. When I don’t take my medication, I’m more creative and am able to come up with more powerful ideas.
Sometimes I feel like I have to choose between seeing in color and functioning well professionally. There are some days when I forego the meds in order to harness my creativity. That means that sometimes, I need to rely more heavily on my systems.

ADHD medication has been an incredibly helpful tool for me, but it does have some setbacks. Sometimes, it dims my creativity a little. For that reason, I don’t take it constantly.

My ADHD systems have been in place for far longer than my diagnosis. I’ve kept a diligent bullet journal for years where I write down every appointment, friend meetup, and even mealtimes. I’ll talk a bit about the specific challenges I navigate as an adult with ADHD, and some of the systems that help me manage.

Challenges I face with my ADHD:

Forgetting to eat

I know it seems simple for most people, but I really do forget to eat. Unfortunately, the medication makes it worse. I can go hours without food, turning off my hunger cues for the sake of focusing on a project.

Forgetting appointments

If I don’t write down the time when I’m supposed to be somewhere, odds are I’ll forget entirely and not show up. This counts for my virtual meetings and phone calls, too.

Double-booking myself

Again, not writing things down is a recipe for disaster. When I forget to put something in my calendar, I’ll end up having to apologize to one of my prior commitments and ask to reschedule.

Missing details

One of the perks of ADHD is that my brain moves faster than normal. I’m known for getting work done at warp speed, but this does mean that I can miss small details. I would complete a test only to get it back a week later and notice a stupid mistake. I probably didn’t fully read the question, and in my haste, chose the wrong answer. Which one of these is not true, Rachael.

In school, I’d make stupid mistakes on exams because I wouldn’t fully read the question.

Interrupting

And oh boy, do I do it all the time. As I mentioned above, my brain moves fast. So, before you finish your thought, I’ve already considered how I want to reply. And if I remain silent, I might forget what it was I wanted to say. 

Zoning out during meetings

I have about five minutes of Pay Attention in me before I become a total space cadet. I have to remind myself over and over to dial back in so I can catch important details being discussed.

Speaking incoherently

Sometimes I struggle to articulate myself well. This can be due to the warp speed brain or trouble with organizing my thoughts. I often find myself stating “I hope that makes sense” when I’m expressing a complicated thought. I often worry that I come across as unintelligent because of this tendency.

Losing track of time

A common ADHD symptom is hyperfocus, or being highly focused for extended periods of time. I can get so absorbed in what I’m doing that I won’t realize that hours have passed. I’ll forget to eat or drink water. I’ll miss a meeting, or I’ll work way later than I was supposed to.

Systems I use to help my ADHD:

Forest tracker

I tell pretty much everyone I know about Forest. The app locks you out of your phone for a custom amount of time and kills a little cartoon tree if you exit out. This solves a handful of problems for me:
-I won’t get distracted by incoming texts or calls while I’m trying to focus on something important.
-The app has an option to play ambient noise. When the noise stops, it tells me that my focused time is up, and I can move on to something else. It’s most helpful when I’m in a state of hyperfocus.

Notepad

I use this a lot when I’m talking to someone. I’ll write a quick note about something that crosses my mind as they’re speaking so I don’t forget to bring it up after they’ve finished their thought. This cuts down on my tendency to interrupt. I usually let people know what I’m doing because to some, it can seem rude that I write as they’re talking. However, once I explain my reasoning, they’re usually very open and welcoming about it.

I’ll also make notes of things that pop into my head as I’m working on a task. That way, I won’t forget a good creative idea, but I can avoid losing focus on whatever I’m working on.

Keep a notepad to write down anything you’ll need to remember later. You can also take notes while having a conversation with someone so you don’t interrupt them as they’re speaking.

Google Calendar

I use this mostly for my zoom meetings, but sometimes I’ll plug in other time-sensitive tasks or events. Google calendar is so helpful for me because ten minutes before a meeting, I’ll get a notification that it’s happening. This will pull me out of whatever I’ve been focused on. Or, sometimes, I would have otherwise forgotten about the meeting entirely.

Bullet Journal

The little dotted notebook that I keep on my desk contains my entire brain and my life would fall into utter chaos if I ever lost it. I can write a whole blog post on it (and I probably will!), but here are some main components of my journal that keep me focused:
-meetings and appointments
-personal task lists
-work action items
-things to bring up in future meetings
-medication reminders
-food and water reminders
-website emails and passwords
-an “ideal” daily schedule
-habit trackers and reward systems

Sticky Notes

Okay. Sometimes the sticky notes get out of hand, but littering my entire living space with bright squares of paper is better than the chaos that would ensue without them. I’ll put a note on my coffee maker to remind me to take my medication in the morning. I have notes on my front door to remind myself to grab an item I need to bring with me. I even have a note above my desk that says “Pay Attention!” so I can avoid zooming out on zoom.

Strategic Item Placement

You can’t forget your keys if you put them in your shoes. I’m just saying.

Get creative with where you put things you need to remember. It can help to pair them with something that you’re unlikely to forget. For example, if you tend to forget your vitamins but you’ll always make a cup of coffee in the morning, put your vitamin bottle in your favorite mug.

Unfun Hour

I always have a litany of tasks that I put off because my brain can’t find the motivation to get them done. I try to set aside one hour a week to get it all done. Usually, they only take me a few minutes.

Grace

I am a human being with an imperfect brain. Some days, I feel like all my gray matter is being held together with chicken wire and twisty ties. And on those days, I allow myself to rest. I let my motivation take the wheel and carry me. If I feel like knitting, I pick up my knitting. If I feel like writing, great! Let’s write. If all I can manage is going for a walk, that’s okay too. I’m productive enough to make a decent living and to have built a pretty great life for myself. I can let everything else go.