Systems for Living With ADHD

Living with ADHD can be difficult at times. My short-term memory struggles, I get distracted easily, and I am impulsive. Even while writing this article, I am distracted by the cat’s morning zoomies and spellcheck highlighting all the words I am spelling wrong and the grammar errors along the way.

At the same time, ADHD can be an advantage. There are moments when sitting down and hyperfocusing allows me to get an incredible amount of work done.

Growing Up With ADHD

When I was in school, I had a hard time focusing on most tasks. There didn’t seem to be much that I was good at or interested in, aside from history, writing, and art. It was a strange combination, but those were the subjects that held my attention.

I was diagnosed with ADHD in second grade. In the early 1990s, I was a kid bouncing off the walls. At the time, there was very little understanding of how to support a child who couldn’t sit still or stop talking. Medication was the default solution, and I was medicated from second grade through seventh.

In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-III changed the diagnosis from “hyperkinetic impulse disorder” to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). In the early 1990s, the DSM-IV established the three presentations of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined. Even with these evolving definitions, practical support systems were rare.

By eighth grade, I stopped taking all my medications. I felt like a zombie, drifting through life and missing out on basic emotions and interests. At the time, I was prescribed antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, and Ritalin. Despite all of that, I was still not doing well in school. Being excused from class after lunch to go to the nurse’s office and take a handful of pills is not an experience that inspires confidence or motivation.

Growing up, I had never even heard the term neurodivergence. Nobody taught me systems or strategies to manage the core issues I was dealing with, largely because most people didn’t fully understand them yet.

Understanding Neurodivergence Today

Today, we have far more resources. Research on neurodivergence continues to grow, and public awareness has increased significantly. More people are interested in understanding ADHD and finding ways to work with it instead of against it.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that falls under the broader umbrella of neurodivergence. Neurodivergence refers to natural variations in how human brains develop and function, including ADHD, autism, and dyslexia. ADHD specifically involves challenges with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, often alongside strengths such as creativity and intense focus.

An estimated 7 million U.S. children aged 3–17, or about 11.4%, have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to CDC data from 2022. Among adults, about 6% of the U.S. population has an ADHD diagnosis, and roughly half of those adults were diagnosed later in life. New adult ADHD diagnoses increased from 2020 to 2023, likely due to greater awareness, reduced stigma, expanded telehealth access, and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adult Life and Rediscovery

I worked in a CNC machine shop for about ten years. During that time, I was re-diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. I still struggled more than many of the adults around me, especially with complexity and sustained focus. The work was more complex than I preferred, but interesting enough to keep me engaged. That balance turned out to be important.

It is unsettling to spend a large portion of your life without understanding your own thoughts, patterns, or impulses. There were many times when I was convinced I had finally found something I was good at and genuinely interested in, only to burn out three or four months later. Hyperfocusing on fundamentals and hyperfixating on details eventually led to exhaustion and depression. I began to question my own judgment. How long would this interest last? Was it worth the effort? Was I wasting my time?

Learning Systems Instead of Forcing Willpower

Having access to modern research and shared experiences has been a relief. It helped me understand that my challenges were not unique or personal failures. That understanding is a major reason I share what I learn. Teaching helps me learn, and passing information forward creates meaning. That is also why I made my ADHD minimalist morning routine free to the public. It is a system that helps me start my day simply and efficiently.

As a kid, doctors and therapists told me I needed to plan my days. My parents bought me planners that I used for a few days before abandoning them in a drawer. Years later, while moving out of my dad’s house, I found some of those planners. They were full of doodles and distractions and clearly showed that the system never worked for me.

Like most people today, I rely on a smartphone. I use it as an external brain. When used correctly, it helps me stay on track. Early on, I overloaded my calendar and notifications until everything became background noise. Over time, through trial and error, I simplified.

Now I use reminders for practical, high-impact tasks: bill due dates, pulling protein out of the freezer in the morning, and taking the trash cans out on Sunday night so they are ready for Monday pickup. I even set short, recurring mantras to go off a few times a day to prompt self-reflection.

Journaling and Pattern Recognition

I journal when I feel the need. Writing helps organize my thoughts and identify recurring patterns. I started journaling intentionally after finding an old notebook from about ten years earlier. It was full of random entries: grocery lists, budgets, drawings, business ideas, and even a list of potential names for my son. What stood out was how many of those ideas were still circulating in my mind years later.

That discovery pushed me to start journaling with intention. I now keep multiple journals and periodically review them. Every few months, I do a mental inventory to see what themes and ideas are quietly repeating in the background of my thoughts.

Mindfulness and Self-Regulation

Once I understood how my brain works and why I do what I do, things started to click. I became better at catching myself before impulsive decisions went too far. I learned to recognize when my thoughts drifted and when to step back and reassess.

Mindfulness has become more of a function than a deliberate practice. It doesn’t stop distractions or impulsive thoughts from appearing, but it helps prevent me from continuing down those rabbit holes. It allows me to return to the task at hand.

Treating the Brain Like a Muscle

Viewing my brain as a muscle that needs regular exercise changed my perspective. Some things come naturally to me, such as writing. Activities like word searches help keep my mind sharp. That habit may be learned from watching my grandfather work through newspaper puzzles when I was young, but it still serves a purpose.

Small, consistent practices help hold my life together. I could likely do more, but progress matters more than perfection. Right now, I am moving forward on a path I have not veered far from.

These systems do not cure ADHD. They reduce friction, increase clarity, and make daily life manageable.