Most unexpectedly helpful “ADHD hack”

I’ve had ADHD my whole life but only got diagnosed last year at 31. I wanted to share the random little shifts that finally clicked, just in case they help someone else too.

1. keeping a small garbage can in every room of my house, and having a large garbage can in my bedroom. I no longer leave trash around my house because there’s always a garbage can within 8-10 steps or so.
2. keep a water bottle at the places I am most often - in my backpack, a large iced cup at my desk (one of the fun starbucks ones) and one on/next to my bed. They all have straws and when it gets empty, I keep it in my hand or on my lap until I go downstairs or get up anyways and then I say "night as well fill it"
3. I have a little bin for only the stuff I put in my pockets before I leave the house.
4. Phone alarm at 8:30pm on a Sunday night. It means "set your alarms for the week". I spend 15 minutes setting my alarms for whatever tasks I have that week. Taking child to school etc.

And the alarms mean "go now". There's no extra time, because extra time means I'll procrastinate. Grab coat and keys and go get your child from school right now. Get up right now. Brush teeth right now. Right now leave for next thing at work. Right now turn on computer for teams meeting.

5. Just saying "fuck it" and doing things out of "order".... For example. in reading a scholarly article, I read at least the introduction and conclusion first, then sectioning it according to headers. (Pro-tip: ChatGPT can section the article if it doesn't have embedded sections/chapters.) It doesn't always makes sense but I deal with that later after I've read the whole text.

Can we make this post a list of ADHD exec function success stories? I would love to hear what works for everyone else here.