Excerpts from “Thriving with Adult ADHD” by Phil Boissiere, MFT

Tips to Strengthen your Working Memory

• Keep your brain sharp with movement and exercise
• Protect your sleep
• Label or name a current task before doing something else
• Use positive self-talk

Tips to Help Improve your Overall Memory

• Breathe when you forget
• Rehearse the information
• Use mnemonics
• Check you mind-set

Tips to Help you Follow Instructions

• Write down the instructions
• Don’t get lost in the details first
• Repeat and recap
• Give Context and meaning to each aspect of the instructions

Tips to Managing all Types of Distractions

• Keep your digital devices in check
• Use a distraction log
• Stay clear on the task at hand
• Blow away distrations
• Noise-canceling headphones
• Block distraction with another distraction
• Chunking time, taking breaks
• Always write things down
• Set up a reward system

Learn to Organize and Plan

• The joys of weeding!
• Use a timer
• Assign priority levels to your tasks and goals

Time Management

• Don’t allow vague tasks or tasks without deadlines to drag out endlessly
• Make a to-do list

Flexible Problem Solving and Getting Unstuck

• Pause to take perspective
• Remember to calm your mind to see other perspectives
• Change your work environment
• Inventory your emotions

Enhance your Emotion Regulation

• Watch your emotions rise and fall
• Your sleep and wake times should be consistent
• Meal times should be consistent
• You were built to move, consistent exercise

Build Your Resilience

• Do something scary every day
• Be a guide for others

Manage Negative Emotions

• Take a pause
• Brainstorm possible outcomes of uncertainties
• Remember to zoom out and take a step back
• When all else fails, just stop
• Check your thoughts agains what you see
• Think about what someone else would say