I’ve struggled with ADHD to various degrees since being diagnosed in first grade. I primarily experience inattentiveness, particularly when what I’m doing only pays off long-term. These are the things that have helped me the most.

  • Watching videos on 1x speed. I got used to faster speeds from podcast listening, and got into a habit of always watching videos at 2x speed (or sometimes even faster). This made it possible for me to watch less interesting content, which ironically, resulted in a lot more YouTube consumption. 1x speed gives me a better chance of noticing that I’m distracting myself plus helps me enjoy my favorite content more.
  • Avoiding music while working. When I’m solving a difficult problem or writing, it’s easy to focus on music I’m listening to instead of thinking. This is especially true for new music that I haven’t listened to before. If I’ve caught an earworm, sometimes listening to that song on repeat can make the song slip into the background, and make it easier to focus.
  • Adderall. I’ve only tried two medicines: Adderall and Vyvanse. Adderall works far better for me. I tried Vyvanse in college. It gave me horrible side effects: significantly worsening my anxiety, reducing my reduced appetite leading to missed meals, and bouts of hyper-attention that on occasion caused me to forget to go to the bathroom. When I have a clear plan for what I want to accomplish with my day, Adderall helps me stay on track. But when I don’t, Adderall can sometimes be counterproductive, reducing my likelihood of breaking out of a distracted spiral. So, I take Adderall only when I have a clear plan for what I want to do with my day. I end up taking Adderall roughly 4 days a week. Days when I don’t take it are a bit more spontaneous and creative. Plus, after not taking it for a while, it’s a little more potent. Aside from a slightly reduced appetite, I haven’t really had any noticeable side effects from my low 15mg dose. I hear side effects vary a lot person to person, so you may want to try several medicines before finding one that works for you.
  • Running. I ran cross country throughout my best years of high school. This improved my attention sufficiently that I decided that I stopped taking Adderall for those few years. I maintain a relatively lifestyle (biking, hiking, walking), but want to try to integrate more endurance sports into my life for improved focus and attention.
  • Focusing on bed time instead of wake up time. When I don’t sleep well, I get distracted a lot more easily, and it’s a lot harder to wake up in the morning. I used to get up as late as I needed to in order to get to work on time. I didn’t have much of a habit around my bedtime. I thought I’d notice when I was tired and needed to go to bed. But much to the contrary, being tired makes me much more vulnerable to getting sucked down a rabbit hole. YouTube, a video game, or even an audiobook can all be more exciting than the idea of going to bed. Maintaining a regular bedtime of midnight, generously before when I need to fall asleep to get my usual 8 and a half hours, has enabled me to often manage to wake up earlier than my alarm.
  • Meditation. Probably because my mom was pretty into it when I was a kid, I avoided meditation for the longest time. I started meditating1 a little over two months ago, and am increasingly able to notice my attention begin to drift something else. Sometimes this lets me stay more focused, but more often it helps me notice that I need a break, am sitting in an uncomfortable position. While in a distracted spiral, sometimes this lets me notice that I’m distracted from my intended activity while I’m transitioning between videos or activities.

  1. I use and recommend The Healthy Minds Program, and think it might be particularly well suited for people with ADHD. It offers both sitting and active meditations which makes it easy to fit meditation in every day. I also like that its long, well structured catalog of lessons and meditations prevents me from ever having to choose what to do next. ↩