Top 20 ADHD Tools I Can’t Live Without

In no particular order!

1. Melatonin 3mg

I don’t mess around when it comes to sleep because it’s so crucial to brain functioning. Seriously, before you can work on anything else, you have to take a look at your sleep. Without decent sleep, everything else in your life will be a struggle. I’ve generally been a good sleeper, but I go through periods when sleep just seems too boring. If you take stimulant medication, you may know from experience how it can wreak havoc on your ability to go to bed easily. What helps me most is taking a low dose (more is not better in this case!) of melatonin about 1-2 hours before I intend to go to sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that your brain makes in response to darkness, and it’s vital to your sleep-wake cycles.

2. Multiple Phone Screen Protectors

I can’t deny that I have my clumsy moments as many ADHDers do. In addition to finding random bruises on my legs from bumping into things, dropping my phone happens far more frequently than I’d like. Stocking up on extra screen protectors to keep around prevents me from smashing a naked phone after I inevitably crack yet another protector.

3. Magnetic Dry-Erase Whiteboard Sheet for the Fridge

Forget what you have in your fridge until the vegetable drawer is full of gross, decaying items you have to throw out? Yeah, me too. Sticking a whiteboard sheet on the fridge creates a highly visible place to put a grocery list as well as a spot for reminders about what leftovers need to get eaten, or what produce needs to be used first.

4. Magnesium Flakes for the Bath

Magnesium is easily absorbed through your skin which means you can just throw it in the bath and enjoy the health benefits while you relax! It’s good for sleep, preventing anxiety and depression, helping with hormone balance, maintaining low blood pressure, and a whole whack of other good things. Plus it leaves your skin feeling kind of soft! What’s not to like?

5. Indoor Outlet Timer

Consistency isn’t my strongest point. It’s hard to stick to a rigid routine for things like turning on the plant light that helps keep my fussy light-thirsty plants alive in my north-facing apartment. The solution was to set up the light to this timer so it automatically switches on at the same time every morning, and switches off at the same time each night. As an added bonus, having a visual light reminder of the time seems to help me keep better time awareness in my days.

6. Lucky Iron Fish

A lot of folks with ADHD are iron-deficient, especially those who have menstrual cycles. An easy way to bulk up on iron is to boil one of these with water that you later might use for say, a smoothie base, soup, or whatever else you might cook involving water. Every little bit helps!

7. Omega 3 Fish Oils and Vitamin D3

Brains love omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.

8. Sleep Masks

I am hooked on using sleep masks to maintain consistent darkness while I sleep. My fiance works in the film industry where start times can be before the crack of dawn. Sleeping with one of these on makes it easier for me not to be disturbed while he gets ready. Or if your curtains or blinds let in some light in the morning, you won’t be the wiser. I have inadvertently trained myself to associate the eye mask (and my mouthguard) with sleep so it also helps me get in the zone when sleep seems too boring.

9. Loop Quiet Noise Reduction Ear Plugs

Life is friggin’ noisy. I feel like as I get older, the more sensitive I am to noise distractions. A trip to the grocery store can feel like a LOT depending on how busy it is. These things are a delight. They come in a bunch of colours and help take the edge off. You can still hear important things, but the background hum is dampened. If you experience misophonia (it me) these are a godsend for surviving meals with loved ones who are anything other than silent chewers.

10. Spiky Sensory Finger Rings

I just love them.

11. Ashwagandha and L-Theanine

Focus!

12. Bullet Journal

Organization, but my way! not unlike many other ADHDers, I crave novelty and flexibility but thrive with structure and routine. Finding the balance where I can is vital. With a bullet journal, it’s easier for me to plan things my own way, and then also brain dump or jot down recipes in the same book without messing up a calendar page or what have you.

13. Visual Timer

14. Pill Organizers

With all my supplements and daily meds, things can get out of hand when I try to remember what I have taken so far, and what I still need to take. Eliminate the mental load and use these things to keep track with ease. Just make sure to refill them each week— now that’s the tricky part.

15. Noise-Cancelling Wireless Headphones

Not only do these provide a nice sensory buffer from outside noise when I need to watch or listen to something important, but they also create the “zone of working” psychologically for me. When the headphones go on, it’s focus time.

16. Peloton Subscription

Finding ways to exercise that aren’t boring or miserable has been a lifelong challenge for me. What’s been most successful at keeping me consistently interested and moving my body are Peloton’s classes. I bought the bike last year, but before that, I was using the Peloton app with a much cheaper spin bike from Amazon. I absolutely love the variety of instructors, class types, music styles, themes, and so on. But it’s not all bike stuff by a long shot— I enjoy their strength classes, outdoor walking classes, meditation, yoga, and cardio as well. It also may sound silly but you can earn badges by doing certain types of classes, or completing challenges, which greatly appeals to my “gotta catch ‘em all” mentality. And, I mean, being able to do arm strength classes to ridiculous Disney hits from the ‘90s? Literally, what’s not to love?!

17. Garmin Forerunner 45s

I bought this watch because I used to be into running and even ran a couple of half marathons, but these days I’m more about indoor cycling as my preferred form of cardio. Regardless, having a smartwatch that I can use to track workouts, heart rate, and sleep is handy. Not only that but this watch does a gentle buzz when I receive calls and notifications on my phone, so I can be tapped into my schedule and reminders without being glued to my actual phone, which is always the goal.

18. Utility Cart on Wheels

I like having everything I need out in front of me when I’m working on something. It’s not always practical when my desk isn’t massive or the project I’m working on has about 5 different books involved. The cart is perfect because I can have everything at a glance, and move it back into a corner when I’m done with it— very little clean-up involved.

19. Mouth Guard for sleep

I’m a big jaw-clencher and teeth grinder at night, likely related to my medication. I also had no idea I was doing it until my dentist saw damage to some teeth! He hooked me up with a fancy one of these, but really, it works exactly the same as these. Wearing a mouth guard at night takes a little getting used to, but it’s well worth it if it prevents expensive damage to your teeth!

20. Fidget Jewelry

Rather than fidget jewelry, I like simple pieces that just happen to have a nice fidgety, sensory component to them. Like a (not-tacky) Harry Potter-inspired time-turner pendant I got from Etsy a while back. It spins in a cool way and is a great thing to poke at in place of tearing at my cuticles during a movie or meeting, for example.

Wondering what other ways you could work with your ADHD symptoms rather than against them? I can help!