3 easy ADHD-friendly hacks to avoid forgetfulness

simple, straightforward tips for remembering the important things, instead of squirreling away from them

You are not squirreling all over town this week. No ma’am no sir. Not if you’re implementing these 3 straightforward squirlie hacks!

They’re all some version of “put the reminder in the right spot.”

You’ll notice that, with all 3 of these hacks, all I’m essentially telling you to do is think about WHEN you’re gonna need to remember the thing, and which medium it’ll be the most helpful to receive the reminder.

Ever wondered why ADHDers have 35 different to-do lists, digital and physical calendars, and 14 different agendas, but still choose to write the most important things down on the back of the light bill next to the bowl of apples on the kitchen island?

Because THAT is where they’ll SEE the reminder, meaning that’s the place that’ll be most helpful in the moment they need the reminder the most.

This is also why I put a list of which cans are in the pantry on the inside of the pantry door, and a list of which produce and meat we have on the inside of the fridge, and a list of which cookbooks have the chocolate chip cookie recipes I want on the inside of my kitchen cabinet.

My neurotypical friends see that and think I’m insane, but my neurodivergent friends see it and think “shit, that’s wicked smart.”

Things that a neurotypical person consider OBVIOUS are often things neurodivergent people think are overwhelming or difficult — which is why, when it comes to things like this, sticking to systems that work for non-squirrelly brains won’t work.

#1 — Treat Siri like she’s your new best friend

Specifically, the kind of best friend who cares about every single breath you take and every single move you make.

(If you didn’t just sing that creepy song by The Police in your head, I can’t with you.)

No joke I LITERALLYYYY say “Hey Siri, remind me to…” 614 times per day.

And it’s not just reminders for “in an hour” or “later today” — I’ll fully be planning my whole ass life 1 Siri reminder at a time.

Siri, remind me Wesley has gym tomorrow and needs to wear sneakers. (But I set this reminder for every single day he has gym for the entire school year.)

Siri, remind me it’s Gretchen’s birthday. (But I sent this reminder for every single May 17th til the end of time.)

Siri, remind me I want to go pick out pumpkins for the front steps. (But I thought of this in July.)

Siri, remind me the Christmas soap is in the green box in the attic. (But I sent this reminder as I was putting it away last December.)

#2 — Email Yourself Everything

While the Siri-reminder-for-everything hack works for me most of the time, I *am* known to “throw my phone in a ditch” for most of the workday, so Siri isn’t always an available companion (and I may miss a work-related Siri reminder if my phone is in a black hole).

In this case, I email myself — similar to Siri — absolutely everything.

I’ve had an email scheduled to hit my inbox on December 1 about all the back-end tasks I want to work on during my time off since April.

I’ll email myself newsletter ideas, reminders about someone I need to respond to, to-do lists for the next day; anything related to work that I know I need to do, because I know I ALWAYS check my work email every single day.

TL;DR: I schedule emails to land in my inbox exactly when I know I’ll need them — like a little digital Post-it note from past me to future me.

And speaking of Post-it notes…

#3 — Post It Til It’s Done

My office wall is covered with sticky notes of all the work-related tasks I have to do, and I’m not allowed to rip them off until I’m done.

Each week (on a Squirlie Sunday, duh — you know how I feel about preparing for the week on a Sunday!), I review which work-related tasks I need to do, and if its respective sticky isn’t on the wall yet, I add it.

These are all must-do tasks, like “Maddy’s website copy” and “finalize October’s Swipe File” and “make creative for ads.”

Once I finish the task — 100% done, not a single line-item left on its individual to-do — I’m allowed to rip the sticky off the wall.

And let me tell ya, it’s satisfying as all hell.

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I hope your week is just a liiiittle less squirlie after reading! If you liked this newsletter, I’d love for you to send it to a friend with ADHD or squirrel tendencies :)

Here’s what I’m planning on sharing with you in the future:

• My Toggl strategy — how I track my time & set up my Toggl account

• My Google Calendar strategy — how I use gcal to keep my head on straight

• Everything I do on a Sunday to quiet my brain — life and work

• More ADHD productivity hacks like these!

…and lots more up my sleeve, of course.

See you next Sunday 🐿️