I find these tools work great until you "cave" and ignore it.

Like I had a reminder app, worked great for 2 weeks until I ignored it one day. Then it became easy to ignore.

I find this true for every brain hack I've found. It works until my brain realizes it doesn't need to listen.

I don't want to use drugs for ADHD. Especially after seeing my uncle ruin his life over the course of a decade. Productive, excelled, drug addiction, stagnation, collapse. I'm glad he drunkenly told me to stay off it.

I had a teenage diagnosis. I went off it because of the same drunken-misinformation and stigma. 5 year dark age. Went back on it, I was suddenly MUCH more able to build the SLEEP, DIET, EXERCISE loop I need. Going back on my meds, after educating myself properly about them, was one of the best decisions of my life.

ADHD prescriptions are the first line of defense. This is simply a fact of medical science. Executive Function disparity is the result of a chemical imbalance. Receptors for dopamine and Norepinephrine in the ADHD brain are oversized, which ADHD medications correct.

https://youtu.be/38qpm6VKBFc

I was spreading misinformation about the "drugs", when truly they are the proper accommodation and treatment. They are not "meth", they are a therapeutic dose which do not directly stimulate but rather correct a hormonal and neurological imbalance which I require to maintain my executive function and the Sleep, Diet and Exercise which all together healthy accommodate my needs.

Your self-determination is your own and I so I only ask that 1) Inform yourself, don't take your uncle's word on it. 2) I implore that you reconsider spreading the harmful idea that ADHD pills are bad, which can only make us ALL worse off.

Separate, but just as important: Drug User stigma is also terrible. The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is Connection. Healthy Bonds. (https://youtu.be/PY9DcIMGxMs)

Written with sincerity, and frankly, tears in my eyes. It's a topic I've got a lifetime of experience with, and we must break this cycle of stigma.

I don't think you should take medical advice from an alcoholic.

It's unlikely that your uncle's life was ruined by ADHD medication.

I bet alcohol and other recreational drugs had more to do with it.

About that last sentence, drug use was probably a symptom and not the underlying cause. It seems more likely that he had some psychological issues that he didn't seek help for and tried to self-medicate with alcohol.

People with ADHD who medicate are less likely to suffer from drug addiction than the general population, not more.

Yeah, we’re more likely to forget to take medication than to get addicted.

Take a look at Habitica. Free, usable as an SPA or natively on Android or iOS. Replaced 2,5 apps for me.

I really want to like habitica but the game loop doesn’t quite hook me like it should.

I've had an on-again-off-again relationship with Habitica. Having other party members really helps with motivation. However, I fell off once our party lead stepped back and quests stopped.

I did use it while ignoring the game part for a bit. It was still useful, but I did just end up forgetting it later.

Ex-Habitica user here. The accountability element broke me. I quit in shame when I couldn't keep up with my clan members without burning myself out from too little sleep and having too much on the list.

I've personally found if I end up ignore it, it simply wasn't the right tool for me.

I hope the app can help :) If it helps, my experience with ADHD is its such a broad umbrella term that often crosses with other disorders. It's also something that everyone has varying degrees of. Focus on specifically what you need to improve, and don't worry about defining it. I think simply accepting something is overwhelming is often a big step in reducing it's impact on you.

Also take a look at “due”. It gives you the option to “snooze” task alerts. This is an extremely beneficial feature if you have memory/attention issues.

I use Habinator.

It's not just a checklist but works as one as well.

Habit apps are definitely the closest thing I've found.