Set Your Environment up for Success
Even if you have a successful foundation for success, we ADHDer’s often need a second line of defense when it comes to actually following through on our mapped out intentions. This would involve reminders along the way. How do we go about doing this for our own selves? Continue reading to find out more.
5 tips on planting effective reminders for your future self
Add “plant a reminder message for your future self” to your regular planning time agenda.
For each action you plan on your calendar, decide at what point in time your future self would need to have that action top of mind in order to execute the action successfully.
Ask yourself what your future self would likely be doing and where your future self would most likely be at that specific time and imagine your own self in that place at that point in the day doing that particular thing to settle into the mindset.
What type of stimulation, i.e., visual, audible, tactile, olfactory… would be most detectible to your future self at that specific moment? Where would this stimulation need to be, in relation to your future self, to produce maximum recognition?
EX: In order to remind yourself to lay your clothes out for the next morning before watching television, you might tape a note to the television saying “go lay clothes out before you turn this on”.
EX Or to remind yourself to get flowers for a loved one on a special day, you may set an alarm on your phone for the usual time you enter your car to leave work that is labeled “stop by the flower shop on your way home to get so and so flowers”.
Plant the reminder immediately after answers one through four are successfully answered.
To wrap up, reminder attempts for us ADHDers are much harder to pull off successfully, but today’s tips have hopefully given you some novel aspects to ponder when thinking about the how, when, and where, which may have convinced you to give it another educated shot without having to rely on outside sources. Stay tuned for next time on using your mess ups (actual actions or reminder attempts) to your future advantage.
You Tube: All our Parts are working for our Good: Part one: Befriending your dark side
Do you have things you do as a first response to stress that feel good in the moment but end up backfiring later? Perhaps, it's the actions you keep to yourself and only a select few for fear of rejection. Watch this video for a way to start a trajectory toward playing nice, making peace, and perhaps even`` nurture the parts of us that insist on those actions and how to accomplish it.. Feel free to like, share, comment, and subscribe below with no strings attached. Most of all, enjoy!!