5 Fierce Structures to Improve Your Life with ADHD
Structure, while naturally abhorrent to the ADHD brain, is necessary to live a productive and successful life. Sometimes a simple structure is not enough to keep you on the right path. That is when you need to up your game and implement a fierce structure. A fierce structure involves taking drastic measures to discourage unwanted behavior and encourage wanted behavior. The idea of a “fierce structure” comes from ADHD coach Barbara Luther who has been instrumental in teaching many ADHD coaches how to best serve those with ADHD. Let’s take a look at five fierce structures that might be of benefit to you.
1.) Take Your Credit Card Info off of Amazon
Want to stop spending so much on online shopping? Delete your saved credit or debit cards online. By forcing yourself to input your card information every time you want to buy something online, you will be less willing to spend the money. It is such a hassle to have to input card information every time that you will only do it when you really need something. Impulsive spending will become a thing of the past.
2.) Throw Your Phone Across the Room
Another way to inconvenience yourself is to throw your phone across the room when you want to get work done. If you are sitting at a desk and your phone is across the room, you are less likely to use it to distract yourself if you have to get up and walk over to get it.
3.) Get a Lockbox with a Timer
If throwing your phone across the room does not work, this may be a solution for you. There are boxes you can buy to lock up distractions while you are trying to be productive. These lockboxes have a timer on them and will not open until the timer goes off. This is ideal for when you cannot avoid your phone or another distracting item.
4.) Set Multiple Alarms
It is easy to ignore an alarm. However, it is harder to ignore multiple alarms. To wake up in the morning, I have an alarm across the room that goes off at the same time as my phone’s alarm. Moreover, I have an alarm next to my bed that has a special attachment that slides under my bed and vibrates to wake me up in the morning. When I want an extra alarm, I tell Alexa to remind me to “get the heck out of bed.” I talked about this on a YouTube video once and someone commented, “So basically I need the bed from Wallace and Gromit.” I laughed out loud when I read that.
5.) Never EVER Commit to Anything without Consulting Your Calendar First
When someone asks you if you can do something, make your immediate response, “Let me check my calendar.” Never ever commit to anything without looking at your calendar first. Even when you are sure that you are available to do that thing, it is still a good idea to look at your calendar. You may have something you forgot about, or you may have a lot going on that day that will take a lot out of you. You need to be aware of what is on your calendar before you commit to soemthing. Don’t just look at that day; look at the upcoming days. What will you need to prepare for? There are so many variables to consider before committing to something that it behooves you to always look at your calendar first.
BONUS: Get Creative
Fierce structures are all about preventing what you don’t want to happen and enticing yourself to engage in what you want to have happen. This takes some creative thinking and problem solving, but those of us with ADHD are quite good at being creative. We can do it if we just put in a little effort to be creative.