Everyone says a solid morning routine is the key to a great day, but with ADHD, it's never that straightforward. I’ve tried everything from meditation to rigorous exercise before breakfast, yet I often still find myself scrambling by 9 AM. Last week, I started a simple checklist of 3 main tasks to tackle, and it’s been somewhat helpful. For those with ADHD, what morning routine actually helps kickstart your day? Any specific habits or rituals that reliably set you up for success?

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I keep it very simple. Get up go to bathroom/brush my teeth, get dressed and gather things to leave (keys, phone, backpack that’s already packed, shoes, coat, etc.) leave. I find for me that getting everything ready at night and making part of my nightly routine to get ready for the next day, I am more successful. Before I go to bed, I make sure my keys are in their spot and my bag is packed. If I am packing a lunch, I make sure that all I have to do is move it to my lunchbox. I have my clothes picked out and laid out. And I make sure to go to bed at a consistent time.

The hardest part is not pressing that snooze button and for that I set my alarms early and I set a lot of them.

It’s very rare that I will do my hair and make up but if I feel like it I will allow time for and still keep it simple (usually also planned for the night before). Thankfully my job doesn’t really care/matter if I do or don’t wear makeup/ do my hair.

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I feel that… I swing the other way I am obsessive about it. Like I can’t get a good nights sleep unless everything is done and ready for the next day. I was diagnosed as a kid and as such a lot of my routines and habits stem from what my parents instilled in me (borderline traumatically) as a child. They stuck and I can function… kinda. If I break my routine it’s meltdown mode and I can’t function.

I make the tv show/book chapter my reward for getting everything ready for the next day that way I can actually enjoy it. It’s all about incentives/ consequences with me.

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I’m just floating through life at this point. Following for ideas

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My morning routine is to start off calm. I’ll wake up, get myself out the door with my pup for a coffee run, and listen to my morning radio talk show. Your routine should be slow and easy for a calm brain. Then when it’s time to start work, make a to do list of your priorities and go from there. Consistency is key.

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1. Time your routine before you try to implement it. As we know, scheduling isn’t an adhd strong suit. We always undershoot. That way, you truly know how long your ideal routine takes without potentially sabotaging yourself trying to implement the day of.

2. Behold - The Buffer ™. I know I’m ass at time management, and there are two potential buses I can take to work in the morning, one at 8:18 and one at 8:38. I always aim for the 8:18 bus but I give myself a bit of buffer - I need to be at the bus stop by 8:10, so that means I have to be out of the door by 7:45 - that way if I do something dumb like forget my wallet or my lunch, I can always go back and get my stuff with enough time to spare.

3. It’s hard enough for me to get my clothes on, brush my teeth, shower and pack my lunch in the morning so my routine is just a gtfo routine. I try to put my clothes out and pack my lunch before I go to bed. Am I always successful? No. But I think it’s easier to keep it simple, master that and potentially add on (habit stacking) than commit to something tough that I’ve never done before.

Good luck!

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I do the NYT crossword games before getting out of bed. Probably not great to look at my phone first thing but it’s soothing and also a good way to measure whether it’s going to be a good or bad brain day so I can plan accordingly

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I have t figured it out yet myself to be honest, but I did recently see an ADHD hack where they get those little cool wrist straps that you can attach keys onto, and they put a tag on each one with everything they need to do in the morning (drink water, get dressed, brush hair, make coffee, feed dog,etc) and everymorning the first thing they do is put everyone on their wrost and they cant take any off until the specific task is complete. 🤷‍♀️ Sounds legit to me... Makes it visual and physical, gamifies it a bit, and is a tangible to-do lists.

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What time do you go to bed?

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