Technology and ADHD

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Are you a technology geek? I know I am. I think I would have been drawn to all those cool electronic gadgets even if I didn’t have ADHD, but as it turns out, having ADHD is almost justification for buying them.

We can use all the advantages of technology to help us manage our Attention Deficit Disorder more effectively.

Here are some of my favorites:
• A PDA, handheld computer, or smart phone. I used to live by my Palm Pilot, but my newest toy is an iPod Touch and I love it. Anything that has, at minimum, a place for calendar events, an alarm to remind you of appointments, a contact list, and a place for notes will work. You would be amazed at all the information that these devices can store and all they can do. If you get into the habit of making real use of them, they can really change your life.
• Online to do and reminder services, like Remember the Milk or Jott. These free applications allow you to make lists, send yourself reminders, and with Jott, you can even call from your phone and leave a message that it will text to whomever you choose. Very cool!
• Label makers like P Touch. Not terribly high tech, but very useful just the same. Adding labels to files, boxes, and just about anything else will make it easier to find when you need it.
• My car keys with the electronic lock on it. I always remember to lock my car, can double check without going all the way back to the car (the horn sounds if it’s locked already), and best of all, I can find my car when I lose it. I just hold it in the air and set off the alarm, and I can usually see and hear it. I’ve scared a few people, though.
• Although I don’t personally use them, I think remotes to help you find lost things are very cool. Here’s a site that sells them for your keys, your wallet, the remote, even your glasses! Now if they only made one I could put on my son’s “tooth”….
• The calendar functions on Windows Live. It allows you to send reminders to yourself by email, messenger, or even your cell phone.

There are a lot more cool gadgets out there, but since I haven’t used them (but would like to), they’ll have to wait.

How does technology help you manage your ADHD?

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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5 Responses

  1. I’ll have to use some of those services you’ve mentioned! To me, sites that let you pay bills online are lifesavers! For some reason it is much easier for me to go to a website and quickly pay a bill using an already saved credit card number, and then go on with my usual web browsing, than it ever was to sit down, write a check, put it in an envelope, address it, find a stamp, walk to a mailbox, etc. (Sounds simple to many people… but when you have ADHD, you tend to procrastinate on things that are kinda boring!)

  2. I could not survive without being able to pay my bills online! I’d have no electricity, heat or water! You’re right – there’s a lot more to putting a check in the mail than people who don’t have ADHD realize.