For 5 years I've managed my ADHD drug free.
For the first 2 years, I experimented to find techniques that would help. Most failed. But a few successful experiments changed my life.
Often, people ask me how they can implement these techniques into their life. And while I'm happy to keep writing about those, I realised that the order I do the techniques matters a lot. So here's a journal of a day in my life.
A day in the life of a drug-free ADHDer
Preparing for a great day starts the night before.
Why?
Because good sleep is essential.
If I'm not well rested, my techniques are harder to complete.
To ensure a good night sleep, I avoid caffeine at all costs.
Since ditching caffeine in 2016, my sleep has improved significantly. Before 2016, I was a borderline insomniac. Today I sleep 7 to 8 hours, religiously.
Other ways I improve sleep:
No screens after 7pm
Read books
Listen to music or podcasts
Meditate before bed.
I meditate for 20 minutes right before I go to sleep. This calms my mind down, creating a distance between me and my thoughts so they're not bothering me as my head hits the pillow.
The morning:
I wake up at 6am (with an alarm).
I'd love to wake up without an alarm, but that's unrealistic with a 20-month old son.
I give myself 45 minutes to an hour before he wakes to win the day.
I start every day with 20 minutes of meditation.
It doesn't matter what type of mediation you do, but Transcendental Meditation is easiest for ADHDers. I do Vipassana Meditation.
After 20 minutes, I'm calm and centred.
Next I take a cold shower.
The cold shower wakes me, boosts my dopamine, norepinephrine and adrenaline. I do 5-minutes. There's little use for caffeine after that.
Then I head downstairs to feed my son.
I skip breakfast, as I'm part way through an 18-hour fast that won't finish until Midday.
Fasting is important because it boosts my focus. I've experimented with different types of fasts vs. no fasts. The 18-hour fast boosts energy and focus best.
It's counterintuitive, but restricting food boosts your energy.
At 9am I start work.
I work in 25 minute cycles that look like this:
Set 25 min timer
Work for 25 mins
Once buzzer goes, get up and stretch/walk around house (or outside)
Do 2 mins of breathwork (usually quite intense)
Rest timer and repeat cycle
I'll repeat the sequence until midday.
At lunch it's time to break my fast.
What do I eat?
Wholefoods mostly. Vegetarian and low in sugar and carbs -- avoiding ultra-processed foods (as they destroy focus and play havoc with ADHDers brains).
The afternoon:
The afternoon is often tough for ADHDers.
Our attention reserves are depleting. We've consumed too much screen time and our brains need to rest.
Sadly, the workday still requires something of us.
For years I struggled in the afternoon, but for the past year I've found a way to keep going quite easily.
After lunch I do another 20-minute meditation. This acts like a reset, giving my brain the chance to recover from the morning.
I finish the mediation and do some very intense breathwork for 3 to 4 minutes. This sends a load of oxygen to my brain and boosts my energy.
I then repeat the 25-min pomodoro technique for a couple of hours -- often finishing work around 4pm to play with my son while my wife cooks dinner.
Summary:
Meditation
Cold shower
Fasting
Breathwork
Pomodoro Timer
Wholefood
What else helps?
I use Brain.fm during each 25-minute work sprint. It's a cheap app that plays music designed to boost focus.
I swim in the river or take ice baths as often as possible.
I walk outside whenever I get the chance.
Exercise -- HIIT training or resistance training.