As with children and adolescents, adults can benefit from a multi-faceted approach to addressing their daily struggles .

Understand ADD/ADHD

• Learn about the functional impact of ADD/ADHD in general terms: consider the Functional Aspects of Adult ADHD
• Acknowledge that you have ADD/ADHD.
• Read  Nancy Ratey’s book  The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents.

Address Your Specific Needs

• Move past self-blame and take responsibility for yourself.
• Separate your ADD/ADHD from who you are as a person (I have ADHD, not I am ADHD).
• Work to understand the cause/effect of your ADHD symptoms.
• Identify the common difficulties you often face at inhibiting behavior.
• Identify one or two very specific problems that most negatively affect your life.

Plan for Self-Improvement

• Identify your strengths
• Match your strengths (actions that have worked before) to address your ADHD challenges.
• Identify strategies and structures in one part of your life that might help in another.
• Recognize the cues that work best for you (visual/auditory/combination) and use them.
• Create accountability with others.
• Consider if a coach or counselor can help.  Read information on Coaching and Counseling for specific guidance.

Just Do It!

• Develop a sense of purpose.
• Daily work the plan you created.
• Keep a record or journal of your progress.
• Remind yourself of past consequences.
• Get others to help with your plan.
• Be accountable to others and  yourself.
• Be willing to put in the time it takes to change.
• Consider talking to your doctor about the role of medication to improve your ability to  focus on those areas that concern you. For additional information, consider the article Managing Medication for Adults with ADHD from the National Resource Center on ADHD.

Evaluate the Effectiveness of Your Plan on a Regular Basis

• Allow enough time for your plan to work.
• Make time to evaluate the effectiveness of your plan and strategies.
• Change those strategies that don’t work and create new ones based on your strengths and abilities.
• Renew your commitment to the plan.
• Acknowledge your successes along the way in order to energize your effort.