3 ADHD Hacks: Quick Tips to Balance The Overwhelm of Teaching and Parenting As a Mom and Teacher with ADHD
Looking for some easy to implement ADHD hacks to help you manage the overwhelm? I’ve got you covered!
Have you ever looked around your house and felt like someone picked it up and shook it like a snow globe? That’s how I’m feeling today—everything needs attention, but I have zero motivation to deal with it.
Managing ADHD makes it feel like chaos is everywhere. But as a mom and teacher, I still have to function.
Luckily, these ADHD hacks are a few things that help me balance my responsibilities and transition between the many things happening in my day.
Want the quick version of these ADHD hacks? Watch my YouTube Short here to get the highlights!
Managing ADHD often means juggling multiple tasks at once, and one of the biggest struggles I face is staying on track with time. But with a simple tool, I’ve been able to improve my time management, both as a teacher and a mom. Here’s the first of my ADHD hacks that’s made a world of difference…
ADHD Hacks 1: Visual Timers for Time Management 🕒
I can’t begin to count how many times I have gotten a text asking me where I am or what time I will be somewhere. I either lose track of time, or get focused on something and forget what I was supposed to be doing.
This can be challenging in the classroom when I am trying to get things done. Especially when I’m doing something that I don’t enjoy (like marking!).
To help me stay on track, I find using a timer is a good way to stay on task. A visual timer (where I can see how much time is left) is usually what I choose.
Why it Works
Having a visual timer is a clear indication of when I am finished with one thing and need to move on to the next. This is great when I am switching between being a teacher and being a mom.
Often those with ADHD have time blindness, which is having difficulty perceiving time. We think we have so much time to get somewhere or get something done, but often don’t estimate the time effectively.
Additionally, for me at least, when I hyperfocus I lose track of time altogether.
Usually I will just use the timer on my phone because it’s something I have with me all the time.
How to Use It
- Set a timer for each task that you want to focus on. This could be planning a lesson, marking, prepping meals, doing laundry, whatever it is that you have to get done.
- Decide how long you have or want to spend on this task, then set your timer.
- Before you start, decide what you want to do when you are done. Try to make this something you enjoy or look forward to. I know this sounds counter productive, but when I am doing something I don’t enjoy, if I know what I am doing next I don’t have as much of an issue getting through the task.
Bonus Tip – Colour Code It!
If this is your thing and it helps you to feel motivated, you can do things like have different colours or sounds that you use for different areas of ife (work, home, side hustle, self care, etc.)
Now that you’ve got your time management covered, let’s talk about clearing mental clutter. One of the biggest challenges with ADHD is holding onto every thought, to-do, and worry all at once. A simple journaling practice has helped me keep everything organized in my mind and my life.
ADHD Hacks 2: The Catch-All Journal 📒
As strange as this sounds, I have so many different journals. I don’t know what it is, but I love writing things down and planning. For me, the issue is I almost never go back and look at the plan or what I have written.
That being said, I find the one that I use the most to be the journal that I use as a place to just brain dump.
A brain dump is just sitting down and literally writing out everything that is in your head. No punctuation, no grammar, no expectations. Just write it all down. This could be how I’m feeling, what I have to do that day, what I’m worried about, my grocery list, etc.
Why it Works
As much as we might resist it, ADHDers thrive on external structure. Meaning it’s what helps us to stay on track the most. A journal can be a one stop shop for all of the information that gets piled up in your head every day.
I also find that when I have gotten it all out, I tend to feel clearer. Almost like the effort of going over everything I’m thinking is relieved for a short period of time.
How to Use It
- I know this might sound odd, but I find if I treat myself to a journal that I love (the way it looks, feels, etc.) and some really nice pens (I’m loving erasable gel pens right now!) I will use the journal more often.
- I set a reminder in the morning using a habit tracker type app which reminds me to journal in the morning.
- Once the reminder goes off, I set a timer for 10 minutes. I do this while I am drinking my coffee
- For 10 minutes I will sit with the journal and just write. Anything. Everything. Doesn’t matter. Just write.
- Some ideas and things I like to use are stream of consciousness writing, jot notes, doodles, emojis, or lists. Really whatever pops into my brain.
- The best way to go about this, really, is to keep it as simple and enjoyable as possible. Visualizing ideas using drawings and doodles helps some ADHDers because it takes the pressure off of having to figure out what to write.
I know it sounds like a lot of journaling, but trust me, this simple habit can clear up mental clutter and make your day feel more manageable. Have you tried brain dumping? What’s your go-to journaling method?
Bonus Tip – Make it a Creative Outlet
I like to add to my creative practice and do a bullet journal for some things that I enjoy like books I have read, things I need to do, goals, plans, etc.
Doing a bullet journal allows you to be creative with things like coloured pens and markers, stickers, washi tape, and even watercolours.
Writing things down is great for organizing thoughts, but what happens when everything starts feeling too overwhelming? That’s when it’s time to hit the reset button. I’ve learned that having a mental reset strategy can make a huge difference when I feel stuck or burnt out.
ADHD Hacks 3: The Routine Reset Button 🔄
I don’t know about you, but I often find that if I have done something that took me off course, I feel like the whole day is a wash and I need to start again tomorrow. For example, if I’m trying to eat well, then end of having something I hadn’t planned on, I will let myself go for the rest of the day because I already messed it up.
This can happen with other parts of our day too. This is why I have started to think about the idea of a reset button. When I feel overwhelmed with the busyness of my day, I will sometimes shut down and just do nothing.
This then turns into me going to take a nap. I’m not opposed to a nap, but it isn’t always the solution. My thought process is that I already can’t handle today so I’ll just figure it out tomorrow.
Once I started thinking about keeping on track by using a mental reset button, I have found that I am better able to step back into my day instead of trying to start again tomorrow.
Why it Works
ADHD can lead to physical and mental burnout. Let’s be honest, ADHD or not, life can lead to physical and mental burnout. Just being a mom is exhausting. Just being a teacher is exhausting. Trying to do all of the things is definitely exhausting.
Taking a minute to pause, rest, and refocus helps me to feel less stressed. I am then better able to see where I am and where I need to be. This can be physical, like when I just need some quiet to calm my body. It can also be mental, when I need to figure out what I’m doing because I have fallen into a spiral of doing everything and nothing all at once.
Ultimately, this leads to improved productivity and reduced stress. It also helps me to stay on track with my plan for the day (as rough or loose as that plan might be).
How to Use It
Creativity through Colouring
I tend to rely on art and creativity in my day to help me find a moment of calm. To me, it’s almost a form of meditation. I have found things like colouring or doodling can offer a quick creative moment. I really like colouring books that have small images that take only about 15-20 minutes. This gives me a small dopamine hit when the image is complete but doesn’t take a whole lot of time. My favourite book for this is by Johanna Basford called Small Victories (totally not sponsored, she is amazing, check her out!!).
Go For a Walk
Some people like to take a quick walk to feel like they can reset. I’m not the biggest fan of exercise so that isn’t really a calming thing for me personally. The only time I find this really helps if I am walking in a forest setting or near water. This has a really nice calming effect for me, it just isn’t always possible to get there.
Journal
Often when I am overwhelmed it’s because I have way too many things rolling around in my brain. Usually, I am replaying conversations or situations, or worrying about situations that probably will never even happen. I usually carry a small notebook with me or use a notes app on my phone to do a bit of stream of consciousness writing or even just a brain dump.
Breathing or Meditating
I am not the best at this, but if I remember to use it, doing some deep breathing is a really great way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This is like the opposite of fight or flight and helps to physically calm you down.
Meditation is another good one but I just don’t seem to be able to focus long enough to do it. I end up just sitting there in a thought spiral.
I have found that doing guided meditations that I find on YouTube works well because I don’t have to just try to let my thoughts go.
Bonus Tip – Keep it Short!
You don’t need to do this reset for a long time. Honestly, sometimes it’s less than 5 minutes, but it’s enough to break the thought process or overwhelm that I find myself in so that I can move on with my day. This can help reduce the chance that you will get to a point where you are burnt out.
Sometimes, all it takes is a quick reset to get back on track, but managing ADHD day-to-day is still a constant balancing act. By implementing these three hacks, I’ve been able to juggle my roles with a little more ease. It’s not perfect, but it’s progress.
ADHD Hacks in a Nutshell
Teaching and being a mom is hard. Teaching, being a mom, and having ADHD adds another layer. Try to add some of these hacks into your day to help you transition between all of your different jobs, and to manage all the things in your head.
I’d love to hear how these hacks are working for you—comment below or send me an email!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more tips on managing life with ADHD, and check out my other resources here.
You’ve got this, teacher mom! With these hacks and little creativity, balancing ADHD, mom life, and teaching can be just a little bit more manageable.