Sound the Alarm!

There are alarms for everything.

In every facet of our lives, there are alarms created to let you know something: “wake up”, “dinner’s ready”, “there’s someone at the door”, “FIRE!”. It seems like we can’t go anywhere without being told something by beeps, dings, or bells.

Then, there are the alarms and notifications recommended to help keep you on track, especially when you have ADHD. I challenge you to search for “ADHD productivity tips” and try to find one that doesn’t include adding alarms or timers to your routine.

The problem

But, when your brain is constantly firing on all cylinders when you have ADHD, the added noise of these ringing reminders might seem like more of a nuisance than a help.

I’ve heard plenty of stories from clients and the Taking Control ADHD Community that using alarms or setting reminders don’t work for them.

So, why does everyone keep telling us that alarms are a great solution if they don’t work?

Here’s the truth: Alarms DO work.

Alarms work exactly the way they’re supposed to: You create a day/time to receive a notification or audible interruption and you will get exactly what you asked for, when you asked for it.

The problem comes when we don’t follow up the alarm with the intended action. Most of us can find the “snooze” and “ignore” buttons on our devices with our eyes closed. We can’t bother to be bothered. Then, somehow, we begin to assume we “aren’t good with alarms” and “they don’t work” for us.

From this angle, can you see how that logic might be a little flawed?

What’s the point?

I can hear you asking, “why do I even need alarms, Nikki? What’s the point?”. Well, I’m so glad you asked, dear reader! Here are a couple reasons you should reconsider alarms when creating accommodations for your ADHD:

• Time blindness

  If you have ADHD, you are probably aware of your inability to estimate time. Unfortunately, estimating and evaluating time is an executive function that can be quite difficult with ADHD. The use of alarms allows you to truly focus on an activity while giving yourself a time limit so you don’t miss the other things you may need to do or the places you need to go. *Ding* It’s time to get to my next point!

• ADHD Memory

  Memory, and more specifically, working memory, is another area where ADHDers need a helping hand. Alarms are a great tool to make sure you don’t miss that dentist appointment or forget that your quiche is baking in the oven.

Make it work

Now that we know the ‘why’, it’s time to talk about the ‘how’. How do we change the way we interact with our alarms and reminders?

1. Review

   Take a few minutes to evaluate how you currently use alarms. It may help to write it down. Be sure to note which alarms you always follow and which alarms you tend to ignore. Do you see a pattern?

2. Investigate

   Try to figure out the reason you ignore certain alarms.
   • Are they related to a disliked task or a task you often avoid?
   • Is it a task that doesn’t need an alarm?
   • Does the alarm sound fade into the background until you don’t even notice it anymore?

3. Try something new

   Once you’ve figured out the reason behind avoiding the alarms, it’s time to mix it up and try something new with alarms that may just work.
   • Use different sounds and tones for your alarms so they don’t get boring and begin to fade into the background.
   • Create alarms that serve a purpose. You may not need to create an alarm for every single thing. Just think, if everything is an “emergency”, then nothing is.
   • Move the alarm creator (for most of us that’s our phones) farther away. The act of having to get up and remove yourself from your current activity to silence the alarm adds an extra layer to encourage you to transition to the next task. There are even alarm clocks you can buy that roll around your floor, causing you to chase and catch the noisy offender before you can turn off the alarm.

Ultimately, we have to accept that we are responsible for whether or not we respond to all the different alarms in our lives.

Today, I would like to challenge you to re-evaluate the alarms in your day-to-day. If you find something that isn’t working, see how you might change it into something that works.

Thank you for your time and attention,

-Nikki