Top 3 Memory Strategies for the ADHD Brain

It can be frustrating when it feels like you can never remember things when you need to.

You walk into a room and forgot why you went there in the first place. You have to head back in the house because you forgot to grab your keys. You’re telling someone a story, get distracted for a moment, and you forgot what you were talking about.

It can feel like your brain is going on strike and refusing to hold on to any information; throwing it away as soon as it is received. Unfortunately, different aspects of your memory can be affected by faulty executive functions, caused by ADHD.

But, there are a few strategies you can use to give your brain some help.

Write it down

It might sound easy—maybe even too easy—but it doesn't make this option any less effective when you need to remember something important. This is a great option when you will need to be able to recall specific information at a later time like jotting down notes or questions for upcoming doctor's appointments, or writing down something you want to say next, but you need to wait for someone else to finish speaking first.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Repeating words or a list of numbers multiple times in a row is a great way to help you hold on to information for a short amount of time until you get to where you need to put that information. Think of those 6-digit verification codes you get sent in a text or email. If you're like me, you probably see the numbers, say them out loud, then continue to repeat the sequence of numbers until you can input them somewhere else.

Ask for help

See if this sounds familiar: "Oh, darn, we're out of milk. … Hey Jordan, remind me to buy milk when we go grocery shopping." Enlisting the help of other people to help you remember something important is a great option when you may not have time to jot it down, or repeating isn't as helpful. This is also a great use for those digital "friends" many of us keep around the house, like Siri or Alexa.

Now it's your turn

I hope some of these options can help when your brain decides to take a break instead of remembering.

If you have other tips or strategies that work for you, we would love to hear about them! You can Contact Us and share your memory tips, or join our Discord group and share your thoughts with our ADHD Community.

Thank You for Your time and attention,

Nikki