10 Ways You Can Use Technology to Combat Attention Deficit Disorder

I am currently 38 years old. I was diagnosed with ADD in 2nd grade. My parents started me on Ritalin and that definitely helped. But even then I hated the idea of being controlled by a substance. So when I started my Freshmen year in college, I decided that I was going to do everything in my power to survive with out medication. Since then, I tried going back on medication for one month and actually found it to be counter-productive. Don’t get me wrong, medication can help. But I think you can also use technology to help. I list 10 ways I’ve used technology to help my ADD.

1. Todoist – Todoist is a very robust todo list.
2. iOS shortcuts – I use iOS shortcuts all the time and I pair them with automation. Here’s a couple of ideas:
   • Logging Coffee
   • Logging Water
   • Recording my weight in the morning
3. Music – When I can block out the noise around me, I do MUCH better. Noise blocking headphones help even more. Just in the time that it took for me to write this blog, I’ve been pulled away from my computer multiple times because I heard a noise or got distracted. As soon as I put the music on, BOOM, much better.
4. Turning OFF notifications – This one sounds like an anti-technology item, but I think it still belongs on the list. By default, notifications are always turned on for programs like Outlook and devices like your iPhone. I haven’t found a notification yet that can’t be turned off. I turn them ALL off except for phone calls. Then I make a point to open up my Outlook at a certain point in the day. Facebook will always be your worst enemy for concentration if you leave those notifications left on.
5. OneNote – I use to not like OneNote but it’s grown on me. Some of the reasons I like it is I can use customized templates such as for my weekly planning. Then I use automation with Todoist’s API to remind myself to come back to notes the next day/week (depending on the practicality of the subject matter.
6. Automation – I love software like Microsoft Flow, IFTTT, Zapier, etc. Any time you can automate something, that means you can use your concentration for something else. I do believe ADD is a gift because when I am able to focus on a task uninterrupted, I can do AMAZING work. It’s the small tasks that get in my way.
7. Raspberry Pi – A Raspberry Pi is a little computer that runs on Linux. I bought mine for $100 and I love it. I use it to Filter internet content and connect some of my smart devices to my Apple Home app using HomeBridge.
8. MintMobile – Because I have ALL of my retirement and bank accounts in one place, I minimize the risk of getting distracted while on the internet
9. Siri – Voice to Text – My brain works faster than I can type or write. So being able to get things out of my mind works wonders.
10. Chat GPT – I think of Chat GPT as a glorified search engine. I’m constantly looking for ways to write code for Marketing Cloud, websites, etc. Chat GPT is very intuitive and can help me when creating this code.

That’s my list! Please leave any ways that technology helps you focused in the comments!