The Weekly Level Up Let's level up our ADHD lives a little, shall we?

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If you have ADHD — or you’re raising a tiny ADHD human — you already know that multi-step instructions are the enemy.

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You tell your kid, “Go brush your teeth, put on your shoes, and grab your backpack.” And what happens?

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• They run off to do the thing.
• Their brain only processes step one.
• Five minutes later, they’re standing in the kitchen holding their toothbrush, looking confused.

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Been there.

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So, here’s what I've been doing instead:
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First, I keep it to three or four steps max. After listing the steps, I stop my youngest (who is 9) before she takes off and ask,

👉 “What are your steps?”

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If she can’t repeat them back, we go over them again until she can. Then I send her on her way.

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Rock solid. Works nearly every time.

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If she can't remember the steps after trying a couple times, I consider that they may be too complicated or there's too many of them for her current executive function threshold. Make them smaller or break it up. Then try again.

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And let’s be honest — this isn’t just for kids.
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I do this to myself all the time.

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If I have multiple things to do in a row, I say them out loud before I start.

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• “Coffee, email, pay bills.”
• “Laundry in, dishwasher out, start dinner.”
• “Reply to this text … then actually hit send this time.” (Looking at you, unsent drafts folder.)

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Because with ADHD brains, it’s not always that we just forget things. Sometimes, we just never processed them in the first place.

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Intentionally hitting the breaks and actively engaging your brain in the moment, instead of just flowing through it on autopilot, can help bridge the gap between "I thought about doing things" and "I actually did things."

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Your turn! What are your favorite ADHD brain hacks? Hit reply and share!

Cheers,
​Kim

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