📖 Learn
Seven short reads, about a minute each. Each ends with skills to try.
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ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, activity levels and impulse control. It usually starts in childhood and often continues into adulthood, though it can look different in adults.
It isn’t laziness, a lack of intelligence or a character flaw. Many people with ADHD know exactly what to do; the hard part is getting their brain to do it at the right moment.
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Executive functions are the brain’s self-management skills: starting, planning, switching between tasks, holding information in mind and regulating emotions.
ADHD often makes these harder, which is why many strategies here put structure outside your head: timers, lists, alarms and other people.
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Many people with ADHD find it much easier to focus on things that are interesting, new, urgent or challenging, and much harder on things that are merely important.
That’s why a deadline can suddenly unlock focus, and why making a task more interesting or social (music, a body double, a timer race) can help.
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A lot of people with ADHD describe time as “now” and “not now”. It’s hard to feel time passing, to estimate how long things take, or to feel a future deadline until it’s close.
Making time visible and external helps more than trying harder to keep track of it.
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Emotions can arrive fast and feel intense, and many people with ADHD are especially sensitive to criticism or rejection. “Rejection sensitive dysphoria” is a popular name for this; it isn’t a formal diagnosis, but many people recognise it.
A short pause and putting the feeling into words can take the edge off before you react.
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Working memory is the mental notepad that holds things for a few seconds or minutes: the reason you walked into a room, the next step of a recipe.
When it’s overloaded, things fall out. Writing them down and keeping things visible takes the load off.
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If ADHD symptoms are affecting your work, relationships or wellbeing, talk to a doctor. In Germany, your family doctor (Hausarzt) can refer you to a psychiatrist for an assessment.
Support can include medication, ADHD coaching, psychotherapy approaches adapted for adult ADHD, and practical strategies like the ones on this site. They often work best together.
It isn’t a diagnosis or treatment advice. Only a qualified professional can assess ADHD. If you’re struggling, your family doctor is a good first step.