Mom with ADHD has some beneficial hacks to share with neurodivergent parents: 'Not too grown for a checklist'

TikTok has a library of amazing ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) hacks for everyone, especially parents. We all know that parenting is difficult, let alone as a neurodivergent parent. There are not enough hours in the day for someone with exceptional executive function to accomplish everything. One TikTok mom, Destini Ann (@destini.ann), is working to help mothers with ADHD by providing valuable tips for parents who need an extra hand getting through the day. Ann, a certified parenting coach and mother herself, went viral after sharing these simple and brilliant ADHD hacks for parents on her TikTok. Instead of changing and adapting to her surroundings, Ann changed her surroundings to work best for her. 

She created an ADHD cart, a simple, clever, and efficient way to balance the day. It requires little additional thought or effort to use. Moreover, the ADHD cart is an excellent hack for parents. Ann then flaunts her four-tiered white basket on wheels. Mobility is one of the cart's best features. It is easily moved from room to room, making it simple to pick up and organize items in one location and set them in another place. It's a far more manageable and practical solution for an ADHD brain than simply creating piles here and there or stashing items in a closet or guest bedroom and never seeing them again.

"This is the ADHD cart. Throughout the day, I can just throw stuff on it. Things that are out of place, things that don't belong in this room," she says. "And is it an eyesore? Yeah, but it's a lot easier to just throw that in a closet if somebody comes over versus cleaning up this whole room," she says. Ann also suggests using a visual timer when working to complete a task. Time blindness usually means you are always late or you get up too early to avoid being late. It can also lead to inaccurate estimates of how long a job will take, resulting in "over-promising" deadlines. "I just go on YouTube and pick one of these timers," she says while showing a search display on YouTube. "Really helps my time blindness."

She also doesn't "do" laundry baskets. Ann believes that putting clothes in a "temporary home," like a laundry basket, will cause the task to be put on hold or never completed at all. "We gotta go from dryer to drawer," she says. She focuses on how her environment interacts with her to help her days run as smoothly as possible. "What works better for me is 'you-proofing' my environment to support who I am. Am I a morning person? No. Do I wake up late pretty much every day? Yeah. Does my environment still support us in getting to school on time? Yes, most of the time," she concludes.

She provides even more helpful ADHD tips in another video for parents who may struggle to get their children out the door in the morning. First and foremost, she prepares herself before tackling the children. "I can't be finding your shoes, making your breakfast, and trying to get ready. I'm gonna get overwhelmed and forget something, so I'm getting ready first," she says. 

Also, she creates detailed, targeted checklists that suit her and her morning routine. "I'm not too grown for a checklist, okay? I'm not talking about your standard brush your teeth, wash your face," she says. "No, don't forget your wallet, Destini. Grab your AirPods, Destini. Listen, if you ain't never put your key in the ignition, went to back up, and say to yourself, I didn't turn off a single damn light. I can't relate to you."

Ann also suggests grouping things together as a helpful hack for ADHD parents. She uses her "morning drawer" to get her day started right. Though the items do not appear to be related, they are all part of her morning routine, so she grouped them together into a single drawer. "My multivitamin don't go in the medicine cabinet. It goes in my morning drawer. My eyebrow pencil don't go in my makeup. Morning drawer," she says. "I'ma go ahead and take one for the team and just state it. Those more complex hygiene steps make us feel better. Out of sight, sometimes, they're out of mind. That sunscreen, that tongue scraper — put it in the morning drawer."

Not only will these items get her morning started, but her hack will also contribute to her overall mental health. She claims that when she is about to enter a depressive episode, basic hygiene measures are the "first to go." Seeing these helpful hacks, TikTok users resonated with Ann and some even asked her questions. "A morning drawer? please explain further, I am an ADHD mess with kids each morning and would appreciate that sooo much!" commented @frau_jaeger. "Finally!!!! I found my village!!! keep going I'm taking notes," praised @s.maddoxx.