"Don't Aim for the Perfect Routine" Why Simple Systems Work Better for ADHD
When people are first diagnosed with ADHD, they often decide that this is the moment they are finally going to get organised.
They buy a new diary.
They download three productivity apps.
They colour-code their calendar.
They create an ambitious morning routine and an equally ambitious evening routine.
For a few days, everything goes brilliantly.
Then life gets busy.
The routine slips.
The diary is forgotten.
The apps stop sending notifications.
Before long, people often find themselves back where they started, feeling frustrated and disappointed.
If this sounds familiar, you're certainly not alone.
The Problem Isn't Motivation
One thing I often explain to patients is that most people with ADHD do not struggle because they lack motivation.
In fact, many are incredibly motivated.
The difficulty is maintaining new habits over time, especially when those habits are complicated or require lots of planning.
It's easy to design the perfect routine on a Sunday afternoon.
It's much harder to follow it on a busy Wednesday morning when you've had a poor night's sleep and you're running late.
Simplicity Wins
One of the biggest lessons I've learnt from working with people with ADHD is that the simplest systems are often the most effective.
Rather than trying to overhaul your entire life overnight, focus on one or two changes that are realistic.
For example:
Put your keys in the same place every day.
Check your calendar each morning while making a cup of tea.
Pack your bag before going to bed.
Set one reminder instead of five.
These habits may seem almost too simple.
Yet over time, they often make a much bigger difference than complicated systems that are impossible to maintain.
Build Around Things You Already Do
One strategy I frequently recommend is attaching a new habit to something that already happens every day.
Psychologists sometimes refer to this as "habit stacking."
For example:
Take your medication after brushing your teeth.
Check tomorrow's appointments while eating breakfast.
Put your wallet and keys by the door as soon as you get home.
Instead of creating an entirely new routine, you're simply adding one small action to an existing one.
This makes the habit much easier to remember.
Expect Life to Get in the Way
One mistake people often make is assuming that a missed day means the routine has failed.
Life is unpredictable.
Holidays happen.
Children become ill.
Work gets busy.
Everyone has days when routines fall apart.
The important thing is not avoiding every interruption.
It's getting back to your routine when life settles down again.
Missing one day rarely matters.
Giving up altogether usually does.
Make Your Environment Work for You
We often think about routines as something that happens inside our heads.
In reality, our surroundings play a huge role.
If your running shoes are by the front door, you're more likely to go for a walk.
If your medication is part of your morning routine and stored safely where you'll naturally see it, you're less likely to forget it.
If important paperwork is hidden in a drawer, there's a good chance you'll forget it exists.
Sometimes changing your environment is easier than trying to change your memory.
Celebrate Consistency, Not Perfection
People with ADHD are often very hard on themselves.
If they planned to exercise five times this week and only managed three, they may feel as though they've failed.
I would encourage a different way of looking at it.
Three walks are still better than none.
Checking your diary four mornings out of seven is still progress.
Building routines isn't about being perfect.
It's about gradually making life a little easier.
A Final Thought
One of the biggest shifts I see after an ADHD diagnosis is when people stop chasing the perfect system.
Instead, they begin looking for systems that are good enough.
Simple.
Reliable.
Easy to repeat.
The routines that last are rarely the most impressive.
They're the ones that fit naturally into everyday life.
If there's one thing I'd encourage you to remember, it's this:
Don't ask yourself, "What's the perfect routine?"
Ask yourself, "What's the simplest routine I could still be following six months from now?"
In my experience, the answer to that question is usually the one that's most likely to succeed.
Dr James Glass
MBChB MRCPsych
Medical Director, WMI Psychiatry
