Free Printable Worksheets for ADHD Adults
Enhancing Executive Function Skills with Free Printable Worksheets for ADHD Adults
While this article primarily refers to ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), it's important to acknowledge that many people with other neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and auditory processing disorder (APD), also experience challenges with executive functions.
Executive functions refer to a set of cognitive skills that help individuals manage tasks, regulate emotions, make decisions, prioritize, delegate, and more. These functions include abilities such as organization, time management, prioritization, working memory, impulse control, and flexible thinking.
Are you an adult with ADHD? If so, how often do you struggle with one or more of these executive functions? From organizational skills to social skills, becoming familiar with how each executive function impacts you is a great first step in understanding your ADHD brain.
Living with ADHD often means grappling with the passing of time, which can lead to feelings of frustration and overwhelm.
Fortunately, these free printable worksheets offer a practical addition to your toolkit for improving time management skills. They provide a simple but effective structure for helping you to breakdown tasks, prioritize, plan, and reflect.
Additionally, they serve as a valuable tool for promoting self-awareness and accountability. By reflecting on successes and challenges, you can gain insight into your habits and behaviors.
With the support of worksheets designed to enhance time management skills, and reflecting on strengths in addition to challenges, you can cultivate a greater sense of control over your life.
Organization Printables
Think of these worksheets as your personal assistants for helping you brainstorm, plan and begin tasks! Lack of focus, be gone! (Well, sort of.)
Of course, please feel free to tweak them to fit your unique situation and needs. Navigating ADHD, autism, AuDHD and other conditions, is all about resourcefulness and flexibility. Find what works for you and go with it.
When it stops working, for whatever reason, don't be afraid to go back and look at it again. Ask yourself, what changed? What was working and what wasn't? Why?
Don't beat yourself up! That doesn't help anyone.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Completing the Worksheets
Time to fill them in! (The planning phase.) We'll walk you through a brain dump, choosing tasks, and reflecting. You can do this by downloading and printing hard copies, or by filling in an editable PDF.
Feel free to make these worksheets your own, customizing them to fit your unique style and needs! Please note that they are in a PDF format for ease of use.
Decide when, where, and how, you will fill them out. For example, looking at your calendar (or…a calendar?), you might say “On Wednesday at 11:30 am I will fill out one worksheet for 15 minutes as I sit at my desk. I will use my headphones and my erasable pen. Those will be nearby so that I'm ready to begin.”
Tell your accountability partner and report to them when you are done. If something happened that blocked your progress, talk about that too so you can find a solution for next time.
Using the Worksheets
Put those completed worksheets to work! (The executing phase.)
Keep them handy where you'll see them often, or set reminders to check in with them regularly. Or both!
Tape them to a bathroom mirror, or the refrigerator. Anywhere you will visibly see them. Remember that poor working memory is a main tenet of ADHD. So keep them VISIBLE.
Visual reminders are the way to go. So use your natural creativity to MAKE yourself see them. Put them up on a shelf at eye level, tape them to your bathroom mirror, or somewhere extra random like inside your refrigerator!
Enlist the help of an accountability partner. Ask yourself, who can you body double or co-work alongside to help you do what you intend to do? This could be a partner, roommate, or even someone from an organization that specializes in this.
Perhaps there are some family members who would benefit from working on it with you? (After all, ADHD is highly hereditary.)
Tips for Effectiveness
Let's boost their power! We've got some extra tips to help you get the most out of these organization printables.
First, make sure you print out multiple copies. Second, use pencil or erasable pens. Third, try to use a thicker paper if possible.
Something to make it feel different or special to you!
Try breaking tasks into smaller steps or scheduling quick check-ins with your accountability partners to keep things moving along.
If you get stuck in ideation, think, what is the very first step you need to do?
For example, is it to go into the office? Go sit in that chair.
What about background noise? Turn on your white noise machine or spa meditation playlist, or whatever type of music calms and focuses you.
Harnessing ADHD Strengths for Personal Growth
While the ADHD mind presents its fair share of challenges, it's important to recognize and harness the strengths associated with it as well.
These worksheets provide a platform for you to explore these strengths. Whether it's creativity, adaptability, or a knack for thinking outside the box, you can learn to leverage your strengths in meaningful ways.
In addition, this resource offers a structured approach to self-improvement and managing some of the overwhelm.
Importance of Professional Guidance
The importance of seeking professional guidance when using any new tool cannot be overstated.
While these worksheets can be valuable additions for managing ADHD symptoms, they are most effective when integrated into a comprehensive treatment plan overseen by qualified professionals.
Psychiatrists, EMDR therapists, CBT counselors, somatic experiencing practitioners and other mental health professionals possess the expertise and experience necessary to provide personalized guidance and support tailored to the individual needs of each client.
By collaborating with these professionals, you can ensure that your use of ADHD worksheets aligns with your overall treatment plan.
Wrapping Up
This is a process. Perfection is an illusion. As we wrap up, it's important to recognize that managing ADHD, autism, AuDHD, and other conditions as an adult is often extremely challenging.
It's like navigating through a maze with extra twists and turns, with a hand tied behind your back, and where you never know what the weather will bring. You likely have other analogies!
But remember, you're not alone in this journey. There are tools and resources, like these organization printables, designed to lend a helping hand and make the path a little clearer. There are also immense talents and gifts that often go hand-in-hand with being neurodivergent.
Resources
Here are a few helpful resources for adults living with ADHD. Please comment with other resources that you find beneficial!
For more tips on managing daily challenges as a neurodivergent teacher, read the Key Neurodivergent Teachers' Guide to Managing Daily Challenges round-up!
