Forming habits is the backbone of managing executive dysfunctions like ADD/ADHD. What works for me may not work for everyone, here are some techniques I've found helpful for forming habits to manage my life. # Techniques ## The Skip One Rule Most habits are formed around periodic tasks, often daily, sometimes more, sometimes less. One technique I've found to be very helpful in forming new habits is allowing myself a *skip*, but only one in a row. The idea is, you allow yourself to defer some executive function for the next time that the task comes around, but you at least end up performing the task half of the time. Not all tasks fit well into this rule, especially ones that are less frequent than daily. In those cases, other techniques may be more effective. Further, some tasks really aren't tasks at all, but more abstract. For example "I want to use a paper journal to keep track of my work" is not something that has any periodicity to it, so the rule can't apply. More often than not, it's still possible to set a goal that does work with the rule and is likely to lead to the end goal. Taking the journaling example, when I first set out to use a paper journal, I set the goal "write at least one line in the journal every day" which does play nicely with the periodic of forming habits. ## Control Your Environment Put items that make you think of your goals in places that they will be visible and at hand when the relevant task is to be done. If not possible, use other visual reminders. Sticky notes can work, but I actually find a journaling or task management software (TODO apps, [[Obsidian]], etc.) to be more effective once you've formed the habit of using them. In fact, I'd argue that forming a habit of managing tasks *externally* is the single more important thing you can do.