I Tracked My ADHD for 90 Days – Here’s What Happened to My Memory and Focus

You can’t cure ADHD, but tracking your daily routine may help reveal what makes it better or worse, so you can take steps to get a grip on your attention and forgetfulness.

I was diagnosed with ADHD many years ago. 

The fact that I made it through high school and college was nothing short of a miracle. 

When it came to submitting my papers, the only thing that would get me off my ass was an overwhelming fear of a looming deadline that would sometimes snowball into a full-blown panic attack. 

At midnight (10 hours before the deadline), I’d be powering through a 20-page paper I promised myself to start working on 3 weeks ago. 

But even when I’d dodge the bullet and pledge to start working early next time, I would make the same mistake over and over again – a scenario that continued into my adult life.

Though the stakes got higher when I got my first job.

Then my ability to focus directly affected my ability to pay rent, so I had to get my shit together.

I devoured productivity books and even got myself a fancy leather planner.

But no matter how elaborate my to-do lists were, my mind had no filter.

I had this knack for coming up with completely random thoughts that had nothing to do with the task at hand.

Something as trivial as noticing a pen on my desk would trigger a bizarre chain of thoughts…

“Where did they make it?”

“Were the workers fairly paid?”

“Why does my handwriting suck so bad?!”

My attention was like a golden retriever chasing after different smells in the park

In short, it was hard to keep a job. 

My boss and coworkers would grow tired of my excuses for missed deadlines, and I’d find myself out of work, emailing resumes again. 

My personal life was hurting too. 

When my partner was pouring his heart out, I would zone out, wondering if I had fresh clothes for tomorrow morning. 

I’d be constantly late for our dates (or forget about them altogether), only to make excuses and hope he understands that I’m not taking him for granted.

I continued living like that for much of my twenties, but things got out of hand when we got married and had kids. 

Missing dates was one thing, but forgetting to take my children to doctor’s appointments meant putting their health, and their life, in danger. 

I had to do more than just manage to get by. 

Doctor: “Why don’t you start tracking your ADHD?” 

Years ago, my doctor suggested tracking my ADHD in a journal to see what made it better or worse, so I could deal with it more effectively.

It made sense, but the whole process seemed tedious. 

I enjoy writing, but looking for ADHD clues in my scribbles just didn’t appeal to me. So at the time, I shrugged it off. 

This time though, with my family on the line, I couldn’t leave any stone unturned, so I asked Google how to make this tracking thing work.

Well, that’s how I found out about the Effecto ADHD-tracking app. 

First, they quizzed me about my routine and lifestyle to get a pulse of where I was at with my ADHD.

Then, I got their app, spent around 10 minutes playing with the setup, and was good to go. 

They have a bunch of things to track… diet, sleep, exercise, etc. You can also add your own custom tracking factors if you like. 

I started tracking what I ate, drank, how many hours I slept, how long I worked, watched TV, and so on.

Then I ranked my memory and focus from 1 to 10 (1 being the worst and 10 being the best).

In the first week, I built a habit of tracking all activities. 

I thought it would be a hassle, but the more I did it, the more fun it turned out to be. 

I could see how different activities were impacting my attention on a daily basis, which became like a game I was looking forward to every day.

Slowly, patterns started to emerge. 

30 days went by, and one morning, I checked my ADHD report… 

There it was, in black and white… activities that robbed me of my memory and focus, and others that seemed to promote it.

My Top 4 ADHD Triggers

#1 Caffeine-free

Nobody messes with my coffee.

But sometimes, I overindulge, which makes me jittery and impulsive – not a great state to be in for someone struggling with focus.

So before I started my ADHD tracking experiment, I challenged myself to give up coffee completely. 

Turns out it was a bad idea. 

My tracking report showed that eliminating caffeine meant I was sluggish and tired most of the time – a sign of withdrawal, sure, but I also missed the daily pick-up from moderate consumption. 

My solution was to find a sweet spot which happens to be two cups per day (one in the morning and one right after lunch at 1 PM). 

That way, I avoid the jitters and have enough time for my body to flush out caffeine so I can sleep deeply at night.

#2 TikTok

I don’t know exactly what it is about TikTok, but I’m glued to it, especially at work. It’s like a black hole of productivity. 

I have faith I’ll eventually get it out of my system (as I did with Facebook and Instagram).

But for now, I got myself a Kindle with a bunch of novels to counter the pull of TikTok’s addictive dancing videos. 

#3 Reddit

To someone with ADHD, Reddit is like cocaine. You just can’t get enough of it.

A seemingly quick visit can take me deep down the rabbit hole where reality and a sense of time vanish. 

Once I saw how often Reddit disrupts my focus, I made a pledge to limit it to one hour per day with a maximum of 15 minutes of reading time per sitting. 

I hate restrictions, but at that time, that was the only way I knew how to deal with the Reddit binge. 

#4 Late bedtime

When I’m sleep deprived, the only goal becomes to survive. 

I’m a zombie, lurching in a mist, desperately hoping to avoid bumping into something. 

The last thing I want to deal with is an urgent task at work or a family emergency. 

If I end the day without bruises, I call for a moment of celebration. 

Then, I promise myself to get to bed on time. 

But knowing my addiction to coffee, as well as TikTok and Reddit binging late at night, it’s a promise I often break. 

So I promised myself to fix my caffeine and screen time habits first. Then I’d be sleeping like a baby. 

#5 Medication

I was also tracking my meds intake. 

Not so much to see if it works (I’ve been taking Adderall for years, so I knew I could barely function without it), but just to keep tabs, so I don’t forget to down a pill. 

Knowing my fish memory, that can happen a few times per week. 

Just to be clear, it’s not that these things were under my radar all this while. 

I suspected some of them were potential culprits. 

But now that I had solid proof in front of me, I couldn’t just shrug them off.

Which fueled me to act. 

Over the next 60 days, I started tweaking my routine while still tracking it with Effecto to keep myself in check. 

60 days later… results

Amazing things happened. 

My screen time shrunk from 6 hours to just 1.5 hours per day. 

I started drinking coffee again but limited it to one or two cups per day.  

I was in bed by 11 PM and got up at 6:30 AM without a snooze. 

In those 3 months, I missed only 5 doses of meds. 

What did this all mean to me in terms of my ADHD?

Well, everything. 

I was powering through tasks at work faster than ever before, which meant I closed my day earlier and could spend more time with the kids.  

Instead of zoning out or interrupting conversations with my partner like I was used to, I stayed present and actually listened, which dissolved much of our conflict and drama at home. 

I stopped forgetting about important things like booking my kids for regular health checkups, which meant I no longer qualified to be a “bad mom.”

And… I lost 8lbs!

Since I was tracking what I ate, I started shifting toward healthier food choices even though I didn’t set on this experiment to lose weight. 

To sum up, tracking worked.

For one, it opened my eyes to see behind the scenes of my ADHD.

And, two, it gave me the accountability to make changes and stay on course.

I’m still tracking my daily life to this day, which gives me a sense of control over my condition. 

Occasionally, I fall off the wagon, but having a tool like Effecto gives me clarity and confidence I can always get back on track. 

While there may not be a cure for ADHD, you can always do something to make it better.
Start tracking your routine with Effecto to find out exactly what that is.