I am currently re-researching ADHD management (for gods know what time already) after wasting the entirety of the past two days.
Wherever I go, I only see people talking about medication. How good it is, how to approach it, what to expect from it, how it was impossible before meds, how to treat them, etc.
I cannot obtain meds. Stimulants are illegal in my country. Strattera isn't, but I am afraid that I will not be able to pursue diagnosis for reasons I am not going to share here. Please do not tell me how good meds are - there is nothing I can do to have them.
I tried organising my thoughts, having a schedule, and so on (org mode in emacs), but I have forgotten about it, every single time I tried it. I have set up a periodic notification to remind me of it, I quickly started ignoring that.
What can I do to make it better? How can I make sure that I will not just forget to do the things that make it better? How can I make sure that I will not outright ignore the things that help me?
I went unmedicated for 30 years. A few things I found that worked:
Exercise Having a consistent exercise schedule helps so much with energy and mood management. Keeping myself on a constant energy baseline during the day without constant up/down spikes really alleviated ADHD symptoms in the workplace. I did mostly resistance training with occasional cardio.
Strict scheduling / using a planner This worked in the last few years but it required a level of emotional maturity and self-belief to utilise properly. You need to believe it is necessary to follow this schedule to the best of your ability but also not put yourself down for getting behind and missing tasks. For a long time I would inevitably fall behind at some point and start hating myself and get stuck in a zero productivity hole.
Working conditions This is by FAR the hardest to control but it made the most difference. I never fit into a 9-5 unmedicated but I did well at a job where I could do all my work after midnight as long as it was completed in time. I would do what I wanted to during the day and then start getting all my work done from the evening. If you are the opposite and prefer mornings then the other way round might be better but the same overall idea still applies.