Fortunately, going through this struggle myself has allowed me to amass a few helpful tips that can help you get more consistent—and meet you where you are instead of where you think you “should” be:

1. Spread the supply: Does all your medication being inside the bottle on your kitchen counter help when you are already en route to work? Didn’t think so. Having a few extra pills kept in your work bag, desk drawer, or attached to your cell phone in a handy case like this can be a life saver.
   
   
2.  Out of sight, out of mind: While prescription and supplement bottles are not the most aesthetically pleasing things, tucking them inside the medicine cabinet leaves us vulnerable to the “out of sight, out of mind” ADHD trap. Storing them somewhere like on top of your pillow or in the K cup compartment of your Keurig shifts from passive recall to an active visual reminder you’re less likely to miss.
   
   
3. Habit pairing: Also known as habit stacking, this tactic includes pairing the thing we want to do (take our medication) with something we already do (like brushing our teeth, driving to work, having morning coffee…you get the idea). It can be easier than creating a new medication-taking habit all on its own.
   
   
4.  Smart alarms: Alarms lose their novelty fairly quickly, often resulting in setting more alarms or varying the timing to keep it novel. Many smartphones have the capability to set “smart” alarms that can tell when you are arriving at or leaving a location and can pair reminders or alarms to that time. Need to pick up dog food on the way home from work? Set the alarm now and your phone will alert you as you navigate the parking lot. Want to double check you took your medication before heading off to school? It works for that, too!
   
   
5. Simplify the regimen: Regardless of your diagnosis, remembering to take any medication multiple times a day can be challenging. Try checking with your doctor to see if a longer-acting form of your medication might help you cut down from two or three times-a-day dosing to just one.
   
   
6. Different formulations: Is the challenge with taking your medication more about swallowing the pill or capsule itself? Some people may struggle with swallowing itself, throat irritation, or reflux. We are lucky to have different formulations—ways of delivering a medication—like liquids, patches, ointments and injections that can make it easier.

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t remember to take my medication 100% of the time. Even so, these tips have helped me get a lot closer to that, and it has made such a difference!