Step Three: Experiment

1. In order to help encourage more online discussion about the four basic steps for managing ADHD that we discussed at our 8/10/10 meeting, I'm creating separate blog entries for each of them, focusing on each specific topic and elaborating a little bit. Hopefully this is helpful for the group.
   
   

I seriously doubt there's ever been a person with ADHD who was able to completely, satisfactorily manage all of the symptoms of his or her ADHD through one single change, e.g. starting a medication or starting using a calendar and to-do list.

We're all far too busy and complicated for it ever to be that easy. In reality, most of us require a range of tools to keep our ADHD in check and function at our best: some medication, some behavioral/lifestyle changes, some tools or technologies, possibly counseling or support group assistance, etc.

With dozens of medications that can be used at different dosages, at different times of day and in different combinations with each other, One could spend months or years trying to find the optimal "cocktail" of medicine to help them.

Similarly, there are a seemingly endless array of diet, exercise, stress management, organization skill and other choices that a person can test out in a variety of combinations, with new ones being invented daily.

So how can one experiment safely, effectively and efficiently?

I'll open that question up to the Comments section, but I'd like to share a couple of my own thoughts to get things started:

1. Journal about what you tried. As the saying goes, "You can't manage what you can't measure." If you're not tracking which interentions you've tried (and in which combinations), you'll never be able to identify the most and least effective of them.
2. Change one variable at a time. If you're about to try a new medicine, don't choose that same moment to switch to an entirely new calendar/to-do list setup. If you change multiple variables, it's harder to determine which changes had what effect.
3. Think about timing. For example: As a student, fool around with small, easy, low-risk experiments that aren't likely to greatly upset your performance if they don't go well. Save bigger, riskier experiments for summer break.
4. Keep in mind the external variables. We as individuals are constantly changing, as is our external environment. A medicine that wasn't helpful when a person weighed 240 pounds might be much more effective if they've recently dropped to 190 pounds. An exercise program that never really worked out when you were dealing with your newborn child might be a better option now that the child is off to school each day. You get the idea.
   
   What experiments have you tried?
   
   What do you do to experiment safely, effectively and efficiently?

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