What is the ADHD tax, and how do I pay less of it?

The ADHD tax is what it costs when your brain drops things. The late fee on the bill you meant to pay. The form you started three times. The hour on hold, then ten more minutes digging through old emails for an account number while the agent waits.

I pay it too. You don't need a diagnosis to pay it; a hard enough month will do.

What does the ADHD tax look like day to day?

• Late fees and interest on bills you meant to pay
• Renewals that roll over at a higher price because you missed the date
• Buying something twice because you couldn't find the first one
• Hours spent looking for a detail you know you have somewhere
• The call you keep putting off, because finding the paperwork feels like a whole job

The money hurts. The time hurts more. And the worst part is the feeling that comes with it, that you should have had it together.

The call that showed me the difference

This week I had to call my internet provider about a new modem. Old me would have dreaded it. Where's the account number? Which email was the order in? What does the sticker on the back of the modem even say?

This time, it was all in front of me before I dialled. My assistant pulled the account number, the modem's details and the support line out of my own email and put them on one short list. I read them off. No hunting. No "can I call you back?"

Account information at your fingertips. Never go hunting through emails to find the details. Less time on the phone, so you can get back to what you enjoy: absolutely nothing!

How to pay less of it

You won't stop paying the ADHD tax altogether. I haven't. But you can pay less, and the trick is simple: stop asking your brain to be the filing cabinet.

• Write it down once, in one place. When a bill, a booking or an account number turns up, it goes in the notebook, not in your head.
• Let your assistant do the digging. It reads your notes and your email and finds the detail while you're still putting the kettle on.
• Keep one short list. Only what's yours to act on, one line each. Anything you need to send sits ready right under its line.
• Close the day. Five minutes at the end of the day is what fills the notebook for tomorrow.

What it won't do

This won't change how my brain works, and you should be wary of anything that says it will. It pays some of the tax, so I have more of myself left for the things only I can do.

What to do next

Think of the last time you went hunting for a detail you knew you had. Write that detail down today, in one place you'll look again. That's the first bite.

This is my own experience, not a doctor's advice. If ADHD is making life hard, a doctor is the right first call. The kit is how I keep everything else in one place.