ADD – ADHD: Succeeding – With A Little Help From Our Friends
For people with ADHD, one of the key strategies used to reach goals is accountability to other people.
If you have help, could you progress further on your goals than if you are only accountable to yourself? Use the following questions to help you decide.
- Do you do better when someone is working with you or just keeping you company?
- Would you be more likely to keep your commitments, if you tell a trusted person of your plans and ask them to check in with you as you progress?
- Is it helpful for you to talk about your plans aloud?
If you are curious, try experimenting.
Ask for help from someone who you think will be truly helpful and non judgmental. For people with ADHD who have felt shame over the years because of their AD/HD symptoms, asking for help can be hard. I know! So, be sure to ask someone you trust and with whom you feel comfortable. Accountability is certainly not about shame and blame.
Rather, if you choose to ask someone to hold you accountable, you may ask them to help you in some of the following ways:
- help you brainstorm ways to reach your goals
- help keep you focused, by reminding you why the goal you are pursuing is important to you
- cheer you on and cheer you up, especially when you feel like you are not progressing as effectively or efficiently as you would like
- do the activity with you, such as going to the gym or studying together
- just be in the same space with you (a body double), as you do your task, such as paying bills or cleaning your office
- share your schedule for completing the project, and ask them to check in with you along the way
- remind you of all that you are doing right!
- Celebrate With You At Every Step…
