ADHD and Time: 4 Steps to Getting Places on Time
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ADHD and Time: 4 Steps to Getting Places on Time

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

  Time can be elusive for many with ADHD. So, it is no wonder that running late is a common problem. I bet you have had times when you felt like the man in the picture above. Maybe more often than you would like. Yet, I know you want to get to places on time because you want to be responsible and honor your commitments. It would also be nice to be grounded and present once you arrive at your destination, right? Just think of those times when you arrived someplace feeling like you had just slid into home base. How ready were you to engage in the task before you? Even if getting to places on time has felt like a fire drill up…

ADHD and Performance: Putting The Odds In Your Favor
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ADHD and Performance: Putting The Odds In Your Favor

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

Why is it that you do not follow through on the goals that are truly important to you?! If you are like most adults with ADHD you may at times scratch your head and wonder why, despite your best intentions, you don’t follow through. Though you may at times question whether this is true, it not because of lack of desire. Remember, you have already decided that the goal is one you truly want to pursue. My guess is that you have not set up your environment to support you in achieving what you want with your ADHD in mind. Time to close the gap between your intentions and actions.

ADHD and Productivity: Do You Know What Action to Take?
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ADHD and Productivity: Do You Know What Action to Take?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

  How many different tools and strategies have you used to help you become more productive? You did the research. Read about how other people used it successfully. And said to yourself, “this tool is the ticket.” In my last post, ADHD and Getting Things Done: Is It a Match?, I shared with you that I thought most readymade systems, like David Allen’s GTD, are not made for “out of the box” use by Adults with ADHD. I also explored how you can work with your ADHD and use GTD in the article, The First Step in Taking Control of Your Tasks. The Second Step is to sort your tasks so you can decide what action to take with each one. Weekly Review The best…

ADHD and Getting Things Done: Is It a Match?
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ADHD and Getting Things Done: Is It a Match?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

“Marla, what do you think of David Allen’s Getting Things Done?” I’ve been getting this question enough lately from my clients that I thought I would answer it here, as you might also be curious about GTD. I like GTD, and think the concepts could be very useful. But would they be useful for adults with ADHD? Maybe. As I was rereading the introduction to GTD, I came across the following that gave me reason to pause. …everything I propose is easy to do. It involves no new skills at all. You already know how to focus, how write things down, how to decide on outcomes and actions, and how to review options and make choices. Hmm… What if this is not true for you?…

Marla Cummins Social Graphic
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ADHD and Electronics: Should You Pull the Plug?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

For a long time I did not watch TV at all. Then I discovered Hulu and Netflix… Sometimes, I admit,  I watch too much TV, especially during the winter months. I’ll even multitask – checking email and watching a show. Mostly, I watch TV as a way to relax and turn off my brain. Is this ok? Exploring an Opinion What is the impact of electronic use by children and adults with ADHD? Last week Pierre de Villiers emailed me the comments below and asked me to respond. Since I thought my response would be of interest to many of you, with his permission, I decided to answer it in a public forum. While Pierre’s comments are about children, the issues he raises are also…

Marla Cummins Social Graphic
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ADD – ADHD: Do You Know This Strategy to Prevent Overwhelm?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

What Do You Want To Say “Yes” To? Being self employed and a single parent of a middle school age daughter, my life is full and can be overwhelming, sometimes. While I am certainly blessed to be a parent and to have my own business, I still find myself occasionally wanting to do more, and feeling like I “can’t.” There are times, lately, when I struggle with the “need” to say no to other opportunities. Then I remind myself that I could say “yes,” instead, if I made different choices. I remind myself that every choice has a cost. Recently, I’ve been feeling isolated in my business. So, I have been thinking of ways to connect with other people professionally. Like many with ADD –…

ADD and The Disappearing Mojo: What Do You Do?!
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ADD and The Disappearing Mojo: What Do You Do?!

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

I’ve been pondering, lately, how creating structures to help you follow through and complete important tasks can sometimes seem futile. When you have ADD, creating lists, setting deadlines, making schedules, and breaking down tasks into smaller steps is critical to your success. So, when you have these in place, it can seem absolutely maddening when it feels like you are still spinning your wheels on those days you just don’t have the energy. If this is the case for you, you may be missing a piece of the puzzle. Knowing Yourself I like my work. But sometimes, when I wake up, I have no motivation. Zip. Zero. Nada. Even though mornings are my supposed  good time, I have acknowledged that I will have these days…

Are You Being Productive or Just Working?
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Are You Being Productive or Just Working?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

  Sometimes I find myself sitting at my desk with no particular objective in mind. It is what I call, Seat Time O’Rama. You know. It is when you are just kinda hanging out because you feel you should be working, but you are not really getting anything done. When I catch myself, I stop, try to figure out what I need in the moment and change course, so that I am not wasting more time. Sometimes what I really need to do is eat, exercise, read, call a friend or family member, take a nap, do housework, take care of finances, make appts or, yes, do another business related task. Being productive isn’t always about doing work.

Who Else Wants to be Productive?
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Who Else Wants to be Productive?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, ADHD Organization, ADHD Time Management, Blog

Last week my daughter started 3 weeks of overnight camp. As I am self employed, caring for my daughter is one of the few activities that put boundaries around my work. If you have read any of my writing before, you know that I work hard at making values based decisions. And caring for my daughter is one of my highest priorities. So, when the reason for putting aside my work is to step into the role of parenting, it is generally easier for me to stop working. Lack of structure Now that I have literally no parenting responsibilities, other than writing letters to my daughter. I really lack structure and, honestly was a bit adrift for a few days. I could do anything! As…

Discover Where Your Time Flies
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Discover Where Your Time Flies

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Organization, ADHD Time Management, Blog

Do you know how you spend your time? Many with ADD find that time is somewhat elusive. That is, there is now and not now (later). The first step in getting a handle on time is to discover how you are spending it now. Dr. Neil Fiore, in his book, THE NOW HABIT,  suggest keeping a log for at least  three days of how you actually spend your time. After doing this, you can better understand where you time is going, and make an informed decisions about how you want to spend your time. To do this, divide the day into segments that make sense for you. Below is an example of how “Tammy”  spent her day.