ADHD Tools & Strategies

Tools, systems, and strategies to help adults with ADHD take action, get organized, and follow through more consistently.

ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADHD and Using A Task Manager
ByMarla Cummins October 4, 2012May 14, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

What does your To Do List look like? Is it those scribbled notes that you have lying around that are supposed to remind you to call Bob, email Sue, pick up the milk, etc.? But what happens when you leave: the piece of paper with “milk” written on it still on the counter? the sticky with “call Bob” stuck safely on your monitor at work… and you are working at home? the reminder to “email Sue” on your calendar for last Tuesday… and it is a week later? your To Do’s in your head? I know, leading questions, right? If the above sounds familiar, and you are feeling overwhelmed and disorganized, maybe it is time to give up the system that works… kinda, sorta, some…

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ADHD Time Management | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADHD and Being More Proactive, Not Reactive
ByMarla Cummins July 6, 2012June 15, 2025 ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Do you know what is on the horizon? A common concern I hear from clients is: “I don’t know how to prioritize. So, I can plan?” If you are an adult with ADHD, planning and prioritizing may not be your strong suit. But it is possible to strengthen these muscles. While there is no easy answer or one right way to do this, the key is to review and plan on a regular basis, weekly and daily. And, as you do this consistently, the pull of immediate gratification (doing whatever catches your attention in the moment) will weaken. Below is a step by step method you can use to make this easier. Advantages of Regular Planning: And if you can do this consistently, you will…

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ADHD in the Workplace | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADHD and Finding Solutions to Problems
ByMarla Cummins March 9, 2012June 18, 2025 ADHD in the Workplace, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

When faced with a problem, it is all too easy to focus on what is wrong. After all it is a problem! And for many adults with ADHD focusing on the problem may lead to endless non-productive ruminating. Can you think of an example in your own life when a problem seemingly hijacked your brain? You may even have tried distracting yourself with a productive activity, like a project, or a non-productive activity, like watching TV. But that was only a temporary fix. The thoughts, like the air from a window that has not been properly sealed, kept seeping back into your brain. And the problem remained! So you thought hard about how to solve the problem. Makes sense. You have a problem. You need…

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ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADHD and Making Mistakes – Now What?!
ByMarla Cummins December 29, 2011June 26, 2025 ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

You messed up… If you are playing a big game professionally, you will not get it right 100% of the time. When you push your limits you will inevitably hit some speed bumps along the way. This is true for everyone. And, as an Adult with ADHD, you may have particular challenges. But what do you do when you make a mistake? How do you move forward Interpreting Your Mistakes Do you view each mistake as a sign that you are a screw–up? Perhaps, you see each mistake as an affirmation of your inability to perform well in any realm. And, after each misstep, you proclaim some variation of, “I can’t do anything right.” Unfortunately, this is too common a perspective for many adults…

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ADHD Time Management | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADHD and Getting Things Done: Is It a Match?
ByMarla Cummins November 4, 2011May 14, 2025 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?…

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ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

The Power of Putting On The Brakes
ByMarla Cummins June 22, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

I know it when I feel it. It usually begins with this odd ringing noise in my head. If it continues, it might build into this energy in my body that makes me feel like I might combust at any moment! When I get this feeling now, I recognize that I am entering the territory of overwhelm; a territory that many with ADHD visit with some regularity. In the past, I might have spent a fair amount of time trying to get something done or, alternatively, trying to decide what that something should be. Usually, I just ended up wasting time. And the pressure just kept building – I could not think coherently. It took me a long time. But I have figured out that…

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ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADHD and Decision Making: Stopping The Fire Drills
ByMarla Cummins June 9, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Some rights reserved by Freakazoid! As adults with ADHD many of us think fast and have too many thoughts at once. So, it is no wonder that making decisions can feel overwhelming. Consequently, when we feel overwhelmed, we may delay making decisions. Some decisions may even remain on the back burner indefinitely because we do not have a strategy. Other times we are forced to make a decision at the last minute, compromising our ability to arrive at an optimal solution. True, the stimuli we get from having to complete tasks at the last minute may help us to get things done. This leads some of us to believe that we operate best this way. After all, we completed the paper, report, yard work, etc….

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ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

Are You Motivated? Answer These Questions To Find Out
ByMarla Cummins May 27, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

As I’ve written about in the past, both eating and exercising can be part of a holistic treatment plan for ADHD . Last week in my article, The Two Key Steps To Creating The Change You Want I shared with you a bit about my challenges with eating well. This is not the case with exercise, though. Over the last two years I have been able to consistently exercise. Though I have fallen off the wagon, of course, I have been able to resume within a short amount of time. I know that both are “good for me.” In both cases, I know the vital behaviors that that will give me the greatest leverage and allow me to persist. See last week’s article for more…

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ADHD Time Management | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

Are You Trying To Defy The Law of Physics?!
ByMarla Cummins April 14, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

If you have been following my writing for a while, you know that I think quite a bit about values and their relationship to Adults with ADHD being able to reach their goals. One of my recent goals, admittedly short term, was to ensure that my daughter enjoyed her birthday. But, rather than actively planning, I thought about it and thought about it…until the day finally arrived. It was 5:00 am the day of her birthday, and I literally bounded out of my chair to go to the 24 hr store. In spite of the fact that I was inundated with work, I was able to pull off the morning celebration. What finally prompted me to get into motion? I reminded myself of the importance…

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ADHD Time Management | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

Does Your Life Feel Like A Trip to The Mall?
ByMarla Cummins April 7, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

When I walk into a mall, which I do not do very often, I almost immediately become overwhelmed. How do you respond when you are flooded by so many choices? Do you walk into every store, and buy whatever catches your eye? And then you get home and beat yourself up for spending too much money. But you do not know what to return, so you keep it all. Alternatively, do you feel incapable of making any choice? You may walk into every store in the mall. But besieged by so many choices, you don’t buy anything. This is my usual m.o.! Mega Mall of Life These two approaches to making decisions about commitments are common for many with ADHD.

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