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

Are You Getting The Feedback You Need?
ByMarla Cummins March 17, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

I have had prospects and new clients say to me that they wish they had known about ADD Coaching sooner. When I heard this again, recently, I began thinking about the usefulness of mirrors. Of course, in the most literal sense, most of us are glad that we have them to save us from the embarrassment of going out in public with spinach still in our teeth or toothpaste on the corner of our mouth. But for many with ADHD, having different types of “mirrors” also provides us with the tools we need to manage our challenges Getting the Feedback You Need For example, it is not always easy to figure out what is going on when you procrastinate. Are you resisting doing an…

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ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis | ADHD Time Management | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADD – ADHD: Do You Know This Strategy to Prevent Overwhelm?
ByMarla Cummins March 3, 2011June 15, 2025 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 –…

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ADHD Communication | ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADD and Anger: Is It Getting In Your Way?
ByMarla Cummins February 17, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Communication, ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

One of the hallmark symptoms of ADD is the struggle with managing emotions, such as anger. If you answer yes to the questions below, your anger may be getting in your way. Do you tend to wear your emotions on your sleeve, but would rather not? Do you go from 0-100 mph in a split second and wonder how you got there so fast? Do you become frustrated with others easily, and then regret it later? You are not alone What Is The Problem? Dr. Russell Barkley, a foremost authority on ADD and author of the book Taking Charge of Adult ADHD, notes the following: “It is not that the emotions they experience are inappropriate, but that those with ADHD are more likely to publicly…

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Managing Your ADHD Takes Time and Planning
ByMarla Cummins February 4, 2011June 26, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

I introduced the Six Stages of Change in the previous article, Understanding and Managing Your ADD: Change Can Happen…. If you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you read it before continuing. Then read on to continue learning about the Stages of Change. Can You See Choices. Everyday, we make choices. Depending on the circumstances, we are more or less conscious of the implications of our daily decisions. Sometimes, we have no idea of what may follow from a seemingly inconsequential decision, like Gwyneth Paltrow’s decision to take one train over another in the movie Sliding Doors. It is true. Sometimes, we make choices in the moment, and we have no idea what could follow from that decision. We decide to go to a restaurant…

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ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis | ADHD Time Management | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

ADD and The Disappearing Mojo: What Do You Do?!
ByMarla Cummins January 21, 2011May 14, 2025 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…

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ADD and Acceptance: Accelerating Your Progress
ByMarla Cummins January 14, 2011May 14, 2025 ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Tools & Strategies, ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

Recently, I was talking to someone about marketing my business. Below is an adapted version of our conversations and email communications. Me: I think that for business owners with ADD, they would be drawn to a biz coach who specializes in ADD and can help them focus on making more money. For many business owners with ADD, it is all of the executive functioning challenges (planning, prioritizing, making decision, organizing…) that are getting in their way of making money. Without the understanding of ADD, people may not get the support they need to implement strategies and build skills that will last. What do you think? J: The ADD is the process, you can use it; however it may be limiting and even people with ADD…

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ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

Knowing your Weaknesses – Operating From Your Strengths
ByMarla Cummins December 24, 2010May 14, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Part 2 of Series on Moving Forward Last week, I wrote about choosing to focus on what is important to you. If you haven’t read the post, Stop Keeping Up With The Jones, I suggest you read it now. Knowing Your Weaknesses Can you think of a time when you’ve been so engaged in something that just felt so right that the time simply flew? It felt easy. It felt fun. I bet you were working with your strengths. Alternatively, have you ever done work that felt so arduous that you thought your head was going to explode and you wanted to escape through the floor? Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but you know what I mean. Maybe, instead, you just tried…

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ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

Stop Keeping Up With The Jones
ByMarla Cummins December 16, 2010May 14, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Part 1 of Series on Moving Forward I should keep a cleaner house, work more hours, be more organized, make more money, go on more vacations… What should you be doing? Whenever I say, “I should,” I know there is a great possibility that the “Jones” are lurking in the corner. I can’t see them, but I know they are there. Perhaps you have the Smiths in your house. It is probably a safe bet to assume you do when you find yourself judging yourself against some external standard.

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ADHD in the Workplace | ADHD Time Management | ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

Are You Being Productive or Just Working?
ByMarla Cummins December 10, 2010May 14, 2025 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.

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ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

You Have a Plan: How Do You Change Course?
ByMarla Cummins December 2, 2010May 14, 2025 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

When you think about attempting to reach your goals, what image comes to mind? Does it look like the image above? For those of you who have read my book, you know that I write about SMART Goals.To be sure, setting SMART Goals is a critical part of getting to where you want to go. After all, if you don’t know where you are going, you just might get there. 🙂 Are You Too Attached to Your Goal? At the same time, being too attached to and too focused on your goals can get in the way of doing what is right for you at any given time.

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