adhd task paralysis
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Break Free from ADHD Task Paralysis with These 6 Proven Tips

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Follow-Through, Blog

You look at or think about a task. You tell yourself it is important to do. But you just can’t get started. You feel paralyzed – frozen. You may or may not know why. And the paralysis gets worse the more you avoid it, right?  The primary reason is fear. That is, there is something about the task that frightens you. It may feel as though a lion is chasing you. At least, that is how your body interprets the fear. Maybe the “lion” is your fear of failure, appearing incompetent, or not living up to your perfectionist tendencies.  Whatever the origin of the fear, when this happens your prefrontal cortex, which is command central for your executive functioning, goes offline. And your amygdala, your…

Why Virtual Coworking Is the New Super Tool for ADHD Adults
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Why Virtual Coworking Is the New Super Tool for ADHD Adults

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

The idea of coworking is not new for ADHD adults. Though you may have heard it referred to as body doubling and, perhaps, thought of it as something done in person. Now, of course, that has changed, as coworking/body doubling is done as often in virtual spaces. And that is a definite boon for ADHD adults for reasons I’ll explore in a bit. It seems, since I first started writing about body doubling for ADHD adults in 2013, it has become much more popular in the last few years. Maybe that’s because it took an upswing in the early days of Covid; a time when people were craving connection, as well as support in being productive while at home with all the competing distractions.  I…

ADHD Focus
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The Top 10 Tips ADHD Adults Need To Have Better Focus Every Day

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Sometimes I know the challenge for you may be starting. Then there are other times when you start, sort of. But just can’t seem to find the traction you need to focus and attend the way you want. There are all sorts of ways your ADHD may be contributing to this challenge. Knowing how your ADHD symptoms affect your ability to focus and attend will help you choose the right strategies to follow through with what’s important to you. It’s Your ADHD Brain Wiring One of the first keys to unraveling this conundrum is to understand your unique brain wiring.   I like to think of the ADHD brain as a stimulus-seeking heat missile. In fact, attention deficit is a misnomer. Because, it’s not that you…

adhd energy
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4 Ways to Boost You Energy When You Have ADHD

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

When you saw the title of this article, perhaps you thought you’d learn more about what ADHD adults can do to manage their energy throughout each day, like eating, sleeping, etc. No doubt, these day-to-day efforts are important! But to be productive and manage your ADHD symptoms, you’ll need to take a longer view. To do this, you’ll need to consider the four dimensions of energy – physical, mental, emotional, and human spirit. But, like many ADHD adults, you may be primarily focused on trying to work faster and focus better — not be distracted. Have your efforts paid off? If not, I’m not surprised. After all, your time and willpower are limited. You only have so much time in the day, right? And your…

adhd task paralysis
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You Can Start Prioritizing Better Now by Taking These 4 Steps

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

(originally published February 23, 2016, updated April 14, 2023 Do you find it hard to prioritize what you should be working on at any given moment and wonder why it is so hard for you to make these decisions? If you do, you’re not alone. Like other ADHD adults, you may find this hard for two common reasons. One is that it may often feel as though everything on your plate is equally important. It may also feel as though it all needs to be done now, if not yesterday. Of course, this makes it hard to choose what to do each day and contributes to your feelings of overwhelming stress. One of the ways you can turn this around is by learning how to…

Ready to Stop Being Reactive and Be More Intentional? Here’s How.
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Ready to Stop Being Reactive and Be More Intentional? Here’s How.

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Planning & Prioritizing, Blog

(originally published March 11, 2018, updated March 10, 2023 ) What first comes to mind when you think of ADHD and mindfulness? Like many, you might first envision needing to sit still, meditating for long periods of time. And conclude that there’s no way you can do that. Maybe not. But mindfulness is so much more than just meditation.  And one of the most effective yet overlooked strategies ADHD adults need to operate effectively. That is, incorporating more mindfulness into your daily practice can help you be more often in alignment with your values and goals.  My best guess is it is often overlooked because it can be more difficult for ADHD adults to practice mindfulness for reasons I’ll cover below. But I think it’s worth the extra effort. Maybe that’s obvious since I’m writing this post….

adhd conversations
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Part 3 – How ADHD Adults Keep Conversations From Going Horribly Wrong

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Communication, Blog

(originally published November 10, 2017, updated January 12, 2023 )  Communicating well in everyday run-of-the-mill conversations can be difficult for ADHD adults. I wrote about this in the two previous articles, ADHD Adults Communicate Better Using These 7 Listening Tips and 5 Strategies You Need to Use to Be Better Understood in Conversations. But you will need a different skill set to handle crucial conversations. These are conversations where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, according to authors Joseph Grenny et al. of  Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High. The authors also note that: Our natural tendencies in moments that seem threatening lean toward fight or flight rather than listen and speak. This can be especially true for ADHD adults for reasons I will explore in…

adhd conversations
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ADHD Conversations Skills You Can Use

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Communication, Blog

In my previous post, Part 1 – ADHD Adults Communicate Better Using These 7 Listening Tips, I explored some of the challenges you may have listening well. And suggested strategies you could use to listen better. But, if you’re interested in communicating better, you likely also want to learn how to improve your ability to convey your thoughts.   And, as true with listening, your ADHD likely contributes to the challenges you have making yourself understood. I’ll explore some of the reasons for this below. But your ADHD is only a piece of the puzzle. Because your communication patterns have also become a habit. And this is the good news! Because, once you better understand how your ADHD may get in your way, you can learn and…

adhd listening
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How To Be A Better Listener With ADHD

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Communication, Blog

(originally published June 17, 2020, updated November 14, 2022 ) I know you have read and so know quite a bit about communication, including how to listen better. Yet, despite having all this information, you may still be struggling to implement it in a way that helps you communicate the way you want. So now you are wondering, “Am I just unable to listen and communicate well?!” That may be the case right now.  But, if you are struggling to implement the advice you’ve accumulated over the years, it’s likely, at least in part, because you haven’t customized it to fit your unique needs, including those related to your ADHD. Here is the good news! You can change that. So, you can communicate the way…

notetaking ADHD
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Notetaking Strategies For ADHD Adults

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

VIDEO DESCRIPTION: Notetaking is an essential skill for ADHD adults to be able to take away essential information from various types of conversations. Yet, you may not know how to do it very well. Here’s how you could do it better. KEY TAKEAWAYS: TRANSCRIPT 00:01: When you were in school, if you took notes, you were likely motivated to do so because you wanted to remember the information for a test or a quiz or exam. But I’m guessing, unless you took a study skills class, you might have not learned how to do so very well. So now as an adult, you might not take very many notes, maybe because you’re not sure what to write down or you think you’ll remember what you…