Blog

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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    Learn How ADHD Adults Use a Task Manager to Reduce Their Overwhelm

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    VIDEO DESCRIPTION: If you are an ADHD adult and have a long and complicated task list, you will benefit from using an electronic task manager. As using one will help you to manage and execute on your important work so you can feel less stress and overwhelm. And I know that is something you definitely want! KEY TAKEAWAY: TRANSCRIPT: 00:00 You may think using a task manager won’t work for you because you have ADHD. I don’t think that’s true. Where do you keep your list of tasks right now? If you don’t have one central place, they may be on stickies pads of paper, somewhere in your meeting notes, maybe in emails or on the memo app on your phone. You write them down in these various places,…

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    ADHD Adults Who Want to Be Productive and Not Stressed Use These Calendar Tips

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

    VIDEO DESCRIPTION: (Originally published February 22, 2019, Updated July 28, 2022) The calendar is a critical tool for ADHD adults. But many are not using it as effectively as they could to ensure they are planning their time in alignment with their values and goals. Learn some tips on how you could use your calendar better. KEY TAKEAWAYS: And effectively constructed calendar can help you see whether you are spending your time doing what’s important to you. The calendar is also an important tool to help you remember where you need to be at a certain time, of course. It should be the heart landscape of your life and only include those things that you intend to do at a certain time and nothing else….

  • ADHD Adults Need These 5 Strategies to Break Free of Decision Paralysis

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

    You make lots of decisions every day. But, because you are on autopilot for at least half of each day, you may not even realize you are making decisions. You’re just acting out of habit. Also, one of your ADHD superpowers may be your ability to make decisions in emergencies. So, whether you are on autopilot or in an emergency, it doesn’t feel hard to make the decision. Then there are those times when you feel paralyzed trying to decide, like you’re in quicksand. Sometimes it’s because you’re stuck in analysis paralysis, trying to research and consider all aspects of the decision. But not able to make the decision. Alternatively, you might procrastinate even thinking about the decision even when the lack of a decision keeps you from moving…

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    ADHD Adults Need These 5 Mindsets to Be Successful

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

    (originally published July 26, 2013, updated April 14, 2022) When you think about whether you can learn and maintain changes to feel more in control and less overwhelmed you may wonder if it’s possible. After all, you’ve been trying to make these changes for a long time. And you’ve had varying degrees of success. Maybe not enough, yet. So, can an old dog learn new tricks? Yes, definitely! And you can, too.? Sure, you might need additional knowledge to make these changes. But I think you probably know much of what you need already. What you might need, though, is a shift in your mindset. Think about it. You have had many years of formal schooling. You’ve also picked up additional skills and knowledge to navigate your personal and professional life since….

  • The ADHD Adult’s Guide To The Weekly Review

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

     (originally published July 10, 2016, updated April 4, 2022) While it may seem simple and straightforward, I know adopting a practice of weekly review and planning is hard for adults with ADHD. It is also hands down the one strategy many of my clients have said gave them the most benefit in terms of being productive and feeling grounded. Yet, I know you may overlook or even resist doing it because you: Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll be willing to give it a try, whether you’ve attempted to do it before or not. Because you’ll both buy into that it’s a good use of your time and feel more capable of doing it. Ready to see if this could be true for you, too?…

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    Are You Choosing the Right Tools to Work with Your ADHD?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    (Originally published May 23, 2016, Updated March 11, 2022) It makes sense to look for a solution when you have a problem. And you may spend a fair amount of time looking for answers to your ADHD-related challenges. You probably found this article in one of your searches, right? Even though you may already have what you need. I know you may be thinking, “That’s ridiculous! Why would I waste my time looking for an answer I already have!” Sure, if you realized you had the answer, you wouldn’t continue searching. But sometimes you are not aware you already have the answer because you are not effectively using your tools and strategies. One reason for this could be that you have not customized the solution…