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How ADHD Adults Can Do What Is Important But Not Urgent
ByMarla Cummins September 1, 2016 Blog

Wonder how ADHD adults can prioritize when it seems so hard right now? Maybe you’re just trying to get through the day. And it seems like you’re often in a reactive mode. Sure, you’ll want to adopt the skills, strategies and habits you need to get a better handle on your day-to-day tasks But I bet you don’t want to wait until you have everything under control before you act on your longer-term goals, right? Below are strategies you can use to work toward your big vision now. Even if your days are not going as smoothly as you’d like. # 1 – Create a List of Your Projects The first step is to create a list of all your active projects — any task…

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ADHD Emotional Regulation | Blog

How to Deal With Setbacks When Trying To Work With Your ADHD
ByMarla Cummins August 17, 2016June 15, 2025 ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

Wonder how ADHD adults deal with failure? One mistake we often make when we are learning new skills, adopting new strategies or changing our habits is we think there is a destination. That is, we think we will get to a place and be done, home free, fixed… But the truth is we never get “there.” Rather, we have to work on maintaining the progress. On some level I know you get this… But, like me, I bet you forget, especially when you hit the occasional speed bump along the way. So, when you are working hard at creating the change you want, and you have some sort of setback, you may be tempted to give up. In the moment, you think, “Whatever! I tried,…

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Adult ADHD and 3 Scheduling Commitments You’ll Want To Keep
ByMarla Cummins July 21, 2016 Blog

ADHD adults need to use certain time management routines. Clearly defining your work in advance makes it easier for you to start and follow through on your tasks. And the time to do this is during your Weekly Review, which I outlined in my last post, The ADHD Adult’s Guide To The Weekly Review. The question that naturally comes to mind for many after reading that post is: “Well, ok, but after I figure out what I need to do, how do I figure out when I am going to do the work — all the tasks and projects I just reviewed?!” For Adults with ADHD figuring out when to do your work can definitely be a challenge. Below are a few time management routines…

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How ADHD Adults Avoid These 4 Mistakes and Execute Better
ByMarla Cummins June 27, 2016February 21, 2024 Blog

When you are having a hard time starting and following through on a task it is possible you have not clearly defined the task and/or the outcome you are seeking. So, because of your uncertainty you may: Below are 4 mistakes you can avoid so it is easier to start and follow through on your tasks Mistake #1 – You Don’t Know What You Want To Accomplish As an Adult with ADHD you know making decisions about how to do a particular task can be challenging. One way to minimize the difficulty is to begin by visualizing your desired outcome. As David Allen of Getting Things Done notes, when you have clarity on your outcomes you can: For example, when I visualize an outcome for…

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ADHD Emotional Regulation | Blog

How To Become Shame Resilient When You Have ADHD
ByMarla Cummins June 13, 2016June 26, 2025 ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

When helping my clients figure out how to work with their ADHD and create a life that works for them the topic of shame inevitably arises at some point. In fact, shame is common for ADHD adults. I can’t think of another emotion that is as ubiquitous as shame. And, while everybody feels shame, many ADHD adults don’t acknowledge or address it. And, if this is true for you, it is unfortunate. Because it may be holding you back from reaching your goals. While, try as you might, you can’t prevent it from arising on occasion. However, you can become more shame resilient. Ready to learn how to manage it and minimize its negative impact? The Difference Between Shame and Guilt First, it is important…

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ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

How Play Helps ADHD Adults Be More Effective At Everything!
ByMarla Cummins June 1, 2016 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

As you know, if you have followed my writing, I write a lot about productivity for adults with ADHD — how to get your important stuff done. And, judging from the responses I’ve received over the years, I know you really want and need this information. But ADHD adults also need to have fun! Sure, we all need to be productive, check tasks off our list. However, it shouldn’t be an end in itself. After all, I’d like to think you are using the information I provide to create the life you want — a life that reflects all your values. If I asked you to list your values quickly, right now, play may not show up on your list. But I’m also guessing that,…

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Awarded Best ADHD Blogs of 2016
ByMarla Cummins May 17, 2016June 9, 2025 Blog

Excited and honored to be named Best ADHD Blog of 2016 by Healthline. Thank you Healthline for the recognition!

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ADHD Tools & Strategies | Blog

6 Ways To Reduce Overwhelm By Adding Buffer Time To Your Day
ByMarla Cummins May 9, 2016 ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

For Adults with ADHD it can feel like many days consist of putting out one fire after the next. If this is true for you, maybe you have been operating this way for a long time. So, you don’t know there is another way. But there is a way to reduce your ADHD stress. A key strategy is implementing more buffers in your day — time you need to slow down, think, center yourself and just be. I know you may initially respond to this idea with, “How do I do this when I don’t have enough time now to do what I need to do?” While it may sound counter intuitive at first, once you try it, you’ll find creating more buffers will help…

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ADHD and Using the Power of Triggers to Form & Break Habits
ByMarla Cummins April 27, 2016 Blog

For adults with ADHD adopting the right habits is one of the most powerful ways to make execution easier because you no longer have to decide when or how to do something. You just do it because, well, it is a habit. You might be thinking, “Sure. Right. Makes sense. I’ve tried…It is really hard.” You’re right. Adapting new habits is hard. And shedding old habits that get in your way is equally difficult. But there are strategies you can use to make changing your habits easier. The Habit Loop We already act out of habit for much of our day. In fact, according to studies by Wendy Wood, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, almost half of our behaviors occur in…

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Here is a Method That is Helping ADHD Adults Initiate Easier
ByMarla Cummins April 17, 2016June 15, 2025 Blog

If you are like many Adults with ADHD, you may be in the habit of relying on your sense of urgency to get into action. And sometimes it works — stuff eventually gets done when your back is up against the wall. But, even when it does work, it can come at a cost, right? When you often wait until the last moment to do a task you might: lose sleep. get sick often. be perpetually stressed. not eat well. experience more conflict in your relationships. And what happens when you just can’t muster enough urgency to get into action?! Then you are really stuck, especially if this is your go to strategy. And you probably get frustrated, wondering, “How could this be happening?! I…

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