Support for managing time blindness, lateness, and planning real-time use — in ways that work with how your brain ticks.
Got ideas? If you have ADD, chances are ideas flow fast and furious. And this ability to generate a wealth of ideas may be a tremendous asset for you. It may allow you to: think of multiple interesting solutions to problems. synthesize and interpret information in a unique way. envision many future paths. However, being able to generate so many ideas can become a hindrance to effectively following through on any one path.
I Forgot. Whenever I catch myself saying, “I forgot,” then I remember. I remember that I shouldn’t rely on my brain to retain information and expect that I will be able to access it at precisely the moment I need it. Over time I have come to accept this. And I have worked hard to find a work around for my particular wiring. It is not about making excuses – it is about accepting what is and finding solutions. Here is what is on my mind as I write this:
It is almost the New Year. For some, that means it is time to establish New Year’s Resolutions, like losing weight getting out of debt getting fit spending more time with family reducing stress going to school getting a new job To be honest, New Years Resolutions do not work for me. I find it easier to allow my commitments to my personal growth to happen in a more organic fashion. That is, I may have a lot of ideas percolating, and then one day I make a decision, a resolution. Then I make a plan. This works for me.
Have you ever had this conversation with yourself?! The wind up… I’ll just spend a few minutes relaxing and look at the news and Facebook. Then I’ll get back to what I planned to do. 10 minutes later… I really want to read this article and then it is time to get off the computer. 30 minutes later… I should really get off. Oh, just a few more minutes… 1 hour later… Oh, sh*t!! I can’t believe I spent that much time. I really want to finish writing that report. 2 hours later… Oh, well, I guess I’ll get to it tomorrow. No, really, I have not been in your head, lately. I really was not eaves dropping on the conversation that you had between…
For those items that are date sensitive ,you put them on your calendar. If it is also a time sensitive task, such as a meeting, you also block out the specific time. If it is not time time sensitive, you may still decide to block out a particular time in which to work on the task so as to ensure that it is completed. This type of work, as David Allen points out, is “predefined work.” While completing this type of work may present it’s own challenges, at least you know when you intended to do. What do you do in any given moment when the items on your list do not have immediate deadlines or are not in some way “mission critical”? Those of…
When you have ADD, part of then fuzziness around planning occurs because it overwhelming to think about creating the path to allow you to finish. As I just finished my book about reaching your goals, it may seem odd to suggest that sometimes it is helpful not to focus on the finish line. As counter intuitive as this may sound, there are times when it is actually easier to accomplish your goals when you take your eyes off the prize. It might be more helpful at times to ask, “What is the very next step and when is the next time that I have at least ½ hour to work on this?” You may find your sense of overwhelm dissipating, as you focus on what…
One of my promises to my clients is that I will remind them of what is important to them when they forget. I keep track of their “larger life goals,” as well as the daily tasks that they need to accomplish in order to reach these goals. Most people want to live a balanced life, which includes having fun. Summer is a time that many people look forward to as a time to travel, explore locally and enjoy various outdoor activities. While it has been raining for almost two straight weeks here in Boston, I still know that it is summer. In fact, I also know that there are 73 days until Labor Day, which in the States is often recognized as the end of summer. So,…
Your ability to reach your goals is directly related to your commitment to the detail of your plan. Now, before you throw up your hands in despair, let me explain. First, of course, I know that attending to details are not likely your strong suit. I will continue to cover strategies for working with your AD/HD in order to create and focus on the details of your plan in this newsletter and in my blog, ADDed Perspective. For now, I want to point out that planning out all of the details of how you are going to reach your end goals allows you to break it down into manageable parts in order to keep moving forward. So, in creating a plan to be able to…
I never know what is going to resonate with my readers or clients. So, when I came across this video, I thought that I would share it with you. What do you think? I often suggest doing what you resist most first. Think about how much energy you use thinking about it and not doing it. Make sense to me. Are you willing to eat your frog first?
I am afraid, however, that I have come down with a serious case of procrastination. I am working on big project that I am determined to complete in the next couple of weeks. Here is the deal. I have been dragging my feet on this one. So, I think I need to be accountable to you. When I decided to publish the newsletter on weekly basis, I told everyone. Then, you know what? I did it. So, in addition to telling you that I am going to finish it, I’m going to answer the questions that I might give to you, if you were “dragging your feet.” Am I meeting the deadlines for the actions toward my goals? No If I am not meeting my…