Category: Newsletters

People who have ADD or ADHD usually don’t mean to be late. It’s not like they wake up in the morning, determined to be late for school or work or an important appointment. Most people with ADD have a very hard time managing their time. People who don’t have ADD rarely understand this, and so become angry when they perceive themselves to be a victim of someone who just doesn’t care enough to be on time, look for treatments at the OTC health solutions shop.

Being late can cause problems in your family and harm your career. It can even cause problems between co-workers. For example, if you’re in school, and you habitually forget to hand in your assignments or are late for class, your grades will drop. If you’re late to work or lose track of time, making you late for a work-related meeting, you may lose your job.

This sometimes happens to people who have ADD because they become hyper-focused on a task and lose track of time. A lot of people who have ADD focus intently on a task; so intently, in fact, that they lose track of time. Hours seem to slip away, and the ADD may think that it’s only minutes. This is part of the reason why people who have ADD have a tendency to be late.

Time management is different for those who have ADD than it is for those who don’t. They have to learn how to manage their time even better than people who don’t have ADD. In fact, they may have to take drastic measures to ensure that they are on time.

What types of measures?

If it’s a persistent problem, people with ADD could buy a watch that vibrates at certain times of the day, which will help ensure that they’re on time. Getting things ready the night before is usually a good idea. Getting a planner is another solution that doesn’t cost a lot of money but can help you plan your day.

Even small things can make a world of difference. For example, if you read a few pages of a novel while sipping your morning coffee, you may have to limit yourself to a certain number of pages. That way, you don’t get caught up in the storyline and lose track of time.

Learning to manage your time, especially if you have ADD, is a learning curve. Try to pick out the ‘time wasters’ in your life, and figure out some countermeasures.

Would you like more information on succeeding personally and professionally? Contact me!

Late for dinner again? Not able to make it to Bobby Jr.’s baseball game because you have to work all weekend? Have you re-scheduled date night for several weeks in a row?

Chances are if you answered yes to any of these questions you consider yourself overworked. However, it’s a safe bet to say that a large part of your overload is due more to procrastination than the actual amount of work you have to complete. Even if you end up meeting deadlines, other areas of your life suffer. One of the most crucial areas procrastination can affect is your marriage.

Not only does your spouse have to pick up the slack for responsibilities you no longer have time for, he/she will start to feel less like part of a team and more like a solo artist. This ongoing shift in the relationship can cause resentment and anger in your partner and lead to many problems.

Another issue that procrastination brings up that relates to marital problems is personal finance. By putting off bills and taxes, credit scores suffer and extra fees are paid. Even something as seemingly benign as Christmas shopping can mean major problems for procrastinators.

By leaving it until the last minute, procrastinators don’t save up to pay for gifts and are forced to pay more or make their purchases using credit cards. This has a huge impact on the procrastinator’s spouse as well and another rift is created in the marriage.

A happy marriage is built on teamwork. When one member of the team keeps missing the goals, the entire team loses. When you sign on to be someone’s spouse, you become one half of a partnership. If you are unable to successfully contribute your 50% – whether that be in terms of finances, attention or any other tangible or intangible factor – you are not holding up your end of the bargain.

Though a marriage struggling due to procrastination can be turned around, it can take a lot of work. This is mostly due to the fact that the procrastinator is not likely to admit that he/she has a problem. Instead, the absences will be blamed on an overflowing workload or simply being too busy. However, if the procrastinator can come to terms with his/her problem and restore the equality in the relationship, the marriage can be repaired.

Would you like more information on succeeding personally and professionally? Contact me!

There I was sitting in my living room wondering where to begin. We had purchased a couch two weeks ago and delivery was in two days. I thought it would be a good idea to really clean up. I had done this about 4 years ago and now seemed like the perfect time again.

Fortunately, a friend of the family who has an eye of organizing had been helping me. So here I was with boxes everywhere; boxes to go to storage and others still yet to be broken down into categories.

Now I was in complete overwhelm stuck wondering what to do next. My mind was in a whirl. Can you relate? Is any of this resonating with you?

When I catch myself during these times, I’ve trained myself to shift the situation by ADDing Perspective. Until you can become aware of what’s happening, you’ll most likely move directly into “Brain Freeze.” As one of my clients said, “I know the overwhelm is consuming me but I can’t seem to do anything about it.”

You can! As you know, ADD is situational so life is situational. In this situation, the burst of adrenaline has triggered one of my symptoms under stress – overwhelmed with details. Overwhelm is some form of fear. The fear is always related to something we just don’t understand. What we don’t understand may be the whole notion of brain freeze and what you can do when you find yourself in the midst of it.

The following is an exercise to unlock your “brain freeze” and move from overwhelm to overcome; from reaction to action.

1. Practice recognizing when and in what situations you become in my case, overwhelmed. Once you do, say out loud, “I’m overwhelmed! Good! At least I know I am.” This moves you from focusing on what is not working to what works: from challenge to success; from a victim, blaming others, yourself, the circumstances to a hero accepting responsibility. This puts you firmly in charge.
2. Brain freeze is a bio-neurological setback. Do not take it personally. Your brain chemistry is rattling the cage. Take a moment to calm the agitation.

Give yourself a break literally. Take 1 – 5-minute break. VISUALIZE yourself with your completed project. In my case, my new couch at home. My older couch finding a new home. Everything stored and in it’s perfect place.

3. Once there, look around. What do you see? What do you hear? What could you smell, touch, and/or taste? Most importantly, how do you feel?
4. Breathe this in and smile. Take a deep breath and smile. By this time, you just might find that your brain has unlocked. Once your brain has unlocked, you’ll be able to prioritize, decide what’s next and get moving closer to your goal.
5. Now, take one item and only one item and complete the task. It doesn’t matter which item. The action of choosing one and completing it creates “success momentum.”

Learn to focus on one activity at a time. Do it the best you can by remembering what works for you and practice taking small steps over and over. You will find that this simple exercise is translatable to so many other situations. You can move from being overwhelmed and reactive to getting what you love you really want.

Step by step you move closer to personal clarity and personal happiness.

Would you like more information on succeeding personally and professionally? Contact me!

It’s no secret that people with ADD often have a hard time being on time. They frequently misplace items that they need, such as car keys. Sometimes they insist that they should show up to an appointment on time, but not before and they are usually unorganized, which leads to time lost doing things a more organized person wouldn’t have to do.

Provide Extra Time

The best thing you can possibly do to avoid missing or being late to a meeting is to plan in some extra time. That way, things like traffic snarls, forgotten keys or any other delay can be accounted for. For instance, if you have an important meeting at 9 am, leave 15 minutes before the time that you would actually have to leave to be on time. This will ensure that you’re rarely late.

Tick Tock

Most people do regular things, like go to work in the morning. Whenever you go somewhere, try to time yourself to see how long it takes you to get there. Write the numbers down if you have too.

You can also look the route up using technology, such as mapquest. Mapquest will provide you with an estimated time of arrival. Another option is a GPS unit, which is more expensive, but it can really save you a lot of time.

Get Ready Early

A lot of ADD’ers have a hard time finding things. They habitually lose things, which can waste a lot of time. Instead of leaving things to the last minute, where any mistake can lead to being late, get prepared for your day the night before. Set out your clothes, keys, brief case or whatever else you may need the night before. That way, you just wake up and go.

Use Your Imagination

Most people, not just people who have ADD, don’t think about the consequences of being late. Take a few minutes to imagine what the other person is feeling. Try to put yourself in their shoes. Would you want to be kept waiting?

Sometimes, putting ourselves in someone else’s predicament can help us realize the possible ramifications of our actions.

These are just a few of the tips and tricks that I use to ensure that I’m not late for an appointment. I hope that they help you. Remember, don’t use your ADD as an excuse or a crutch. Instead, improvise and find out how to turn your weaknesses into strengths.

Would you like more information on succeeding personally and professionally? Contact me!

People who have ADD may be exceptionally suited to owning a small business. They think quickly, rise to meet challenges, and are remarkable salespeople. They know what it takes to sell their products, and because most people who have ADD thrive on change and opportunity, they’re tireless in their pursuit to please the customer.

Most small businesses fail within the first five years. This is true whether you have ADD or not. It’s imperative, especially if you have ADD, to focus and overcome the challenges faced by new small businesses.

Losing Sight of the Issues

People living with ADD are usually vigilant when it comes to providing superior services. Its actually been a strength of mine. However, one pitfall that you may experience if you have ADD is losing sight of how to manage your business effectively. After all, organization and looking at facts and numbers are usually not a hallmark trait of someone who has ADD. In fact, it’s usually their weak point. This is something I’ve had to deal with all my life. Relying on others who are experts in their field has saved my proverbial butt on many occasions. As I like to say, when you are able to know your limitations, you become limitless.

How can you overcome this challenge?

You can either train yourself to treat managing your business as every bit as important as the goods and services you provide or find someone to manage your business for you. There are a wide variety of ways to outsource, and you should take a serious look at some of them. While managing your business may not be your strong point, for many other people, it is. You can reap the benefits of using their skills, while at the same time taking advantage of the skills you excel in.

Keep an Eye on the Competition

Keeping an eye on your competition is crucial to success, and is also an area that someone who has ADD can make the mistake of ignoring. Do some research, and set aside a regular time to research your competition. You’ll find that the time spent will pay off in the long run.

Take it from me, owning your own small business can be a rewarding experience. I’ve suffered from ADD for many years, but finding your own niche, focusing on your own strengths and planning ahead are the recipes to success, whether you have ADD or not.

Would you like more information on succeeding personally and professionally? Contact me!

People who have ADD usually find it difficult to manage their time effectively. They generally have short attention spans, short memories and because they get distracted easily, they often have a hard time marking down the passage of time.

This eventually leads to problems. It’s tough going through life if you’re perpetually late. It can affect your social, romantic and professional life. Eventually, you begin to be known as someone who is unreliable, which is rarely a good thing.

If this sounds like you, you’re not the only one. Far from it, in fact. I used to be like this too, but gradually, using my experience with ADD as a learning stick, I’ve developed a few tricks to managing my time more effectively.

Too Many Commitments

It’s easy to promise your time, but committing to too many activities in a day is a sure way to run into problems. Sometimes, we have a hard time saying ‘no’ to people, and other times we just overestimate how much we can reasonably do in a day.

The solution is a planner. Choose a planner that is easily transportable, so you can effortlessly carry it wherever you go. Instead of promising your time to everything that comes along, try to limit yourself to no more than 5 high priority things. As soon as you commit to something, write it down in your planner.

Mornings Can Be Hell

Most people who have ADD have a hard time in the morning. The brain is usually still a bit fuzzy with sleep, and if you’re not very good at organization, the morning can be the most difficult part of your day.

The best way to solve this problem is to get organized the night before. If you need a lunch, pack it before going to bed. You can set your clothes out, make sure you have your purse or wallet handy, set out anything you’ll need to take with you to work and even take a shower before hitting the hay for the night.

This way, once you wake up, it’s far easier to grab what you need and head out the door!

If you have ADD, try out these two tips to combat your bad organization skills. Both of them are easy to do, cost next to nothing, but can save you time, energy and money in the long run.

Would you like more information on succeeding personally and professionally? Contact me!