Your Attention Please

Good intentions aren’t enough. ADHD money management systems, on the other hand, can help you prepare now for a better tomorrow. Smart (and ultimately successful) people use systems to increase productivity, improve efficiency and to save their sanity. One of the ADHD side effects I always look for is poor money management.

You have ambitions, a vision for your future and important goals. Your dreams might include owning your own home, buying a revenue property, retiring early or starting your own business. These dreams all demand money, probably more than you have right now.

Of course, you’ll need to make some choices, prioritize your objectives and define exactly what you’re trying to accomplish, but once you do that, you’ll need more than good intentions to make your dreams come true.

Successful adults with ADHD will tell you that the key to success is not relying on your own abilities to get things done. The real secret is using your abilities to set up systems. ADHD systems for money management are particularly powerful. These systems take over the mundane, repetitive tasks you are unable to do (and that would be a waste of your intelligence, creativity and energy.)

The most common money management and retirement planning solutions used by adults with ADHD include:

• doing nothing (spending every penny you make just to get by and not putting any money away for a rainy day falls into this category), hoping you’ll either win the lottery or be able to move in with your kids when you retire.
• using credit cards, “easy” payment plans and debt consolidation to keep digging a deeper hole you plan to “magically” get out of when you finally strike it rich.
• relying on someone else (your spouse is usually stuck with this task, although if you’re single, this option is usually replaced by one of the first two.)
• swearing that this year will be better, you vow to prepare a budget, pay yourself at least 10% of your income first, plan for your taxes by making smart investments, charitable donations and wise business moves (this plan typically lasts until the credit card bills come in and you revert back to one of the previous three options.)

There is no magic solution for having enough money to make your dreams come true. While you are young, working and earning, you must save money for the future. One of the most common symptoms of ADHD in adults is lower earnings and poor financial “health.” That’s because promises, intentions and hopes won’t cut it. ADHD money management systems, however, can enable you to have a very successful financial future.

In fact, do it right and this is one of those occasions where ADHD works to your advantage. Every personal finance guru will tell you to set yourself up for “automatic” success by using systems to save and manage your money. They know systems work much better than relying on discipline or good intentions, and your ADHD habit of relying on systems to handle things you cannot or don’t want to puts you ahead of the game. All you need to do is set those ADHD money management systems properly.

If money management is presenting a special challenge for you, you may want to consider ADHD coaching to ensure you’re working with someone who can help you set up systems that will meet your special ADHD needs. ADHD Money Management Coaching programs can help you put the right ADHD money management systems in place while you maintain control over your financial future.  ADHD-Friendly Money Management: Finally, Dollars and Sense Group Coaching program starts on February 9th. Act now!

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I keep reading discussions around the question of whether ADHD is a curse or a gift. Most ADHDers are divided on this. As an ADHD Coach, spouse and mother of ADHDers, I have seen ADHD in both ends of the spectrum.

On one hand my ADHD adults struggle to keep their jobs, keep a happy marriage, stay financially afloat. Many are overwhelmed, distracted, disorganized and have self-esteem issues. When you find yourself stuck in the negative aspects of ADHD, it’s understandable that you could see it as a curse.

On the other hand, others who see it as a gift usually excel in their jobs, or create a business they’re passionate about, keep the spice in their relationships, and are financially in control, to name a few. They tend to have a more positive outlook on life.

What’s the gap between these two realities? How do you close it?

The difference is that those who thrive with adult ADHD stay open to change and invest in improving their lives. They use their assets, such as their strengths, talents, energy, out-of-the-box thinking and risk-taking abilities and adopt ADHD-friendly ways to live. They change what they can and accept what they can’t.

Want to close the gap?

Join me for Get Your Year in Gear for ADHD Adults, a free teleclass, tonight, Monday, January 19^th at 8 pm ET. We’ll discuss how you can close the gap. Register at http://tinyurl.com/adhdgift

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ADHD money management is a paradox. The first thing financial experts say is never let anyone else have control of your money. The next thing they say is that you need to follow a strict budget, avoid impulsive spending and save for the future.

As an adult with ADHD, you know that is a recipe for disaster. After all, they are asking you to:

• pay attention to the details of a budget,
• consistently micro-manage your finances to get out of debt,
• eliminate impulsivity in your spending,
• planfor the future,
• organize all your bills and receipts,
• and so on…

It flies in the face of the very challenges ADHD adults face. Just think about how most ADHD adults see money management.

Typical ADHD Money Management

Budgets are so boring! Most people don’t use them, let alone ADHD-ers. Getting out of debt is the slow drip of water torture, unless you’re planning on winning the lottery! (Not an effective plan, by the way.) Eliminating impulsivity in something that’s as much fun as spending money? Forget it! Oh, and plan for the future? When there is only “now” and “not now,” you’re not going to put money you could spend NOW for sometime that is NOT NOW! Sound familiar?

Harv Ecker, the well-known author of “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind,” and a popular speaker on the subject of personal finances tells people that if you count on getting rich enough to have someone else take care of your money, you won’t make it. He explains that you won’t get rich if you don’t learn to manage your money, and you won’t stay rich if you let someone else take control of your money.

For adults with ADHD money management is so difficult that many (I’d even guess most) ADHDers never learn how to do it effectively. Studies show that on average ADHDers earn $10,000 less per year than non-ADHD-ers, and if you have trouble earning it, you’ll also having trouble keeping it. It doesn’t have to be that way though.

There are many ADHD-ers at the top of their game who excel in their careers, earning far above the average person with a comparable background. They’ve learned to work with their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. Your challenge is to become one of them, and it is possible, but it won’t happen by itself.

Learning ADHD Money Management

Where can you learn ADHD strategies for money management? Personal financial management is rarely taught in schools, so unless you’ve sought out extra education, you’re following the only financial model you’ve seen. You manage your money just like your parents. If your parents are excellent financial managers, if they are wealthy and are living the life style you dream of living in the future, good for you. However, if your parents aren’t living the life you want, it’s time to change your approach.

You can learn personal money management through books, seminars and classes. Unfortunately, even when they teach personal money management, nothing is said about ADHD money management, and without specific ADHD strategies, you might never get out of debt let alone build your savings. In traditional approaches, the first step to getting a handle on your finances is to “prepare a budget,” and as you know, those words will make almost any ADHD adult shudder in fear.

Keys to ADHD Money Management

While you can’t learn all about ADHD money management in one article (see here to learn more), to get your financial affairs in order, apply these three ADHD strategies. The three keys to ADHD money management are:

1. Pay yourself first. You must save for the future. At some point, your income may be interrupted. You may need or want to stop working, and if you have no source of income, you’ll need to survive on what you’ve saved for a rainy day. Your first priority must be to save up for that umbrella! If anyone counsels you to pay all your bills and put the rest into savings, run away! You already know there’s never any left to go into savings.
2. Make everything automatic. While you don’t want to delegate responsibility for your personal finances, you can make the decisions about your ADHD money management strategies and then set up systems to operate according to your wishes. When you drive a car, you decide to speed up and step on the gas. The car responds to your bidding, but it doesn’t demand that you get out and push it yourself. When you automate your payments, with Internet banking and other systems, you set the strategy so you’re not giving up control, but the system compensates for your ADHD challenges. You’ll save on late fees and interest charges by never forgetting a payment, and you’ll protect your credit rating too.
3. Use what’s left over for whatever you want. If you’re saving for the future and paying all your bills, any money that’s left is yours to play with! It’s now safe to be impulsive if you want. Even if you spend every penny left over, your financial success strategy is still executing perfectly. You can spend it all, or save for a big purchase like a dream vacation.

There are also excellent ADHD strategies you can put in place for special money management issues such as getting out of debt or buying a home. If money management is presenting a special challenge for you, you may want to consider ADHD coaching to ensure you’re working with someone who can help you set up systems that will meet your special ADHD needs. ADHD Money Management Coaching programs can help you put the right systems in place while you maintain control over your financial future.

Life’s Better with ADHD Money Management

While traditional approaches to managing personal finances may give you a headache, once you get an ADHD money management strategy established and the systems set up to make sure it’s executed as planned, things get really interesting. You see, once you stop concentrating on mundane tasks like paying bills, you can turn your attention to earning money. ADHD-ers actually have a good chance of outperforming the general population in terms of personal prosperity. Once you focus your energies on getting the most out of your strengths. Typically, an ADHD-er who chooses a career that plays to his or her strengths will excel far beyond the average person.

If you’d like to receive more details about ADHD money management and how you can improve your life by putting the right ADHD strategies into play, than can fit in this article, just enroll in this fr*ee ecourse at http://www.add-adhd-coaching.com/ADHD-money-tips.html. You’ll receive your first email immediately and you can get started on improving your financial future today.

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Are you having difficulty reaching goals? Around this time of year, New Year’s Resolutions usually fall by the wayside. The average New Year’s Resolution only lasts 17 days, so what makes reaching goals so hard? It doesn’t make a difference if it’s a New Year’s Resolution or the goals we set the rest of the year. They’re all hard work, often too hard!

Experts debate over the precise wording of goals, as if that would make it easier to quit smoking, lose weight or spend more time with your kids. No, the secret to reaching goals has nothing to do with the wording of your goals, or even which goals you choose.

Commitment vs. Striving

First, you must decide, once and for all, if you are committed, or if you are striving. Striving, of course, is hard work. If you are fully committed, however, you no longer need to strive. Striving requires that you push yourself. Commitment doesn’t require nearly the effort once you’ve made the decision. Most smokers will tell you that “trying to quit” doesn’t work. The day you commit, however, reaching goals becomes much easier. The day you become a non-smoker, success becomes inevitable. 

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