Your Attention Please

• You tend to be easily dist…oh look at the pretty bird
• You’re so impatient, even “Just Do It” takes too long
• When asked to think outside the box, you ask “What Box?”
• You immediately know the solution when everyone else is still struggling with the problem
• You’re the Olympic champion in jumping to conclusion
• When asked to sit quietly, you provide your own rhythm section (tapping fingers, bouncing legs)
• Driving isn’t about getting from A to B, it’s about the excitement
• You haven’t grown up yet (no matter what your age) and you doubt you ever will
• You totally “GET” the Crocodile Hunter, in fact, he was your idol
• You easily get off topic - I need to paint the ceiling beige
• You spend way too much time looking for things you know you had just a minute ago
• Your To-Do list has become a To-Do Book!
• The more extreme the emergency, the calmer you are
• If it wasn’t for the last minute, you’d never get anything done
• If you had a nickel for every brilliant idea you got, you’d be able to pay someone to follow through on at least one

But seriously…

I work with entrepreneurs, artists, writers, ADHD adults and other creative geniuses. Wildly creative, risk tolerant, with lots of perserverance, high octane, thrill seekers, they still struggle with lack of focus, difficulty with concentration, disorganization, impulsivity, staying productive, managing several projects at once, and cluing up the details to each. While you might laugh about your quirky personality, the impact these issues have on your life is no laughing matter.

If this describes you…

Labels don’t matter; however, strategies that work for diagnosed ADHD adults will work for you if you struggle with these issues. If you’d like to know more, request your copy of Productivity Myths Busted! and find out what are some of the strategies you can use.

Please feel free to add your own quirks about Adult ADHD in the comments below.

If You’re Tired of Feeling Unproductive, Here’s my Gift to You:

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I was reading an article on How To Overcome Procrastination by Tai Goodwin of The Examiner.

She mentions the biggest sources of procrastination as fear of success, fear of failure and fear of work. For ADHD adults and entrepreneurs I would also add a very important source of procrastination: Boredom!!!

The expectation of boredom causes you to avoid the task as your brain cannot energize when faced with a boring task. Despite your “turbo brain” when faced with a boring task, you turn the key but the motor won’t start.

Of course there are many other causes of procrastination, such as overwhelm, holding limiting beliefs, and problems focusing on one task at a time but we won’t get into those right now.

Tai offers solutions that I often use with my clients:

• Stop using the excuse that you have too much to do
• Keep your eyes on the benefits once it’s done
• Use accountability to ensure you keep your word
• Use the power of three tasks. Most people can’t get much more than 3 to 5 tasks done each day. Identify the 3 tasks you’ll focus on and don’t derail
• Celebrate!

Solutions to procrastination problems require that you look at the source of the procrastination and you address that. If you have fears, face your fears. Consider how likely is it that what I fear will take place? How can I minimize the likelihood? If boredom is what’s keeping you from getting going, inject interest, novelty, competition, anything to make it fun or interesting.

Enjoy what you accomplish! Celebrate!

What tasks do you procrastinate?

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I’m finally back from vacation with my husband. While I’m a bit sad my vacation is over, I’m happy to be back to my life’s purpose: helping entrepreneurs, artists, ADHD adults and other creative geniuses take advantage of and develop their strengths. Visit my Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/adhdcoachand become a fan.

I realize that while I’m just getting back from my vacation, many of you may be on the way to your vacation. Vacation is a great time to reconnect with family, friends and activities you enjoy. It can also create chaos in your life, especially if you’ve managed to create structures and systems that work well for you.

ADHDers, I’ve who, with coaching have built habits, reached life-changing objectives and organized their lives fear losing what they’ve achieved because of the disruption that vacation brings to your day-to-day. After all, there isn’t any structure, no more commitments and no time clocks telling you when to be where.

Here are a few steps to felling more in control and yet still enjoy your vacation:

1. First, realize that you are not your systems and habits!
They don’t define you; they are tools you use to make your life easier. You’ll be able to create habits to support you while you vacation.

2. Continue using the habits and systems that don’t rob you of fully enjoying your vacation and that give you energy.
If you exercise in the morning, keep it up. If one of your habits is to make your bed as soon as you get out of bed, keep that up. These don’t take away from your vacation time and may increase your energy and reduce your distractibility.

3. Make lists
Don’t rely on your memory. Lists that will support you include a list of things you need to take with you, to bring back, to manage while your away (stop the newspaper delivery, get the dog babysat, getting your plants watered etc.), a list of activities you want to attempt to include.

4. Use your creativity and your sense of adventure to create a more exciting vacation.

5. Stick with your strengths and get help around your weaknesses.
Duane has a passion of art and a great sense of direction. He sought out the most wonderful works of art hidden off the beaten track throughout Rome. Without him, I would have missed most of the exciting things we saw, and I’d still be lost in Rome! On the other hand, Duane tends to struggle with administrative details like making travel arrangements, juggling reservation, tickets, insurance and organizing the finances, so I was happy to help out there. With each of us contributing to the effort using our strengths, the vacation was thoroughly enjoyable!

Vacations should be as fun as you remember when you were a child and summer holidays stretched out before you, filled with that tantalizing mix of lazy days and exciting new adventures. If you feel anxious before your vacation, remember that what you’re feeling is normal. Even if it is “as good as a rest,” everyone struggles to adapt to change. Applying these five strategies will help ensure your vacation is restful instead of stressful.

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