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Learning about ADHD

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Learn more about ADHD to better manage ADHD.

This seems to come naturally for parents of children with ADHD, but it is equally important for adults who have (or suspect they have) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  When you learn more about ADHD, , you can best evaluate how to manage it.  You will also be able to learn best practices that others use.  Below I have compiled some of my recommendations.

Some general tips

  • Check your sources.  Be sure they are based in sound research principles.
  • Beware of extremes, especially when sources are talking about “cures”.  I recently saw an article that claimed to share the “cure” to ADHD and it really concerned me.  I do not like to see people being misled.  There is not a “cure” for ADHD, but there are many different options to managing ADHD.  Remember, if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is!
  • Stay current.  Research regarding ADHD is ongoing so we can learn new information over time.

Recommendations for Educating Yourself about ADHD

Below, you will find a few options for educating yourself about ADHD.  Please check them out and add your suggestions in our Comments section.

What are your favorite ways to learn about ADHD?

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Where did my time go?

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How often do you find yourself asking this question?  It can be difficult to determine where your time goes, but if you can figure out the answers to that question, you will make big strides in your time management.  For example,

  • If you know that you are spending 3 hours on Facebook, you can save some time by shortening the time!
  • When you see that you are super productive between 10am and noon, you can schedule your most challenging times during that time.

Below are a few ideas that you can use to figure out where your time goes.

Weekly Snapshot

Use a Weekly Planning Snapshot to keep track of your time in one-hour increments over the next week.  At the beginning of each hour, write (or type) how you spent your last hour.  Make it short; write for 30 seconds or less.  At the end of each day, look at how you spent your time.  Where did you spend your time?  What were your productive times?

Estimate Your Time

When you are planning your day, estimate the amount of time each task will take you to complete.  Add up the time you estimate.  Does the total equal more than the amount of time you have to work today?  If it does, you need to take some things off the list.

At the end of the day, compare your estimates to the amount of time your tasks actually took you to complete.  How close were you?  How can you adjust your estimates to be more accurate?

Notice

Yes, this sounds too simple to be helpful, but it can work.  Spend the next week consciously noticing where you are spending your time.  Tell your inner critic to be quiet and let you just pay attention to time.  At the end of each day write down or record what you noticed during the day.  Noticing where your time goes will give you new insight into time wasters and time savers that work for you.

Which one of these strategies will you try this week?

 

 

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Interview with ADHD Expert Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D.

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I recently had an opportunity to interview Dr. Thomas E. Brown about his new book,  A New Understanding of ADHD in Children & Adults: Executive Function Impairments (Routledge, 2013).  In this book, Dr. Brown proposes a new model of ADHD.  This model uses research data to explain that ADHD impairments are actually due to problems in the development of the brain’s executive functions.

The interview took place on my radio show, Practical ADHD Strategies.  You can listen in the player below.

Listen to internet radio with Laura Rolands on BlogTalkRadio

 

The book has already received some great reviews…

“This book presents a highly useful and current summation of the major findings concerning ADHD and the role of executive functioning in it.  Clinicians, students, and laypeople will find here much valuable informationon the disorder, its assessment and diagnosis, and its management.”  ~Russell A. Barkley, PhD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina

“A very intriguing read. Dr. Brown skillfully examines the diverse nature of executive functions, ADHD, and their overlap.”  ~Timothy E. Wilens, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Director of Substance Abuse Services, Massachusetts General Hospital

 A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults

Dr. Brown is Associate Director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders in the Dept. of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to his forthcoming book, he is the prize-winning Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults (Yale Press). He edited ADHD Comorbidities: Handbook for ADHD Complications in Children and Adults (American Psychiatric Press) and is author of the Brown ADD Scales (Pearson). He has presented symposia and workshops throughout the US and in 40 other countries. More information about Dr. Brown is available at his website: www.DrThomasEBrown.com.

Connect with Dr. Brown on Facebook and YouTube as well!  Facebook: www.facebook.com/drthomasebrown
YouTube: www.youtube.com/drthomasebrown

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ADDA Conference – July 18 – 21

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If you’re looking for answers, understanding and solutions to overcome the challenges of your ADHD…this may be the best opportunity you’ve ever had!

The 14th International ADULT ADHD Conference is coming to Detroit, Michigan

Reach Out for Connection,

Hope and Empowerment

If you’re an adult with ADHD (or you live with one) the Adult ADHD Conference is just for you! It’s the only live, in-person conference created exclusively for adults with ADHD.

It’s your chance to connect with leading ADHD experts, professionals and coaches who will provide you with trusted information, support and solutions.

This life-changing conference can be the difference between you… continuing to be frustrated…maybe even feeling helpless… from your unsuccessful attempts to overcome the challenges of your ADHD…

Or, experiencing a new sense of empowerment and hope made possible by the knowledge, support and solutions you gained from attending the Adult ADHD Conference.

There are viable solutions to dealing effectively with the challenges of your adult ADHD. And the support and solutions are yours for the taking at the 14th International Adult ADHD Conference. 

 

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4 Keys to an Effective To Do List

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To do lists can be scary.

Wait a minute, did an ADHD Coach just admit that To Do lists are scary?  Why, yes I did just go there.  There are many reasons why people with ADHD may want to avoid making a to do list.  I don’t need to bore you with those reasons…  you already know them.  What I want to do today is to share 4 keys for creating effective to lists with the goal of making it a less scary process.

#1 – Create It

In order to have an effective to do list, you need to take that first step of creating the list.  Depending on your style and preferences, there are many different ways to create the to do list.  If you struggle with creating your to do list, try one of these unique ways to capture your to dos.

  • Hands On Learners:  Use flip chart paper to capture all of your current to dos.  The big movement might get your ideas flowing.  Post it on the wall of your cubicle or office.
  • Mind Mappers:  Use a mind map to capture all of the to dos that are in your mind.  A good free one is www.xmind.net.
  • Want to keep it simple?  Write everything down in a spiral notebook or composition book.  Use a post-it note to mark your page.
  • On-line Accessibility:  Workflowy is a lice, simple list making tool.  Since it is web-based, you can access it anywhere.
  • Your Planner:  If you already use a planner, this is a perfect place to capture your to dos.  If you aren’t using a planner, get my free guide here:  Planner Guide

#2 Delete From It

After capturing your list, identify items you can delete from the list.  If you are afraid of forgetting something, start with just deleting one thing from your list.  Think about the time you will save!

#3 Prioritize Your List

Understanding your priorities is a big part of effective to do lists that I’ll be discussing over at ADDclasses.com on February 12, 2013.  When prioritizing, you may be tempted to prioritize the entire list before getting started. If you can do this, go for it.  If you are stuck at this point, go through your list and identify  3 – 4 top priorities.  Is it due today or tomorrow?  It’s a priority.  Is it big and coming due soon?  Taking a step on this item is a priority.

#4 Start

Getting stuck on where and when to start working with your to do list is common with ADHD.  There are so many priorities where you can focus, it gets difficult to take step on on that first item.  I want to give you permission to just start something.  Worried that you are working on the wrong thing?  Try to move past that and start working.  You might discover that something else would have been a better place to start.  In the meantime, if you are making progress working on another priority, it isn’t wrong at all.  You can still make productive progress to accomplishing things on your to do list.

What do you think, can these keys work for you?

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