The Online Association of Brain Trainers was founded by Colleen and it’s primary mission is to
The primary mission of the Online Association of Brain Trainers (OABT) is:
“to provide a central online community where parents, teachers and professionals using or interested in brain training can connect, communicate and collaborate around the awareness, education, and services of brain training and how it relates to the transformation of students into independent learners.”
I’m looking forward to the interview and hope you will join us!
Choosing the right planner for you and your lifestyle is very important, especially if you are busy, overwhelmed by your To Do List and/or have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD). This is true no matter what profession you hold and no matter what your age. By third grade, even elementary school students need some type of planner or way to keep track of assignments.
ADHD Creates Significant Challenges
for people when it comes to using a planner and therefore managing their time. Your list might be too overwhelming, you might forget to look at your planner or perhaps there are other reasons. I am frequently asked to recommend the best planner for someone with ADHD. The bad news is that there is not one best planner. The good news is that I can still help you select the best planner, especially if you have ADHD.
Prioritize
If you have determined that you need a better system of planning (or just need to start one!), I first recommend that you select the planner characteristics that are most important to you. The checklist at the end of this article will help you identify those characteristics.
To use the checklist, place a check mark next to each characteristic you would like to have in a planner and indicate an A, B or C priority next to each characteristic you check.
A = planner must have this
B = would be nice for planner to have this
C = not so important to me
After you select which characteristics are important, take the list with you to the store or have it next to you while you search on-line. This will help narrow your search and end up with a planner that really works for you.
Select Your Planner
After you have picked your characteristics, it is time for shopping. A couple of sites to investigate are www.FamiliesWithPurpose.com, www.FranklinCovey.com and www.DayRunner.com. If you are interested in electronic planners, be sure to review free sites (i.e. Google Calendar) in addition to all of the devices that are available. If you have a smart phone, integrate with available on-line tools if that will help you remember to use it every day. Once you have selected your planner, work with it for at least one month before evaluating it’s effectiveness. If it doesn’t work for you after trying a new planner for at least a month, you may want to consider something different. Commit to USING it before you discard it though.
Using Your Planner
Here are a few tips to help ensure that you use your planner.
If you currently use multiple planners, try to consolidate into one.
After you purchase your planner, commit to using it for at least one month.
Keep it in a location where you will review it every day.
Review it at the same time each day to help enforce your habit.
The right planner can make a big difference in getting more done, and more importantly getting your high priority tasks done. Share your comments to let us know how the check list works for you. Good luck with your planner search!
Planner Characteristic Checklist
_____ Month-at-a-glance view
_____ Week-at-a-glance view
_____ The ability to see each day separate from all others
_____ Spiral bound so I don’t lose any pages and can have the entire year in one product
_____ Binder format so I can add and remove pages as needed
_____ Zippered binder so I don’t lose any pages
_____ Electronic with no need to print
_____ Electronic with the ability to print a To Do List
_____ Electronic with the ability to print an appointment schedule
_____ Paper so I can write in it when needed
_____ To Do List available for every day
_____ To Do List for the whole month
_____ To Do List for each week
_____ Room to plan for multiple roles (i.e. Employee, parent, spouse, business owner)
_____ Calendar and To Do List integrated into one planner
_____ Calendar and To Do List separate from each other
_____ Small size for easy portability
_____ Large size for ease of writing and room for more items
_____ Medium size as a compromise between small and large
_____ Time slots for meetings and appointments all day
_____ Specific time slots included in the Calendar section
_____ Pockets for other items such as cell phone or wallet
_____ Wall calendar format
_____ Portable format
_____ Attached strap so it can be carried like a purse or briefcase
_____ Price is no object
_____ Budget = $______
_____ Add your own characteristics here: __________________________
If you find yourself procrastinating about household chores and responsibilities, make a game of things and play race the clock. You can play with family members, roommates or even by yourself. If you have ADD or ADHD, this can be especially helpful in getting a bit of adrenaline moving in your system.
I don’t know about you, but I personally hate doing the dishes. Left to my own devices, dishes would probably pile up for weeks. Of course, I can’t let this happen. When it is time to do the dishes, I usually need to set a timer for 10 minutes and see how much I can get done in order to motivate myself to get started on doing the dishes. I am always surprised by how little time it can take when I really have fun with this strategy.
If you have kids, it can be tremendously helpful in getting them moving as well. I think it is the adrenaline that helps here. Setting the timer to get the family room clean can be really motivating for them. It is fun and they know it will end soon!
You could even implement this strategy at work, but be careful to keep an eye on quality. I would hate to hear that a report was botched due to “Race the Clock”!
How can you implement “Race the Clock” at your house?
Procrastination gets in the way of getting things done when you have ADHD. (Even if you don’t have it, procrastination can be a big challenge!) If you implement these 4 keys in your workday, you will be well on your way to getting more done.
Plan
This can be a difficult one if you have ADHD. Planning can feel against your nature, but I still encourage you to give it a try. When you plan every day, you know what you need to do and increase your chances of getting it done. Sometimes procrastination looks like forgetting to do something. If you write it down and plan to do it, you are more likely to actually accomplish what you need to accomplish. If you can’t find a planner you like to use, check out my guide to choosing the right planner.
Smaller Tasks
Break big projects into smaller chunks to help each step of the project seem more manageable. For example, if you have to develop a new process at work, it can be pretty easy to procrastinate because it is literally a HUGE process and assignment. If you can identify smaller chunks and try to focus on one chunk at a time, it can be easier to get started.
First Thing
Work on your hardest project or task first thing in the morning. I had a client who was in the middle of a job search when we were working together. She procrastinated about making any type of phone call because she just does not enjoy making phone calls. To counteract her tendency to procrastinate, she made a commitment to herself that she would make one difficult phone call every morning by 9:30am. Once she made that phone call in the morning, she felt more confident that she could tackle all of her challenges that day!
10 Minutes
If you are having trouble getting started on a project, start with just 10 minutes. Set a timer and just get started on the project. If you work on it for 10 minutes, chances are that it will be easier to get started. When the timer goes off, make a conscious decision – STOP because you are just working on it for 10 minutes or KEEP GOING because it really isn’t so bad after all!
What do you think about these tips? Will they work for you?
Learning how to self advocate is important for people with ADHD. Self advocacy can give you the opportunity to speak for yourself regarding your needs and help to secure the necessary support in work, school and your personal life. This looks difference throughout different stages of life. Whether you are the parent of a child with ADHD or an adult with ADHD, I am happy to share tips with you to help you develop self advocacy skills.
Students
Self advocacy for ADHD can begin in elementary school, but it will look different as students progress through school, with their needs and with their own comfort level. It is important to remember that while your child is a minor, you need to be their main advocate and self advocacy does not change that role for parents in my view.
Elementary School
If your child is in elementary school, you can encourage self advocacy by having them talk to their teachers about smaller issues or needs. For example, if your child is confused about a new math concept, start by having your child talk to his teacher about it instead of emailing the teacher right away. Your child might forget to ask the teacher. If you are concerned that this might happen, you could call or email the teacher to let him know that your child will be asking him a question the next day. I have found that teachers appreciate this approach and can help to prompt the child .
Middle School
When your child reaches middle school or junior high, there are more ways that you can build on the self advocacy skills you started building in elementary school.
If your child uses email, she can send an email to her teacher instead of it coming from you. Encourage her to review the emails with you before sending them so you can discuss the best way to communicate her needs.
Talk to your child before an IEP or 504 meeting. Review what is currently being provided or requested and find out what he would like to see added or even deleted. Perhaps something that was previously put in place does not seem necessary any more. You still make the final decisions here, but involving your child in these discussions can be empowering.
Some experts recommend having your child attend the actual IEP or 504 meeting. I am hoping to interview someone for a future article on this topic so stay tuned.
High School
The high school years are, of course, a significant transition time for teens. This is true for self advocacy with ADHD as well. Continue helping your child to build on the self advocacy skills from elementary and middle school. If your teen is nervous to talk with adults about her interests and needs, it will be helpful to have these conversations before reaching college. Practicing these conversations earlier in life can improve both skill and confidence going forward.
Guidance counselors can be great resources for your student to talk with about their needs. The counselors may even be able to suggest ways of working with certain teachers.
Coaches often work with teens to help them role play different ways to self advocate with teachers, counselors and even their own parents. This practice can be valuable for students especially if the concept of self advocacy is new to them.
If your child is planning to attend college, visit the disability services office during your campus visits.
College Students
In college, students have less outside structure and less parental involvement than they did in high school. While this is a natural progression, it is also a legal one since college students are typically no longer minors.
The first step that college students can take is to contact the disability services office on their campus. If they aren’t sure how to contact the office at their school, they can do an internet search for “disability services” and the name of their school.
Your child can talk to professors and teaching assistants about the support they need. Even with accommodations from the disability services office, conversation with professors and teaching assistants will ensure a common understanding among everyone.
Encourage your child to learn about their personal learning style and how they can maximize your strengths in school.
Adults
Adults with ADHD also need to self advocate for themselves. I am not talking about whether you decide to disclose an ADHD diagnosis to an employer. That is a highly personal decision that is dependent on many different factors including your personal preferences, your employer and your supervisor. With self advocacy, I encourage adults with ADHD to clearly identify specific needs that they want to ensure are met in the course of their work.
One aspect of self advocacy for adults is to choose work that is interesting to them and that keeps them motivated.
Another is to identify the supports that they need to be successful in their work. If regular check-ins with your supervisor will be useful for you, then ask her if you can schedule regular meetings. They can be as short as 15 minutes and can help you stay on track with priorities.
When you have identified something that you would like to implement at work, think through how you would implement it and how you can approach your supervisor about it. Chances are that you can tie the idea to higher productivity and that will make it a win win for you and your employer.
What’s Next?
I have only scratched the surface of self advocacy with this article, but I hope I have prompted you to start generating your own ideas about how you can teach self advocacy to your student and how you can implement it for yourself.
How do you self advocate if you have ADHD? Share your ideas here to help others.
