Ten ADD Organizing Principles

Friday, April 27, 2012 Leave a comment

NOT Your Mama’s Organization

As I began in an earlier post (ADD & Organized?) . . .

Yes, even YOU can learn to be organized –
JUST AS SOON AS YOU UNDERSTAND
the REASONS why you’ve been stopped in the past.  

HERE’S the KICKER: it’s a different mix of stoppers for every single one of us.  

If you don’t understand how YOU work, you’ll never be able to determine what YOU need to do to to keep from spending half your life looking for things that were “right here a minute ago” – and the other half tripping over dirt and detritus.

So much for helpful hints and tidy lists!  

That said, I’m going to go w-a-a-y out on a limb by offering ten ADD organizing principles that I call, collectively, The ADD Organizaing Manifesto — a summary of some basic concepts that need to be embraced and understood if you want to have a shot at working out what YOU need to do for YOU to be organized.

In future posts in this series, I’ll expand on some of the points below.
For NOW, print ‘em out and hang ‘em up!

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Filed under A5f. Organization & Task Completion, F1. ADD Top Tens, G5b. The Challenges Inventory™, G5l. Organization & Task Completion Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Surviving Beloved’s ADD

Friday, January 27, 2012 5 Comments

Ten Tips when the ADD is Beloved’s

As I mentioned in the first article of the Beloved Series, I get a lot of differently phrased questions from spouses that, essentially, all boil down to the same thing: How do I deal with ADD when it’s not my ADD?

Toward the end of that article, I encouraged you to believe that  ALL the relationship goodies are beyond that “wall” of “I can’t deal with this another minute!” - as is your own inner healing, the need for which is bringing everything to the surface in this manner.

The relationship you dreamed of is still there – behind that wall of pain, rejection & reaction. As awful as it feels, there is a shiny silver lining to this blackest of clouds, whether you work it out with this Beloved or not.

MEANWHILE, this section will give you Ten Tips designed to help immediately. Don’t worry – your needs won’t get overlooked, and CAN’T get overlooked, but I can’t do much to help there in ten quick suggestions.

If you want some immediate relief to avoid damaging your relationship beyond repair while we’re working on how to change dynamics on the home-front, try one or all of the tips below.

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Filed under A5h. ADD Relationships, F1. ADD Top Tens, G6. When Beloved has ADD - alternatives to murder and divorce! Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top Ten Stupid Comments from ADD-Docs

Saturday, November 19, 2011 19 Comments

The Top Ten Stupid Comments
from [supposed]  ADD Professionals

Ten Unfortunate [and recent]  Examples of Ignorance masquerading as Information – and
uninformed personal opinion presented as medical FACT.

First Things First:
Let’s not lump the good ADD doctors and the ones who made these stupid comments together!

They are not the same species AT ALL!

There ARE Many Good ADD-Practitioners:

  • Those who keep up with the latest information, are aware of the studies shortly after they are published, read the journals, participate in practitioner-support lists, and more (and, by the way, most don’t receive a penny for the time it takes for them to stay current!)
  • The ones who attend CH.A.D.D. meetings or ADD conferences to meet more of the population they serve (to hear first-hand anecdotal report of the ADD experience) – again, not activities that help them feed their families or pay their bills
  • Doctors and therapists who host or speak at local support group meetings - mostly pro-bono
  • Many who listen from belief, and perform crackerjack differential diagnoses
  • Others who write books or develop podcasts to educate ADDers and add to the ADD knowledge-base of all ADD Professionals - and BELIEVE me, nobody gets royalty rich from those books!**

Those good ADD Doctors would not only be as appalled as I by the comments below, they will most likely find it difficult to believe that ANY doctor would think, much less say, many of them.

Unfortunately, far too many of you out there in ADD-land know differently.

FAR too many of you have been unable to locate a doctor willing to diagnose or medicate what you are pretty darn sure is ADD – and you have heard one or more of these very comments out of their reluctant, misinformed or down-right IGNORANT mouths.

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10-Step ADD Coaching

Thursday, September 29, 2011 2 Comments

Ten Things to think about that can give you a Brand New LIFE!

ŒBegin with a pen, pencil (or crayon!) and a pad of your favorite paper – or your favorite software on your computer (whatever works best for YOU).

Find a comfortable place to perch while you run through the ten items below.

Plan on spending 30-45 minutes – whatever you can spare, but don’t try to squeeze it in between activities and interruptions.

Make SURE you are comfortable

Identify any tight places in your body:

  • Roll your shoulders.
  • Let your head drop to one side, then the other.
  • Wiggle your toes or spread your fingers.

Adjust your clothing, if you need to.  Unfasten anything that needs to be looser. Kick off your shoes if you feel like it.  Squirm around until you feel comfortable in your own skin. Take several d-e-e-p breaths, exhaling slowly, while you think about your life as it is RIGHT NOW, before you work your way through the list below.

Let things drift into your mind. Don’t force ANYTHING.

  • Where do things feel stuck?
  • What would you like to be different?
  • What seems to be the biggest struggle?
  • Where do you feel tethered to the treadmill?
  • Where is “working hard” keeping you from spending time on what you love and what’s easy?
Whatever pops into your head is fine.  Don’t over-think this, just bring it to consciousness gently.  When you feel ready, take some time to reflect on each of the points below, capturing your thinking in writing, not only to make sure you come up with some specifics, but also so that you can go back to it whenever you want.

Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, D. Coaching with MGH, F1. ADD Top Tens Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Top Ten Questions about ADD meds

Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Leave a comment

– Updated legacy post -orig. 09/12/99- from Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, A.C.T., MCC, SCAC –

Considering ADD Medication?

line drawing of a middle-aged doctor with glasses: shoulders and headTen Important Things to find out from your doctor or your pharmacist

First Things First: Doctors are only human — OVERWORKED humans.  They also have a lot of patient information to keep track of.  On top of that, it may take a change or three to titrate meds for each patient (find the right medication, the right dosage, the right timing, etc.).

So it’s always wise to double-check your prescription EVERY time.   Make sure the medication, dosage and timing are the same as last time, and point out anything that’s different before you leave the office.  

When you pick up your medication at your pharmacy, check it again.

So that means you’re gonna’ write down the information the FIRST time, right?
THEN you’re gonna’ transfer it to something you will keep in your wallet – or to your PDA or cellphone – something you always have with you, right?
(while you’re waiting for your very first prescription to be filled is an excellent time to do this, by the way!)

NOW, on to those Ten Things . . .
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The Top Ten . . . Things we wish YOU’d stop doing!

Thursday, April 21, 2011 2 Comments

Dear and wonderful non-ADD friends and associates -

Color graphic of a stop sign

We know what drives you crazy — really!
We’ve heard about it all our lives.
Even though we don’t do it on purpose,
we’re really sorry,
and we’ll keep workin’ on it.

HOWEVER,  I’ll bet you never realized that some of the things you do and say make it practically impossible for us to give you the very things you say you need to keep you from going crazy.

Did you?

I’ll double the bet that you had no idea that there was much of anything that YOU do that drives US crazy!

At the risk of being benched by the ADD team, I’m going to let you in on just a few of the things never said to anyone outside our tight-knit ADD circle.  

Don’t shoot the messenger!

xx,
mgh
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Filed under E2a. Rants; Ruminations, F. You Play Too
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Ten Basic Coaching Skills used most often with ADDers

Friday, April 15, 2011 Leave a comment

– Updated legacy post -orig. 11/15/95- from Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CTP, CMC, A.C.T., MCC, SCAC –

Graphic of roadside-like sign: yellow triangle enclosing a ball peen hammer as metaphor for comment on "fixing"ADDers have had people trying to “fix” them all their lives: 
“If you’d just get organized . . .“  “If you’d only try . . .”

While those suggestions usually come from a loving intention, they are actually UNloving in execution, most frequently because they collapse won’t with can’t.

At the heart of that ever-so-well-meaning “should” is the assumption that all the ADDer has to do is make a commitment to willingness and their world will shift.

In other words, the underlying belief is that the ADDer could
 “if they really wanted to,” and that “all” that is missing is
a high enough degree of “wanting to.”

BALDERDASH!

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Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, B1. ADDCoach Terms & Tools, B2. Working with an ADD Coach, B2a. Mentor Coaching, ADD Style, D. Coaching with MGH, D1a. Private ADD Coaching, D1b. Private Mentor Coaching, F1. ADD Top Tens, G2. Rewrite Your Coaching Manual, G3. ADD Coaching Secrets Tagged with , , ,

10 Questions to Ask to find a GRRRRreat! ADD Doc

Friday, March 25, 2011 4 Comments

ADD* & Looking for a Doctor?

Ten great questions to ask in the initial interview

Cartoon of a Doctor in a white lab coat with clipboard, glasses. and doctor's bag

Most of us are desperate for help by the time we look for it. 

ADD affect combined with a shortage of time and money means we often approach the process as beggars at a banquet, accepting a crust of bread as eagerly as a balanced meal.

If you don’t want to have to “Return to GO” when you find out later that things aren’t working (leaving your $200 on the table with the first doctor!), take some time to think first about what you need, and to find out whether your needs will be met by the care provider you are considering.

—————–

SEE: ADD: What’s in a Name? for why I don’t use the “H” – even though you ADHD-ers are definitely included in the articles you will find here.

© Updated 2011, Madelyn Griffith-Haynie,CTP, CMC, MCC, SCAC-orig. on ADDCoach.com – 07/05/95

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Filed under A. Hopefully Helpful
, A1. The Attentional Spectrum, A1c. Dances with Diagnosis, A2. ADD Treatment, A2a Your ADD Treatment Team, A2a(1) Your ADD Doctor, F1. ADD Top Tens Tagged with , , , , ,

The Top Ten . . . Products I wouldn’t want to live without

Monday, March 21, 2011 3 Comments

A drawing of a woman surrounded by stuff - a rocking horse, a floor lamp, a trunk, a bowl & pitcher, a painting - wearing a hat with a price tag still attachedA Few of my Favorite Things

Anybody who’s spent much time with very many ADDers knows how attached some of us can get to our stuff. Regardless of how you might feel about that particular quirk of personality, ya’ gotta’ admit, those of us who are stuff-obsessed know our products!

To quote an ADD stuff-opedia I know,
“Honey, Heloise ain’t got nothin’ on me!”  

While I may not give my friend much of a run for her money, check out some of my stuff suggestions (and leave me yours!)

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The Top 10 “useless” things I’ll never get rid of

Monday, March 21, 2011 Leave a comment

 I Won’t Throw - don’t ask me!

If you’re a Professional Organizer or an Interior Decorator,
unless you have ADD, you might want to hide your eyes!

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The Top Ten . . . Stupid Questions from the ADD clue-free

Monday, March 21, 2011 5 Comments

Stupid questions are those I find impossible to answer at all because the truthful response would be unkind, A graphic of a fat question mark in several tones of gray
and I really do try my darndest not to be
(to my own detriment, more’s the pity!)

For the record . . .

any time anybody asks questions like the ones below I always need to stifle a response something along the lines of the following:

  • “Is that a real question or yet another indictment with a question mark at the end of it?”
  • “If you have to ask the question you ‘ll never understand the answer.”
  • “What part of ‘ADD Poster Girl’ don’t you GET?”

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Filed under ADD | ADHD | Attention Deficit Disorder, F. You Play Too
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ABOUT the Top Tens

Friday, March 18, 2011

Top Ten Lists are pretty much what they sound like –

Quickie sketch of a piece of paper with lines on it - representing the text of top tenslists of 10 items in a particular category that stand out as the top tier of a possible bazillion items for consideration.

Tone generally varies, depending on mood and functional level of the day, as does format.

Some of my Top Tens here on ADD-and-so-much-more will consist of bullet-points without much explanation or context.  Others will be augmented by comments of some sort, and a few will be more like articles with ten points.

Top Tens and ADD brains are made for each other:

Lists with ten items provide the perfect combination of flexibility and structure — with permission to vamp.

(Oh yeah, and because ADD Top Tens are generally written by ADDers, we can’t afford to be too literal about “top” or we’ll be ruminating over the pros and cons of inclusion ad infinitum.)

The subject matter of any particular ADD Top Ten List is limited only by the particular ADD mind of the author (which is like saying “limited by infinity”).

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Top Ten Things . . . I LOVE about having ADD

Sunday, March 6, 2011 Leave a comment

Cartoon of female face with REALLY broad smile

Having ADD is a mixed bag!  There are VERY many things bout it that make me howl in frustration, and more than a few others that make my life difficult to lead. I’ll bet you can relate!

But ADD gives us some advantages too, and I think its important to remember that — especially when we’re having “one of those days” when our functional temperature is sub-zero!

A little gratitude helps us keep things in perspective.

So here is a list of ten things about my particular flavor of ADD that make me REALLY happy!  I’ll bet you can relate to some of those too!  Jump on down to the comments section and let me know what you love about YOUR particular flavor of ADD.

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