Effectively Managing your ADD Symptoms
Sometimes effectively managing your ADD Symptoms can seem like an unmanageable task. It is easy to become overwhelmed with numerous unfinished projects, lack of the ability to pay attention and the inability to get organized (forget about staying organized).
OWNING A BUSINESS AND ADD
Running a business and keeping it organized and structured can be difficult when you feel that you are being pulled in multiple directions with way too many items on your To Do List. Meeting deadlines can seem impossible and the number of missed opportunities can end your business.
MY FUNNY ADD STORY
My husband is ADD. When he was younger, he was just considered to be hyperactive. Back then, he would have been labeled as ADHD, I’m sure. They just called him hyperactive. He ran all the time, he didn’t know how to “walk”. The thing is…he was also highly intelligent and because he was easily distracted, he had issues in school and viewed as a trouble-maker. The problem is that he was just bored! Between the ages of 20-40 his answer to the question: “What is your answer to Effectively Managing your ADD Symptoms” would have been…”I’m in the military, what are you talking about?” During those 20 years he had structure and organization in his life. It was required!
As an adult with ADD, and an I-95 daily commuter, he found his “cure” to helping him focus on the highway. And, it is very ironic. You may not believe it so keep reading! He used to stop at Starbucks with his “slugs” (this is a Virginia term for someone who gives others a ride to work so that they can use the HOV lanes on the hghway). Every morning one of his “slugs” would purchase him a Grande’ Americana with 2 extra shots of espresso. This was his compensation for being the driver. Someone who is not ADD, like myself, would explode with that much caffeine. I can’t even imagine how drinking such a drink would make me feel. For my husband, however, it had the exact opposite effect. It made him calm, cool and collected. He’s ADD – I’m not!
MANAGING YOUR ADD SYMPTOMS
If you can’t handle a Starbucks Grande’ Americano to help manage your ADD symptoms, give these 5 Tips a Try. These tips are what Harold Taylor, Organizing Expert with Taylor in Time says about Managing Your ADD Symptoms. They all can apply to your business and everyday life:
- Organize your working area so that everything you use on a regular basis is visible and within reach.2. Develop routines for repetitive tasks such as checking email, paying bills and writing articles or blogs.3. Acquire a planning mindset by closing each day with a list of “To Do”s for the following day.4. Use a planner and use it to excess, blocking off time for projects, recording future “due dates”, follow-ups, appointments, special events, family birthdays and even recording places you visit and people you meet.5. Work in short periods of time – breaking longer tasks into “chunks.” Use a timer if necessary.
Putting simple and effective steps into place will help you stay focused and manage ADD. And, of course, if you need help trying to figure out how to organize your office, consider asking a friend, neighbor, co-worker or a Professional Organizer for help. Sometimes an outsider can have a clearer picture of how to best utilize your space.
Linda Clevenger, Organization Direct
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