ADDessories, accessories for ADD ADHD
I know this site has been a bit neglected as of late, but don’t worry, big things are coming. I mean BIG things.
Look for an updated ADD Organizer
A new ADD Planner (online, paper and offline)
And more…
Plus, more ADHD news, ADD tips and tricks, and all the good stuff we share with each other.
Sooner or later, after your diagnosis with ADD, whether it’s a long time, or right away, you’ll start to wonder what things are “you”, what things are ADD / ADHD, and what things are something else altogether.
It matters for a lot of different reasons. First, people ADD tend to be more introspective than others. Years of trying to figure out “what is wrong” will do that to you. Second, one can logically expect that things that are due to ADHD will eventually (hopefully) respond to ADD treatments, whether that is Adderall, or Vyvanse, or something else entirely. But, the things that are you, or are otherwise external, would need to be sorted out separately.
Of course, Attention Deficit Disorder (and the more diagnostic, if less accurate Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are both likely alterations in brain chemistry. These differences in serotonin levels, or whatever, don’t necessarily come and go, so they aren’t actually triggered, per se. However, if you have had ADD for a while, you know that some things seem to make you more focused, and some things are particularly distracting.
But, what about the things that are more subtle?
I’ve noticed lately that I seem to wake up tired and groggy. This is normal, and yes, I should figure out how to get more / better sleep. But, after some coffee kicks in, I tend to have gung ho type thoughts in my head: ideas I want to explore, projects to work on, dreams to pursue, that sort of thing. I get the kids ready for school, and on the drive back, things are still on track.
Then, I go down to my office. Lately, that seems to sap all the willpower from me. My time management goes to hell, my procrastination increases. I spend hours just surfing through Twitter, or reading news, or whatever, but nothing productive.
Just this afternoon, it occurred to me.
Could it be my office?
Could it be light? Should it be brighter, darker, different?
Is it the monitor?
Is it the chair?
Is it jealousy for the cat sleeping 20 hours a day in a little square pillow bed?
The truly weird part is that I’ve been thinking this all day, and yet, I haven’t tried going anywhere else. My mind rebels at the thought.
“No. I like my office. I want to be in it. I want to sit there, in that light, looking at that computer.”
I guess tonight, when I’m not in the office, I’ll setup my work to occur somewhere else to see if things go any different. If so, I’ll try some self-experimentation to see if I can isolate the issue.
Either way, I need to do something. My productivity has been absolute crap this whole week, and Friday is tomorrow.
Whether you were just diagnosed with ADD / ADHD, or if you were diagnosed a long time ago, organization is an ongoing challenge. Knowing yourself and reading about your ADHD is a good start. Whether you are taking ADD medication, or trying some alternative ADD therapies, you know that medicine alone won’t change your organization and time management habits.
So, what will?
If you are an adult with ADD, chances are that you have owned more than your fair share of planners, calendars and organizers in your life. You may have even looked for a specific planner for people with ADD. The truth is that an organizer or calendar is essential for time management and organization. Just because it hasn’t worked before doesn’t mean it never will.
If you are successfully using an electronic organizer like your cell phone or Microsoft Outlook, or the like, then don’t mess with success. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
On the other hand, if you are still struggling with ADD organization and time management, I recommend getting a physical, paper calendar, organizer, or just a notebook. The reason is that you are trying to change an established habit. The best way to do that is to do something new. If you aren’t used to carrying around a planner, then starting to do so, is something new.
The catch, as you probably know, is that it won’t take right away. You’ll forget your planner at home; you’ll leave it sitting on your desk. Even worse, you’ll write things in it and then forget all about it, or you’ll forget to write important things in it in the first place. It doesn’t matter. Keep at it.
They say it takes six weeks to turn something into a habit. I don’t know if that is a solid number, but I do know that it takes time. The trick to developing an organizer, calendar, planner habit is to keep trying to use it.
Start by taking it with you. Throw it in your work bag. Carry it out and set it on the front seat of your car. Take it into a restaurant. Bring it with you to meetings. First, you might be developing nothing more than the habit of having it with you, even if you forget to read it, or write in it. But, don’t worry, that is step one.
Once you have a habit of carrying it with you, you will slowly develop a habit of using it. Maybe it will be when you have forgotten all about it, but you need a piece of paper and realize, “Wait! I have my planner right here.”
Maybe, you’ll need to remember something, or find a piece of information, and you’ll realize that you have your planner with you, and the data you need is right at your fingertips.
The key is to keep taking it with you, even if you don’t use it. Do TRY and use it, but make your focus just having it with you.
Just today, I realized that I needed a website that I had looked at but forgot all about. As a shot in the dark, I flipped through my notebook (and noticed TONS of great stuff that I forgot about. Need to remember to pull this thing out more often.) There it was, a quick note about the website, and it’s address. It saved me tons of online searching and wasted time.
The best part is, that’s one reward for my unconscious brain about the value of my notebook organizer. Enough of those, and instead of subconsciously forgetting about it all of the time, I’ll start subconsciously remembering it.
BTW, my latest notebook (not calendar, just notebook) is a Miquelrius. It has the subject sections broken out not by tabs, but by colors at the edge of the sheets. Not that I don’t have 50 other types sitting on my shelf right now. Perhaps a blog post about all my empty, and just barely started notebooks is in order 🙂
I obviously did not know Robin Williams, and as far as I know he never publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD. However, I don’t think anyone who saw his crazy, topic to topic, anything can and will pop into his head, style would be surprised. As we’ve mentioned before, ADD and depression are comorbid indicators, meaning one often goes along with the other.
I have no intention of trying to build something off of Robin Williams’ tragic death, nor will I use it as an excuse to promote anything. However, I would like to take this opportunity to remind readers of several things.
First of all, mental illness is a real medical, biological thing. That is, it is not a defect of character. You don’t have a mental illness, like ADD, because of something you did, because of something you didn’t do, or because you just aren’t trying hard enough. Even someone in wonderful circumstances, with everything life can offer at their fingertips can be depressed, have ADHD, or any other mental issues. Just because science can’t put its finger on exactly what is wrong yet, doesn’t mean it won’t eventually. Current theories of depression revolve around the body not properly producing, or overly efficiently eliminating brain chemical such as serotonin. You can’t make your brain change how it deals with chemical reactions just by getting a better attitude, and you can’t make your brain less ADD by just focusing harder.
Second, there are always going to be people who can, or won’t, accept that ADHD is real, that depression is real, or that mental illness is real. That is irrelevant. Science doesn’t care if you believe in it or not, it just is. These people apply their own personal histories as the arbiter of facts for the entire human race. That’s not only crazy, it’s incredibly self-centered. Just because you haven’t experienced it, doesn’t mean it isn’t real. If it seems that ADD and depression, and other mental illnesses are more common these days it is only because medical science has learned so much in the past 30, 40, and 50 years. The human brain is hard to study because the experiments must be delicate and involve complex instruments. Even then, we are guessing that we are measuring the right things. The next 50 years will bring even more discoveries about the human brain. None of them will be less relevant just because nobody knew about them in 1955.
Third, and this is the most important. There is no need to be miserable in life. No matter what is going on with you, there are people who can help. Free counseling is available in many venues. You doctor can, and should, be a good starting off place, but if they aren’t willing to take your help to the next level, find someone who can. Talk with a friend, a stranger, a loved one, anyone. Just saying out loud that you are worried, sad, or scared can be a huge relief. You don’t have to take prescription medications, or change anything about yourself if you don’t want to, but just pretending there is nothing going on because of fear, loneliness, or doubt, is not the solution. If you are thinking of hurting yourself, please call the National Suicide Hotline first at 1-800-273-8255.
Enjoy your day. There are many out there who cannot. If you are one of them, make today the day that you seek out answers.