Experiencing ADDvantages

Video: Get Your Career in Gear!

Want to know more about the webinar? Visit www.ADHDcareeringear.com!

ADD Moments: Smelling the "Roses"

A few days ago, I went to Home Depot and bought garden soil, manure and mulch. I'm dabbling in vegetable gardening this summer and I got everything I needed to build a raised bed.

On the way back from the store, I wasn't feeling well, and I decided that I'd build the bed the following day. But then it rained and I couldn't work outside. So I figured I would prepare my raised bed this weekend. No biggie.

Then I forgot all about the stuff in my trunk.

For the next couple of days, for whatever reason, we took Erin's car whenever we drove somewhere. The fact that I had actual bags of shit in my trunk didn't even cross my mind...until today.

Today I have an appointment that requires a 2-hour drive, and my car smells like shit. Literally.

It's only 52 degrees in NY today, but I'll be making my 2-hour drive with the windows rolled down.

Free Teleclass on Self-care for Parents and Adults with AD/HD

If you're an adult with AD/HD or the parent of a child with AD/HD, then you'll want to join me at the FREE ADHD Family Summit tonight!

Dr. Rory Stern will be hosting this free call tonight at 9pm EDT in which I'll be presenting a talk titled Put On Your Oxygen Mask First - Self-care Strategies For ADHD Adults And Parents.

Some of the points I'll be covering tonight include:

• Why self-care is a challenge in most AD/HD families
• How taking good care of yourself will help you take better care of those around you
• Simple self-care strategies that you can apply to your life immediately

The ADHD Family Summit includes 12 AD/HD experts and is free when you attend live.

If you'd like to join us, you can register here.

"See" you on the call tonight!

Adults with ADD: Doing Projects the Hard Way

You want to get your (actual) butt in shape? Try loading a wheelbarrow with 100 lbs and then pushing it up a steep hill. Then do it a few more times, and repeat the following day.

This is what I did over the weekend, as I tried to create a planting bed around my house. It turns out that I am an absolute expert when it comes to gardening the hard way.

The last time I worked on the landscape, I planted a few shrubs and thought that I could easily dig up the ground. WRONG. Digging up our compacted, rocky soil turned out to be a lot of hard work. I remember my arms and shoulders being sore for days afterward. I vowed to do it "the easy way" next time.

So when I read an article about making a "lazy bed," I was on board. The technique involves laying down newspaper and then covering it with soil, compost, and mulch. Then you wait a few months while the newspaper decomposes and the compost loosens up the ground below. By the end of the season, your bed is ready for planting. Sounds easy, right? Once again, WRONG.

Perhaps I should have considered:

• Trying this technique with a smaller bed
• The constant wind we get because we live on a big hill (keeping the newspapers from blowing away before I could cover them was harder than I thought)
• The hours and hours and hours that would be involved from start to finish
• Ten or so wheelbarrow trips would--literally--bust my butt! (I was so sore!!)

I did, eventually, complete my project. But it certainly wasn't the easy route.

As a fellow ADDer, you're probably all too familiar with situations like mine. You get a great idea, dive in, and then find that your idea will require more time, energy, and resources than you thought it would.

The options you're left with are 1) quit 2) burn yourself out to finish or 3) make a plan to finish over time. (The third option is often the hardest for adults with ADD.) And no matter which option you choose, the most important thing you can do is to learn from your mistakes.

It's tempting to get down on yourself after experiences like these. Despite your best intentions and careful planning, "the easy way" can turn out to be very difficult. And while this may feel like failure, it's really just a learning experience.

It doesn't matter how hard your project turns out to be. It doesn't matter how many ways you miscalculated your plans. If you're open to learning, then you can't fail.

Each mistake you make brings you one step closer to a solution. Sometimes, you have to make a lot of mistakes to get to where you want to go. But if you're willing to learn from your mistakes, then you'll always be moving forward.

So the next time your "easy" project turns out to be harder than you thought, DON'T beat yourself up about it. Just take a trial-and-error approach. I guarantee you'll be much more successful!

As for me and my landscaping projects, I now know that digging doesn't work, and lazy beds are anything but lazy. I think it's time to rent a rototiller.

What projects have you been doing the hard way?
Share your thoughts in the comments field!

Today is the LAST DAY TO SAVE $50 on the Get Your Career in Gear Webinar for adults with ADD and ADHD! http://www.ADHDcareeringear.com 

Join us on June 17th to learn practical information and techniques from 3 of the top experts in AD/HD and career management.

Webinar: Get Your Career In Gear! How to Find and Keep the Perfect Job while Reducing Stress and Anxiety

For: Adults with AD/HD

Date: June 17th, 2009

Time: 1:00-4:30PM EDT

Location: Your own home or office!

Webinar Session #1: Finding A Career That Works For You: 10 Steps to Better Career Decisions with AD/HD with Wilma Fellman, MEd, LPC

Webinar Session #2: Using Personal Branding for Job Search & Long Term Career Success: Maximizing Your Most Important Asset - YOU! with Paul Copcutt, noted career expert

Webinar Session #3: Managing Career Stress and Anxiety in an Uncertain Economy with Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA

This webinar is for you if you:

•     Have been laid off and are looking for the right job in your chosen career
•     Fear being laid off due to the current economy
•     Want to prove your worth and value to your current employer
•     Are stressed out about managing your career

You'll learn how to find and keep the perfect job while reducing stress and anxiety!

---> Early Bird Discount expires at 5pm EDT on Monday May 18th!

To register or get more information, visit: http://www.ADHDcareeringear.com

5 Strategies for ADDed Effectiveness on the Job

For many people with ADD, life at work can be difficult. If your working environment is not ADD-friendly, then you may find yourself feeling chronically disorganized and stressed out at work! Whether or not you choose to share your diagnosis with your employer, the following strategies can help you become more effective at work.

1. Find a Career that You're Passionate About

People with ADD have the most success when doing something that they are passionately interested in. If you are in a career or a job that you're not passionate about, chances are your ADD challenges will manifest themselves. The best way to avoid this is to find and engage in work that you truly enjoy and believe in.

2. Develop Structure

It's no secret that ADDers work well with structure. If your job lacks structure, create some! Make sure you have specific deadlines on projects. Request frequent meetings with your manager or team members. Be sure to take a lunch break every day to recharge!

3. Delegate the Details

Think about how much more effective, efficient, and profitable you could be if you didn't have to worry about paperwork! Delegate paperwork and other "boring" tasks wherever possible. Never volunteer to take on a task or an element of a project that doesn't engage your strengths.

4. Plan the Time to Plan

It's not enough to plan your day, you must also plan the time to plan! Take 15 minutes a day to look at your to do list. See what you accomplished and what still needs to be done, and update the list. Also use this time to update your calendars, and break up outstanding projects into steps. You'll feel more in control and less stressed.

5. Get Over Perfectionism

Perfectionism prevents progress. If you find something that could be improved every time you look at a paper or a report, it will never get off your desk. A "good job" is work well done; a "perfect job" doesn't exist! Nothing in this world is perfect, so do yourself a big favor and get over it.

How do you stay effective at work?

P.S. Monday is the last day to save $50 on the Get Your Career in Gear Webinar! Space is limited so don't hesitate if you plan to join us! Register or get more information here.

Announcing the Get Your Career in Gear Webinar!

In the current economic climate, it's not enough to find a job that you enjoy, you also have to fight to keep it.

You know that you have exceptional strengths and qualities that are of great value to your employer; and you also know that these assets can become easily overshadowed by your AD/HD challenges, such as trouble with time management, organization, or focus.

The pressure that this creates can have you feeling overly anxious and constantly stressed out about your career. It's enough to send any adult with AD/HD into a state of career overwhelm.

It's time to stop stressing out and start getting your career in gear!

The Get Your Career in Gear Webinar has been designed specifically for adults with ADD and ADHD who are struggling to manage their careers in an uncertain economy.

Who: Adults with AD/HD

What: Get Your Career in Gear Webinar

Where: Your Own Home or Office

When: Wednesday June 17th from 1:00pm-4:30pm EDT

Why: Learn How to Find and Keep the Perfect Job while Reducing Stress and Anxiety

How: By Interacting with 3 Top Experts in AD/HD and Career Management

Early Bird Discount - Save $50!

Register for the Get Your Career in Gear Webinar by 5:00pm EDT on Monday, May 18th and save $50 off the registration fee.

Register at http://www.ADHDcareeringear.com.

Work With Your ADD

One of the core principles of managing your ADD is learning how to work WITH your ADD, instead of against it. And nowhere is this more important than at work, where the quality of your work often affects your time, your self-esteem, and your finances.

(By the way, "work" isn't limited to your job. Housework, yardwork, studying, etc. all count as work!)

As adults with ADD, our working styles often differ from those of our peers and colleagues. Our energy levels fluctuate pretty drastically. We get bored easily. We can be a bit less organized. We can get easily overwhelmed, and we can procrastinate like champs.

These, and other personal traits, have to be taken into account when you're working. Otherwise, you end up spinning your wheels and working against your ADD.

Whenever possible, try following these guidelines to help you become more efficient and productive at work:

1. Determine the times of day that your energy levels are highest and lowest.

Plan to do more complicated work when your energy levels are highest, and save the easier work for when your energy levels dip.

2. Use organizational and time management systems that work for YOU.

Don't compare yourself to everyone else, and don't try to conform to someone else's methods. The way you organize your files might not make sense to anyone else, and neither might your ability to hyperfocus! As long as your work gets done, who cares if you went about it a little differently?

3. Eliminate the distractions that you can control.

Shut down email and the web when it's time to buckle down and focus. Don't give yourself the opportunity to be distracted with the Internet. It will be there waiting for you when the job is done.

Remember, the most successful ADDers work with their ADD, not against it!