17 ADHD Tips for 2017

17 adhd tips

 

 

Living successfully with ADHD means learning about creative ways to use your strengths.  Peter Shankman, founder of the Faster Than Normal podcast, says that using  your strengths is what makes the difference in living an ADHD life with meaning.  These ADHD tips include some of the most important areas I have learned from my clients. These areas as the priorities help you set your daily activities and guide you through the day.  Here’s 17 ADHD tips for 2017 just for you.

 

At Home

  1. Keep a family calendar for everyone to access. It can be a paper, dry erase, or digital calendar.  It’s everyone’s job to add to it all the time.
  2. Keep it simple.  Declutter with regularity. There’s always more coming in as you know.  Have a declutter bag available for you and your family to drop items in and take away once a month.
  3. Plan partnerships in getting responsibilities done at home.  Stick together in partnerships or everyone working as a team to make dinner, do laundry, take out the trash or any home chore so that it gets done quickly. Make it fun with music, dancing and laughing.
  4. Keep the conversation positive and coachable. Begin conversations between you, your partner, or your kids with a positive, learning, coachable communication style.

 

Relationships

  1. Partner with your partners.  Work as a team with your partner or spouse in home responsibilities.  At work find partners who help you be accountable, set deadlines, help you start or help you finish a project.
  2. Spend time one on one with others. Vitamin C, vitamin connect as Dr. Edward Hallowell talks about, is the critical element for ADHD.  Be sure you are connecting regularly and prioritizing relationships.  Play, physical connection and communication are all ways to manage ADHD symptoms better.

Parenting

  1. Set up positive learning situations. Every misstep is an opportunity to learn. Process with your child where the learning is.
  2. Set up simple systems for you and your child.  Keep spaces and routines as simplified as possible.
  3. Homework happens! Hire homework help for your child with a tutor, a homework helper or a local teen.
  4. Limit video games and online distractions. Use blockers, set up a common charging spot, and establish a one hour video free time before bed.

Self care

  1. An early bedtime for kids and adults makes for a more productive, happier day.
  2. Protein is important! Have protein at each meal for a brain boost.
  3. Double up on exercise and connecting.  Take a walk with a friend or go to a yoga class. Exercise, talking, laughing and processing information all work well together.

Learning about ADHD

  1. Check out ADDitudemag.com for webinars, podcasts, blogs and other easy to access information.
  2. Read and comment on  your favorite blog posts.
  3. Join a Facebook Closed ADHD group.
  4. Join a local support group such as ADDA-SR.  Check out their website at ADDA-SR.org.

 

Just choose one tip that can make a difference for you today, this week or this month. A single tip is the best first step to living a successful life with ADHD.

 

More tips here!  Check out these 15 ADHD tips!

#Grateful

 

#Grateful

 

The holiday season begins with a festival of gratitude. Thanksgiving officially began in 1863 in the midst of the Civil War.  President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.  While this has been a more difficult year than most, Thanksgiving brings families together for food, fun and thoughtful reflection. What are you #grateful for this year?

 

What’s your perspective on gratitude?

In the most troubling of times, it’s good to know your motivations. Knowing what’s at your core and what makes you do what you do,  that’s why you are grateful.  What’s your why, by Simon Sinek, is a strategy to drill down on why, how and what compelling reasons come together to drive your passion and lead others. This is especially important for your family. When you understand what’s most important to you and how it’s a part of your every day life, gratitude jumps out!  See if you can drill down to know these passions in what you do and why you do it.

The Values in Action (VIA) assessment is another tool to find your core.  The VIA assesses values, like honesty, loyal, appreciation of beauty.  To me, these values are essential in shaping our daily life. Our values are put into place in how we work with others, enjoy your physical space and connect with our spirituality.

Why you do what you do, what your values are and how you put these strengths into action is the basis for gratitude. It’s the lense and perspective that you view life.

 

How do you share how #Grateful you are?

There’s so many simple ways to express gratitude. It’s when a car in a fast food line pays it forward for the car behind.  A simple handwritten note expressing gratitude after a loss or because of a gift.  A gratitude journal or morning prayer bring you daily thoughtful thankfulness. Use your strengths to include habits daily that help you  experience the joy of gratitude.

Circling back to your “why”, your family, colleagues and community are places to be a #grateful leader.  Gratitude multiplies when it is shared.  This year I have the privilege and honor of leading my association.  I am grateful for collaboration, connection and communication with my friends and colleagues.  Where can you take the lead for those around you to share gratitude?  Are you ready for your family to experience more gratitude by helping at a community philanthropy?  Is your work ready to share it’s blessings with a community food drive or shared work day? Look around you and find a way to share gratitude with your community.

 

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

 

 

How to Simplify Your Paper Files

How to Simplify Your Paper Files

 

Organizing your files today? Or would you rather watch paint dry on a wall?  It’s seems that this is not the most exciting topic however it can be one of the most necessary in every day life and in emergencies.  Simplifying your filing and paper files includes knowing what’s holding you back as well as knowing what to keep.  Build your simple filing system with your strengths in mind.  Here’s how to simplify your paper files.

 

Assess what’s holding you back

What is filing for?  Here’s the first step to get clear. Files are your reference section to keep information to be used in the next year or so.  It’s not necessary to keep every piece of paper that comes into your home or business, especially if it’s not useful for you.  Be ruthless when it comes to keeping what you need now, knowing  you can use the internet, friends’ references, or other ways to get information instead of keeping extra paper.

 

What do  you need to keep and how long?  On Oprah.com, Julie Morgenstern has an extensive list.  Print this to keep as a reference while filing.  However, that’s not generally what’s causing a filing problem.  Instead it’s the articles on parenting, decorating, landscaping or other hobbies that keep holding us back.  Remember, that’s what the internet, pinterest, blogs, podcasts and google are for when we are ready to get started on a project.

 

Simplifying your system

What’s the best system?  The best system for you is the simplest way to move paper into a system. It’s also the best system for you to know where to retrieve the paper.  Categories are often the context that’s easiest to use in creating files. Whether there are for file folders, hanging files, notebooks or digital notebooks, using general, broad categories helps us file and retrieve.

 

For homes, these are the general categories I suggest:

  1. House and Auto
    1. Auto purchase
    2. Home Major Purchases
    3. Home Repair/Maintenance
    4. House inventory
    5. Insurance
  2. Financial (anything to do with money)
    1. Banking
    2. Credit Cards
    3. Investment
    4. Retirement
    5. Property Taxes
    6. Life Insurance
    7. Mortgage
  3. Personal (anything to do with people or pets)
    1. Medical Benefits
    2. Medical History
    3. Medical Explanation of Benefits
    4. Medical Paid bills
    5. School/University
    6. (Interests such as parenting, decorating, guns, etc)
  4. Work
    1. Work history
    2. CV or resume

 

For office files, here are categories I include:

  1. Clients
  2. Resources
  3. Vendors
  4. Projects
  5. HR or Employees
  6. Financials 20XX
  7. Expenses

Use hanging files for the broad categories and file folders for the subcategories. Use naming conventions, where the file names are created in a parallel way, in order to stay consistent and find documents.

 

Archive annually

Tax records for each year, legal documents such as purchase or sale of property, and final loan payments are should be kept permanently. While you only need to keep tax preparation documents for seven years, please consult your own lawyer or accountant to be sure.  It’s best to archive annually when you are preparing for tax time in the spring.

 

What’s left?

  • I typically keep mementos and keepsakes in a box, one box per person, in the closet of that person. A one box per person system also helps you limit keepsakes.
  • Important documents are generally kept in a safe or safe deposit box.  Here’s a list of important documents. It’s critical to keep these up to date each year. While you are archiving during tax time, update your important documents too.

 

Paper can be overwhelming and it’s always coming in. Always keep in mind the document’s value in terms of “shelf life.”  How long will this information be “good” is a relative value and you may be able to find information more easily on the internet or elsewhere.

 

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30 Things to Declutter in 30 days this Fall

30 things to declutter in 30 days fall edition

 

Fall is here and we jump back into school, routines and holidays.  We want to be efficient because we have a lot on our plates at this time of year. Some of these items should be donated, some put in the trash or shared with others.   You want to clear clutter because the holidays are coming!

  1. Junk mail
  2. Expired coupons
  3. Summer or spring catalogs
  4. Bag of single socks
  5. Excess shopping bags
  6. Instruction manuals for items you no longer own
  7. Extra pens or pencils
  8. Old cosmetics
  9. Magazines over 6 months old
  10. Expired medicine
  11. Extra boxes
  12. Broken holiday ornaments
  13. Broken cups, plates or dishes
  14. Last set of technology, including devices and phones
  15. Old coats you have replaced with something more contemporary
  16. Old sweaters you haven’t worn in 2 years
  17. Scarves that don’t match any attire
  18. Games with missing pieces
  19. Half used coloring or game books
  20. Earrings without a match
  21. Book you won’t read again
  22. Night stand drawers
  23. Broken small appliances
  24. Pantry shelves and expired food
  25. Landing strip and entry
  26. Shoes that are uncomfortable
  27. Underwear with holes
  28. Extra bedding
  29. Unused hair care or toiletries
  30. Anything that does not have a home.

Now that you are in the decluttering groove, it’s a great habit to continue each day to release one item into the universe to bless others.

 

Hugs and Happy Organizing: Boy’s Room

hugs and happy organizing boy's room

 

Hugs and happy organizing are client success stories.  Here’s a story about a boy’s room. 

 

Kids spaces and rooms can be chaotic, overwhelming and stuffed to the brim.  More toys and games come in after each holiday and birthday.  Overnight your child seems to grow an inch and clothes are too small.  Here’s how to conquer this cluttered space.

  • Start with putting “like items” together. Match up the games together, electronics together, clothes together and crafts together.  When you see all the items together, it’s easier to make decisions on what to keep and what to let go.
  • Start small with your child if he/she is going to be a part of the team. Work together for 30 minutes to know what is most important and what to keep.  If your child wants to keep everything, think of this as a treasure hunt, set a limit with a number they suggest, or use a hula hoop to define an area of work.
  • As the parent, you help your child to learn organization, how to take care of and value your belongings and how to declutter. Establishing an orderly space helps your child in having a serene, peaceful rest spot each evening.
  • Let go of MORE.  It’s a powerful lesson to know that your space can offer clarity for you and your child.
  • Sentimentality is the biggest challenge. Store keepsakes in the top of your child’s closet or an organizer under your child’s bed.
  • Schedule decluttering before your child’s birthday, before a holiday and before back to school.  Increased order will benefit you all!

 

More hugs and happy organizing stories here!