Diane Ladd's ADD to Life CoachingFinding Focus and Fun

ADHD/ADD (for our purposes here, I’ll call it ADD) is a biological, nuerobiological brain difference that has many symptoms. Not all people with ADD have the same characteristics, and ADD almost always manifests itself differently in each person.

One symptom of ADD is inattentiveness. The crazy thing is, children and adults with ADD can pay attention to things they enjoy doing and sometimes do this to the point of hyperfocus. “She doesn’t have ADD,” a loved one, teacher or parent might say, “She can pay attention when she wants to!”

Unfortunately, some things that people with ADD find uninteresting, boring or difficult can be impossible to listen to, look at or do. I know this lack of attention happens to everyone at some point, but those with ADD experience it most of the time, and it has a major effect on their day-to-day life. Parents are baffled when their child is able to spend hours in front of a video game, but can’t sit for ten minutes to do homework.

People may not even realize that their attention is being diverted. All they know is that they “never have enough time,” or that “things take them longer” than other people.

If you feel your attention is being diverted, or you find yourself never having enough time, try Your 3 Steps to Attention:

1. Estimate how long your task may take. This is a very important step! Those with ADD do not have a good grasp of the passage of time and usually have NO IDEA how long it takes to do things. You don’t have to be right or perfect, just take a guess and write it down.
2. Schedule the task. When do you have enough time to begin and complete this task? Pencil it in.
3. Time yourself.  Set a timer, start your task and complete it.

Whether or not your first attempt at Your 3 Steps is successful, is not the important part. The important piece of this is what you learn from the experience. You may want to contemplate the following coaching questions:

• Was the estimated time accurate?
• Did you overestimate or underestimate the time?
• What kept you on task?
• What caused you to get off task?
• What worked to get you back on?
• What strategies can you use to stay on task?

ADHD/ADD Coaching can help you to become aware of how ADD is affecting your day-to-day life and to build strategies. Your 3 Steps to Attention is a tool I use with my clients to build awareness and develop workable techniques. The coaching piece is vital for accountability, brainstorming strategies and reworking the plan to get the best results for you. If you want to learn more about ADHD/ADD Coaching, contact me!

Last week, I had a great time presenting my workshop “I’ll Stop Procrastinating . . . Someday!” Breaking out of the Cycle with DIRECT Goal Setting at the Metrowest Procrastinators Meetup. I proudly introduced myself as the Queen of Procrasti Nation; a title I have held for quite some time now!

There were over 20 members present. All came to the workshop ready to set some goals and to move forward with making steps towards reaching them.

What makes us put off until tomorrow what we should have done last week? Is it fear of failure, feeling overwhelmed, busyness, or maybe it’s just not that important to you? Or, is it?

It’s possible that procrastination is your call to action! When you DO the stuff you are putting off, you may see yourself and your abilities from a whole new perspective!

What have you been putting off?

When you do this, how will it change your life?

Call me and let’s talk about action steps you can take.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),  ”ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and into adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity).”

The NIMH States that ADHD has three subtypes:

• Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
• Predominantly inattentive
• Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

ADHD has many symptoms and affects each person differently. Working one-on-one with a personal, professional ADHD Coach can help you to build strategies and build skills to manage any ADHD symptoms that are causing you difficulty. Find out more about ADHD on their website.

Congratulations to the members who attended our first meetup! Thank you for sharing your stories with us and helping us to know how ADD affects you and your life. We are all at different stages of this journey — either just diagnosed or diagnosed several years back. However, the common theme is:  No matter where we are, there is much to be learned from the wisdom of others. 

If you’d like to join us go to:

http://www.meetup.com/Andover-ADD-Support-Group/

Meetings are on select Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:00 p.m.

THREE GROUPS TO CHOOSE FROM:

First Tuesday of the month:  Adults with ADD

Second Tuesday of the month:  Parents of Children with ADD

Third Tuesday of the month:  My Spouse has ADD

Meeting Location:  Kismet Wellness Center, Andover, MA

You should join one or more of these meetups if:

• Your symptoms of ADD have gotten in the way of things you want to do
• Having these symptoms keeps you from being the way you want to be
• You’re ready to break out of the paradigm and make steps toward living life the way you want!

In addition . . .  you should join if you want to meetup with some really great people!!