Category Archives: strategies
ADHD and Some Other Stuff Tips O the Day: If you have ADHD or if you’re old, or if you’re old and have ADHD, never ever place your phone on the restaurant table. Just saying. I was to give a … Continue reading
ADHD and Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria
Sometimes you don’t see something that’s right in front of your eyes; at least I don’t. Rejection sensitivity dysphoria is a hot topic. It’s been found as another part of ADHD, like irritability (not in DSM, not part of the … Continue reading
Five Truisms
These are not all 100% true, but your life will go better if you act as though they are. It will always take longer than you thought. Anything that can go wrong, will. If they didn’t ask for your advice, … Continue reading
ADHD Key Points — ADHD Tip O the Day 1000
Just a few of the key ADHD points. There are so many, so many ways to make our lives better, so that we are managing our ADHD and it’s not in control.Sadly, this is my last post. I want to … Continue reading
Pain and ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 995
We ADHDers tend to be hypersensitive. For example, to certain noises, to feelings of rejection, etc. So it makes sense that we might be hypersensitive to pain. I just wasn’t aware of this before. But I have had struggles with … Continue reading
New Year’s Resolutions — ADHD Tip O the Day 993
Belated Happy New Year to each of you (happy in spite of our ADHD). I don’t like making resolutions; they just set me up for disappointment and shame. But this year I made some: Lose weight (right, sure) and this … Continue reading
Marriage/Relationships? Part Two— ADHD Tip O the Day 986
Marriage part two Throughout this series, I use “marriage” “to stand for “marriage and/or relationships.” I understand that marriage is becoming increasingly rare. ADHD and marriage: Marriage is hard. With ADHD it’s much harder, especially for the non ADHD partner. … Continue reading
How to Be Happy — ADHD Tip O the Day 983
It can be hard to be happy, especially these days, and harder with ADHD. But- Affirmations: Every morning, state, “I choose to be happy today.” Learn to cope with your ADHD. Minimize contact with toxic people. Help someone else. Get … Continue reading
How to Make Decisions — ADHD Tip O the Day 982
With ADHD we have trouble making choices and decisions. Do I really need to make this decision? Does it matter?- is it worth the the time and effort? Does it have to be me? Gather data List pros and cons … Continue reading
What to do about my forgetfulness and absentmindfullness? — ADHD Tip O the Day 975
Answering this question about ADHD: This is an example of accepting that you can’t change something, but you can make strategies to help you cope with it. (But medication might help somewhat.) 1. Write everything down on a card, folded … Continue reading
Procrastinating or Pushing Ahead? — ADHD Tip O the Day 971
Overwhelmed is common with ADHD but strategies can help. The same is true for procrastination. I took on the task of clearing the trash in our stretch of the Santa Fe “river“ (even calling it a creek is an exaggeration … Continue reading
Self Abuse Makes ADHD Worse — ADHD Tip O the Day 967
(Not that kind) With ADHD, we have many opportunities to feel shame. And we often contribute to that be being harshly critical of ourselves. And we often were subjected to shaming criticism as we were growing up (and after), so … Continue reading
Some Links For ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 956
These are some good ADHD links for you and that’s about it for today. I’m taking a break. And I plan to do the next post on breaks (“I plan–“). Enjoy. doug Links: ADHD Brain Differences ADHD Brain (download) Shame … Continue reading
Assumptions, Premises, and Illusions — ADHD Tip O the Day 954
Now for something different This will be a philosophical discussion today, not limited to ADHD. (Had you assumed there would be a Poem O the Day? Sorry to disappoint you. I hope you’re not heart broken. ) General Strategy O … Continue reading
Failing with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 940.1
“I am a failure.” What a terrible thing to say about yourself. I often read posts from mothers who say they’re failing, that they must be a bad mother. Often that means they can’t get their child to do what … Continue reading
An Old ADHD Principle — ADHD Tip O the Day 939
For every problem, there’s a solution. The trick is to recognize that it’s a problem in the first place. Problem: At night I put my glasses and my iphone (with the alarm set) on the bedside table and turn out … Continue reading
Venting — ADHD Tip O the Day 938
It’s good for us to vent and get things off our chest occasionally. This works best of course if we have an audience. Thank you for being my audience today. 2. Word has decided to revolt and take control. It … Continue reading
James Clear on Habits – ADHD Tip O the Day 920
James Clear’s excellent book, Atomic Habits, covers the same material I’ve been writing about for years; how you can make good habits and get rid of bad ones. However, since his focus is solely on habits and mine just includes … Continue reading
ADHD Changes — ADHD Tip O the Day 913
Puryear’s Principles of Human Nature – Number One: “If we struggle and struggle with a problem, and we finally find a solution that works, the next thing we do is to stop using it.” One of my favorite strategies is … Continue reading
Report on My Retreat —ADHD Tip O the Day 904
I finished my five day spiritual retreat, a success. I got off track some on day five, next time I’ll do four days. It wasn’t as difficult as I’d expected. I had a little struggle about how to use my … Continue reading
Organize? With ADHD? — ADHD Tip O the Day 902
One of my long-term goals is to get organized. After sixty years or so I have to admit it is either: 1. Hopeless or 2. … Continue reading
Living with ADHD and the Virus: Frustrating — ADHD Tip O the Day 900
ADHD causes many frustrations, and also makes it harder to cope with frustration. It’s a booger. These last few days have been frustrating, and it’s not getting any better. Of course, the main issue is this virus situation, with diminished … Continue reading
ADHD and Legs — ADHD Tip O the Day 898
Continuing with Sleep, Science, and ADHD: As if we didn’t have enough problems, we ADHDers often have leg problems. These include restless legs syndrome (RLS), paroxysmal abnormal leg movements (PALM, aka ‘the jerks’) and leg cramps. The book says these … Continue reading
More ADHD Science —ADHD Tip O the Day 897
We’re all tired of the virus thing. I just ask that you pay attention to the scientific experts, especially those willing to admit they don’t really know, and ignore the blathering and BS. Here’s more ADHD science: 1. Sleep problems … Continue reading
Virus, Science, and ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 896
Virus, virus, virus and ADHD What else is there to talk about? We are blessed with leadership from someone who was born with innate understanding of science so that, despite his being apparently illiterate, he knows more about scientific things … Continue reading
Sleep and ADHD, and Now, the Virus — ADHD Tip O the Day 894
Virus I meant this post to be solely about sleep and ADHD. After all, what does the virus have to do with ADHD? Well, not much, except we’re impulsive and impatient, and prone to take risks. So, wash your hands … Continue reading
Changes. ADHD in Transition — ADHD Tip O The Day 893
I thought that once I retired, life would get easier. Hah! “There’s been a change in the weather and a change in the sea From now on, there’ll be a change in me. My walk will be different, my talk … Continue reading
Too Busy? — ADHD Tip O the Day 892
With ADHD, I’m Always “Too Busy” Since I retired, I figured I wouldn’t feel too busy all the time anymore. Wrong. I suddenly had a brilliant insight. Maybe if I didn’t try to do so many things all the time, … Continue reading
Pause — ADHD Tip O the Day 889
Pause – a help with ADHD Pause is a simple strategy I’m trying to turn into a habit. I haven’t figured out what rule to make yet. But the strategy is just to pause several times a day, or even … Continue reading
Ramblings and Ruminations — ADHD Tip O the Day 886
Life with ADHD I wanted to be sure that the tube was the right length, so I measured it carefully before I cut it. It looked too short. I measured it again to be sure; it was correct, so I … Continue reading
Frustrated— ADHD Tip O the Day 885
ADHD is a Natural Recipe for Frustration Yesterday I fixed my iPhone, got the library book for Martha she’s been waiting for, learned a little bit of guitar, and lost almost two pounds. I “should’ve” been happy. But – OK, … Continue reading
Too Busy with ADHD — Tip O the Day 879
Why Am I “Too Busy?” Ram is on a roll; this comes from comments and discussion: Too Busy, part one: With ADHD – 1. It’s hard to set priorities. 2. I want to do it all. 3. I set good … Continue reading
Ram’s Comment —ADHD Tip O the Day 878
Ram makes good comments, and this one raises issues about structure and routine, skimming instead of reading, and our ADHD difficulty of picking one thing. Great post! I laughed out loud at your “skimming” comment. I did read your whole … Continue reading
Structure, Schedule – The Secret to ADHD?— ADHD Tip O the Day 876
Flopping around with ADHD Retired. Again. Haven’t found my groove yet. Too busy. Writing two books, one on ADHD, Living Well with ADHD, and a novel, Alma Means Soul, both about ready to publish, which I dread; Create Space has … Continue reading
A New Use for Index Cards — ADHD Tip O the Day 875
Index Cards and Manila Folders (and smartphones?) God’s Gifts to ADHDers I keep the stack of index cards on my desktop just to the right of center, where I can’t miss it. Each one has a “Saying O the Day” … Continue reading
Ram’s Saga-Writing with ADHD — ADHD Tip o the Day 874
I asked for volunteers to write posts for the ADHD blog and Ram stepped up. This started a journey with a long period of correspondence, some of which is lost, which looks like the makings of a novel. I’ve recreated … Continue reading
ADHD Strikes Again! — ADHD Tip O the Day 872
ADHD continues its devious works to screw up our lives. You all know my friend Tom, who missed three straight appointments with me? The good news is that this stimulated him to look at how he was managing his calendar … Continue reading
A Day with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 869
What is a typical day with ADHD like? Here’s an example of how I spend my time: Trying to find my glasses: 20 minutes Trying to find my i phone, twice: 45 minutes Trying to find the thing that was … Continue reading
Pause – An ADHD Strategy — ADHD Tip O the Day 868
Trying a new strategy to help with my ADHD. Maybe it’s not so new; I may have tried it before? Maybe it’s a form of mindfulness? Anyway, it’s pretty simple. I occasionally stop whatever I’m doing wherever I am and … Continue reading
ADHD Mantras — ADHD Tip o the Day 864
Using Mantras for ADHD I don’t know about you, but I don’t wake up and leap out of bed bright and ready to go anymore. I stumble into the bathroom, answer the pressing physical demand that has my attention and … Continue reading
Defective — ADHD Tip O the Day 863
Who’s defective??! My patient sat with her head down, looking morose. I asked her why. “I’m defective,” she answered.” Just defective.” “What do you mean?” “Well, I have anxiety disorder and phobias. I’m just defective. I tried reassurance. “You’re not … Continue reading
Dinos On ADHD and Technology part 2 — ADHD Tip O the Day 862
Dinos is a high tech person. I’m not. He’s contributing some good tips. “A Smart Home Makes A Smarter You Have you ever found yourself doing something like cooking or washing dishes and wish you could tell somebody something like, … Continue reading
Using Technology To Outsmart ADHD —ADHD Tip O the Day 860
Dinos has helped me with technology before, one of my many weak spots. He has generously agreed to contribute some posts. Enjoy! doug Using Technology To Outsmart ADHD I’m not sure how many other people can relate to this, but … Continue reading
Efficient with ADHD. Huh??—ADHD Tip O the Day 856
I’m trying to get more done in less time and with less effort. Tthat sounds like trying to be more efficient, not one of my strong points. So I asked for advice from my son-in-law, Bruce, who is sharp and … Continue reading
Some Little Things that Help — ADHD Tip O the Day 852
Little Things Can Make a Difference with ADHD One of the keys of living well in spite of ADHD is making habits. With a habit, you don’t have to remember, think, or make a decision; you just do it. Here … Continue reading
There Is a Solution to the Problem— ADHD Tip O the Day 848
My job put me up in a beautiful big old house. When I come in in the evening, and when I leave in the morning, there are no lights. It is dark. Very dark. It is a big beautiful old … Continue reading
An ADHD Christmas — ADHD Tip O the Day 841
I wish you each a very Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, and whatever else you may wish to celebrate, and a very blessed, joyous, productive, low stress new year. People ask me, “Are you ready for Christmas?” I always reply, “I … Continue reading
Traveling with ADHD. Oh, My. — ADHD Tip O the Day 839
This ADHD post is too long. As you’ll see, that’s kind of the point. We flew from Santa Fe to Dallas to visit our new foster great-grandchild. Yay! But: Checking in, I left one of our bags at the security … Continue reading
ADHD Jokes — ADHD Tip O the Day 831
ADHD Jokes O the Day: 1. A guy with ADHD walks into a bar – – – Oops, I forgot the punch line. 2. A guy with ADHD and dyslexia walks into a rab. 3. An uncoordinated guy with ADHD … Continue reading
A Bad Habit — ADHD Tip O the Day 829
I have a bad habit. No, it’s not sexual, no matter what you may have been imagining. Still, it’s too embarrassing to tell you. It’s just a bad habit which causes me some discomfort. I don’t like it. I’ve tried … Continue reading
ADHD Solutions— ADHD Tip O the Day 828
ADHD causes us many problems. Life can be hard. I believe that every problem has a solution. I know this isn’t 100% true, but it’s very useful to act as though it were. I’ve come up with some new examples. … Continue reading
Ways To Live With ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 827
I find that I don’t have new tips and strategies recently, because somehow, I’m not screwing up. I find that I am, without a plan, strategy, or intention, doublechecking everything. I ask: How could this go wrong? Did I really … Continue reading
Can I Relax, with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 826
On vacation again, but I haven’t relaxed yet. Travel arrangements, glitches to fix, reservations to make, finding my way around the city. Hard work. I recently wrote about vacation in Oaxaca, but didn’t post it. Kept getting lost there, in … Continue reading
Lessons learned while living with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 824
Lessons Learned- and relearned If I can’t find my glasses, look on my face first. If I can’t sleep, check to make sure I took off my Daytrana patch. It always takes longer than you expected. There is no easy … Continue reading
Comments About ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 822
Do you read the comments? I hope so. They are often better than the post. And contributing upgrades the blog. Here’s two of my responses to good comments: Scott Good to hear from you. The boating sounds great. Two things, … Continue reading
Living with ADHD (or trying to) — ADHD Tip O the Day 820
Life can be hard. It can be harder with ADHD. The day runs away from you. You have a list of things to do today. They all seem important. You realize that you’re no good at setting priorities. Possibly some … Continue reading
A New ADHD Strategy, Working So Far — ADHD Tip O the Day 819
Puryear’s Principles of Human Nature, number one (or something) We struggle with a problem until we find something that works. The next thing we do is we quit doing it. My ADHD Strategies These strategies make my life immensely better. … Continue reading
Medicines for ADHD?— ADHD Tip O the Day 817
ADHD medicines – alway a controversy! My View: The medicines – Ritalin, Adderal, Vyanse,Concerta, Daytrana, et al – are miracle workers for some, very helpful to others, somewhat helpful to some, and worthless or even detrimental to some. You will never know … Continue reading
“You Don’t Listen to Me!” — ADHD Tip O the Day 816
Have you ever heard that? Miscommunication is a standard part of normal human life. So is the frustration with it. But who ever said that ADHD is normal human life? So we have a lot more of it. Feeling not … Continue reading
ADHD and Irritiable — ADHD Tip O the Day 815
What Still Drives Me Up the Wall, I Mean Up The Flipping Wall: Politics The minority “president.” It is not appropriate to go into that here. I probably shouldn’t even have said it. … Continue reading
Stuck again – ADHD Tip O the Day 814
Well here I am again, writing about being stuck, because I’ve been stuck. Many reasons, will spare you the excuses. In Mexico, on vacation, but still have a to do list of about six things that need doing pretty soon. … Continue reading
Goals for 2018 – With ADHD?! — ADHD Tip O the Day 813
Yes, even with ADHD, goals can help make our lives better. I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions, but I set ten goals for 2018. These were spiritual, health, financial, professional, recreational, and educational goals. They are each very specific … Continue reading
Make Your Life Better in 2018 — ADHD Tip O the Day 812
I continually try to make my life better, make things easier, simpler. One of the ADHD principles is to identify a problem. Sometimes we don’t think of it as a problem, but just as a part of life. But –. … Continue reading
ADHD– Strategies -Do They Really Work? Three Tips — ADHD Tip O the Day 810
I have a fairly new strategy. Whenever I park my car, I say, out loud, where it is. “Second row, facing out, in line with the I in the LIQUORS sign.” 2. It works. It’s a good ADHD strategy. I spend … Continue reading
Ouch! Hypersensitivity and ADHD – – – Tip O the Day 809
I know I am hypersensitive. Am I hypersensitive as a symptom of my ADHD? Or have my ADHD problems, including so many screw ups, just made my self-esteem fragile? So is the hypersensitivity an ADHD symptom or a consequence? I … Continue reading
In ADHD, Attitude Makes the Difference – But Then, There is Word Power — ADHD Tip O the Day 807
With ADHD, Everything Can Be Difficult But there are strategies to make things less difficult. Last post, I said that my job is difficult, but I love it. What helps me is using the power of words and keeping focus … Continue reading
ADHD Plus Anxiety – The Podcast — ADHD Tip O the Day 805
Do you have ADHD? Then you know about anxiety: Am I going to screw this up, too? Am I going to get my to do list done? Am I going to get anything done? Am I going to blurt … Continue reading
Is It Distraction? Or Something Else? -An ADHD Dialog with Scott — ADHD Tip O the Day 804
I fear that some people may not read all the comments, which are over to the right on the site. You are missing something. Here are some great issues that Scott brings up (slightly edited): Hi Doug, I just realized, … Continue reading
Just About Everything About Coping with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 803
ADHD is about coping – you don’t cure it, you don’t overcome your symptoms, you learn to cope, to minimize the effect they have on your life. Today I’m feeling lazy, kind of stuck, hard to get moving. To be … Continue reading
A Tool for ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 802
ADHD and Stress. With ADHD, we experience a lot of stress. With more stress, our ADHD symptoms intensify. This makes it harder to function, which creates more stress. Can you see where this is going? Some years ago, I saw … Continue reading
ADHD and Accident Prone? — ADHD Tip O the Day 797
With ADHD We Need to Be Aware of These Things Perhaps it would be better not to set it down right on the edge? Just saying. doug #adhd @dougmkpdp
Vacation! and ADHD. Vacation? — ADHD Tip o the Day 794
Have been on vacation a week now. It’s wonderful! But- I had two goals for this vacation: To relax. It’s about time, To get some things done, get caught up. Unfortunately, the two goals are incompatible. And guess what? I’ve … Continue reading
ADHD Help Number Two — ADHD Tip O the Day 792
Three Basic Ways to Improve Your Life with ADHD Sleep 2. Exercise 3. Get Outdoors Help Number Two — Exercise. Our son Duane had ADHD and learning disabilities. He was extremely smart but couldn’t actually function. The only thing he … Continue reading
Three Simple Proven Helps for ADHD, or Maybe More — ADHD Tip O the Day 791
Making Your Life Better – Even With ADHD Here are the basics of dealing with ADHD: Get enough sleep, whatever it takes. Your best bet is to practice sleep hygiene, and/or use melatonin, or whatever. Exercise Get outdoors More … Continue reading
Cross Off Your ADHD —ADHD Tip O the Day 790
The Power Of Positive Reinforcement We all need positive reinforcement, ADHD or not. One way to give it to ourselves is crossing off. That’s one of the side benefits of the to do lists; we get to cross things off. … Continue reading
Life With ADHD. Oh, My! — ADHD Tip O the Day 787
With ADHD, I need a wife, an iPhone, and strategies. I had an 8:30 breakfast appointment with my boss at an excellent restaurant. And he was paying. I set the alarm; it worked. I got up on time, got ready … Continue reading
The Cell Phone Saga: Another Chapter in My Life with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 785
My iPhone has a great GPS and since I’m directionally challenged, I use it a lot. Sometimes it sends me on a wild goose chase, but usually it’s right on. So I set it in the cup holder of the … Continue reading
“Are We Overdiagnosing and Overtreating ADHD?” Or Not? Or What? — ADHD Tip O the Day 784
This is the title of a recent ADHD article in Psychiatric Times (reference below, for the compulsive or curious.) ADHD was first identified as a syndrome in 1935. (I didn’t know this, did you? — Syndrome – “a group of symptoms … Continue reading
Is My ADHD Messing With Me Again, Or Is It Something Else? —Tip O the Day 783
Is it ADHD or Human Nature? Puryear’s Principle of Human Nature #2: Once we find something that helps us cope with a problem, we will quit doing it. And this does apply to me. Oh, my. The Index Card System … Continue reading
Is It Ethical to Diagnose A Public Figure? — ADHD Tip O the Day 782
It is unethical for a psychiatrist to diagnosis a person, either private citizen or public figure, without personally examining him. If the psychiatrist has indeed personally examined a person, it is then unethical to make that diagnosis public, or even … Continue reading
ADHD Strategies 40 Tips — Tip O the Day 781
Living With ADHD, Ain’t It Awful? No, It’s Not. Just got a bad book review from Frances. She said she couldn’t read the book because my life is so awful it made her feel awful to read about it. She … Continue reading
Super Comments from Ram and Sue — ADHD Tip O the Day 778
Lots of people have contributions to help the ADHD tribe I hope each one of you reads all the comments here, but I’m not sure. Maybe you don’t read ALL of them? Here are two recent ones that are too … Continue reading
The Perfect Approach With ADHD (or without) — ADHD Tip O the Day 777
The Perfect Approach to Life With ADHD OK, I’ll admit I get lazy, and that I’m still behind, but trust me, that’s not the reason for this post. The link below is just perfect: The Perfect Approach Trust me. doug … Continue reading
One At A Time – – – ADHD Tip O the Day 773
With ADHD, we need to work harder, but it’s more important to work smarter. When I got back to work after two weeks vacation, there was a huge stack of papers on my desk. I used a very good strategy and started … Continue reading
” I Don’t Need Any Medicine!” — ADHD Tip O the Day 772
Learning More About My ADHD The Hard Way Had a wonderful vacation. Was amazed to find I didn’t need my Daytrana patch at all, did just fine without it. Lying on the beach, eating and drinking, and even reading and … Continue reading
A New Approach to My ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 765
Manila folders are God’s gift to people with ADHD, and yellow stickies may be his bonus gift. I have used my index card system successfully for many years, and have written and written about it. Quote O the Day: “Whenever … Continue reading
Mindfullness, Meditation, and ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 763
Non-medication treatments for ADHD – part two 2017 Mindfullness – means pause in what you are doing and take a nonjudgmental inventory of your thoughts, emotions, physical feelings and situation. The key is nonjudgmental, just be aware, that’s all you … Continue reading
Be Prepared, if you have ADHD, even if you’re not a Boy Scout — ADHD Tip O the Day 761
What could possibly go wrong, with ADHD? I was recently honored to be a guest, one of many, on Jennifer Friedman’s podcast. I must confess that I don’t listen to podcasts, don’t have the patience, probably missing out on a … Continue reading
ADHD and Self Esteem? A Plan for the New Year—ADHD Tip O the Day 760
Self-esteem is essential and precarious, especially with ADHD Our self esteem suffers when we don’t complete something, and that demoralization makes it harder to start the next job. When we do complete something, the boost in self-esteem helps us move … Continue reading
Five Disconcerting Facts, Relevant To But Not Limited To ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 759
Disconcerting Facts: 1. Our decisions are made unconsciously, based on unconscious factors, mostly emotional. After a decision is made, we think we “decide.” Then we come up with “facts” to support our decision and make it appear to be rational. 2. … Continue reading
It’s Christmas/Hanuka/Holiday Season -A challenge with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 758
The Holidays are supposed to be Joyful But with ADHD, they can be just extra challenging. Did you procrastinate on getting the gifts or the cards? Does the prospect of making choices and decisions terrify you? Are you having trouble … Continue reading
Using ADHD Strategies On the Job — ADHD Tip O the Day 757
ADHD Strategies at Work Probably everyone uses strategies for their work, but it’s more essential if we have ADHD. I like my new job at the pen. I’ve needed to work out the strategies specific to this job. I’m writing complicated orders that have to be written perfectly. I also need to make sure each patient’s name and the date are correctly put on the order and on each progress note. So I check each chart before I close it. Then, if I have time, I check each one again before I turn it in. I also complete each chart before I see the next patient, so I don’t get behind and feel rushed, and so I don’t need to remember anything about that patient for later. Some officers are fast in bringing the patients to me, so I have the patients wait while I finish the chart before I dismiss them. Then the new patients don’t arrive before I’m ready. If the officers are slow, I dismiss the patient … Continue reading
I Whipped My ADHD Procrastination -for the moment. —ADHD Tip O the Day 756
With my ADHD I wasn’t doing what I need to do. On my to-do list, for a very long time, was “car and tires”. I needed to get my car to the mechanic for an oil change, and to the … Continue reading
Some semi morbid thoughts somewhat related to ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 754
With ADHD, I really like to plan ahead. Just finished a funeral and reception. Pretty good as those things go, but funerals are always painful and sometimes can be awful. This one was pretty good. You all are invited to … Continue reading
A whole bunch of stuff, including a valuable secret, related to ADHD— ADHD Tip O the Day 753
With ADHD, sometimes our brain gets clogged up. And we seem to need to justify what we’re doing, like this post, for example. Some days my brain is crowded with lots of stuff, not all of it relevant but all … Continue reading
A Book Suggestion, Partly About ADHD, and How We Are Being Gamed — ADHD Tip O the Day 752
I wrote this blog on a plane on a little notebook flying to a funeral and it’s not my best but the best I could do and I wanted to get something in so here it is. Not even any … Continue reading
Blessings of ADHD? — ADHD Tip O the Day 751
With our ADHD, we tend to be interested in many things. This is one of the blessings of ADHD. It is also one of the curses. I am working a half time job, trying to keep up two blogs (and … Continue reading
Do the Hard Part First? — ADHD Tip O the Day 750
Life is complicated, especially with ADHD One of my favorite tools, a slogan or motto, is, “Do it now; do it right; and do the hard part first.” This has been extremely useful for me, and I highly recommend it. … Continue reading
Busy, Too Busy, Way Too Busy, Life with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 746
I am way too busy – is it life, or me, or ADHD? I know that “busy” is only a state of mind and not a reality. I truely believe this, although I have found it difficult to sell the concept … Continue reading
Bad Attitude with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 744
The Attitude I don’t know why I’m rather gloomy today, although to be honest, I do have an idea. But I don’t intend to stay this way and I plan to change it, right after I finish this post. In … Continue reading
ADHD and Attitude Adjustment — ADHD Tip O the Day 743
ADHD – Frustrated, Irritable, and Discouraged I get easily frustrated, often over little things, and I’m irritable, which is a symptom of ADHD, and sometimes I get discouraged, tho not often. But I have a strategy. The Strategy I’ve developed … Continue reading
Open Mind VS Old Patterns — ADHD Tip O the Day 737
With ADHD, we need to make some changes. It’s hard to change a habit, but there are strategies: Spotting – This is the first step. Instead of trying to stop the old habit, just recognize every time you do it, spot … Continue reading
Goals and ADHD — ADHD Tip o the Day 731
With ADHD, sometimes we need to lower the bar. “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, Or what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning This is one of the guiding principles … Continue reading
Tips for Surviving with ADD ADHD — ADD Tip o the Day 730
What can we expect of ourselves, or of someone else, with ADHD? “Life can be hard, and with ADHD, it’s even harder.” “Some days, just surviving is a triumph.” Doug Puryear The great cell … Continue reading
Time is a Booger with ADHD — ADHD Tip O the Day 728
I got a new job, and I played in a concert, and I let time get away from me and I didn’t get a post ready. So I collected some ADHD links. Hope you will like them. Time management – … Continue reading
This free technique helps my ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 726
A Buddhist Practice, Borrowed for ADHD My wife went to a Buddhist retreat. It was very good for her. She brought home a practice to share. At this temple, one practice is at the sound of any bell, stop whatever … Continue reading
Diagnosis of ADHD Can Be Upsetting — ADD Tip O the Day 725
Late ADHD diagnosis I got a message from someone recently diagnosed with ADHD. They were struggling with anger that they had been diagnosed late, and thinking how much better their life could’ve been if diagnosed sooner. They asked how I … Continue reading
More and more and more ADHD pictures — ADD Tip O the Day 717
OK, I’m swamped, over my head, behind – does that sound like ADHD? Strategy: punt. So my post is just some ADHD pictures that are too good to waste but haven’t fit into any … Continue reading
Mother’s Day and ADHD, or, Living with an ADHDer —ADD Tip O the Day 715
With ADHD, Nothing Is Easy Hope you had a great Mother’s Day, whether you’re a mother or not. You deserve it. I took Martha, the mother of my kids, and Laura, the mother of my grandson, to a nice restaurant. … Continue reading
Just Be? With ADHD? — Tip O the Day 712
With ADHD, we need to be DOING My very wise sister suggested that I need to do more “being” and less “doing.” She’s right. That’s very hard for me to do. The internal flywheel keeps spinning. The to-do list keeps … Continue reading
More Apps for ADHD – – – ADD Tip O the Day 710
I am taking the easy way out and just posting Hold’s comment here in case you didn’t see it. Many cool apps, get what you like: Hey doug, I apologize. In classic ADHD fashion I’m a week late in seeing … Continue reading
Four Great ADHD Tips, Number Four – – – ADHD Tip O the Day 709
As promised, here is Great ADHD Tip, Number Four-except, not quite- Do This With ADHD we get distractions. And when we start off on one distraction, other distractions will occur. With ADHD, we get distracted from our distractions. I … Continue reading
Four Great ADHD Tips, Number Three — ADHD Tip O the Day 707
ADHD Vocabulary: I highly recommend editing your vocabulary and eliminating the words “should” and “have to.” As soon as we say one of these bad words to ourselves, we develop automatic unconscious resistance to doing the task. We really don’t … Continue reading
Four Great ADHD Tips, Number 2 — ADHD Tip O the Day 705
When we’re doing a task, we want to focus on that task and not be thinking about the rest of the ADHD to-do list. But a good strategy is, “What next?” When we start a task, we can say “What’s … Continue reading
Four Great ADHD Tips – – – ADD Tip O the Day 704
I have four great tips that will help you with ADHD. I’m going to try something different, and piggy back them, adding one at a time. ADHD Tip Number One When you make a to-do list, the new rule is that you cannot … Continue reading
Frazzled and My ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 701
Frazzled Homey just wrote about overwhelmed, but yesterday, I was frazzled. It’s not the same. My appointment was canceled and rescheduled, I was behind on my blog posts and everything else, Marge broke her arm and I needed to walk … Continue reading
Homey’s Back! – Strategy for Overwhelmed — ADD Tip O the Day 700
Affirmations I love it when someone comes up with strategies that match mine. Looks like I might be on the right track. For Overwhelmed Homey has good tips for when she’s overwhelmed. They match some of my general strategies – … Continue reading
Technology and ADHD? — ADD Tip O the Day 698
Technologically Challenged with ADD ADHD I’m technologically challenged. That’s just part of my ADD ADHD. But I’m finding some apps very helpful. Of course, the iPhone is both a gift and a challenge. It pretty well solves the problem of impatience and boredom while … Continue reading
Resume, Recoup, Retry with ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 697
If we have a problem, and finally find a solution, the next thing we do is to stop doing it. from Puryear’s Principles of Human Nature, Principle One I’m rewriting Living Daily with Adult ADD/ADHD,365 … Continue reading
Arguing about ADHD with people who don’t know what they’re talking about — ADD Tip O the Day 694
Response to another good comment from Ram Ram – Yes, there are crusade and controversy opportunities all around us. I have a good strategy for dealing with some of those situations – ask questions, ask more questions, then summarize – … Continue reading
617.48, or, The Mystery of the Missing Book — ADD Tip O the Day 693
At the Library with ADD ADHD Went to the library to get a specific book. Computer says it’s 617.48, and it’s on the shelf. Went to the shelf. Not there. There was a big book on brain injury, a subject … Continue reading
Too Many Projects — ADD Tip O the Day 687
Creativity and ADD ADHD One of the many “gifts” of ADD ADHD is that we are creative. Is it a blessing or a curse? Doesn’t it depend on how we manage it? – if we manage it. I just read … Continue reading
Willpower – with ADD ADHD? Who are you kidding? — ADD Tip O the Day 685
I recently posted Willpower #2 with ADD ADHD, which was supposed to come right after this one. But somehow, this one never got posted. Imagine that! How in the world could such a thing have happened? Willpower? What’s that? … Continue reading
Many, many, many things on my mind, with ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 684
Three other things Often when I’m doing something, my mind is on three other things I need to be doing (or want to be doing.) That’s ADD ADHD. Can anyone relate to this? Strategy Write the other three things down. … Continue reading
Willpower #2 (or not)— ADD Tip O the Day 683
Do you think you have weak willpower, or none? It’s an ADD ADHD issue, for sure. Maybe you can do something about it. From Nancie George: “Expert Tips to Cultivate Willpower Are you lacking in the willpower department? Our experts … Continue reading
My New Year’s Resolution — ADD Tip O the Day 681
First, I hope you each have a wonderful 2016. Keep identifying problems and working on strategies. It’s bound to help. My New Year’s resolution is not to make any New Year’s resolution. They don’t work for me, probably because of my … Continue reading
Merry Christmas, or Whatever — ADD Tip O the Day 680
First, things have been a little rocky and a little more chaotic than the usual ADD ADHD life, and I am a little behind. BUT Michael is home! after more than 2 weeks in ICU. Thank you everyone for your … Continue reading
The Free Secret of Weight Loss, Even with ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 678
The Secret to Weight Loss OK, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, here’s the secret: We are blessed with a wonderful salad bar, with decent mixed greens and all kinds of accompaniments. My favorites are olives, mushrooms, celery, and cucumbers. But … Continue reading
ADD ADHD Symptoms and Some of the Many Ways They Can Mess Up Your Life — ADD Tip O the Day 674
Examples of various ADD ADHD symptoms and their bad effects One of our major symptoms is impulsiveness. That leads to blurting out inappropriately. It also leads to making snap judgments of people, but that’s common with vanillas, too. And we have trouble controlling … Continue reading
Irritability and ADD ADHD— ADD Tip O the Day 673
This is a question I use often to help with my ADD ADHD irritability problem: Does it really matter? Often the answer … Continue reading
The Power of One, for ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 658
List of One – for ADD ADHD Overwhelmed I was already overloaded when I got the notice that my gross receipts tax (New Mexico!) had not been paid for December, 2014. Think of the penalties! Think of all the research … Continue reading
Life with ADD ADHD, Part Whatever — Add Tip O the 657
Here’s another life with ADD ADHD episode: I had to do some clever detective work on the net to find the phone number I needed. Was real proud of myself. Wrote it down. Closed the website. Picked up the phone. … Continue reading
Living with ADD ADHD, Homey’s Version — ADD Tip o the Day 657
I’ve been gone and am a little behind (what else is new). So was delighted when Homey came up with this great post, comparing living with ADD ADHD to living without it, like her husband does. Of course, he’s obviously … Continue reading
Structure and Routine And Strategies for ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 656
Structure and Strategies Structure is essential. I don’t consider it a strategy though. Not quite sure why. Probably because it is so basic. Basics include sleep, structure, exercise, and maybe getting outside, mediation or yoga or something like that. Basics … Continue reading
Rules Can Help You With ADD ADHD: a follow up – – – ADD Tip O the Day 651
My wife is back! Thank God! But I didn’t unravel. I give the credit to the rules, although having the structure of writing on the next book was also helpful. Report on the rules: No alcohol. – I scored 100% on this … Continue reading
Rules Can Make Your Life Better with ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 649
Using Rules: A major principle for coping with ADD ADHD is: identify a problem, design a strategy, make it a rule, make it a habit. But with ADD ADHD there are other uses for rules . Some of us do … Continue reading
ADD ADHD and Wisdom? A Dozen Top Tips — ADD Tip O the Day 645
We ADDer’s are not renowned for our wisdom. Even so, you would think that by this advanced age I would have learned some things that could be of value to others. So here is my advice, for what it’s worth. Some … Continue reading
ADD ADHD Lies We Tell Ourselves — ADD Tip O the Day 641
I’m busy. — No, you only have one thing to do. I don’t need to write it down. — Oh, really? It’ll be OK. — No, it won’t. I have plenty of time. — Yeah, right! How many ways can … Continue reading
Some Days Are Just Like That When You Have ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 637
ADD ADHD Paralysis Homey just wrote a good ADD ADHD post about having an unproductive day. I’m bouncing off her post: Some days I just can’t seem to get going, can’t get any traction. Strategy 1: Try to figure out what … Continue reading
Better Sleeping Through Technology, with or without ADD ADHD – ADD Tip O the Day 634
Sleep is an essential part of ADD ADHD management So Jerry Bair gave me this guest post. He is a tech whiz, so his approach is a little different. Here it is: Top 10 Tech Hacks To Give Your … Continue reading
A Typical Day With ADD ADHD: Where in the world does the time go? — ADD Tip O the Day 633
My Typical ADD ADHD Day Sleeping 6 hrs Trying to sleep 2 hrs Quiet time .5 hr Exercise 1 hr Shower shave dress teeth bathroom 1hr Eating 3 hrs Thinking about eating – all the time Looking for something … Continue reading
ADD ADHD and the Benefits of Fidgeting — ADD ADHD Tip O the Day 630
Can’t Concentrate With ADD ADHD We were at a Wagner opera, which I love. But I had a lot on my mind (what else is new?) and I wasn’t able to concentrate on the opera. I was missing a lot … Continue reading
Organizing with ADD ADHD, and Much Much More! by Homey— ADD Tip O the Day 627
Organizing with a planner for ADD ADHD Homey is THE planner maven. In her great blog about homemaking, cleaning, cooking, etc, she tells all about planners. Homey uses planners the way I use index cards, plus more. A lot of … Continue reading
Attitudes in ADD ADHD – Warning: Intimate Material, Viewer Discretion Advised— ADD Tip O the Day 624
Warning – Intimate Material, Viewer Discretion Advised We with ADD ADHD tend to say, and do, inappropriate things. This material may be inappropriate, but it’s such a good illustration of the effect of attitude that I have to share it. … Continue reading
The ADD ADHD Trap of Expectations — ADD Tip O the Day 623
What Can I Expect? With ADD ADHD we have so many things we’re interested in and it’s hard to say no to any of them. It’s hard to say no to ourselves. My daily routine includes brushing my teeth, quiet … Continue reading
ADD ADHD and Dyscoordination — ADD Tip O the Day 619
Clumsy, Clumsy, Clumsy – Is It ADD ADHD? I reached for the glass, and… – I reached too far and I knocked it over. – I didn’t notice the glass between it and me and I knocked it over. – … Continue reading
Who’s the Expert On ADD ADHD? — ADD Tip O the Day 618
With ADD ADHD We Need Experts Who would you nominate? Long Definition of Expert: An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded … Continue reading
Leave of Absence — No ADD ADHD Tip O the Day
I’ll be doing prison ministry Thursday thru Sunday so my next post, God willing, will be next tuesday. But here are some good links i’ve been saving. Thank you for your support, interest, reviews, and comments. doug Links Time management … Continue reading
How I Screwed Up A Perfectly Good ADD ADHD Strategy – – – ADD Tip O the Day 615 #ADD #ADHD
Puryear’s principles of human nature (this is number two or three or something) We struggle with a problem until we find something that works. Then we quit doing it. Or we screw it up. That’s what I did. Structure I … Continue reading
I Don’t Have Enough Time! – – – ADD Tip O the Day 613
ADD ADHD and Time Pressure Here I am “retired” and still feeling that same old sense of time pressure, the fly wheel constantly spinning inside. And the damn old voice –“Hurry up! Rush! You have so much to do! You’ll … Continue reading
“As Soon As —” – An ADD ADHD Time Problem — ADD Tip O the Day 612
“As Soon As—“ There are several things I want to do, “as soon as – — -” I want to start Spanish lessons again. I want to resume fishing. I want to cleanup the disarray in my … Continue reading
Helpful Things for ADD ADHD – Meditation Light??? – – – ADD Tip O the Day 611
Three Helpful Things for ADD ADHD Everyone agrees that certain things are helpful for anyone but especially helpful for those of us with ADD ADHD: Exercise Sleep Meditation And I would add, getting out-of-doors. Meditation I’ve been practicing a simple … Continue reading
Learning From Experience with ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 610
We learn from experience One of the basic tricks to that learning is to remember the specific experiences. And make rules from them. If we remember the experience, its easier to remember the rule and to follow it. Losing the car I … Continue reading
Committing With ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 604
To Commit No, I don’t mean to get someone locked up, unless its myself. I do try to lock myself into things, where I can’t not do them. If I walked to the end of the scary high dive, I … Continue reading
Where, Oh Where, Did All My Structure Go? – – – ADD Tip O the Day 600
With My ADD ADHD, Boy, Do I Need Structure Structure is a basic part of coping with ADD ADHD. We need routine, schedule, organization. I always eat three meals a day. Go to bed about the same time each night. … Continue reading
Talking To Yourself ??— ADD Tip O the Day 599
Is Talking To Yourself A Problem, A Symptom, or What? Someone asked me if talking to yourself is okay. I said I certainly hope so, cause I do it all the time. I don’t think it’s a symptom of ADD … Continue reading
Scattered, Distracted, and Too Many Options for ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 598
Isn’t Life Interesting! So Many Shiny Things To Choose From! I’m working on: Executive dysfunction and EFD ( executive function disorder) and ADD ADHD Food allergies and food coloring and ADD ADHD New York Times says childhood trauma can mimic … Continue reading
ADD ADHD Poem —ADD Tip O the Day 593
Ode of an ADDer to a neat wife Please don’t put my stuff away. Please don’t move it, just let it lay. If I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. I’ll forget to do something and we’ll both be pissed. … Continue reading
Amphetamines for ADD ADHD: Follow-up. Plus, Foundations — ADD Tip O the Day 589
Great Comment On Last Meds Post From Dr. Boerboom. Summary: Dexedrine is not very addictive/abusable. It has a low incidence of side effects. They are different from methylphenidate. Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) may cause side effects, but apparently not often. restlessness difficulty … Continue reading
Why Valentines Day Is important With ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 586
Valentines Day is February 14, this Saturday, that’s this coming Saturday, two days off, this Saturday, day after tomorrow. With ADD ADHD: 1. We forget all about it. 2. We think it’s a long way off and don’t buy a … Continue reading
Priorities and ADD ADHD: Incompatible? – – – ADD Tip O the Day 583
Dysprioritiologica? Setting priorities is an executive function and with ADD ADHD we tend to not be very good at it. I sit here looking at a long to do list. Where do I start? Do you see how this can … Continue reading
Comments About ADD ADHD — ADD Tip O the Day 672
I keep worrying that you may not read the comments. If you don’t, you’re missing a lot. Here are some fine examples: Homey– — I’ve been enjoying the pomodoro technique of time management. I only do something for 25 minutes … Continue reading →