ADHD Triggers

STRESS

Sustained anxiety decreases working memory performance, making it harder to retain new information and pay attention.

Approaching deadlines can cause anxiety, which in term leads to procrastination and the inability to focus on the work at hand, raising stress levels even more.

OVER-STIMULATION

Individuals with ADHD can experience sensory overload. Over-stimulation makes it difficult for the brain to process what is going on.

TECHNOLOGY

Consistent stimulation from electronic devices may aggravate ADHD symptoms. Excessive screen time harms the attention span directly, by encouraging us to cycle between multiple distractions rather than focusing on a single task.

CLUTTER

A messy home or office area could make some ADHD symptoms worse.

Piles of papers, books, laundry, or clothing are overstimulating and block you from getting anything done.

Slay Your Time Bandits!

Many of us struggle with productivity.

Ask yourself:

What should I pay attention to next?

What is most important?

What is most urgent?

Where should I focus?

What should I do first?

What are your Time Bandits?

What kinds of activities are you working on that are robbing you of your time?

Time Bandits are things that steal your focus and your time.

They steel your TIME and destory your PRODUCTIVITY.

START to PAY ATTENTION to what tasks and activities are taking you much longer than you want, and ask yourself WHY those task are taking longer.

Life is a Journey not a destination

Change what you can change, and accept what you cannot change.

Focus on what you are getting right.

The only wrong decision is INDECISION.

FOCUS on what is great about you.

Be clear about what really matters to YOU.

The key to failure is to try to please everybody.

Set Realistic Goals

When you set unrealistic goals, all you are doing is setting yourself up for failure.

If you want to be successful, you need to set yourself up for success.

ACHIEVE the ACHIEVABLE and SUCCEED.

Focus on one thing each day that takes you closer to the life of your dreams.

Celebrate your personal best.

Multi-Tasking

The human brain can only focus on one thing at a time.

You can’t do two things at once that require your attention.

INTERRUPTIONS:

You lose focus and attention with interruptions.

It’s imperative that you TURN OFF those notifications on your phone - don’t check your email, IM’s, SS, etc.

Close your door.

Put your phone on do not disturb mode.

Use headphones to block outside noise.

Recycle Repurpose Reuse Your Clothes Your Goods

Reorganize your clothing storage to simplify daily routines.

Empty closet shelves, drawers that are holding your wardrobe.

Americans throw out an average of 65 pounds of textiles a year.

You can receive an income tax deduction for your donated clothing & goods.

Vietnam Veterans of America will pick up your donations at your home with an easy online scheduling at www.pickupplease.org

Salvation Army will pick up. Call 800.728.7825 to schedule a free pick up.

Dress for Success at www.dressforsuccess.org targets clothing and career development assistance to disadvantaged women.

Nike will take donated athletic footwear through Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program. Old sneakers go into a grinder, with the resulting shredded material used to create new sports surfaces., such as baseball courts, tracks, and soccer fields. To date 28 million pairs of shoes have gone into the shredder, producing 632 million square feet.

Another clothing recycling option is resale. Items can be resold or traded through resale or consignment shops.

Also check local churches with homeless outreach programs and abuse victims.

Clothing donated or resold to any source should be clean.

Check the H & M store. Some locations will take bags of used clothing or household textiles in exchange for a voucher that can be used on a purchase at H & M store locations.

A house party clothing swap with friends is another budget-friendly idea for restocking your cleaned out closet. A do-it-yourself website, such as www.ehow.com can help get you started with ideas for planning and hosting this kind of party.

Torn pieces of fabric can be repurposed for quilting. Or, pieces can be re-sewn into coasters, pot holders, or purses.

Give your clothing a new use. Don’t throw it away. REUSE RECYCLE REPURPOSE it. And remember to celebrate Earth Day every day.

Time to Let Go

Get rid of:

Anything that doesn’t add value to your life

Just-in-case items

Photos and paper

Seasonal items that you didn’t use last season

Damaged items

Extras and duplicates of things

Stuff you never use which is taking up valuable real estate space

Closet Organization

Make Getting Dressed Fun

How To Organize Your Closet

Get Dressed - Don't Get Stressed

Do you find yourself scrambling every morning wondering what to wear?

Simplify your wardrobe to look and feel great

Learn how to organize your closet so it will stay organized

Learn how to figure out what to keep and what to donate

Get your closet organized so you can find things quickly, gain visibility to your wardrobe, and organize your laundry room to make the process even more streamlined. 

Be realistic and honest with yourself  

Avoid keeping things that are too small or too large, things that are out of style, unflattering fit, style or color. 

SME will empower you to achieve a look that will bring personal confidence and take the guess work out of getting dressed in the morning.

Organization gives you peace of mind.

Organization makes you feel powerful, confident and in control. 

KEEP. Clothing, shoes and accessories that fit and flatter

TRASH. Torn or stained items that are unwearable

DONATIONS. For charity

GIVE TO FRIENDS. Items you would like someone special to have

ALTERATIONS or REPAIRS. Items that can be worn again with a little help

CONSIGNMENT. Items you would like to sell instead of donate

SEASONAL. Items that need to be stores for another season

ELSEWHERE. Unrelated items that belong somewhere else and need to be put away

Sort the clothing you are keeping by season

         Then sort by TYPE

                                 SLEEVE LENGTH

                                         and COLOR

                         CASUAL,

                                   CAREER,

                                           and FORMAL WEAR

USAGE DETERMINES STORAGE. Prioritize place ant of your items by the frequency of their use. If you use it more often, make it more accessible. 

Consider purchasing new hangers

Create a place to keep empty hangers together so you can find them easily

Reclaim your space in your closet

Value your prime real estate

Save stellar spots for items you need and use frequently

Take a lifestyle reality check

Sometimes we try to live the life we want rather than the life we have

Create good karma

Re energize yourself and your space

Regain control in your closet

ROI. Return on your Investment of time, money, and energy

Back to basics

Keep it simple

Lighten your load

Let things go

Let your life back in

Create breathing room

Let things go

   Pitch and throw

Lighten up your load

   And move down a different road

Love and use the things you own

   Make breathing space for you alone

By Sandra M Einstein

BRAIN DUMP

Mind clutter puts your brain in overdrive, saps your energy, and bogs you down

Do a Brain Dump - getting rid of the clutter in your mind

-get your thoughts out of your head

-let go of FOMO - fear of missing out

-get the things you need to do and thoughts that worry you out of your hea

-write them down

This will help improve focus & productivity

No right or wrong way to do a Brain Dump

Don’t worry about organizing it

You need to increase your awareness of time

Think about:

-what stopped you from completing the task?

-estimate how long it will take you to complete he task

-break it down into what needs to e done first

-then, complete the task at hand

Change your approach to getting thins done more effectively:

-Time block

-Put phone on silence

-get ready for the day before you start other things

=remember that life happen

Tracking Procrastination

Ask yourself:

-What is getting in my way?

-What have I been doing instead of -__________?

-What is it about tis particular task that is making it so difficult to get started?

Some root causes of procrastination:

-The task is boring, it’s lengthy, or it may be repetitive

—The task is intimidating or you don’t know where to start

You feel like you just don’t have the energy to do it

Things to do to help you stop procrastination using Mental Flexibility:

-Engage yourself while doing a boring thing

-Chunk it down and do the first step

-Find someone to help you with accountability - a friend or a coach

-Reward yourself for your efforts

-Tell your coach, a friend, or a family member why you are avoiding the task - make it know

-Manage your energy - find the best time to work on the task

-Carve out a specific time or th first step of your task keeping your energy needs in mind

-Make it REAL - put it on the calendar and tell someone - make a commitment

Envision Your Future Self

Who is the person you want to be?

Believe that you can do it

This is the year of ME

Create a Focus

Push until you’ve gotten to where you want to be

Tiny continuous improvements

Follow SMART goals

Specific

Measurable

Achievable - being realistic about what is positive

Relevant - something that matters to you

TimeBound - time in future when you will be done

You can nvere get to where you want to go from your comfort zone

What time choices do you need to make so you can have what you really want?

Failure come from making excuses

80% of Success is showing up

Make the choice to show up for what you really want

The more you accept responsibility for your choices, the easier it gets

Stop participating in toxic talk

We are the choices we make

Make your r4esolution a non-negotiable commitment in your life

Focus on how far you’ve come, not on ow much you have left to to

Living with Clutter

Living with clutter can cause stress and impede your sense of well-being

Tidiness can be learned

Figure out what level of neatness works for you

Don’t strive for unrealistic goals

Design a system in which you can find what you need and which supports you and your organizational goals

Ask yourself what is standing in your way & making you indecisive

Figure out the reason why you want to be organized

Decrease the amount of stuff you have and edit what you have

Decide what to keep and what to let go of by asking yourself:

Does this add value to my life?

Is this item worth the space it takes up?

My mantra: If it takes 30 seconds or less, just do it.

Organizing tips:

Don’t buy more bins or baskets until you have edited your space

Don’t buy more bins & baskets just to store more stuff

Put things away immediately

Invest in organizing items to fit your needs

Go thru your stuff frequently

When you organizing things a little at a time, the task becomes less daunting

Managing Time Blindness

Time Blindness = difficulty perceiving time - estimating how much time has passed or how much time is left, time sequencing & time reproduction

Time blindness impacts the abllity to complete tasks, show up on time, hand in assignments, stick to deadlines, pay bills on time, staying with routines.

One can learn to manage time blindnes.

Learn to complete tasks on time using designated time frames by putting an emphasis on deadlines..

When hyperfocusing, individuals lose track of time

Ask someone to help you learn to deal with your time blindness - a friend, spouse or coach.

Adjust your schedule and environment.

Learn what accomoations will help you work with your time blindness.

How to Organize Your Closet

Make Getting Dressed Fun

Get Dressed - Don't Get Stressed

Do you find yourself scrambling every morning wondering what to wear?

Simplify your wardrobe to look and feel great

Learn how to organize your closet so it will stay organized

Learn how to figure out what to keep and what to donate

Get your closet organized so you can find things quickly, gain visibility to your wardrobe, and organize your laundry room to make the process even more streamlined. 

Be realistic and honest with yourself  

Avoid keeping things that are too small or too large, things that are out of style, unflattering fit, style or color. 

SME will empower you to achieve a look that will bring personal confidence and take the guess work out of getting dressed in the morning.

Organization gives you peace of mind.

Organization makes you feel powerful, confident and in control. 

KEEP. Clothing, shoes and accessories that fit and flatter

TRASH. Torn or stained items that are unwearable

DONATIONS. For charity

GIVE TO FRIENDS. Items you would like someone special to have

ALTERATIONS or REPAIRS. Items that can be worn again with a little help

CONSIGNMENT. Items you would like to sell instead of donate

SEASONAL. Items that need to be stores for another season

ELSEWHERE. Unrelated items that belong somewhere else and need to be put away

Sort the clothing you are keeping by season

         Then sort by TYPE

                                 SLEEVE LENGTH

                                         and COLOR

                         CASUAL,

                                   CAREER,

                                           and FORMAL WEAR

USAGE DETERMINES STORAGE. Prioritize place ant of your items by the frequency of their use. If you use it more often, make it more accessible. 

Consider purchasing new hangers

Create a place to keep empty hangers together so you can find them easily

Reclaim your space in your closet

Reclaim your space in your closet

Value your prime real estate

Save stellar spots for items you need and use frequently

Take a lifestyle reality check

Sometimes we try to live the life we want rather than the life we have

Create good karma

Re energize yourself and your space

Regain control in your closet

ROI. Return on your Investment of time, money, and energy

Back to basics

Keep it simple

Lighten your load

Let things go

Let your life back in

Create breathing room

"Nothing happens until something moves." Albert Einstein

"Nothing happens until something moves."  Albert Einstein

The same actions = the same results

New actions = new results

Getting the results you want is success

Things that stand in your way:

   But first

   But I Can't

   But then

   But I don't

   But before

   But, but, but

   The but if's

Let Things Go

Let things go

   Pitch and throw

Lighten up your load

   And move down a different road

Love and use the things you own

   Make breathing space for you alone

By Sandra M Einstein

Tackling Procrastination

Tackling Procrastination

Pressure can produce hyperfocus

Procrastination is a strategy that can create an environment that can get things done

Brain chemicals crank things up and help get the job done

Those brain chemicals are called adrenaline and cortisol - the ones our brain uses in survival mode, when in  distress, or when we are experiencing stress

Try to make sense of why you are procrastinating:

Ask yourself:

What is getting in my way of starting sooner?

What have I been doing instead of __________?

What is it about this particular task that is making it so tricky to get started on?

Some root causes of procrastination:

The task is boring, length or repetitive

The task is intimidating or you don’t know where to start

You feel like you don’t have it in you

Try to brainstorm ideas for how you might do thing differently

Use a key executive functioning skill:  Mental Flexibility

-Add something that can engage you while you do the boring thing

-Chunk it down - do the first step

-Find someone you can use to help with accountability - a friend or a coach

-Start a rewards system with an immediate win

-Tell your coach, a friend or a family member why you are avoiding the task -

Make it known

-Manage your energy - find a good time to work on the task

-Carve out a specific time for the first step of your task - keep your energy needs in mind

-Make it REAL - put it on the calendar and tell someone - make the commitment

ADHD & Adults

ADHD can persist into adulthood.

It is a condition with sensory overstimulation and easy distractibility.

One with ADHD may have difficulty focusing on one conversation and ignoring others.

ADHD is not a disorder, but rather a condition - it is a disability, but also a heightened ability.

Use your ADHD to your advantage and focus on the positives.

ADHD Triggers

ADHD Triggers

STRESS

Sustained anxiety decreases working memory performance, making it harder to retain new information and pay attention.

Approaching deadlines can cause anxiety, which in term leads to procrastination and the inability to focus on the work at hand, raising stress levels even more.

OVER-STIMULATION

Individuals with ADHD can experience sensory overload.  Over-stimulation makes it difficult for the brain to process what is going on.

TECHNOLOGY

Consistent stimulation from electronic devices may aggravate ADHD symptoms.  Excessive screen time harms the attention span directly, by encouraging us to cycle between multiple distractions rather than focusing on a single task.

CLUTTER

A messy home or office area could make some ADHD symptoms worse.

Piles of papers, books, laundry, or clothing are overstimulating and block you from getting anything done.