Keeping Accountable for Your Time Management

Time management is hard. Even more so if you are like me and have ADHD. 

However, I have found something that is helping. Essentially it's a list of things to do in a column, with a plan of when you will do each thing and another space to write what you actually did. Surprisingly, it's keeping me more on track. I do feel like I am accomplishing more with my day. 

I can easily see what distractions keep me from doing what brings in income. The distractions get clearer and you tend to be more focused on ultimate goals. I also like having a visualization of my goals with pictures. I have some photos in the front of my notebook to help remind me what I am working towards. 

This post is brought to you by sandy custom cakes. 

Massage is the Best Stress Relief

 If you have never had a professional massage, you are definitely missing out. Massage therapy has been used for a long time for medical benefit. It aids in aches and pains, promotes blood flow to the mussels, and even can boost the immune system. 

Besides being good for your health, massage therapy is also a near heavenly experience. It reduces stress while producing endorphins that can also help with pain relief. Getting a massage is fabulous. I definitely recommend it. 

5 Things You Should Never Say to Someone With ADHD

 Hello, I thought it would be cool to write an article about ADHD because I live with the diagnosis affecting my life in some way every day. 

1. ADHD is an excuse to be lazy. 

Actually, ADHD has nothing to do with laziness. People with ADHD tend to be very driven in the topics that interest them with a phenomenon called hyperfocus. Hyperfocus often has become a reason for people with ADHD to become successful entrepreneurs because they can find opportunities where others don’t. 

What is more accurate to say is that people with ADHD struggle with time management and staying present when something does not fully engage them. It’s important to understand that we might need more time to do our work, or guidance to stay on track. When you realize that someone with ADHD is not purposely putting things off, it becomes more compassionate and less about placing blame on something that we can’t always control, even when we are trying to. 

2. ADHD is an excuse for doctors to give kids drugs to calm them down!

I have had this one said to me, and yes, it did make me mad. First off, when used appropriately ADHD medications were a life-saving device, literally. The difference between being medicated and not was night and day, though at first, I felt it had a negative impact on my personality. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t daydreaming five minutes into class, and I could listen without doodling on my notes. 

Medication isn’t the only way to treat ADHD, it just has become a standard approach. I really don’t understand why people are so against medication for mental health issues but they are completely fine with being prescribed an antibiotic for a bacteria infection. Both of which treat an illness. 

3. You’re just overreacting. 

Emotional dysregulation is a large symptom of ADHD. A lot of people don’t realize that this has anything at all to do with having ADHD. Low tolerance for frustration is more related to ADHD than it is to a mood disorder in people that already have ADHD. Impulsivity often can cause mood swings that can be interpreted as being emotionally all over the place. The good news is that this can be changed with therapeutic interventions but it will take time and patience. 

4. Did you take your medicine today?

You really do not have a right to say this unless you live with me and I have trusted you to ask this question. In other words, if you are not my designated person to this task, don’t ask because it isn’t your business. Second, asking me this question assumes that my behavior is out of line, when I really might just be excited about something and I want to share it with you because I consider you my friend. 

5. It’s not that hard to focus

Maybe that is true for you, but not for the person with ADHD who can still hear the clock ticking, the person next to them frantically typing notes, the song they heard on the radio this morning, or who is thinking about what they will do when school is over. Unfortunately, someone with ADHD has trouble identifying what to pay attention to in the given moment because so much information is presented to us at once. A normal brain has a better capacity to block things out than someone with ADHD does.