If you have worked with me at all you probably know how I’m a fiend for my To Do List. I do it in a very specific way, and teach it in a very specific way that works great for how we ADHDers are wired. Well, there are rare occasions when the general To Do List isn’t enough. Very large and distinct projects may require their own To Do List. But applying the same skill to that projects lowers anxiety and increases efficiency.  Last week I had two-and-a-half days to flip a rental property for new tenants. I needed to paint the whole bathroom, including the ceiling, put in a new medicine cabinet, install a new ikea closet, touch up or paint all the rest of the rooms, and clean some stuff out among other small things. Plus it was 95 degrees that week and the unit isn’t air conditioned. Quite a big project. I knew the priority was the bathroom, so I started there and kept moving. Near the end of the first day I had accomplished a ton, but realized there was far more left to do. This kicked up my anxiety significantly. But, over the years I’ve learned to address and attach that anxiety instead of allowing it to rule me and force me into avoidance behavior. So, I took out a big fat pencil and made a list right on the ikea box. Then I estimated the time it would take to execute all of the steps.  Hopefully you are able to see in the pictures that the original list, not counting what I had already done added up to about seven-and-one-half hours of work left to do. So painting is not a thing I do regularly. Even with the data that I had accumulated from…

Many parents ask me if they should tell their kids about the ADHD diagnosis or any number of other diagnoses. For the most part, I think parents have a lot of fear around telling their kids that there is “something wrong with them.” Frankly, I think this is more of a hangup for the parents. It is my strong belief that you should tell you kids as much as you can as soon as you can. You may need to adjust the level for their age. But it has been my experience almost 100% of the time that kids understand more that most adults give them credit for. Let’s examine why parents don’t (want to) tell their kids the whole truth and why I think they are wrong. They don’t think their child will understand. It is your job as a parent to make them understand. And, like I said, they will understand more than you think. I give basically the same ADHD education talk to 12 year-olds as to do to adults. I just have to explain the vocabulary and some of the concepts a little differently. Analogies are very helpful. Plus, …they really need to understand if you are going to be giving them medication. You need to be able to have a frank and honest ongoing conversation about how the medication is working and how it is making them feel. If they don’t know why they are taking it, they can’t just its efficacy and will only associate it with any negative effects. Eventually, when they are old enough, they will stop taking it and things will get worse. And, …even under the best of circumstances, your child is going to grow and develop. That means their meds will need to be adjusted or maybe even changed…

I take some pretty strong stimulants. My meds are in the Ritalin family, so not as marketable as Adderall, but probably still valuable. There is also Focalin and two different flavors of benzodiazepines in our household. I would prefer if the average neerdowell walking down the street didn’t know what was hiding in my bedside table. So I peel the labels off my old pill bottles and recycle the bottles but crumple up and trash the labels. I also make a point to shred those ridiculous be legally necessary packets that come with the meds every time I fill them. I’m sure my trash guys are great, but a lot of recycling ends up blowing down the street the day after trash day. I rather it not be my prescription bottle or paperwork. Also, especially if you are a newly diagnosed adult and haven’t had to consider the ramifications of where to store you pills at college in the past, it may not occur to you have “valuable” they are. Please consider that when having anyone you don’t know well in your house, especially if you’re not there to supervise. A good general rule is to think about when you would be worried about cash or jewelry. In those situations, I would strongly consider safeguarding your meds the same way you safeguard your other valuables. Standard Disclaimer:  In an effort to foil my own perfectionist tendencies, I do not edit my posts much… if at all. Please excuse and typos, mistakes, grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing. I focus on getting my content down. In my humble opinion, an imperfect post posted is infinitely better than a perfect post that goes unfinished.

I’ve written a bunch about how I keep my pills organized. You should be able to find those posts with the search feature. But now I’m organizing pills, miralax, supplements, melatonin, and culturelle for my kids. That requires a new level of systemization. Most kids pills end up living in the kitchen. We have very little cabinet space and I didn’t love that they weren’t all in one place and mostly were above the toaster oven. Probably not great considering the heat. So I got pill containers for both of them for breakfast, dinner, and bedtime. And I got a corner shelf (totally free on the side of the road from a neighbor.) And, of course I always have alarms set and extra kids pills along with mine in my key fob. Standard Disclaimer:  In an effort to foil my own perfectionist tendencies, I do not edit my posts much… if at all. Please excuse and typos, mistakes, grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing. I focus on getting my content down. In my humble opinion, an imperfect post posted is infinitely better than a perfect post that goes unfinished.

I can’t remember if I’ve posted on this before. So, thanks for your patience if I have. I really like my wife. AND SHE REALLY LIKES ME! We have a great marriage and really complement each other. Despite my quirks, idiosyncrasies, weaknesses, and complexities, I’ve never, ever gotten the feeling that she didn’t love me for who I am exactly the way that I am. It’s possible I got that from my highschool girlfriend, but that I was too insecure to realize and appreciate it. But, I certainly never got that feeling from anyone else I’d been with before my wife. She has a saying about me, “It’s not that he’s a dick… He’s just intense.” But she loved that intensness almost right away. I will say this, and you’ll know it if you know me well, that I’m always working on myself. With 31 years post-diagnosis under my belt, I don’t always present as the ADHD partner that I am. But, I’m also not the easiest guy, being that I’m pretty intense pretty much all the time as a compensation method to not be ADHD guy. The reason I mention this is because I believe everyone has a right to be with a partner, or partners* who love them for who they really are. But we all have to do the work on ourselves to be the best version of that person. I think this extends to friends and even family as well. More on that in the next post. *I think that it is fair to note that in this day and age, the traditional nuclear family is only one of many structures that can work. As long as you are safe, happy, and loved, I do think it should matter what your family structure looks like. And,…

In other words, a quick update on my daughter. When I posted my entry about the trials and tribulations of parenting kids with issues my daughter was not in the best place. But, because I’m a tenacious son-of-a-gun, my wife and I are on the same page, and I have a world-class doctor, we have made substantial progress in the month since.  First, I want to thank everyone who gave my love and positive feedback about that post. I was pretty worried about saying some of the things that I said, but thought it was important. I’m glad it was well received. Thank you all. Second, don’t give up. My daughter is now on very low doses of three different meds. Not exactly how you draw it up for you 5-year-old. But she is back to the kids who spontaneously tells me that she loves me and falls asleep in my arms most recently at a friends BBQ on Sunday. For those who are against “medicating kids,” I got my daughter back… and I’d rather call it “treating kids” anyway. And, yes, sometimes that involves medication. One last note as it relates to my last post, (backdated to look like I posted it last week, but also written today.) When my daughter is not well, she is the definition of an energy-sucker for our whole family. And, our kids are the only people in our life who we don’t get to choose. Not matter what happens with her, I will love her and take care of her. Having said that, she can be really disruptive. If there is anyone else in your life who causes you that much pain and frustration, I’d consider jettisoning them from your orbit. They probably aren’t worth it. Standard Disclaimer:  In an effort to foil my…

When you first start a business it is really hard to say no to anyone. You will take anything you can get that is a paying gig and plenty that is unpaying. You also generally cast a pretty broad net until you figure out what you do best, enjoy most, and can actually make a living at. It has been my experience that people can bring you energy or take your energy. I think I learned that from my amazing Mentor/Coach, Jerry, or maybe somewhere else in coaching school. But the more I work with a diverse group of clients the more I see this to be true. One energy-sucker in an important place in your life can destroy you. And you may not even know how damaging the effects of that person are until you get out from under their shade and into the sun. That can change everything.  I was reflecting the other day on how much easier my coaching life is now that I have a “mature” practice. I attract clients who are serious about change and I am better at vetting them to make sure they aren’t lying to themselves that they are ready. Sure, I have tough sessions, but it is different when it’s a tough session with some with whom I have a real connection and to whom the work is important. There is a big difference between 50 minutes of intense presence and concentration with that person and a session with someone who isn’t ready or invested.  I had a busy week last week. 5 clients on Tuesday, 6 clients on Wednesday with only a break for my workout in the middle of the day, 4 clients and a consultation on Thursday sandwiched around a workout and a speaking engagement in Somerville (90+ minutes…

I always say that my most important relationships are: My wife My prescribing physician My pharmacist I’m posting this now because I’ve had many clients and folks in my support groups lately tell me what a hard time they’ve been having with their pharmacies. What do they all have in common? They all go to CVS. I haven’t gone to a CVS for my regular scripts for many years, and there is a reason. They suck. They are unwilling to get me what I need, aren’t truthful about when things are going to come in and don’t really want to provide any actual service. Over the years, since leaving CVS, I’ve used several Walgreens, an Osco inside a Shaws, an Eckard, a Rite Aid, and currently go to the pharmacy at the Wegmans in Westwood. With the exception on one particularly surly pharmacist at one Walgreens, I’ve never had the problems that I’ve had at CVS.  Check out this catch 22 from the last time I tried to use a CVS. They only get their Schedule II meds (stimulants, etc.) delivered once a week. They put their order in on Friday for Monday. I want to pick up on Saturday. I always coordinate drop off and pick up with my food shopping. So I drop off on Saturday and pick up on the next Saturday. But since I drop off on Saturday and they refuse to keep my meds in stock, they can’t put in the order until the following Friday for the next Monday.  Then when I tried another CVS, they ordered during the week so my Saturday to Saturday cycle would work. Except that their policy was that an Rx couldn’t be dropped off more than five days in advance. And, of course, they were unwilling to be…

Every year sometime in the spring, my brain stops wanting to do work. All I want to do is get out in the garden and grow stuff. Even on a rainy day like today. It almost feels like my medication is not working right. It’s kinda’ like that feeling you’d get the last week of school when you knew it was almost over and the sun was shining and your body was just telling you to get out of that room and get out in the fresh air.  For me this has been going on for about 5 years, since my business really took off and I worked my tail off all winter. Once the spring really came, I’d get this feeling. The first  year I noticed it and freaked out. I thought that my meds had actually stopped working. But the following year, I remembered that something similar happened the previous year. And, it went away eventually. But it was still a bit scary. Every year I’ve recognized it better and freaked out less. And this year, I realize that it happened today. I would have guessed it happened a little later, but it is what it is. It’s nice to know that it’s nothing to panic about.  The next step is to monitor my attention for the next few months and see when it comes back. Not to say that it is completely gone. I have had a very productive day. I’m just having trouble sitting still and doing office work. I definitely missed posting last week and put doing this off until 3:15. But it is what it is. No sense in fighting it. I’ve already exercised today. After this I think I’ll meditate and see if that gets me chill enough to write another post to…

Legos are possibly the most annoying thing in the world to organize. They defy categorization and are basically impossible to put away in any meaningful way.  What to do with the completed sets? That depends on if your kids actually play with the sets once they are assembled.  If your kids do play with them, what do you do with half assembled sets that have been semi-destroyed by said play? And, if your kid has ADHD, what do you do with the 8 – 10 half assembled sets that he/she “is going to get back to and finish late?” The first step is to consolidate the legos into one location. I’ve been slowly getting them all into my son’s room for over the last few months. He used to put them together in the basement because if he did it anywhere else his little sister would destroy them. But he never wanted to go down there. It’s not really finished… okay it’s not finished at all. So, once we got them all into his room, the legos were everywhere. They were like sand on the beach. I finally settled on a three part system that put together three previous systems for lego organization that were all semi-successful.  Shelves for the finished product. Adjustable track system-style shelves that are adjustable to accommodate the impossible different heights of completed legos with solid shelves, not wire ones. picture  #2 Stacking bins for the in process sets. The key here is to have one bin per set and to try not to let the sets get mixed up. I would also suggest leaving the instructions right in the bin with the set.  picture #1 One big-ass bin under his bed for all the miscellaneous pieces. Don’t even try to sort those. It is not possible. I’ve tried a few…

I don’t know if I”ll end up finishing this post or leaving it up. It is somewhat personal. If you read my stuff, you know that I’m not one to shy away from personal stuff, but this has to do with my kids and I’m not sure how I’ll feel about what I’m about to write once it’s down on “paper.” But I think it is important for us, as parents, to share our pain and vulnerability so we don’t have to suffer alone. So, here goes: I just don’t think the average person/parent has any idea what it is like to parent kids with real issues. It takes a toll on your mood, your sleep, your attention, your weight, your social life, your pocketbook, and your family unit. I’m not even sure where I’m going with this. It is more stream of consciousness than anything. But I am a life coach. I am good at that, because there are many, many things that I’ve figured out about life. But that doesn’t mean I have it all figured out… or that it is even possible to figure it all out. So I want to admit to y’all that I’m struggling right now with my parenting.  There is a delicate line to tread. Really the issues are my kids, particularly my daughter, who just turned 5. She’s bipolar. She is like a little terrorist in our house. It is just so hard to work all day, run a household and that that entails and “come home” to a child who is a constant tantrum, won’t eat dinner, and won’t go to the bathroom by herself. She wakes up and comes into our bed nine out of ten nights. And we never know when she’s going to completely lose it. In a lot of ways…

Most people with ADHD have a borderline pathological fear of being early. If you are always trying to walk in exactly on time, erring on the side of not being early… you’re going to be late a lot! So, why are we so afraid of being early? Easy. We are afraid of being bored and of “wasting time.” To truly understand this, you need to understand how we as ADHDers experience boredom. Granted there is always an exception. Some ADHDers are so involved in their own rich inner life that they can get lost in their own heads anytime, any place. (From this point on, assume that I’m speaking for the majority, but not all ADHDers.) And for most of us, boredom is our Kryptonite. We experience boredom as almost physically painful. We need stimulation in a way that neurotypical people don’t. When we don’t have that stimulation, it’s super uncomfortable. Being early requires us to wait in one place, observe generally accepted societal norms of behavior like leaving our shoes on, not be optimally stimulated, and not get anything productive done… or at least that’s how it feels. And that was more likely the case in the past. But, these days, we can play on our phone, get work done on wifi, step out of the waiting room and take a call, read on or phone or kindle, or any number of things that I’m not even thinking about right now. Yes, there is still an element of forced structure. And, we probably still can’t take our shoes off. But, being 10 minutes early is hardly the cruel and unusual punishment it was before. But sometimes the reality takes a while to catch up with us. We often have such a strong aversion to being early, and it’s been…