I have two pan racks. Thought I’d show you the second one too. This one is over the dishwasher, several paces away from the stove. So it is the home to many things we don’t use every day.  Also, you’ll notice that you can use the top level to store things as well. In this one I have an old “grizwald.” (vintage cast iron pan) In the other picture you can see that I have finally found a home for that one really large bowl that I use 4 times a year that doesn’t fit in any of the cabinets. AND… I hang herb and garlic to dry from the middle of the rack. Can’t find a picture from last year. I’ll take one this summer and post later.

…Then don’t forget about the ceiling! Hanging pot racks are super cool! They get a whole bunch of bulky items, some of which you use regularly, some very infrequently, completely out of your way. And, this is a category of items that do not stack or nest well in your cabinets, they take up a lot of space, and, let’s face it, I like bending over less and less every year. You have to make sure you have enough clearance. Don’t put them over high traffic areas. Make sure everyone who uses the pans can reach them and that the tallest person in your house won’t bang his/her head on them. Other than that, they’re super easy to install. As long as you have a drill and can figure out where the joists or strapping is, you’re good to go.  You may also notice that our go to cleaner is hanging right there so we don’t have to bend over and rummage under the sink every night to clean the stove and table. As always, the things you use most should be most accessible. The three pans that are missing are closest to the stove because we use them almost every day.

Spices are weird. They are things that you absolutely need for certain things but usually aren’t things you use every day. In fact you may use a specific spice once or twice a year. Plus, they are strangely expensive, so you don’t want to just throw them out… even though they do lose potency after time. They are also a pretty awkward size/shape if you think about the standard shelf size and depth in most kitchens. Basically they are an organizational nightmare. Here are some thoughts/tips about organizing spices.  Try not to buy a spice for a recipe that you know you’ll only make once. See if a friend or neighbor can “lend” you a tablespoon.  Consider getting rid of older spices. The conventional wisdom is that spices last about year. I would argue with that. They definitely lose potency but it’s not like they are good one day and bad the next. Just be aware that you may need to adjust and use a bit more in certain applications. Though most ground spices are candidates to be tossed without worry between 3 & 6 years. For applicable spices, consider buying the whole spice instead of the ground spice. You will radically extend the shelf life when you store whole spices. Particularly nutmeg should be kept whole. It starts to loose its “oompf” very quickly. A whole nutmeg will last a very long time and it always at your fingertips with a quick grate on the microplane.* For other spices, like fennel seeds, a cheap coffee grinder will usually do the trick. I really like having all my spices visible so I don’t have to rifle through them and make a mess. Plus as a “lazy” ADHDer, not having to go in and out of a drawer or cabinet is nice.…

Conceptually, I don’t love knife blocks. I always wonder how sanitary it is down at the bottom of that slot that you put your knife in. All it takes is one or two times of not getting the knife totally clean… But that’s speculation on my part.  Knife bars are my joint. I love seeing them all out and displayed for easy use. Plus, we have almost no counter space. So, again, using the walls is the way to go.  The knife rack is at an angle because otherwise it wouldn’t fit on the wall anywhere near the cutting board. 

Really this one is partially a continuation of the first tip, keeping things that you use a lot handy. But since there is only so much counter space near where you need to work in a kitchen, use the walls! You could see in the last post that I have two mason jars next to the stove. Great, but that doesn’t hold all my spatulas, ladles, and large spoons. A simple tool bar with S hooks solves that problem for just a couple buck and with a few screws.

I’ve decided to do a series of entries of the late spring & summer about kitchen organization and food/meal planning. Both are right in my wheelhouse as a former chef and not so intense for summer reading (and writing.) We’ll start with kitchen organization. Let’s start with kitchen organization. I have a much different perspective from the average “civilian” on how a kitchen should run. And, it actually works really well for me as an ADHDer. The first rule of my kitchen if you use it everyday, don’t pack it up and put it in a cabinet. For example, my cutting board, knives, salt, pepper, olive oil, etc. are never away where it would be a pain to get them and use them.

So, it’s clearly been a while since I posted, though I honestly hadn’t realized how long it had been. Thus is the life of a business owner and a parent of an 8 year old and a 3 year old. So let’s consider this my post for April. April is… was… TriPod month Scratch that. It was actually March that was TryPod month. Where have I been? The point is that most people still haven’t tried listening to a podcast and many don’t even know what they are and how to get them. I am a huge fan of podcasts. But, you may be asking yourself at this point, why is this relevant to ADHD? An understandable question, which I will not answer by asking you a question. Do you ever have a hard time doing those boring, repetitive, tedious, day to day tasks like laundry, driving the kids around, cooking dinner, doing the dishes, etc.? Well, there are many ways to make those tasks more enjoyable. Music is one. That’s been around a while, if you haven’t noticed. The radio works too. But there is often only so much NPR or sports talk one can take. Audio books can be good too, but sometimes they take too much attention and it’s hard to get other stuff done. So, try a podcast, silly! I can almost guarantee that you can find a handful of podcasts to subscribe to that will fit the bill. Here are some that I love: 1. RISK (It’s racy and edgy. Not for everyone. But very funny and often super poignant.) A storytelling podcast that usually features about 3 stories per episode. 2. The Moth. The standard bearer for story-telling podcasts. Consistently excellent and more “main stream” than RISK. 3. Stuff You Should Know.…

A quick follow up to last week’s post. It occurs to me that a neurotypical person might wonder why I don’t just hang up the clothes in the closet or put them back in the drawer at the end of the day. That’s what my neurotypical wife does… which still amazes me on some level after 13 years of marriage and 15 years of living together. Well the answer is hard to articulate but really gets to the heart of what ADHD really is. When we think “focus,” we generally think about sitting still in a lecture or something of that type. But one of the most under-appreciated and least recognized ways that a lack of focus affects us is the ability to do simple but routine and boring tasks. As ADHDers, because of our brain chemistry, we experience boredom in a way that a neurotypical person would have a hard time understanding. (I think I’ll do a post on just the boredom issue soon.) And, there is very little that is more boring for us than routine tasks like doing dishes, dealing with the mail, folding and putting away laundry, etc. This deficit is often attributed to motivation… or lack thereof. Personally I think lack of initiation is closer to the truth, but really, it’s just attention. It takes so much attention for us to focus on boring and routine tasks that it is far easier to not do them. The longer term consequences of having a messy room or a cluttered house just aren’t as compelling in the moment as the desire to avoid the excruciating boredom of engaging in the behaviors necessary to avoid that messy room. Standard Disclaimer:  In an effort to foil my own perfectionist tendencies, I do not edit my posts much… if at…

One of my best friends had what he called a “clothes tree” when we were in high school. I thought that was brilliant. So I adopted it. The concept is that it provides a place to put clothes that have been worn but aren’t dirty. Because, let’s be honest, I’m not hanging that stuff up at the end of the day or folding it and putting it back in a drawer. Instead of a free-standing coat rack, like my friend used, I screw a straight coat rack to my wall above my hamper. Both clothes tree and hamper are between the door and the bed and right next to the PJ’s. This way I don’t have to fold or use hangers. I just plop the clothes on the clothes tree and they stay clean to be worn again and don’t end up cluttering the room. Everybody wins! Then, if the tree gets full, or once a week, or on laundry day, I’ll spend 5 minutes and put everything away. But that is 5 minutes not at the end of the day, not when my meds are worn off, and not when I’m already tired and worn out. Standard Disclaimer:  In an effort to foil my own perfectionist tendencies, I do not edit my posts much… if at all. Please and typos, mistakes, grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing. I focus on getting my content down. An imperfect post completed is better than a perfect post that goes unposted.

I have always gotten emails (almost daily) from CHADD, ADDutude, NRC, etc. They are great resources for ADHDers and parents. But for me, they often cover topics that I’m already an expert in. However, I was recently added to a list that is designed for clinicians. The ADDitude ADHD research digest. Frankly, I don’t think it should be only for clinicians. I firmly believe that all ADHDers should have access to current science. I would suggest everyone read this newsletter. Of course, bear in mind, most research is not yet actionable. Studies need to be reproduced and verified on many cases. But, more good information is always an asset to us.  Here’s a link to this months entry: http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=05c078d02e79a07f64018da62&id=b08a7fb4f4&e=56e9d42595 I personally recommend reading the 1st and 3rd posts if you only have time for 2.

All the research shows that the best thing you can do to effect a positive outcome is medication therapy, provided it is consistent and effective. The second best thing you can do is engage in behavioral intervention. That would be Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or Coaching. The best outcomes come from a combination of the two. I would argue that the third best thing you can do is practice good sleep hygiene. If you are not getting enough sleep, it is impossible to be optimally effective and attentive. I don’t know how much research there is into sleep and ADHD, but I’ve observed that the “brain fog” that accompanies sleep deprivation is not too dissimilar to the default state of our ADHD brains. There is a decent amount of evidence that exercise is an incredibly valuable part of overall ADHD treatment. I’ve never met anyone who could manage their ADHD fully with exercise alone. But, I can attest to the fact that consistent vigorous activity directly affects my attention positively. Incidentally, it also helps me manage my anxiety, depression, sleep, and general health. A well balanced life is key. If we are not getting the social interaction, intellectual stimulation, and whatever else we need like having a creative outlet or a forum for competition, we are not going to thrive. I imagine this is true for most humans, but we seem to be more in need of this balance than many. Standard Disclaimer:  In an effort to foil my own perfectionist tendencies, I do not edit my posts much… if at all. Please and typos, mistakes, grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing. I focus on getting my content down. An imperfect post completed is better than a perfect post that goes unposted.

Too many doctors as unnecessarily afraid of dealing with stimulant based insomnia. It is actually one of the more manageable side effects. Most people on stimulant therapy have their sleep affected only by meds taken late in the day or by higher doses. Though I take high doses and am medicated late in the day, I know from when I first started medication almost three decades ago that if I take any Ritalin at all at any time during the day, I don’t sleep that night… on my own. I think about how much it would have wrecked my life if I had had a doctor who give up on stimulants at that point. Instead I happen to have one of the best ADHD doctors in the world. He tried many things to counteract the stimulants until we settled on Clonidine. I’ve taken it every night for 28 years and it simply cancels out the Ritalin and I go to sleep normally about an hour later. It’s not a sleeping medicine and may even help with my ADHD symptoms, though my doctor says that the short acting form that I take shouldn’t have any effect in that area. Guanfacine is probably prescribed more now that Clonidine is, but they are related and both offer similar help in sleeping. And, there are several other meds that can help offset the stimulants. So, don’t give up the chance of being effectively medicated in the evening. Whether it’s homework time or your kids bedtime, the evening is part of your life too. Note: As with all my entries pertaining to medication, I will remind everyone that I’m not a physician. I simply post about medication because it is so important, because I so often see people not being educated about all the options…