First, one of my ADHD coaching clients told me about a nightmare she had last night, “Dana, you know how hard packing a suitcase is for me. Well, last night I dreamed I was packing over and over while two of my problem employees argued about what to take on the vacation.”

My next client shot me a text desperate for packing tips for a cruise she’s leaving on this weekend. (Why don’t my clients ever take me on their exciting vacations? I’m loads of fun to have around and don’t take up much space in a suitcase!)

Always ready to help out my clients, I jumped on Google to see what tips I could find about ADHD and travel packing where I discovered this great site: http://www.cruisediva.com. It’s loaded with great packing tips which can easily be tweaked for ADHD! And, with the start of vacation season looming, I have a feeling many of my ADHD coaching clients will struggle with the same challenge.

Four Reasons Why Packing for a Trip Challenges ADHD Adults

Psst! In the next blog, I’ll share terrific tips on packing for a trip if you have Attention Deficit, so be sure to watch for next week’s post!

1. Packing Requires Planning

In case you haven’t noticed, planning isn’t exactly a strength for most of the Adult ADHD world. Smart packing doesn’t leave a lot of room for impulsivity: you must know where you’re going, what you’re doing, and even check the weather forecast.

Will you be lounging by a pool? Hiking? Attending business meetings? All of the above? The options are often endless and sometimes trips combine both business and pleasure activities making travel planning a nightmare for ADHD adults.

2. Packing Requires Decision-Making

Decisions come hard for ADHD adults and packing a suitcase means decisions galore! “What outfit do I wear Saturday night?” and “How much can I fit into my suitcase?” are just two of many decisions you’ll have to make before you leave.

The typical approach for most ADHD adults is to pack their entire wardrobe. The last time I went on a cruise I packed enough outfits to change my clothes six times a day. Nope, I’m not kidding… Since then, I’ve learned of my own Adult ADHD diagnosis and teach others how to cope with situations like the one I’ve just mentioned through ADHD Coaching.

3. Trip Packing Takes Organization

Isn’t organization one of the biggest struggles of Attention Deficit? Have you ever arrived at a hotel room, opened up your suitcase and discovered that someone (you) detonated a small bomb inside of it. You then have to dig for a pair of shorts, find a matching (now wrinkled) top, and… you know you put a pair of socks in there somewhere (didn’t you?)… By the time you’ve found everything your hotel room looks like someone (you) exploded a bomb in it.

This explosion style of packing is neither efficient nor helpful for an ADHD adult. Organizing your suitcase not only eliminates a need to iron while on vacation (or walk out wearing a wrinkled shirt!), but it means less stress while dressing.

4. Trip Packing is Best Done in Advance

Okay, honestly, I’ve rarely packed before the very last minute. My ADHD brain needs that deadline of leaving for the airport before it clicks into gear. This is a true testament to Adult ADHD!

The trick is finding a balance. Doing some planning and decision-making in advance so you can push against that deadline without your house of cards falling down.

Next week we’ll discuss packing tips and techniques that will help you plan, make decisions, organize, and even pack in advance!

Tell me, do you have any thoughts about ADHD and travel and why packing for a trip challenges ADHD Adults? I want to hear from you!

To save you the time and effort of searching, I’ve linked four free ADD / ADHD articles I’ve written that I’m told are both helpful and insightful to those with Attention Deficit.

Enjoy…

1. One of the toughest questions society asks about Adult Attention Deficit Disorder is, Is ADD / ADD an Excuse or an Explanation? The answer depends solely on the individual. Are you using your ADHD as an excuse? Or an explanation. Click here to find out.

2. Overcoming ADD Distractions holds a great little secret to keep you from getting distracted while accomplishing a specific task. This free article teaches you to play a little game to keep you on-track until you’re all done! This easy little trick will help you better manage your time no matter what you’re doing! Click here to read more.

3. Sometimes, those of us with ADD / ADHD worry about how we are going to survive day-to-day with Attention Deficit. 9 Tips for Living Successfully with ADHD discusses some of the most important methods of coping with ADHD including diet and exercise, treatment plans, self-talk, and more! It’s a great all-around article with really helpful tips for total ADHD management.

4. Have you considered ADD / ADHD coaching as part of your ADHD treatment plan? Are you curious about what ADHD coaching is? Two of my articles, ADHD Coaching, What It’s All About? and What to Expect from an ADHD Coach, explain both what coaching is and how it works. Read on to find out if coaching is right for you!

Want more? Click here for more great, free ADD / ADHD articles online.

And, if you would like the ease of getting insightful, free information about living successfully with Adult Attention Deficit sent directly to your inbox, subscribe to my ADD Success ezine.

So, what is Executive Functioning anyway? And, what in the heck does it have to do with adult ADHD?

The short form? Executive Functioning refers to the thinking systems that control how you prioritize, control impulses, organize, focus, follow-through and finish what you start.

That explains why Executive Functioning and ADHD go hand in hand. Problems with Executive Functioning guide the adult ADHD symptoms. Think of it as the office manager responsible for the day to day operations of your brain, coordinating when and how things are done.

I’m excited to tell you about a lovely opportunity to learn more about what is happening with the Executive Functioning weaknesses typical to adult ADHD and what you can do to manage them.

Dr. Ari Tuckman, a well-respected ADHD expert and psychologist who has written extensively about adult ADHD, will be the presenter at the next free ADD Classes.com Teleseminar.

Understand Your Brain, Get More Done:  ADD / ADHD and Executive Functions

Date: Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Time: 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm EDT*

Instructor: Dr. Ari Tuckman

Listen over the Phone or Internet!

*Don’t worry if you can’t attend on May 8. As long as you register before 9 PM Eastern time that night you’ll have a week to listen to a recording of the teleclass at no charge.

Even if you don’t register before the class starts, you’ll still be able to listen for a few dollars. Simply click on the link below.

Click here to register for Understand Your Brain and Get More Done: ADD / ADHD and Executive Functions.

If you want to understand what is Executive Functioning and how to live more easily with your ADHD symptoms, sign up for the ADD Classes teleclass right now – before you get distracted and forget.

That’s exactly what happened to me today.

Marissa, my favorite blogger from www.newdressaday.com shared this easy organizing tip for making inexpensive storage containers.

Now, if you’ve read my ebook, Organized for Life or any of the blogs I written as and ADHD coach about getting organized with ADHD, you know places like the Container Store hate me.

Here’s why.

Why I Rarely Recommend Dashing Out To Buy New Storage Containers

• Storage ought to be the final step of any organizing project.
  Though to many people it’s the most alluring. After all, who wants to be home clearing clutter and sorting piles when they could be out shopping for cool storage?
• Storage containers often have a short shelf-life.
  Organizing systems change. Those bins and boxes you bring home today might not be what you need a few months from now. So besides having wasted money you’ve created MORE clutter! Have you ever tried to get rid of storage containers you paid good money for? It’s hard to do.
• Storage containers can be expensive.
  Especially the pretty ones. And, you never need just one so the price adds up.
  

Try This Easy Organizing Tip for Creating Inexpensive Storage Containers

1. Round up some shoe boxes – actually any box with a lid will do.
2. Get yourself a can of colorful spray paint. Be Bold. Go bright and sassy.
3. Now set out those newspapers in a well-ventilated space. Don’t get all ADHD and sloppy on me here. Do it right. Pick a place where the fumes won’t cause brain damage and you won’t get paint on anything that matters.
4. Paint those shoe boxes and make yourself some bright and cheery, yet inexpensive storage containers.
5. Let ‘em dry and voila’! You’ve got storage for the price of a can of spray paint (and any new shoes you’ve had to buy so you’d have enough boxes…).
6. Skip this step at your own peril: After you’ve moved into your new bins LABEL THEM. Your label doesn’t have to be fancy. Write on the box if you must. Just make sure it’s legible.

Getting organized with ADHD doesn’t have to be expensive or boring. Be creative and have some fun. And, if you have a quick and easy organizing tip of your own post a comment and let us all know. It’s nice to share

One ADHD coaching client, for instance, is a single man who rarely had house-guests; he had a full set of dishes though! The availability of dishes meant that he could always rely on pulling out a clean dish rather than wash the previous dishes.

Eventually, his sink was full and he came to loath cleaning all those dishes.

Our solution to this problem was simple, bag up all the “extra” dirty dishes and chuck the whole bit into the trash.

Perhaps that wasn’t the most environmentally friendly solution, but it worked like a charm to help him get organized with his adult ADHD. There was no way he was going to wash all those dishes. They just hung over his head like a crown of guilt.

Though I don’t recommend everyone just trash all their dirty dishes, perhaps (if this is a problem of yours) you can simply box up the extras and place them in a closet, attic, or your basement for safekeeping until you need them. Better yet, give them away to someone who can use them.

Another creative ADHD organizing solution I used was for a client of mine who had a bit of a shopping problem (this is common in many of my clients with Adult ADHD).

We controlled her shopping response through ADHD coaching, but then the client, whom we’ll call Shelly, had a new problem on her hands. All those extra clothes were cluttering her closet, creating frustration and confusion.

We could, as in the last example, bag them up and throw them out, but they were quality items that she genuinely liked and wanted to keep.

So here’s what we did: Shelly was lucky enough to have a little-used closet in her guest room. Instead of using it for odds and ends like puzzles and games, we simplified her clothing and her life by turning the closet into a “store”.

Through ADHD coaching, Shelly decided to keep only a few of each type of clothing (ie three pairs of jeans) to organize her bedroom closet, and put the rest in “The Store”. Then, when she needs something new (like a pair of jeans) she simply needs to head to The Store in her guest-room, rather than spend money at the mall.

The Store worked. The other day Shelly broke an important item of her wardrobe. Guess what she had in The Store? A brand new bra!

She didn’t need to spend extra money or face the distraction of going to the mall. Best of all, Shelly no longer deals with the confusion of having too much in her closet. It turned out to be the perfect organizing solution for her Attention Deficit.

Another great way to reduce your stress is to follow the steps as outlined in my e-book, Organized for Life, for simple solutions to reduce frustrating disorganization and simplify your life.

Tell us, do you have any creative or unique ways to get organized with Adult ADD / ADHD? Make a comment, we’d all love hear from you!

What exactly is the Due App and how can it help you stay organized with your Attention Deficit?

Due App works by setting reminders for tasks that may be easily forgotten.

Not only can it set a single reminder such as “Don’t forget to mail Grandma’s birthday card,” but it sets routine reminders too, such as “Water the plants” or “Change over the laundry.”

It’s user-friendly and makes it easy to set reminders to chime one time only, or as frequently as necessary! Be that every month, every week, or even daily, Due won’t forget what my ADD brain might.

Due makes those difficult things to remember (like my daily organizing activities and cleaning chores as outlined in my ebook, Organized for Life) become second nature.

Indeed, one of my favorite uses for Due is first thing in the morning when a reminder pops up to think about what we’re having for dinner that evening. Just the frequency of that reminder has taught me to remember dinner, even before Due ever goes off.

The one downside to this ADD-friendly iPhone app is that too many reminders may go off all at once, overwhelming ADD/ADHD brains.

To avoid that, I learned to group the information together; for example, instead of setting three separate reminders to sweep the floor, clean the cat box, and dust the table, I simply set a single reminder with all three of those things grouped together.

Voila! Problem solved.

While Due isn’t free, it may just be the best $4.99 I’ve spent on a great app to help me and my ADHD coaching clients stay organized with our forgetful ADD/ADHD brains. It keeps things in my life running smoothly by relieving me from working hard to remember things I’m prone to forget. Instead, Due keeps up with it all for me.

Forgive the late notice, but tonight, April 10, my friend Tara at ADDClasses.com is offering a Free teleclass you’re sure to find useful. Dr. Charles Parker will be talking about New Discoveries in ADHD: Brain, Medications and Neuroscience.

Don’t worry if you can’t attend tonight. As long as you register before 9 PM Eastern tonight, April 10, 2012, you’ll have a week to listen no charge to the teleclass. If you don’t register before the class starts, you’ll still be able to listen for a few dollars.

Here are some details.

Neuroscience and ADHD: New Discoveries – Brain, Meds and Neuroscience

Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Time: 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm EDT (New York Time)*

Instructor: Dr. Charles Parker

Listen Over the Telephone or Internet!

Dr Parker is one of the ADHD experts I follow. He’s an excellent resource for information about ADHD medication management.

Click here to register for the New Discoveries in ADHD Free Teleclass or to get access to the recording.

It’s the goal I have with my ADD coaching clients. When people ask me for advice about living more easily with ADHD working to your strengths is one of the first strategies I recommend.

Today I’m reminded why.

Two months ago when one of my ADHD coaching clients asked me to write his business plan it seemed like a fine idea.

He was very clear on what he wanted and had a format to follow. Though my ADD coaching practice was full, I’m pretty good at ADHD time management. I thought I could handle the extra work.

That was all true. I did have plenty of time to write the business plan. Managing time wasn’t my problem.

You see, I used to write systems documentation for a living. In my corporate job that’s the kind of thing I did 40 hours a week. Writing a business plan isn’t that different. Give me a format to follow, and I can produce a darn fine business plan.

Here’s the problem. I really hate doing it. I forgotten how much I hate writing plans.

I’d forgotten that if I had a job that more suited my ADD strengths I might not have left the corporate world to begin with.

So, when my client asked me if I could write his business plan I thought, yes, I can do that. I can help this good person out and makes some easy extra cash at the same time.

I forgot my number one rule for living successfully with ADD.

Here’s the ugly reality. Just because you’re good at something doesn’t make it a strength.

It’s now two months later and the business plan isn’t done. I’m working on it and it will get done, but, man, is it painful.

I have discovered great ways to procrastinate. Amazing all the unimportant stuff I’ve gotten done! But, the worst part is how the ADD procrastinating and avoiding have drained my energy. With this dreaded business plan on my to do list, I end my days an absolute exhausted rag, something that rarely happens when I stay in my world of strengths as an ADHD coach.

Once again, the realities of living successfully with ADD / ADHD smack me right between the eyes. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Before taking on any task, you have to consider if that something is one of your strengths. If it isn’t, and you don’t have to do it, avoid it. It’s just not worth setting yourself up to struggle.

I do.

Here it is 4:45 AM and I’ve already mentally written three ADD Success articles, planned an Internet marketing strategy for my business, figured out how to help a friend organize her dad’s stuff when he moves into a retirement home, and planned a new career for my husband.

Yes, it’s one of those mornings. My eyes popped open way too early and ideas started flooding out like water gushing from a broken pipe.

Today my mind is an idea factory on full steam.

I don’t mind having all of these ideas. I just don’t like it when the ideas flow so fast and strong that it actually hurts.

Even if I can’t turn off my brain, I at least wish I could slow it down. ADD gets really frustrating when the ideas come so fast you can’t even capture them.

I’m also worried about the rest of my day. Now it’s 5 AM. With a full day of ADHD coaching and writing ahead of me, my overactive ADHD brain has already done about three days worth of thinking.

Is there a bright side? Of course! I always find one.

Days like this keep me in touch with the out of control ADHD symptoms some of my ADHD coaching clients deal with. One of my strengths as a coach is my deep understanding and experience of ADHD symptoms.

I used to have brain floods like this all the time. Over the years as I’ve been better at managing my ADD with diet, exercise, sleep and fish oil my overactive ADHD brain episodes have decreased. Living with ADD may be many things, but it’s never boring.

Until you become conscious of what you are doing and can veer back on course when you wander off track you will live at the mercy of your ADHD.

That’s why I’m excited about the ADDClasses.com free Teleclass coming up next week.

The Free Mindfulness Teleclass for Adult ADD / ADHD Details

Becoming Focused, Aware and Self-Directed: Mindfulness Training for Adult ADD / ADHD



Date: Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Time: 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm EDT (New York Time)*

Instructor: Lidia Zylowska, MD

Listen Over the Telephone or Internet!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the live Teleseminar! As long as you register before it starts you will be able to listen to the recording free for a week.

Reading this blog AFTER March 20, 2012? No problem! You can get access to the teleclass recording for a few dollars at ADDClasses.com.

Dr. Lidia Zylowska, a psychiatrist who specializes in ADHD, will describe an accessible, mindfulness-based approach for adults with ADHD.

This program, developed through Dr. Zylowska’s research and clinical practice, can help adults with ADHD and their families develop skills in managing attention, regulating emotions, coping with stress and fostering healthy relationships.

Click here to register.

Don’t miss this golden opportunity to becoming focused, aware and self-directed using mindfulness training for Adult ADD / ADHD.