Make Your ADHD Ideas Happen

ADDed Success is Coach Dana Rayburn's monthly newsletter about living successfully with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Welcome to ADDed Success!
As the Queen in Alice in Wonderland suggested, "Think six impossible things before breakfast." If you have ADHD that's a pretty fair description of reality. Read on to learn about life as an Idea Factory and what you can do about it.

A fact of life for many adults with ADHD is that we are Idea Factories. We are constantly thinking up new ways to do things or look at things. I'm not sure what causes people with ADHD to lean naturally towards this level of creativity. Likely it's our unique way of looking at the world around us, combined with the fact that our brains rarely shut down. Some ideas are great, some not so great. Nevertheless, they are an expression of our creativity and our interests and make life more interesting for us, and those around us.

Being an Idea Factory can present some challenges. For instance, we have a hard time making our ideas happen since we don't do well on the follow-through. We get frustrated and discouraged. Over time, simply having the ideas can be discouraging because they are not likely to come to life. Indeed, many of my clients hire me to help them make their big ideas happen.

First, make it easy to capture your ideas. As my dear client Bob says, 'Mental ink fades'. That's a nice way of saying write it down or you'll forget. I've started carrying a small digital recorder so I can capture my ideas easily when they pop into my mind. It's really helpful when I'm driving or away from my home or office. I also keep paper and pens handy in the places where I seem to do most of my thinking: in my nightstand, my bathroom drawer and the kitchen.

Second, learn to prioritize. If your life is one big To Do List, being an Idea Factory will likely just frustrate you. Choose three projects to focus on at a time (I call them the Top 3). Keep a list of the other projects, but put them on the back burner until one of the Top 3 is completed or at a point where you can't take it any further. When a place on the Top 3 opens up then you can pick a project to move from the back burner to the Top 3.

Third, pair up with a Follow-Though Factory. The world is bursting with people who don't generate ideas easily but excel at getting things done. Working as a team, the Idea Factory comes up with the ideas and the Follow-Through Factory helps make them happen. Select your Follow-Through Factories carefully. You must pick someone who understands and is supportive of ADHD; someone who can look past ADHD's challenges and appreciate its gifts.

What I want for you is that you learn to work with your ideas so they can flourish and come to life. After all, new ways of doing things are truly ADHD's gift to the world.

Who do you know that you can team with to help you follow through on your ideas?

What will you do to focus your attentions on just a few priorities instead of having a To Do List for a life?

If you really want to change, but have a hard time applying these questions to your life, a coach could help. After all, success is a basic human right!

PS. - Trouble Staying Organized? No Problem! Reserve your copy of 'Organized for Life' at the special 'early-bird' price.

Unleash Your Power
Through ADD coaching, my clients improve their productivity, increase their profits, and take control of their life. Learn more about ADD coaching for business people and other high-functioning adults with ADHD.

Subscribe to ADDed Success
You've just received a taste of useful the information ADDed Success can deliver to your inbox each month. Why not subscribe? There's no risk. If you decide ADDed Success isn't for you, it's simple to remove your name from the list.

To subscribe, type your primary email address in the box below and press Do it!'. Within moments you'll receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription. You must reply to the email to be the proud owner of your very own subscripton to ADDed Success.

Privacy Notice: By submitting your email address you are subscribing to Dana Rayburn's ADDed Success News monthly email newsletter. Dana value's your trust and privacy. Your e-mail address and name will be kept confidential and will NOT be sold, traded, bartered or shared with anyone.

You May Use This Article In Your Ezine Or Web Site
You are welcome to use material from ADDed Success in whole or in part, provided its use is non-commercial and not for profit and as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site links. Please send me an email so I know where you're using my stuff.

Here's the attribution you'll use:
"By Dana Rayburn, Adult ADD Coach. Dana Rayburn helps business owners and high-functioning adults with ADHD improve their productivity, increase their profits and discover a more effortless life. Please visit Dana's web site at http://www.danarayburn.com for more articles and resources on living more easily with Adult ADHD."