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The Scoop on Scope
By Dana Rayburn, Adult ADD Coach

ADDed Success Is The Monthly Online Ezine for Adults with ADHD from ADHD Coach Dana Rayburn.

Do you know anyone else who's curious about adult ADHD? Please send them a link to this ezine. They'll thank you for it.


Welcome to ADDed Success,

Before we dive in, I want to clarify how I use the term ADHD.

When I use ADHD, I'm referring to both hyperactive and inattentive types of Attention Deficit Disorder.

Personally, since many of us aren't hyperactive, I'd rather use ADD than ADHD. But since ADHD has become the official medical title, I've been using it. Actually the real official title is AD/HD. But what's that slash about? That's all I need – one more way to make typing errors!


Now, on to the good stuff…

THE SCOOP ON SCOPE

Okay. It’s true confessions time.

When you return home from traveling do you:

--> a) Immediately unpack and put everything away?

--> b) Toss your packed suitcase on the floor and step over it for weeks?

--> c) Do something in between such as unpack the clothes but leave the suitcase on the floor?

Chances are if you have ADHD you answered b or c.

Fear not! You're not lazy! More likely you don't unpack because you lack a clear scope of the task. Clarify the scope, and you'll improve your chance of unpacking your suitcase and putting everything away more quickly.

So what do I mean by scope? The scope of a task means ALL the steps in a task. Beginning with the first step all the way to the final step.

I believe a lot of ADHD's clutter comes when you aren't clear about the final step of a task.

Let's continue with our suitcase example above.

If you're like most people, you consider walking in your front door as the final step in a trip. When that's your scope, you don't even think about unpacking right away. You’re home. The trip is over. It’s time to get on with life.

Yet when you're aware the trip’s scope includes unpacking and putting the suitcase away, you're likely to do it more quickly.

Let’s look at some other areas where fuzzy scopes cause trails of disarray:

--> Paying Bills. Your last step is filing the statements – not dashing to get the envelopes in the mail.

--> Laundry. Your last step is hanging up the shirts – not hearing the buzzer announcing the clothes are dry.

--> Writing a Report. Your last step is clearing away the mass of papers you’ve collected to prepare the report - not handing the report to your boss.

--> Grocery Shopping. Your last step is stowing the groceries and stashing the empty sacks - not leaving the full shopping bags on the kitchen counter while you get a snack.

Do you see the pattern?

How do you decide when a task needs a clearer scope? Look for where the clutter collects. Don't panic if you're drowning in clutter. Most people with ADHD are. The clutter is simply a sign that your systems need help.

Ready to try? Take a deep breath, and pick one tiny task. Now think through all the steps in the task. Where does the mess start? Is it because you don't go all the way to the task's final step? In other words, the full scope?

If you're clear on the task's scope and still have clutter, maybe that final step is too hard to do. You see, when it comes to putting stuff away, people with ADHD naturally take the easy path.

So if it's hard to put the suitcase away, you'll toss it on the floor instead. If you can't open the file drawer, you'll pile papers instead of filing them.

Sound familiar? What adjustments can you make so the last step happens more easily?

Play with getting clear on the scope of tasks and see if life gets easier. If it reduces clutter and stress.

The benefit? A life where your ADHD creativity and spontaneity has room to blossom and grow.


The Last Word
My big brother and his family visited from Denver a couple of weeks ago. They stayed at a nearby motel instead of at our house, because my sister-in-law is seriously allergic to cats. We offered to send Puss to the kennel during their visit, but even if he were banished and the house thoroughly cleaned her allergies would still act up.

Actually, it worked out nicely. We managed to see them morning until night, but with the house quieter I didn't get as overwhelmed as I often do when we have visitors. And dear Puss was thrilled to stay home.

Their visit's highlight was a raft trip on the beautiful Rogue River. Guess who captained the raft! Yep, little me. And I managed to pay attention well enough so I didn't swamp the raft or dump my darling nieces overboard.


To Your ADDed Success,
Dana

P.S. A reader has asked me to remind you about Flylady, and her excellent organizing system. You'll
find a link to Flylady under Getting Organized in the ADD Resources section of my web site:
http://www.danarayburn.com/resources1.html