By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – December 12, 2022

Knowing what works for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is just as important as knowing what does not work. Some of the tactics you use might not be helping. In fact, they might even exacerbate your symptoms. For example, pressure to perform based on other people’s ideas of how you should perform almost always leads to failure because it doesn’t work and it’s detrimental. For those with ADHD, doing things that do not fit their natural way of doing things can often paralyze them at most and at least inhibit their performance. Continue reading “ADD Tip: What Doesn’t Work for Those with ADD” →

Organizing things is a real challenge, especially for those with ADHD. They think they’ll just jump in and start organizing until they get into a mess and then things seem to explode.

It has been said, if you don’t understand something as a process, you don’t understand it at all. I find this rings true for those with ADHD in the context of organization.

Continue reading “ADHD: Getting Organized about Organization” →

Working with those with ADHD, I find they have a certain processing style that varies by individual. While this is not ADHD specific, those with ADHD are more dependent on a more dominant style. It’s a common occurrence in those with ADHD, as they have a working memory issue in how they process things. Let me give you an example. Continue reading “ADHD and Conflicts in Style” →

Pain! Energy! ADHD! They just don’t seem compatible with each other, but yet, they go hand in hand for those who struggle with chronic pain, no energy, and ADHD.

Those with ADHD often have endless amounts of energy, but when they don’t, they may be suffering with chronic low-level pain that seems to suck their life away. It keeps them from doing what they want to do, and they beat themselves up and blame their ADHD. Continue reading “The Impact of Pain on ADHD and Energy” →

In the context of ADHD, do your eyes glaze over when you start talking about digital means and methods? If so, I’m here to say that the cloud can set you free. So, let’s talk about what I mean by “the cloud.”

With the explosion of technology and our need to manage home, cell, and work phones, as well as emails, texts, instant messages, and direct posts on Twitter or Facebook and other social media, it’s difficult to understand just how dramatically technology is growing. All this digital activity can create problems for those with ADHD who are already challenged with organization. Continue reading “ADHD: The Cloud Is Here to Set You Free” →

As a former athlete and competitive swimmer, I understand how important rest is for the body. After intense workouts or stressful training, the body needs time to replenish its energy stores, and your muscles need time to recover. To illustrate my point, I want to share some important lessons I learned as a triathlete. But these insights are not aimed just at those with ADHD. They truly apply to anyone who is on that track but not realizing they’re running on empty. Continue reading “ADHD: Rest and Recovery” →

Conflict and struggles can arise when one partner in an ADHD relationship travels frequently. When connection is lost due to being out of sight, out of mind, the challenge is to figure out how to handle this in a manner that suits both partners. Continue reading “ADHD Relationship Tip: A Traveling Partner” →

Those with ADHD struggle with working memory. A working memory impairment hinders the ability to follow a sequence of steps because they’re not able to hold the steps in their mind. It takes a lot of effort because they have to override their automatic instincts and use an already taxed working memory to work through a problem.
Continue reading “ADHD: A Thought versus a Plan” →

Those who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulty with what we call transitions, that is, starting and stopping projects when they are in the middle of something and get interrupted or they have to look elsewhere for further information. Those are transitions, like having to reboot the computer (or the brain) to get back to the thought process where they were. It’s tough enough for non-ADHD people, but with ADHD, it’s much more effortful. It takes a lot more time to get back in the game and it can be exhausting. Continue reading “ADHD and Transitions: The Concept of Rebooting” →

I’ve always been curious what stops someone from getting rid of things. Having coached many, many borderline hoarders, I’ve seen the overwhelm this clutter bestows on them. So, let’s talk about purging. I have several suggestions to illustrate this, but as an example, I’ll use the tassel on my cap when I graduated from the University of Tampa. Continue reading “ADHD: Is Clutter Trash or Museum Bound?” →