As summer draws to a close, families are enjoying their
last few weeks of rest and relaxation before getting back
to the grind. In addition to barbecues, vacations, and
outdoor fun, many people have completed a "summer project"
or two this season – from cleaning out the garage to making
a scrapbook of personal photos.
Lots of people have goals such as these for the less-busy
summer months, but for adults with Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD), having a list of summer projects can be
overwhelming and stressful.
ADD adults tend to feel like they're always behind. They
feel like no matter how hard they try to catch up, there is
always so much more to do. To them, it seems like other
people have an endless supply of time and energy to
accomplish whatever they want! ADDers always feel like they
should be doing more, and doing it better.
Because of this, many adults with ADD are not enjoying
their summers. They're frustrated and annoyed with
themselves because summer is almost over and they haven't
even started the many projects that they had hoped to
complete. They are beating themselves up for not
accomplishing enough this summer.
For those individuals, here is a quick guide to finishing
up summer projects:
1. Pick one or two projects that are really important to
you. You may want to decide based on what's seasonally
appropriate, like keeping your garden or yard well
maintained. You can also choose based on things that
shouldn't wait, like fixing a leak. Or, best of all, you
can choose based on what you actually like to do, or are
looking forward to doing. Everything else can wait. This
step is essential. If you pick too many projects to work on
at once, you greatly increase your chances of
procrastinating on all of them.
2. Plan to work on your projects and schedule the time into
your day or week. Don't overdo it. If you try to spend
every free moment completing your summer projects, they'll
become tedious and boring, and your summer will slip away.
Instead, try scheduling in an hour a day for a couple of
days a week, or maybe even a full day on the weekend.
3. Remember to leave room in your schedule for some summer
fun! Completing projects can be extremely satisfying, but
life shouldn't be all about your to-do list.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
----------------------------------------------------
Jennifer Koretsky is the Founder and Chief Visionary
Officer of the ADD Management Group, LLC. Jennifer and her
team work with ADD adults who are overwhelmed with everyday
life in order to help them simplify, focus, and succeed.
For free resources and more information, visit
http://www.ADDmanagement.com .
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