Do ADD Adults procrastinate often? Only 93%!

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Bonnie Mincu

You’re not weird, just normal for ADHD

It’s a known fact that procrastination is a big factor in people with ADD / ADHD.   So last week I put out a 2-question survey to see just how much we really do procrastinate.  I also wanted to see if there might be some truth to the idea that some of us sort of enjoy the rush of last-minute panic.

Here are the results from ADD readers:

The great majority — 93% — said they “often procrastinate.”  A full 83% said they come up against deadlines (only 9% didn’t have deadlines in their lives).   This would seem to indicate that most of these procrastinators are not feeling very stressed about the deadlines.  Why not?

Continue reading →

Posted in Procrastination, Productivity | 19 Comments

ADD and Addicted to Stress?

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Bonnie Mincu

It could be why you procrastinate!

We generally think of stress as a bad thing.  With ADD / ADHD, the word stress often goes hand in hand with being overwhelmed and paralyzed, — not a good feeling!

If that’s the case, why do people with ADD so often create situations that are stressful?   In the ADD / ADHD Work Challenges survey sent out last week, “Procrastination” was reported to be the number one problem people experienced at work.   Generally, when you procrastinate on starting a work-related project, you’re going to end up stressed in a number of ways:

  • Scrambling to finish on deadline
  • Hiding from your boss or client to avoid admitting the work hasn’t been done
  • Feeling ashamed of your lack of productivity

So why do we procrastinate so often? 

Continue reading →

Posted in Avoidance, Procrastination, Productivity | 23 Comments

ADD / ADHD in the Workplace – SURVEY RESULTS are in!

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Bonnie Mincu

Procrastination beats them all

Thank you to the more than 600 ADD / ADHD Adults who filled out the Thrive with ADD survey on Workplace Challenges last week!

Once again, Procrastination takes the prize as the number one problem.  Here are the most troublesome issues for responders who were asked to indicate their top workplace challenges.  (The percentage indicates what percent of responders checked it as one of their top 3 to 5):

  • Procrastination – 53%
  • Mentally Staying on Task – 46%
  • Overwhelmed – 42%
  • Disorganization – 37%
  • Follow-Through – 37%
  • Prioritizing – 36%

Most valuable were heartfelt comments by responders, who were encouraged to elaborate in their own words throughout the survey.
Click here to see the Survey results.

Why conduct a survey?

Continue reading →

Posted in Procrastination, Productivity | 14 Comments

QUICK SURVEY: ADD / ADHD Traits at Work

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Bonnie Mincu

What are your biggest challenges with work?

Have you found ADD / ADHD traits are causing you difficulties with your job, or in your career?

If you’re like most people with typical ADD traits, you’ve probably become frustrated at some point with the habits and tendencies that seem to undermine you at work.  You may have felt like you were somehow sabotaging yourself, despite your abilities and your best efforts to do well.

I believe this is a particularly important issue for ADD Adults, and I will be giving “Thrive with ADD” training on how to overcome the most pervasive ADD / ADHD WORK-RELATED CHALLENGES. 

To do that, I need your help!

Continue reading →

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How do you judge success and failure?

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Bonnie Mincu

How about simply BEING the best human that you can

A coaching client of mine in Europe touched me this week in a special way.  He said that, when he feels frustrated about his ADD / ADHD, he regains inspiration from a poem called “Success,” attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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Don’t procrastinate filling your ADD / ADHD medication prescription…

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Bonnie Mincu

Or your wait may be longer than you think!

Are you having trouble getting ADD / ADHD medication?   It’s not your pharmacy’s fault.  There is currently a real shortage of ADHD stimulant medication, particularly Adderall and Metadate in both their brand and generic forms.  According to ADDA, the world’s leading Adult ADHD organization, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration is getting hundreds of complaints daily about people’s inability to get their prescriptions filled.

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Resolutions vs Intentions: For ADHD adults, there’s a big difference

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Bonnie Mincu

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.

I used to when I was young, most often around losing weight: dieting or going to the gym.  This was back in the day when you had to join a gym for a year to be able to attend.    For two years in a row, I dutifully made my New Year’s resolution to work out, joined the gym, and then after just a few weeks, would be unable to force myself to go back.  By the third year, I was ready to face reality, that my motivation to work out at the gym would last just a few weeks, and that without motivation, I simply wouldn’t go.

I didn’t know about my ADD back then.  If I knew then what I know now, I would have known that “forcing myself” was a losing proposition.   The very word “resolution” involves RESOLVE.  When you have to steel yourself with resolve, it is something you don’t really want to do.  So genuine motivation probably won’t last long.

With ADHD, our resolutions often fall by the wayside because we forget about them, or we get distracted and don’t follow through.  Each of those reasons can be turned around through some strategic thinking of how to be more Intentional.

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ADHD Webinar? What’s a Webinar?

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Bonnie Mincu

Not everyone speaks “Internet-ese!”

People who earn a living in technology have often been accused of assuming that “everyone” knows the most common technical terms.  Time and again, I’ve explained to the people who help me set up my business online that, as ADHD Adults, my readers / users are not “typical.”

People with ADD / ADHD are more likely to fall into one extreme or other, depending on their interest. Those with ADD who enjoy technology are the most highly skilled and knowledgeable techies on the planet.   But if they think of  technology as merely a tool (or a necessary evil!), then they may know a lot less than the average person about the terms used online.

However, despite all my warnings about the dangers of assuming the knowledge level of my audience, I fell into the trap myself!  Continue reading →

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When You Don’t Feel Well, Everything Takes Longer

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Bonnie Mincu

Working through a cold with ADHD?  Plan again!

I’ve had a doozy of a cold this week.  It turned into a sore throat that just wouldn’t quit, leaving me with a croaking larengitus.  An ADHD Coach with no voice is like a waiter with a broken leg — you can do the job, but it sure is harder!

Nevertheless, I worked through the week and kept all my phone appointments.  What I didn’t count on was how much slower I was at working my own projects between appointments.   Marketing or writing tasks that normally could have been relatively easy seemed to drag on for hours.   My attention span on independent work was considerably less than normal.

As always, many of my Coaching clients were facing the common ADHD challenge of procrastinating until the last minute on a project, then suddenly able to focus the day before the due date, and finding that the project took much longer than they expected it to.

Continue reading →

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End ADHD Procrastination with “Law & Order”

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Bonnie Mincu

What “Law & Order” and “American Idol” Have in Common

I’ve often stated that a stimulating environment was key for many people with ADD / ADHD, in breaking through procrastination to do boring tasks.  Although many ADD adults find it helps to take the work to a cafe, that isn’t always feasible.

TV can create a more stimulating background noise to keep you focused at home. BUT it has to be the right kind of show.  If you’re working on something that doesn’t require real thought or intellectual challenge, a show that mildly engages you is perfect.

Here are my favorite shows for procrastination-busting: Continue reading →

Posted in On the Job, Procrastination | 4 Comments