ADHD College Blog

Archives: November 2008

An ADHD-Worthy Alarm Clock

This year, I'm begging Santa for an alarm clock that I can't ignore, turn off, or generally defeat. Any recommendations?

Today I had nothing to do after work – no mall job, no visiting family, no errands to run. I thought about what I wanted to do on this rare occasion and decided to spend my night “screen-sucking” - staring at a screen (be it a TV, computer, video game) and wasting hours of time.

Us ADHDers happen to be particularly good at staring at the screen without blinking for hours on end, and sometimes a total veg-out-wasted-day is just what I need after a few busy weeks.

I got home from work, ate dinner, and started surfing the internet. Not having any particular sites in mind I started with ADDitudemag.com as I often do; to browse through articles. I swear, I could read articles on ADDitude for a whole week straight without reading the same thing twice or getting bored.

As I clicked from one article to the next related link I came across two separate articles about alarm clocks for people with ADHD. That reminded me that I’ve been dying to get an alarm clock that actually works for a while now – so I started to research some of the alarms that were recommended.

I started with consumer reviews of the different products, and then I went to the manufacturer websites to see the colors and feature selections that the clocks come in. Finally, I ended up on youtube.com watching video demonstrations of how the clocks work.

Did I mention that YouTube is a very dangerous website for us ADHDers? The related videos led me so far astray that an hour later I was watching clips from old Nickelodeon shows I used to watch. While I’m thinking of it – another dangerous site: Wikipedia, or my personal favorite: Wikihow. I used to spend hours a day learning how to do things like escape a sinking car, make your own darkroom, or change the brake lights on a Volkswagen (all things I’m sure I’ll never need).

Anyways, now that I’m completely rambling and off topic; back to the alarm clocks. I’ve narrowed it down to three that seem really good. The first is the Sonic Boom: it is really loud, shakes your bed, and flashes lights to wake you up. It seems effective; but scary (and I really like to wake up to the radio).

The second is the Clocky: the alarm sound is less like a siren than other alarms, and it rolls around on the floor so you have to get out of bed and chase it to turn it off. I’m not sure if it would actually be effective after the first week, or if I just want it because it’s cute and fun.

Finally, there’s the Progression Wake Up Clock which gradually increases light for 30 minutes along with aromatherapy and nature sounds to wake you up. Ok, ok, I just want that one because it seems so relaxing and non-threatening. I think I’m still in need of a blasting noise, vibrating bed, and gadget rolling on the floor to get me up though. I guess I’ll cross the aromatherapy and nature sounds off my list.

I told my mom that I want a new alarm for Christmas this year. She told me to pick one and tell her what it’s called and where to buy it (I guess she’s sick of waking me up 6 times a day too). Now I just have to choose.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

An ADHD Kick Start from Mom

My mom's help with laundry, picking up, and making a schedule was the perfect thing to motivate me to get organized.

My resolution to keep my room clean always fails within the first few days; along with my resolutions to go to the gym, wake up on time, go to bed at a decent hour, stop buying things I don’t need, and the list goes on and on.

This time my resolution is still pretty much standing thanks to some help getting the ball rolling. I’ve been pretty busy the last week. Between my internship, my mall job, errands, and running around with my family, I haven’t been home much between 7:30am, when I leave for my internship, and 10pm, when I get home for the night. There were clothes heaped on my chair, the hamper was overflowing, shoes littered the floor, and my dresser was unrecognizable under a mountain of clutter. On Friday, that all changed.

My Mom (the best mom in the world) cleaned up all my clothes; hung what was clean in the closet and washed the four loads of dirty laundry. She then collected all the shoes by the closet and made my bed for me. On Saturday morning she helped me make a schedule to get my dresser cleaned off before I ran off for the whole day. You should have seen what was piled up on the dresser – but that will just have to wait for another day.

Looking around my room right now, I’ll admit it’s not perfect – but it’s a million times better than it was. I can find my alarm clock, I can put on makeup without knocking over piles of clothing tags and paper cups, and I can walk around without twisting my ankle on a discarded shoe.

That jump-start to cleanliness and organization made a world of difference. I don’t like being so messy, but I can’t seem to figure out where to start cleaning up either. Once the mess gets so bad that it becomes overwhelming, I get to the point where I don't know where to start. My mom's help with laundry, picking up, and making a schedule was the perfect thing to motivate me to get organized. And I’m feeling less stressed and in control already.

So Mom: thank you, thank you, thank you.

Fake It Till You Make It

Like most people with ADHD, I avoid and procrastinate until life becomes a mad scramble to pick up the pieces.

Tonight at my retail job we had a "visit." The regional manager and the district manager came to observe our store while it was open – they were supposed to be seeing our “normal” business. Of course, when you know you’re being critiqued it’s not normal. We’ve been cleaning the store for days now – vacuuming and mopping the floors, making sure the tags are tucked in on all the clothes. The manager called me yesterday and asked if I would come in tonight for the visit so they would have extra staff and we wouldn’t look shorthanded (like we sometimes are). Everyone wore dressier clothes than normal; and then changed from heels to flats the second the district managers had left.

While I was standing in the front of the store greeting customers and telling them about the store sales, I was thinking, don’t they know this isn’t how we act all the time? Seriously, if you’re on your feet for an eight-hour shift there’s no way you’d be wearing heels – you would be crying from the pain after two hours. Then again, I guess it’s what a lot of us ADHDers do everyday.

Think about it; we make excuses for why we didn’t do what we were supposed to, when really we just don’t know why we didn’t do it. I know I do. We try to come across as calm, put-together and organized while hundreds of thoughts bounce around our brains at the same time. We close the door, or think about something else, when there’s a mess we don’t want to clean up.

I do all this avoiding and procrastinating until someone comes to visit – or I get fed up and angry that I’m not as in control as I seem. Then it’s a mad scramble to pick up the pieces and wash four huge loads of laundry before I run out of clean socks.

But really, the stress keeps building; because even when we’re not looking at the mess, we’re still thinking about it and how long it will take to clean it all up. If we just take small steps every day it would be easier – but it’s the details that we ADHDers aren’t good at. Why does it matter when the small pieces get done; as long as the whole project’s done on time? But it’s the stress and the turmoil of dreading an approaching deadline that tips the balance. Who wants to live under constant pressure?

I’m going to start cleaning up my messes as I go so I don’t create a huge project for myself. My first step is to clean up my clothes neatly every time I change outfits so I don’t end up with massive piles everywhere. Well, starting tomorrow – because I’m really tired right now and after all – what’s one more day?

The Girl with the One-Ton Purse

Who doesn’t love a girl that carries contact lens solution, dental floss, five hair elastics, a mini flashlight, and a USB memory stick everywhere she goes?

When you know you’re bound to forget something–like me–you tend to carry everything you could possibly need with you at all times.

Sometimes, someone will pick up my purse and say “Oh my God! What do you have in here? It weighs a ton!” Let me describe for you exactly what I have that weighs so much:

Of course I have the basics that everyone else has; my wallet, change purse, phone, keys, lip balm, etc. But, I also have a few things that not everyone carries everywhere they go.

I have a makeup bag with a spare tube of mascara and a basic eye shadow in case I forget to put mascara on one eye and don’t realize it until I’m halfway to my destination. There are always at least two different flavors of gum so I can choose the flavor I’m in the mood for.

I have a book to read on my lunch break or when I get bored. I also have a small knitting bag with a project to keep me occupied if I don’t want to read.

I always carry around my graphing calculator and a pencil case full of highlighters, pens, and pencils that I use at work. I have my set of store keys for my retail job on a hook that I can clip onto my belt loop so I won’t set them down and forget where the keys are.

There is a pair of cotton gloves in case it’s cold in the morning and a pair of black knee highs in case I forget them on my way out the door. I always seem to leave my sunglasses at home, so I keep one pair in my purse and another in the car.

One of the most important things in my purse is a small container with a few Tylenol and an extra Ritalin in case I forget to take it in the morning.

And crinkled up on the bottom are about 60 Post-it notes and scraps of paper with reminders and notes-to-self. There are also lists of my schedule at my part-time job that I didn’t write dates on, so I have no idea which are for the coming week and which are from weeks ago.

Admittedly, my purse weighs close to a ton. But I’ve learned from experience that if I take things out when I think I don’t need them I’m bound to wish I had them days later. So many times I’ve taken out my calculator and highlighters on a Friday; so I wouldn’t have to carry them around all weekend – and just as many times I’ve gone to work on Monday without a pencil.

Besides, who doesn’t love a girl that carries contact lens solution, dental floss, five hair elastics, a mini flashlight, and a USB memory stick everywhere she goes?

From ADHD Employee to ADHD Manager

I've been promoted to manager at my retail job, but I'm a little nervous about the responsibilities that come with the position.

This week I was given a big responsibility at my part-time retail job. Because it’s coming up on the busy holiday season, the company chooses one associate in each store to be a temporary holiday manager. Basically this person has some manager’s responsibilities from November until January. I’ll give you one guess who my store chose: Me!

While I’m thrilled that they chose me I’m also a little nervous. I mean, opening the store by myself… what if I forget to do something?! Having a set of keys to the store… what if I set them down and can’t find the keys?! Dealing with customer service issues… what if I don’t know the answers to questions or complaints?!

I know I wouldn’t have been chosen if they didn’t think I was ready, and I’ve been practicing manager-ish things for a few weeks now, so I’m pretty well prepared. I guess it’s just scary taking on more responsibility. I’ve never been in charge of other people before. What if I’m not good at it?

I’m good at ringing up customers, finding clothes, and cleaning up the mess of clothes people leave in the fitting room; but I’m not sure I’ll be good at other things like paperwork, making change at the bank, and assigning other associates their tasks for the day.

Being in charge is a big responsibility; but I guess I’m mostly excited, and after a week or two I’m sure I’ll feel like it’s nothing. Besides, it’s only for two months – if I really stink at it it’s not forever!

The ADHD Voter, Voted

After all the hype surrounding the voting process, I found my first voting experience to be rather mundane.

Yesterday I got to vote for the first time ever. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.

I always thought there’d be a long line to wait it, lots of paperwork to read, people with signs outside the building telling you who to vote for, and the people working there would ask me questions, I’d have to show my license and fill out forms – none of that happened.

On Monday everyone was saying to go early and vote at 7am, when the polls opened, in order to avoid an hour long wait in the after-work crowds. I didn’t want to go early and “get it over with” I wanted it to take a long time; I wanted it to be a big deal.

I went to vote at 5pm after work. There was no line. The place was half empty. They didn’t even ask for my license, and the only questions they asked were what street I lived on and my first name. I took my ballot and stood at one of the little booths to cast my votes. I’d even gone online to read about the people running for other offices besides president so I’d be informed when I got there. I planned ahead for God’s sake! After all that planning and reading I was done in less than two minutes. Most of the people were running unopposed!

Then, I went home and watched the news for a few hours to see who was winning and which of the ballot measures had passed. It was all over and everything had been announced by 11pm – less than 6 hours after I had put my ballot in the box.

Needless to say; my first-time-voting experience was less than the official, serious, drawn-out ordeal I had pictured in my head.

Next election, I’m going to propose they make everyone wait in line for at least 10 minutes, ask for multiple forms of ID, and don’t announce the winner for at least a week. Maybe then all the hype would seem worth it to me.