David Allen is on to something and he’s making the most of it.

His Getting Things Done model (GTD) works - not only for linear folks but for ADDivas as well.

It’s a flow that helps eliminate clutter and get things..uh D-O-N-E (which if you don’t know by now, is my favorite four letter word!).

I just saw a simplified diagram of his flow in the Costco magazine ( my favorite place to shop for almost anything). I won’t reproduce it here but if you can pick up a copy of the December Costco magazine, you’ve got it!

Here is it in words:

Stuff comes "IN"

Decide "what is it?"

Do you need to take action?

if NO — choose one of these -

1. Eliminate it
2. Incubate it (someday/maybe folder), or
3. Reference it (paper or digital folder)

If YES - then, decide: What’s the next step?

A. If it’s a multi-step project:

a. Figure out the desired outcome (which goes through a cycle of planning)

b. Go back to the Yes question and decide what’s next

B. Not a multi-step project?  Then:

1. DO IT if it takes less than 2 minutes

OR

2. DELEGATE it — put it in communication system and track it via lists/folders

OR

3. DEFER it - put it on the calendar OR put it in an Action folder or list or tray

That’s it.

Sounds simple. Is simple. So let’s try it.

I’ll keep the lines of communication open so we can implement this together.

Are you on board?

"I’ve been gaining weight since I turned 50 and I can’t stay away from the carbs!" a midlife ADDiva told me last week by phone. I can relate. Oh, I can definitely relate.

Yesterday, I picked up my PostIt-filled copy of Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears - the place I visit when I am finally ready to return to a more sane eating pattern. There, on page 37, was a chart that simplified the connection between focus and carbohydrates.

The chart was labeled " Extent of Hunger 4 Hours After a Meal." It showed two alternatives:

1. No hunger — which stemmed from the "correct" ratio of protein to carbs to keep hormonal levels (insulin) steady.

2. Significant hunger — which had two causes — one was too much carbohydrates relative to protein (insulin too high), which led to POOR MENTAL FOCUS. Hmmmm.

The alternative - too much protein relative to carbs (insulin was too low) - led to Good Mental Focus…but a growling tummy.

For those of you unfamiliar with The Zone, it advocates a consistent ratio of fat-carbs-protein every time you eat. It’s a pain to learn, but I admit, I feel much better on the Zone than almost any other food plan. The Zone also mirrors the Prefrontal Cortex Diet which advocates protein at every meal - especially breakfast – and no refined sugar.

It made a lot of sense to me. I don’t know the precise physiological mechanism for the protein=focus and carbs=fogginess. I am intimately famliar, however, with the churning carbohydrate cycle that feasts on sugar and more sugar.

(A quick refresher on the definition of a carbohydrate, since I tend to forget: anything that produces sugar in your bloodstream. That, of course, includes anything made with sugar or its ilk: candy, lemonade, cookies, cereal (I dare you to find one without added sugar or beet juice or high fructose syrup added) AND it includes things that convert to sugar once in your body - bread, rolls, rice, noodles. Even vegetables are carbohydrates, usually better than the sugary stuff - but carrots and beets have a lot of sugar in their little cells, bless them).

Consider an extreme example: you eat a donut (sugar, fat, white flour - yum) and your blood sugar spikes, allowing you to feel energetic (although unfocused). When you dump sugar into your bloodstream, it screams for balance — so insulin comes to the rescue, neutralizing all that excess sugar.

Problem is, there is so much sugar in your body, that the insulin overreacts and send a thundering herd of lttle hormone armies to counteract the sugar. Pretty soon there is too much INSULIN hanging around in your bloodstream with nothing to do. tha insulin likes to have a job so it needs more sugar to neutralize, so your body screams at you to eat something sweet and sugary. You feel faint from hunger, so you have another donut, or a Coke or a piece of toast and jelly.

Then it’s off to the races again — with your body doing its good job of noticing that there is sugar coming down the pike…and releasing more insulin…as if you needed any more! This silly circus act goes on for as long as you keep feeding the sugar monster inside you.

In  the meantime, your ADD goes beserk — attention goes out the window but energy ebbs and flows with your carb intake.

The Zone suggests rather strongly that the key to a balanced mental and physical state is a balance of food types. In my experience, a low sugar, moderate protein, low fat diet works great. Until I allow myself to get on the sugar train again.

It’s hard to get OFF that carbohydrate train. Yesterday, I promised myself "no sugar." But by the end of the day, I was digging around in the trash to find the last few bites of a candy bar I had righteously thrown away that morning. Embarrassing. But testament to the power of sugar.

Today is another day. I will try to balance my foods so my blood sugar stays steady and my focus….well, my focus can only improve from here on out!

It’s been three days since Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States. No matter whether you are ecstatic or bummed about the outcome, the election offers profound implications that should give all ADDivas a dose of that magic elixir: HOPE.

Why? Because we, like Obama, face a world that uses rigid standards to separate "good" from "bad" and "right" from "wrong." We, like Obama, have been judged harshly by those rigid rules. We, like Obama, have been the target of ridicule, the scapegoat for problems, the odd duckling among stereotypical swans.

But Barack Obama shows us that whether our difference is in the color of our skin, the way our brain works or how many times we are late filing our taxes, we can transcend those challenges and rise - quite literally - to the top.

I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my life that I was so tired of trying harder, going the extra mile, thinking ahead of the business people around the conference table, that I wanted it all to STOP. I was sick of playing by everyone else’s rules. I was exhausted from untwisting my pretzel-like self into a semi-straight line that passed for "normal." I wanted to go to bed, pull up the covers and hide until that neatly pressed world marched right on past me.

I don’t know Barack Obama personally. I suspect there were times in his life that he was discouraged, disheartened by the uphill road ahead. But I notice he didn’t go to bed and pull up the covers. He kept moving. He renewed his efforts. And most importantly, he never stopped believing in his dream. Never.

ADDivas would do well to take nourishment from that determination. Many of our dreams have been discarded; they litter the roads of our distant past. We turn away from them as proof of our failures and an accurate predictor of our futures.

But women with ADHD are not failures. We deserve to revisit our dreams - resurrecting those that still inspire us and creating new ones that have nudged themselves into our adult lives. And as we make that slow turn toward ourselves, welcoming that woman who is truly a miracle, truly unique and precious in the world, we ignite that four-letter word in ourselves and in those who witness our transformation.

HOPE. It’s not about elections. It’s about life. Your life. And you.

Like you, I have an opinion about tomorrow’s election. I have a candidate that is dear to my heart. And I didn’t vote early. I like the energy of going to the polls on Election Day.

So here’s the ADDiva tip of the day:

Don’t forget to vote!

Put a Post-It on your calendar.

Tie a string around your finger.

Set an alarm.

But vote.

ADDivas make a difference in this world. Tomorrow’s the day to prove it

Hugs

Linda

When my ADD has me running in circles, trying to find the beginning or the end or even a middle, there is nothing quite so grounding - literally - than getting out to my garden and thrusting my fingers into the sun-warmed soil. This week, it’s time to plant fall crops - broccoli and cauliflower.

Those precious little transplant leaves, quivering with possibility, ready to flourish with only a small push from me….pretty heady stuff for a farmer’s-daughter-turned organic-gardener like me.

Read the rest of this entry »

I juggle a lot of "stuff" in my life - projects, relationships, households, pets, clients, travel and much more. So when I added the "go green" thing to my life, it was just about the straw that pushed me over the edge. Almost. Read the rest of this entry »

A striking young woman read my name tag at the ACO (ADHD Coaches’ Organization) conference last weekend and did a double take. "You’re Linda Roggli?" she exclaimed. "You’re the reason I’m here," she said. I looked puzzled for a moment, then she explained.

"I had almost decided not to come to the conference. I’m still in training, I’m not a coach yet, I didn’t need to be there and on and on," she said. "But then I got your postcard and I knew I was supposed to be here!" Ah, those inspirational e-cards I send out at irregular intervals to the women on my ADDiva list. I got it now. But which ONE so inspired her to action?

Read the rest of this entry »

It has been my experience - both personally and professionally - that there are three distinct stages of ADD and ADHD recognition and acceptance for women.

Stage One: Nuts and Bolts – OMIGOSH, I have ADD! When women are diagnosed with ADD, there is often sigh of relief ("Ah, so THAT’s what it is. Thank goodness it has a name!") followed by a dig-in-and-fix-it determination ("Let me try everything and see what works").

Unfortunately the sigh of relief phase is usually quite brief. Read the rest of this entry »

OK, so it was just a tagline at the end of a car commercial. What made it wry for me was that the car was a Ford FOCUS.Can you believe the ADD perfection in that? Just had to share it with ya.

Hugs

Linda

I’ve made a lot of commitments in my life. Lose weight. Get in shape. Write my book. Walk the dogs more often. Put money in savings. Go to bed early. Finish one project before I start another. You can see how my ADHD brain might rebel, or at least argue with, commitments like these.

To me, a commitment has always been BIG and SERIOUS and RIGID. Especially rigid. That particular combination has the continuing and infuriating effect of launching my perfectionism into orbit, which ultimately undermines my good faith decisions.

The internal conversation goes something like this:

Read the rest of this entry »