ADHD and Adults: How to Create a Routine When You Don ’t Have a 9 to 5

Maybe you’re an entrepreneur. Maybe you’re a real estate agent or writer. Maybe you’re an artist or a photographer. Maybe you’re a graphic or web designer. Maybe you’re a coach or consultant. Maybe you’re an attorney with your own practice. Whatever your profession, you aren’t tied to a desk and you don’t have specific work hours — like 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. And you also have ADHD, which makes not having a built-in structure challenging. For example, people with ADHD tend to hyper-focus on things they find interesting, while other tasks fall through the cracks — such as invoicing and filing taxes, said Bonnie Mincu, a senior certified ADHD coach who understands the challenges of having ADHD and an unstructured job. Mincu left a highly structured, deadline-driven corporate career of 23 years to start her own coaching and consulting business. But she was unable to get anything done — and, much to her surprise, was diagnosed with ADHD. In 2001 Mincu founded her coaching practice Thrive with ADD. Another challenge is disorganization. “We can waste enormous amounts of time looking for things or performing re-work on tasks we can’t find or can’t remember where we left off,” Mincu said. Because ADHD causes a distorted perception of time, you also might underestimate how long it takes you to complete a project, she said. And you might run late to your appointments, “which can hurt your reputation with customers.” Essentially, “structure inc...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: ADHD and ADD Disorders General Habits Industrial and Workplace Mental Health and Wellness Self-Help Success & Achievement Treatment ADHD challenges Adults With Adhd attention Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder daily tasks Source Type: blogs