Today was an awesome coaching day. I sat back after work and reflected on my day. One client after another was insightful about their own strengths and limitations, creatively and bravely designing new ways of thinking and doing to make real, positive changes. When I was basking in this little glow, I realized that, even though each of my clients is working toward more effectively managing their lives having ADHD, they are, each and every one, very successful adults. As lawye

“I put a sticky note on my monitor, and that worked for a little while, but I just don’t see it anymore.” “I set an alarm for the time I am supposed to start getting ready, but lately I just turn it off when it rings without really taking notice.” “I picked out a great to-do app, but it only helped for a couple of weeks.” People who have ADHD are attracted to things that are new and novel. Newness catches our attention and creates motivation and focus. Sometimes this is a rea

If there's one thing that’s clear about ADHD, it's that people have very different experiences with the diagnosis and treatment process. Some people discover their ADHD at a very early age and are able to receive accommodations throughout school. Others ride the undiagnosed roller coaster for years and don't receive their ADHD diagnosis until adulthood. Receiving an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood can be a huge relief and a huge source of frustration at the same time (check out T

Written by Amanda Gaw, an attorney focused on family law, and shared with permission. Amanda participates in The Focused Lawyer Coaching Group. A few years ago, I had the worst and best year I have ever had professionally. Personally, it has also been a real humdinger! I thought I knew myself, what I wanted, how to get what I wanted and my core principles very well. For me, 2018 has proven itself to be all about change, growth and adaptation. In the fall of 2017, I found myse

As I mentioned in an earlier article, chronic disruptions, interruptions, and distractions are a big issue with the lawyers and professors I coach. According to research, 68% of lawyers surveyed in a 2017 Legal Trends report state that there are not enough hours in a day, while 28% report having trouble keeping track of both tasks and deadlines. In my earlier article, called How to Help Your ADHD Brain Handle Disruptions Part I: Inhibiting Interruptions, I focused on specific

Are you tired of feeling disrupted, interrupted, and distracted? Does it seem like there is never enough time in a day? It’s not surprising. The lawyers and professors that I work with are chronically disrupted, interrupted, and distracted at work. According the nearly 3,000 lawyers that responded to a 2017 Legal Trends Report, 68% find that there are not enough hours in a day and 28% have trouble keeping track of both tasks and deadlines. These stats are for lawyers in gener

ADHD Coach Casey Dixon wrote this ADDitude Magazine article exploring the ins and outs of multi-tasking, its impact on ADHD, and how to refocus your energy to get back on track. Just Tired - Or Tired of Work? starts with one reader's question about how to get a handle on their tendency to multi-task - both at home and at their job - and the negative impact it has on the quality of their work. Though the reader mainly asks for tips and strategies on how to stop their habit of

Lately when I talk with people about trying mindfulness for ADHD, their first reaction seems to be an immediate acknowledgment that this technique makes sense. They nod, with a sincere expression of interest. But then this expression is rapidly followed by one of amused doubt, even harrumphing. People get it: Mindfulness seems like an obvious tool for ADHD. Mindfulness helps the very core areas that are problematic for ADHD. But the doubt, whether amused or serious, comes flo

​​ Over the years as an ADHD coach, my practice has changed to reflect our new understanding of ADHD and gender. When I first started, nearly all of my clients were men with ADHD. However, this morning when I looked at my list of current clients, I was astonished to realize that there were many more female clients than male. Luminaries in all-things-ADHD like developmental pediatrician Patricia Quinn and clinical psychologist Kathleen Nadeau have been writing and speaking abo

When I set out to create my group coaching program, I did so knowing that it would offer very specific benefits to people that only group co

Have you ever wondered about ADHD in the legal field? I've talked a lot about the astonishing results of a 2016 ABA study, which indicate that up to 12.5% of lawyers in the US report ADHD or ADHD-like symptoms (click here to read my blog about these results and why they shouldn't be ignored). Even without the support provided by this study, it is evident that ADHD is an issue in the legal field. It is even more evident that the stigma attached to that diagnosis is just one ba

Does having ADHD make you feel exhausted? If so, you are not alone. People with ADHD use their brain’s energy a little differently than people without ADHD. Having ADHD means that your brain’s gas tank is a bit smaller and burns fuel more rapidly. Often, by late afternoon (or even mid-morning for some people!) your cognitive gas tank is running on empty. Russell Barkley, leading ADHD expert, describes re-fueling the cognitive gas tank as one of the most important strategies

Sometimes, when you ask your ADHD brain to start a task, your brain just says, “No way; that’s not happening.” It’s not you – you know you need to work on that task, you want to work on it, you wish you could get yourself to actually start – it’s your brain. Your brain is trying to tell you something about that task. Your brain might think that task is too complicated, too big, too boring, too scary. Whatever the reason your brain throws at you, you can try to override it wi

Since the 2016 publication of the landmark American Bar Association study on the state of mental health of U.S. attorneys, everyone seems to be talking about how much lawyers are struggling. This post on the Beyond Billables blog claims that lawyers are the “most unhappy group of professionals in the western world.” It’s hard to argue with that. The research results reveal mental health problems for lawyers at significantly higher rates than the general population, with 61% r

I recently worked with a client struggling with her sleep habits, specifically, making herself to go bed on time, and it got me thinking – since sleep can be such a challenge for people with ADHD, what are some tactics other people use to ensure they have a good night’s sleep? So like I do, I looked to my ADHD network for answers and asked them this simple inquiry in a one-question quiz: What is your most effective strategy for getting to bed on time? As they always do, my ne

Newly diagnosed? Or, trying to get a better handle on an old diagnosis? Looking for ways to alleviate ADHD symptoms beyond medication? Mindfulness might be the answer you’re looking for to help reduce ADHD symptoms. What is mindfulness? Let’s start first with the basics… what does mindfulness even mean? Mindfulness is paying attention to right now and noticing the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that emerge this moment. Mindfulness can happen anytime, anywhere. It is not n

Being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult can be a complex journey. Oftentimes when ADHD is undetected, undiagnosed, or untreated in childhood, it doesn’t occur to a person that it could be the root of certain challenges in adulthood. Rather, I find that people tend to blame themselves and create a narrative that if they could “just try harder” or “be more disciplined”, then the struggles they face due to undiagnosed or untreated ADHD would just go away. I wish it were that simpl

You know that 3 pm energy slump that seems to come everyday… does it ever feel like you hit it at 10 o’clock in the morning? I know I’ve experienced that, and it always seems to be when I’m incredibly busy and pushing to meet some serious deadlines. Of course, there are tons of things we can do to help us maintain a solid energy baseline. But even with all of those tricks and tools, sometimes we still just feel depleted. That’s okay. Especially for people managing ADHD, it’s

Where else does perfectionism get in the way? I like to do semi-regular one-question quizzes about common ADHD challenges. One quiz asked people how they conquer their perfectionism, or more specifically, the paralysis that overcomes them when their perfectionism stops them in their tracks. The results of the quiz were so interesting they led two a two-part article. Part I, Overcoming ADHD Perfectionism Paralysis Part I: Writing, explored the effects of perfectionism specific

Does perfectionism hold you back, too? As you may know, I like to do semi-regular one-question quizzes about how to handle a specific ADHD challenge. Recently, I posed the question, “What is your single favorite strategy for conquering perfectionism paralysis?” The results of the quiz weren’t like the results I normally receive, and they shed some important light on this very challenging issue. The Results When doing these quizzes, I usually receive a multitude of action-orie