How long long will we be at the doctor, mom? An hour? Why, that’s as long as it takes to watch the Cosby Show twice. How long have I been in Math class? 15 minutes? Thundercats would have been half over by now. Why does it feel like I’ve been in here for at least three episodes of Thundercats, then?

This may have been my introductory tool to time management, but it was merely the first of many. When I was diagnosed with A.D.D. two years ago, I realized that over the years I have utilized all sorts of random tools to help me manage my time. Some of those things have worked, others have not. Daytimers, wall calendars, watches, alarms and alerts, cellphones, teachers, parents, friends, etc. But it wasn’t until I finally read Getting Things Done that I really wrapped my arms around the need to have a tight methodology and a clear personal understanding of how to handle time, as well as the things I have to do with my time. That was just last year.

I often think how nice it would have been if I had learned some of the fundamentals of GTD and time management in general when I was young and busy discovering that church is about two Scooby-Dos long.

So, who will be the one who brings time management ideas to a younger audience? My children will be the ones who are going to be juggling whatever crazy schedules life has for them as they grow. It is almost guaranteed it will be more complex than they are even today. How are they going to learn to get things done?

Illustrations by Bryan Moats

I go to a show every day. It’s the best show ever, so I’m pretty lucky. They always play what I want and the band lets me pass around their mp3′s like a bad flu. It’s the Hip Four with special guests The Pensations.

The Hip Four hail from various parts of the country. On the stage, Wallet keeps the crazy jungle beat going from the back pocket. ID Badge fulfills the vox and glamour needs from out front. Key Chain keeps the low-end steady and smooth from between belt-loops three and four in back (he prefers to stand near Wallet), and Cell Phone rides the lead front pocket like a bolt of lightning and a bat of hell.

Even with all that rock glory, I don’t think I can listen sometimes if I don’t think the Pensations will be there. Sometimes it’s Yellow BiC Brite Liner, Black PILOT Razor Point II (Japan), and Red PILOT Precise V5 – Extra Fine all at the same show. But even if it’s just two of them, it’s amazing. They all really know what they’re doing.

For those of you who also have Attention Deficit Disorder, you may already intuit that this is an extended and exaggerated version of the daily ritual of making sure I have the essentials I need with me before I leave the house for work. I realized at some point that the four things I always need – wallet, cell phone, keys, and ID Badge – are all located at my hip, more or less. Since I put my pens in my jeans pocket or shirt pocket, and they’re not entirely necessary all of the time, I gave them “special guest” status. 

Almost without fail, I leave the house for work in something approaching a frenzy. Even though I currently (knock on wood) have the ideal work schedule for this ADDer (3pm to 12am), I still manage to have Just One More Thing to do before I am officially running late. The abbreviated and usually internal celebration of the Hip Four with Special Guests The Pensations happens just before I run out the door. 

If you could hear my internal dialog around that moment, it would go something like this, “@&*#! (or: Jeepers!) Two minutes and I need to be gone! Okay. Kiss Meredith goodbye. Grab my bag. What do I want to listen to on the way to work? Drink the rest of your soy milk, dude. That’s perfectly good soy milk. Don’t leave it out! You’ll just have to put it away later. Crap. I’ll just wash it now. Wash, wash, wash. Wash, wash, wash. Okay, good enough. Where’s my bag? Got it. Okay. The stove is filthy! Kiss Meredith goodbye. She is totally annoyed by me running around the house and is thinking he probably doesn’t even remember that he already kissed me goodbye once already. Dogs! Everywhere! Lunch! Twins! Softball! There’s a cat hair on my tongue. Do I have any gas? One! Two! Three! Four! With special guests The Pensatiooooons! Woooooooo!”

At that point I’m quite probably past ready to go. I’ve achieved actual readiness long ago, but always feel like there’s something else that needs to be done. This is the feeling that would normally distract me long enough to forget, for example, my wallet. But I rarely forget those important items amidst the craziness of exiting the house with the help of that minor ritual.

You may think this is incredibly ridiculous, charming, or embarrassing, but trust me, it’s entirely necessary for many people with ADD/ADHD. These are the things that help us “keep up”, “stay on top”, or “perform to our potential”.

Yes, some of us pretend our wallets are awesome drummers. Don’t laugh. You’ve never seen a solo like my Wallet’s solo. 

I also have a technique I’m developing for remembering to take the grocery list and canvas bags to the grocery store but I’d have to show you and I’m still working on the yoga moves that will make it reality.

What are your helpful, if not a little odd, techniques for remembering, focusing, retaining, etc?

ADHD World is the Facebook for ADDers not only in function but also very much in appearance. So the time it takes to learn to navigate and figure it out is low if you’re already familiar with Facebook and other social networking sites. It’s not as robust, advanced, or populated as Facebook but does contain many of the main, essential features. It being less complicated and gloriously ad free works very much in its favor.

I can’t seem to track down this number again but I recall seeing that there are currently some 700+ registered members at this time. Oh, wait, on the home page it lists 736 currently registered members. One of them being me as of last night. I believe the website was started just under a year ago. If the search tool is doing its job correctly, I appear to be the only member from Arkansas, or at least the only one who will (proudly) claim it.

There is a healthy handful of active members. They seem to be enjoying themselves and proud to be a part of this small, unique crowd. I was warmly greeted just this morning by a member who made me immediately feel more at home. One quick glimpse at her profile and I knew, I was truly among like-minded people. More specifically: slightly eccentric (whether they like it or not), spiritually active/curious folks, artists, preachers, mothers and fathers (some became members because of their ADD child), bloggers, etc.

Of course, a site like this can only help out the ADD community to a limited extent if it doesn’t offer some kind of group support. So I took a look at what all they had in the way of groups. Much like Facebook, there are numerous groups available to freely join in order to give and receive support addressing a specific need, like “Parents with ADHD”, “ADD Women”, “Alternatives for ADD/ADHD”.

I’m really excited about this site. I’m sure my interest level will wax and wane as I swing wildly across the internet from site to site and distraction to distraction, but that’s why the email alerts most networking sites send out are such a blessing in situations like this. I don’t have to worry about forgetting to check my email. So I’m looking forward to adding and making a few more friends beyond just this afternoon.

If you’re reading this and have ADHD or know someone who does, you should certainly go give the site a run through. And look me up!

In addition, I find it difficult to sustain the attention it takes to really get into the groove I suspect it is necessary to get into in order to really do some good to the gut and butt I believe I am developing as I get older. I simply don’t go long enough and far enough in my routine to do much good. In fact, today it dawned on me, that if my exercise “routine” were a real life experience, it would go something like this:

I coerce myself to walk slowly down a city block, stopping regularly to window shop. I realize that I’m late for something and pick up the pace, sure not to walk fast enough to look conspicuous. Then a very swift pickpocket swipes my wallet and I’m off like a maniac cheetah and I’m going to get that &%@*! pickpocket if it’s the last thing I do. I’m fast!

However, after only one and a half more city blocks, I am reduced to a whining trot, more upset at having to chase the pickpocket, than at the loss of my wallet. Soon, I am window shopping again, only on slightly rubbery legs. Then I am late again. Run! But wait, I’m so late it doesn’t matter anymore. Just walk. Ooh, music store. 

That is my exercise routine, ADD to the core, down to a 15 to 20 minute combination of unplanned, disorganized spurts of energy. The final 5 minutes on the machine is spent wondering which machine I should move to next. When I am done not-ever-deciding which one comes next, I realize that I must actually be done with exercising, put the iPod on pause and leave the room, probably leaving something behind.

I will be working now to improve upon this. I realize the benefits exercise brings. I want the tonic. Oh, I want the tonic. And I’m going to get that tonic if it’s the last thing I do. Tomorrow, first thing after work.