So, I started putting a variety of things on my to-do list, some things that take hours or days, some things that can be done in a half hour or so, and even short 10-minute tasks. Now, there’s always something I can convince myself to do, so if I’m not in the mood to work on a big task now, I can get the little things done so they’re out of the way when I am in the mood to work on the big task (or when the deadline on the big task is looming and I’ve procrastinated it so long, I must work on it at the expense of everything else!).

It also feels good and is motivating to check stuff off the list, even if it’s just something little!

On a related note, I just bought this shirt: http://tr.im/yW1c !

I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and it causes a lot of problems with my menstruation, ranging from extremely heavy periods to no periods for months at a time. I’ve written before about the relationship I’ve noticed between ADHD and menstruation (“Women-Only Post!”) and wondered if Birth Control Pills could also help with ADHD.

Well, my doctor got more concerned about my PCOS symptoms, and though I’ve managed to avoid BCP (for fear of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer my mom had), I’m on Yaz now to regulate my cycle. The doctor said it was a different hormone and had less risk for me than other pills. It was also supposed to help with “PMDD”, but she didn’t think I had that, even though I described what I thought were some extreme PMS symptoms.

Anyway, the first month on the pill was just annoying. I was tired more often than usual, and my boyfriend said I was crankier than usual, and I felt “out of it” all the time, but my period came on time and the packaging did say it takes about 2 months for your body to adjust to it, so I persevered and continued as instructed.

The 2nd month was horrible for me. I was tired and had headaches all the time. I would be working (I usually work at night) and suddenly get so tired I had to lay down and would fall into a deep fitful sleep for hours. I noticed when I was in the “placebo” pills at the end of the 2nd month that I felt so much better. I’ve never felt that good during my period, I was so happy to be off the pill for a few days.

The 3rd month wasn’t so bad tired-wise, but I sill got headaches occasionally and just generally felt like I’d spent 3 months of my life being a moody zombie – which is not a good thing. It was affecting my work and relationships in a bad way. So, I didn’t refill for the 4th month, and scheduled an appointment with my doctor to ask her to put me on a different pill.

Some people have reported that Yaz works well for them, and others have reported similar symptoms to what I described. I just can’t do it any more.

I’ve been off the pill for over a week now and feel so much better!! So no, helping my ADHD symptoms wasn’t a side-benefit like I had hoped it would be!

I scheduled 2 small bills to be paid monthly from my online banking interface. Because I’m bad at keeping track of my checking account level and don’t want to bounce checks, I didn’t automate my more expensive bills.

But, I do have a semi-automated system that helps. I am on my Gmail account daily for personal emails and for work emails which get forwarded there, so I look at Gmail constantly.

So, I sat down and set up all of my monthly bill dates in Google Calendar and have it email me 1 day ahead of when they need to be paid. If I do more than one day, I’ll put it off and forget. Less, and I might miss it. So, I get an automated notice from myself by email that says “Pay Credit Card Bill Online Tomorrow” and I leave it “unread” so it is bold until I pay it.

It has worked very well and the only problem now is remembering to enter in the one-time bills since I rarely look through my bill pile anymore! It has saved me late fees and raised interest rates since I pay on time now!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/homestyle/01/20/rs.top.causes.of.clutter/index.html

Post 1: The Curse that Keeps on Giving

Post 2: The Gift vs. The Curse

I have a slightly different take on it – the curse IS the gift. Of course, it’s really hard to see it that way sometimes (trust me, I know), but if you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, you can get a feel for what the apostle Paul was saying:

“…we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” -Romans 5: 3-4

Of course, it’s really difficult to have hope when you’ve gotten in a needless argument with a loved one for the 1,475th time, but as we learn to at first cope with, then overcome, the things we struggle most with in life, we will see that the things that “cursed” us the most also taught us the most. When I get really down about my ADHD problems, I can sometimes take solace in the idea that in a way, struggle and suffering in life is good for us.

What do you think? What gives you hope in the midst of dealing with the “curse” of ADHD?

I don’t have so much money that I’m willing to set up auto-payment for all of the bills online (for fear of risking overdraft), but I did set up auto-payment for 2 of my smaller bills through my bank website.

For the rest, I set up a Google Calendar with alerts. So, I get notified the day I need to put bills in the mail (I thought about notifying myself further in advance, but then I’d put it off and probably forget.) Now I just have to remember to take it to the post office once I fill it out! If I still have trouble, I’ll set up 2nd alerts for the day after the payment should be mailed, saying “Have you mailed the Credit Card bill yet?” I also enabled the calendar widget in Google Labs so it shows up in my GMail sidebar.

Now if I could only get better about balancing my checkbook. (Thank goodness for online bank statements!)

http://productivemagazine.com/editions/

So, this is basically how it works: I mentally list what I need to take with me before I leave the house, leave the car, leave the store, etc. and touch/say where each thing is. It sounds goofy, but trust me, it helps. So, before getting out of the car at the grocery store, I’ll say:

“I need cell phone, money, grocery list, keys.”

“Cell phone in purse” (feel for cell phone lump in purse pocket)

“Money in purse” (glance to make sure it’s there)

“List in pocket” (feel pocket)

“Keys in hand” (jingle keys)

“OK, locking door. Keys in hand.”

I have an old manual-locking vehicle, and I used to put my keys in the cupholder while I was gathering things to get out of the car, then get out and lock and close the door, only to glance in and see the keys in the cupholder at that moment. Once my boyfriend came with the spare key for the 3rd time, I devised a method, and it has really helped so I thought I’d share. I know it’s hard to incorporate someone else’s tactics into your day, so you’ll have to make it your own. Let me know what works for you!

So, yesterday I made the first ‘impulse gamble’ that cost me money, $20 to be exact. I won’t go into details, but basically, I tried out a website that could have gotten me something nice for cheap, but there was a gamble that I might not get anything at all. The website is not a scam, I checked it out thoroughly, and you can legitimately get an expensive item for a few dollars if you’re lucky/patient, but it is a money-making machine that could definitely make someone impulsive lose a lot of cash, that’s why I capped my potential losses at $20 – and it’s a good thing I did, because I did spend it all and got nothing in return.

Anyway, just wanted to share. It did make me feel really guilty because I’m not one to gamble, and I’m not one to waste money – I like to give extra cash to charity. I rationalized this expenditure by saying anything I got would be a gift to someone else, and I wouldn’t keep anything, but I ended up with no gifts to give, and my Christmas shopping fund is now down 20 bucks. So, I’ll write it off as a $20 game (it was fun) or a $20 lesson learned, and remember not to give into my impulses like that again!