ADD as a gift

This really great article from the NYT's International Herald Tribune talks about viewing ADD as a gift.

I have been advocating this point of view for a long time, and encourage everyone else to do so as well. The title of this blog was chosen to emphasize the good qualities of ADD.

Having ADD means we have a neurotransmitter processing deficiency. It does not make us deficient people. For some situations this can present challenges, but as anyone who has ever tried to brainstorm solutions to a problem -- or get through a crisis -- can attest, being able to throw ideas out quickly and creatively can sometimes be an asset, not a challenge.

A critic in the article suggests thinking of ADD as a gift is dangerous thinking, but let's use a few parallels to examine why it is not only more helpful for ADDers to think in terms of positives than negatives, but also perfectly justified:

-- Caucasian people suffer from melanin deficiency.

-- Being left handed is not as good as being right handed.

-- We should not encourage those with physical handicaps to think of their challenges as a gift. There is nothing good about being blind or deaf.

Pretty quickly we see that these statements are not only ridiculous, but pretty insulting.

My own personal theory, and one I know not everyone will agree with, is that ADD is an evolution of the human brain, one that makes some of us more apt for dealing with the overload of information our society has reached, and therefore is becoming more prevalent.

I know some people have a hard time believing in evolution, but let's also consider a faith-based approach: I have a heartfelt belief that I am as valid a human as the person next to me with six fingers and the person next to her with a heart capable of pushing him to win the Tour de France seven times. Instead of looking at how we can prevent or treat these conditions, maybe we should look at how these unique traits can help us all advance as the human race.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/27/arts/snparker.php

Pay your bills on time

Like a lot of ADDers, I have problems paying my bills on time. It's not that I don't have the money, it's just that trying to remember a date that on one month can be on a Wednesday, the next month on a Saturday, is IMPOSSIBLE. So yes, I forget to pay every month on time.

(Honestly, if the other two dozen people I work with didn't scramble for the paycheck drawer every pay day, I would forget that too, and have... for days.)

Learning to trust technology is difficult, but if you can, having your bills set to auto pay can save a ton of headaches and make you look more responsible to credit companies... which you are being.

Step 1. Planning To make this work you will need to create a budget so you have all your bills covered and a little savings left over each paycheck. This is not an easy step, but it's a different post.

Step 2. Gather materials you need Depending on the business, auto pays can be set up with either your credit card or your bank routing information.

• To use your credit card, (or a bank atm card) you need to know the card number, the expiration date and the special three-digit id code on the back that allows you to verify online purchases. If your card is so old that the id code has rubbed off, you should replace it. You will not be able to use it without the code.
• To use your checking account, you need to know your bank routing information. This is the series of numbers on your check that identify the bank and your personal account to other financial institutions. If, like me, you have not used paper checks in ages and deposit your checks using generic deposit slips, you may need to call your bank to get the routing number. You should know your own bank account number, but if you don't, they should be able to help with that too, though they should require you to come in and ask for it in person to verify you are you.
  

Step 3. Set up the accounts Contact each of your main monthly bill obligations and ask about monthly auto pay options. I have been able to do this with everything from my credit card to my local trash service.

Step 4. Make them fit your schedule Try to balance your auto pays so they don't all fall on the same paycheck. Some utilities are not very accommodating with this, but services you initiate yourself, including mortgages and car loans, should be able to adjust due dates for you. Further adjusting these so they fall in a narrow range of days, or possibly on the same day, can save confusion as well.

Step 5. Track your spending Know what is coming out when. I keep track of my checking account online through my bank, so I have constant access to what has come in and what has not. If I were really clever, I could use this to create an excel sheet of all my bills and the days the money comes out. Then I would know when my obligations are met and I'm into my discretionary income. ;)

Only remember one password for the rest of your life

I am a webmaster for a small-sized public library, and my work requires me to keep literally hundreds of website passwords organized for databases we subscribe to, third-party website services, in-house services, etc.

This, on top of private bill-pay and personal websites, is enough to drive most people to distraction, let alone an ADDer.

I asked our very non-ADD tech person how she organizes her passwords. She uses a single password-encrypted Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, with the name of the website, the login and pass all as tabled fields.

Mine now looks very different from hers. I have a separate, labeled, tab for each subgroup of passwords I use (including work-related personal and totally personal). I have also used the hyperlink function to create the website as a direct link, and I have added a notes field so I can put in more information as I need it to help remember things (like when passwords change).

I have color-coded each page with eye-friendly bars, and used my favorite font, which makes the entire thing a joy to look at rather than an obligation.

Lastly, I put a copy of it onto a tiny thumb drive, which I carry around my neck constantly. If I need it at work, at home, or at another business, all I need to do is plug in and go. Further, if I ever need to leave a copy of it for my boss, all I need to do is copy it, remove the personal sheets from the copy, turn off password-encryption from the main (publish) menu, and VOILA, instant password set for others to use.

First Step is the Hardest Step

I've been talking for some time about starting a blog / book about my own struggles since childhood with ADHD.

I'm not wanting to turn this into a personal account so much as a place (for myself and others) to post best-practices strategies for coping with ADD/ADHD and inspiration and suggestions for things that make this so-called disorder worth having.

I hope to make a post at least once a month, but in the great tradition of those with ADD I might get really excited about it for a while and then not post for several weeks or months.

I encourage you to comment on posts or make submissions for entries. Together, we can help each other. :)