I’ll be honest, I don’t like New Year’s resolutions.  They are often not realistic, do not have solid plans behind them and are usually not what I would call “ADHD-friendly”.  I often hear people asking, “What resolutions are you making this year”?  This can easily lead to an impulsive response of, “I’m going to lose weight”, “I’m going to focus more” or  “I’m going to finally manage time better this year”.  Resolutions tend to be susceptible to this impulsivity, general and filled with obligation to fix what is wrong with ourselves.

Will you consider a goal instead?

I’m writing about this now because I am hopeful that you have forgotten your resolutions… Hopeful that you will open to considering the idea of setting ONE meaningful goal for yourself.  Having a meaningful goal to focus your attention can help you overcome the problems often associate with resolutions.

 Brainstorm

To start, brainstorm the ADHD challenges where you would like to make some improvements this year.  Review your list and decide what is the biggest priority for you.  Make this priority your focus for the meaningful goal you are going to set.  I know, it will be difficult to pick just one, but this is really important.  Having one goal where you focus your energy will help you in achieving that goal.  (I also think it will help you improve in other areas, but more on that another day!)

 Set a SMART Goal

After selecting your area of focus, it is time to set a SMART goal.  To make your goal SMART, you can answer the following questions for yourself:

• How can I make the goal as Specific as possible?
• How will I Measure this goal?  (If it is not easily measured, develop your own rating scale.)
• What are my chances of Attaining this goal?  How can I revise the goal to make it more Attainable?
• How is this goal Relevant to my personal and/or professional life?
• What is the Timing or deadline associate with this goal?

When your goal is SMART, you can then develop a useful action plan and monitor your success until you achieve the goal according to the timing you have established.

What do you think, do resolutions work for individuals with ADHD and ADD?

The second year of the Shire ADHD Scholarship Program will award fifty (50) scholarships to individuals with ADHD

Philadelphia, PA, US – October 20, 2011 – Shire, a global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has expanded its ADHD Scholarship Program. The program is for individuals in the United States diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who are pursuing higher education at a college, vocational school or technical school.  Fifty winners will be selected in 2012, twice as many as in the first year.
The Shire ADHD Scholarship includes a $2,000 monetary award and offers a prepaid year of ADHD coaching services provided by the HEdge FoundationH to assist with the transition to higher education.  Fifty one-time scholarships will be awarded on June 12, 2012.  The deadline to apply is March 30, 2012.  For information, including eligibility requirements and scholarship application, visit www.ShireADHDScholarship.com.
“The response to the Shire ADHD Scholarship Program in 2011 was tremendous, with hundreds of applications from inspiring students across the nation,” said Michael Yasick, Senior Vice President of Shire’s ADHD business. “There are thousands of high school seniors, college students, and adults going on to higher education who suffer from ADHD.  We want to recognize the brave individuals who work hard to overcome the challenges of this life-altering condition, and help them continue their educational pursuits.”

Award recipients will be offered ADHD coaching from the Edge Foundation, which includes weekly sessions with specially trained ADHD coaches.  The students set weekly goals and action plans to meet those goals and have e-mail and phone support from their coaches to help keep them on track.  This support may be important for students transitioning to the higher education environment because they have more free time and less adult supervision.

The Edge Foundation is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that offers support for students with ADHD.  The Edge Foundation’s primary mission is to provide access to qualified, professional coaches for students with ADHD as part of their multi-modal treatment program.  For more information on the Edge Foundation, please visit the company’s website:  www.edgefoundation.org.

Shire’s ADHD Scholarship Program is part of Shire’s patient centric approach that offers support to patients, parents, advocates and others while providing care for people diagnosed with ADHD.
For further information please contact:

Media
Matthew Cabrey (mcabrey@shire.com)
Shire Pharmaceuticals

1-484-595-8248

Bev Volpe (bvolpe@simonpr.com)
Simon Public Relations Group
1-215-545-4715  Ext 24

Notes to editors

SHIRE PLC

Shire’s strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician.  Shire focuses its business on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, human genetic therapies, gastrointestinal diseases, and regenerative medicine as well as opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through acquisitions.  Shire’s in-licensing, merger, and acquisition efforts are focused on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection and global rights.  Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.  For further information on Shire, please visit the Company’s website: www.shire.com.

“SAFE HARBOR” STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

Statements included herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks or uncertainties materialize, the Company’s results could be materially adversely affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the inherent uncertainty of research, development, approval, reimbursement, manufacturing, and commercialization of the Company’s Specialty Pharmaceutical and Human Genetic Therapies products, as well as the ability to secure and integrate new products for commercialization and/or development; government regulation of the Company’s products; the Company’s ability to manufacture its products in sufficient quantities to meet demand; the impact of competitive therapies on the Company’s products; the Company’s ability to register, maintain, and enforce patents and other intellectual property rights relating to its products; the Company’s ability to obtain and maintain government and other third-party reimbursement for its products; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

© 2011 Shire US Inc., Wayne, PA 19087

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ADHD causes challenges with time management and Laura has some great strategies that you can start implementing as soon as the show ends.

Need some additional assistance with your Time Management?  Consider joining me and ADD Classes for the Adult ADD Time Management Intensive in January 2011.

I would love feedback from teachers, school social workers, school psychologists, and parents.  What additional strategies do you like to use?

How do you prioritize your work and personal life with ADHD?  Share your tips below!

1.  Improve Time Management and Organization Skills: Categorize

Categorizing can help with both organization and time management by ensuring you spend time in high priority areas.

2.  Are you Disorganized or Unorganized?

Take small steps for big success if you are disorganized or unorganized.  The tips in this article can help you avoid the overwhelm that often comes with getting organized.

3.  Overcome your Disorganized Desk

If you have ADHD, chances are that you have a disorganized desk.  For simple ways to organize your disorganized desk under control, follow the tips in this article.

4.  Start a Tickler File to Get Focused

ADHD can make it hard to manage all of the paper you get at home and/or work.  This can cause huge challenges with organizing.  Using a tickler file can be a helpful way to gain control of the paper.

5.  How Students With ADHD Can Use Tickler Files to Get Organized

This is a newer concept for me.  This article discusses how students might use tickler files to get organized.

What are your favorite articles on getting organized?

Link to them below so we can all learn.  Thanks!

Productivity is usually something we think about related to work, but it can be a challenge at home too.  Especially when you include ADHD in the mix.  From paying bills to doing dishes to getting ready for the day, it can all get overwhelming if you have ADHD.  You can learn more by listening to my discussion with Virtual AD/HD Conference Founder and Director Jennifer Koretsky.

Listen here:  Virtual AD/HD Conference Podcast Series

Strategies are Critical

Developing strategies that work for you can help you to increase your productivity at home if you have ADHD.  Join me on October 6, 2011 at 3:45pm as I teach a session at the 2011 Virtual AD/HD Conference to help you identify and develop those strategies.  Check out the conference schedule to learn more about the conference and individual sessions.  This conference is highly valuable and I hope you can join us!

What strategies do you use to increase your productivity at home?

So, you have ADD / ADHD and you want to manage your time better.  You have come to the right place!

• The average person today receives more information on a daily basis, than the average person received in a lifetime in 1900.
• Taking five minutes per day, five days per week to improve will create 1,200 little improvements over a five-year period.
• The average person gets 1 interruption every 8 minutes, or approximately 7 an hour, or 50-60 per day.
• The average person uses 13 different methods to control and manage their time.

If you’re thinking that time management courses only work for people WITHOUT the added complications that ADD / ADHD throws in the mix…

STOP RIGHT THERE!

I have partnered to offer the 4-week Adult ADD Time Management Intensive to prove you wrong!

Check out all of the details today so you don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity…

I think this concept can definitely help students.  I have a couple ideas that students with ADHD can use tickler files to get organized and manage their school work.  I would love your ideas and input.  I think these ideas have merit, but I think they may need more detail to be ready for implementation.  Please add your comments and suggestions below!

Accordion Files

In my original article, I described a process where you would use an accordion file, numbered 1 – 31 to keep track of paperwork (i.e. bills) at home.

• When you receive a new piece of paper that is time sensitive, write the date that you need to take action on the top of the paper.
• File the paper in behind the tab with the corresponding date.
• Check the tickler file once each day to see what paper needs to be handled.

Can this work for students?  I think YES, but I think it needs some adaptation.  I think the 31 day accordion file either needs it’s own plastic container or it needs to stay in one classroom.  If this accordion file ended up in a backpack or locker, I have visions of papers falling out, getting lost and leading to missed assignments.  Not what we are shooting for!  By keeping the file in one classroom, a homeroom or specific subject teacher could teach the students how to use it and help them build the habit.

Zipping Binders

If leaving a 31 day accordion file in a classroom or keeping it in a plastic container isn’t realistic, consider adapting a binder with a closing zipper to use as a tickler file.

• The binder will need to have folders inside of it that go into the binder rings.
• Label each folder can be labeled with the dates of a specific week.
• Each time the student gets an important paper or assignment, have them put the paper in the appropriate week.
• Every day, the student should review the files for the next two weeks to see what assignments need work and planning.
• Every week, the student should review the files for the next six weeks to see what longer term assignments need work and planning.

Using a zipping binder will help to keep the papers in place while still tying the papers to when they are important.

Other Adaptations

How else could the concept of a tickler file be adapted for students?