ADHD Tools: Tips from a Life Coach

One of the many gifts I’ve had in Life Coaching at OPI is the opportunity to look outside of myself and into the experiences of another person, to help them to improve their quality of life. One of my favorite concepts in working with clients is the idea of creating a “tool belt” of skills that work for them. It’s something we all use in our daily lives, we just don’t necessarily think of it as that.

In working with ADHD for coaching, I help my clients figure out what “tools” help them to be successful. For ADHD clients who want to improve time management, we may create daily to-do lists, schedules for the week, a morning and night routine, set the alarm, and so on. For ADHD clients who want to increase their focus, we create clear objectives as to the tasks at hand. No such language as “I’ll try and finish a few things at some point.” No way, not on my watch.

I want to know who/what/why/where/when/how and be as specific as possible. Eliminating as much room for ambiguity as possible helps distinguish the purpose and stay on task.

But it’s not enough to just be a task master. There needs to be an internal sense of motivation as well as short term rewards along the way to keep going. I like to use the example of building an “emotional muscle.”  It doesn’t happen overnight. You wouldn’t expect to go to the gym once and all of a sudden come out buff and be done. It’s a commitment to finding what works and continuing to build the habit along the way. It won’t be perfect. Some tools that work for some may not work for others. Tools that worked in the past may one day not be as powerful. The journey is about finding out what tools on the belt are specifically effective for each individual.

Post by:

Jaime L.K. Jackson
Life Coach & Outpatient Program Coordinator