Asheville’s Meetup Group for Asheville area Adults with ADHD.

The next meeting is set for Monday, Mar 15. Due to the nature and of this group and content of discussion this Meetup group is listed as PRIVATE. For further details about this group, future meetings and activities you are encouraged to register at: ADHD Meetup

There is often a tendency for adults with ADHD to feel isolated from others sharing the same characteristics, challenges and gifts. The Meetup format offers adults with ADHD the opportunity to share stories, experiences, ask questions, learn more about ADHD in adults and learn new tools for living more effectively with ADHD and with greater life satisfaction. Significant others are also welcome to attend.

Join ADHD Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Asheville-Adult-ADHD-Meetup-Group/

What members are saying:

Routine & structure is no different than what I refer to as a recipe for success. I use this term in my coaching because I frequently coach my clients to design a recipe for success to create the various results they desire to achieve in their day and in their life.

“Structure is no more than a recipe, a proven path that guides you towards creating your reliable results.”

~Coach Rudy Rodriguez, Asheville, NC

ADHD Success TeleSeminar: Tues,  March 9

TeleSeminar Topic: Recipe for Success (7-8pm EST)

The TeleSeminar speaker is ADHD Coach Rudy Rodriguez. In this TeleSeminar, CoachRudy promises to provide you with:

Don’t Delay…. Register Today!

This seminar is FR*EE and open to anyone nationwide by telephone access. Long distance charges may apply.

During a recent coaching call the question was asked, “why is it that ADHD adults resist ‘routine and structure’? She explained that structure “feels like a ’straight jacket”. She also asked if it as common for adults with ADHD to enjoy the ‘novelty’ of doing things differently vs feeling constricted by structure?

I explained that it was common for adults with ADHD to enjoy the novelty and the stimulation that comes with doing things differently.

It’s true that many adults with ADHD perceive routine & structure as a “narrow realm of  appropriateness” that is too tight and constructive. You may have shared this experience during childhood when your teacher or parent insisted that you perform a task or assignment in a very prescribed manner. Of course, many ADD children are skilled at finding alternate means of arriving at the correct solution. Unfortunately, the teacher most likely did not accept your solution and insisted that you complete the math problem using only her prescribed instructions.

Fortunately, it is not necessary that routine & structure be experienced as a ’straight jacket’. In fact, IT IS possible to create a structure that can be guiding without feeling (overly) constrictive. The good news is that YOU get to design the structure that works for you. You also have the RIGHT to alter it or tweak it so that your structure works well for you.

Think of your structure as a recipe. Let’s say you have a favorite family recipe for “homemade chili”. Your recipe will include a list the ingredients, list portions and cooking directions. Don’t you know that before you even begin preparation of your chili you already have a sense of confidence that your chili will turn out absolutely delicious. Can’t you already feel your taste buds activating in anticipation of tasting your delicious chili?

Routine & structure is no different than what I refer to as a recipe for success. I use this term in my coaching because I frequently coach my clients to design a recipe for success to create the various results they desire to achieve in their day and in their life.

“Structure is no more than a recipe, a proven path that guides you towards creating your reliable results.”

~Coach Rudy Rodriguez, Asheville, NC

ADHD Success TeleSeminar:  Tues, March 9

TeleSeminar Topic: Recipe for Success
Attend this telephone based seminar and learn how to design your
‘personal recipe for success’. (see above article)

This seminar is FR*EE and open to anyone by telephone.
Long distance charges may apply.

You must preregister to receive details and access information to enter this TeleSeminar

Pre-Register Now -

BREAKING NEWS! March 2 :  12noon

March 2 - “ADHD at Work” Seminar Postponed due to weather.

AB Tech, Enka Campus has just announced that it will close for ‘tonight’s classes and seminars’. I spoke earlier with a representative from AB Tech who is sponsoring this seminar. She confirmed that this seminar (over 40 pre-registered to attend) will be rescheduled for another date in the near future.

AB Tech will also be contacting everyone that was preregistered to notify you of the new date. I am sorry for the inconvenience but your certainly that the weather and safety is foremost in everyone’s mind.

Stay tuned for an updated announcement.

~Coach Rudy Rodriguez, Asheville, NC

Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,  are hardwired for hyperactivity, distraction and impulsivity. These individuals struggle with organization, prioritization and time management. They overlook details, need extra motivational nudges and may not socialize well with the rest of the staff. Perhaps the biggest difference of all, however, is that people with ADHD have difficulty transitioning from one task to the next. They are the modern world’s anti-multitaskers.

So the question becomes: Can a mind in hyperdrive keep up?

According to Russell Poldrack, associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, multitasking’s reputation as a timesaving tool is undeserved. “In general, it’s almost always worse to try to do two things at once than it is to do each of those things separately,” he says. “This is because there is a bottleneck in the mind in terms of how people process things psychologically. There are certain things—such as choosing what action to take—that you can only do at one time, regardless of if you have ADHD or not,” says Poldrack.

If a person is multitasking, her mind needs a few seconds to readjust to each new task, the psychologist explains. “Think of it as if you are trying to use Word and Excel at the same time and every time you switch programs, you have to quit the program you’re working on and restart the program you’re moving to.”

People with ADHD can multitask, according to Poldrack. “It’s just harder for them to switch back and forth from one task to the next,” he says. “They need more time to restart their new program.”

Read the entire article. Click Here

Source: Multitasking for a Hyperactive Mind When you can’t focus on one thing, how can you focus on several? Hint: You don’t.
by Bethany Lye for MSN Health & Fitness

Good news, Bad news…

Mother nature had her way last night and the Feb 4 seminar “ADHD At Work: Maximizing Your Effectiveness” was canceled at the last minute due to light snow and freezing rain.

The good news is 37 people registered for this highly anticipated seminar so the seminar will be rescheduled and a new date will be determined early next week.

**Seminar Rescheduled - Tues, March 2

Coach Rudy Rodriguez, of the ADHD Center for Success will present a free, interactive seminar – “ADD at Work: Maximizing Your Effectiveness”. The seminar will identify and discuss the behavioral challenges common to ADHD adults and review practical strategies to create success in life and at work. Seminar topics include ADD/ADHD self management techniques, tips for maintaining routine and structure, overcoming procrastination, overwhelm, and managing projects more effectively.

ADHD at the worksite can be a significant issue for the adult with ADHD but also the organizational worksite. It is now recognized that adult ADHD is both under recognized and under treated in our country. This fact alone has implications to the ADHD adult but consider the costs to the employer organization. (see related article)

To register in advance visit: http://www.abtech.edu/sbc/class_schedule.asp.

~Coach Rudy Rodriguez

Adults with ADD Lose Over 3 Weeks of Work Annually

Free Seminar Helps Improve Workplace Performance

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Can ADD and ADHD in adults affect workplace wellness, attendance and overall job performance? Absolutely. According to a recent report in HealthDay News, adults with ADD/ADHD lose more than 3 weeks of work annually. The report cited that many adults with ADD aren’t even aware that they have a problem, making it more difficult for them to receive help. Studies show that an estimated 3% of the population suffers from undiagnosed ADD/ADHD.

Join the ADHD Center for Success and Coach Rudy Rodriguez for a free, interactive seminar – “ADD at Work: Maximizing Your Effectiveness”. The seminar will identify and discuss the behavioral challenges common to ADHD adults and review practical strategies to create success in life and at work. Seminar topics include ADD/ADHD self management techniques, tips for maintaining routine and structure, overcoming procrastination, overwhelm, and managing projects more effectively.

“ADD at Work: Maximizing Your Effectiveness” Seminar:

• Cost: Free
• Date: Thursday, Feb 4^th
• Time: 6:00PM - 9:00PM
• Place: AB Tech, Room 228 Haynes Bldg., Enka location (Course #: SBC-7909-700)

To register in advance visit: http://www.abtech.edu/sbc/class_schedule.asp. For more information go to www.adhdcenterforsuccess.com or email coachrudy@adhdcenterforsuccess.com.

###

ADHD Center for Success offers clinical diagnosis, counseling, coaching and seminars for adults, their family and friends. The center’s founder, Coach Rudy Rodriguez, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Intrinsic Coach®, has been working with ADD since 1981. Rudy is Professional Member of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association for Adults (ADDA), and he sits on the Leadership Team of the Board of the ADHD Coaches Association.

(HealthDay News) — Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) miss, on average, more than three weeks a year in workplace productivity, according to a new global reckoning of the problem.

Altogether, between 3 percent and 4 percent of adults worldwide have ADHD, according to survey data from the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers say the condition can cause a serious loss of concentration at work due to chronic hyperactivity, forgetfulness and impulsiveness.

But many adult workers with ADHD may not know they have a problem, the team noted.

“While surveying mental disorders around the world, we’ve interviewed close to 200,000 people in almost 30 countries, and we’re discovering that an enormous number of adult workers — more than 3 percent on average — have untreated adult ADHD,” said study co-author Ron Kessler, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Kessler is also the director of the WHO’s World Mental Health Survey Consortium, which is based at Harvard.

Dr. David W. Goodman, director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center in Luthersville, Md., agreed that ADHD is an “under-diagnosed and under-recognized psychiatric condition that causes a tremendous amount of disability in the work environment.”

Read entire article>

Article By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

Last Updated: May 28, 2008

Asheville Adult ADHD January Meetup
Monday, Jan 11 (7-8:30pm)

Come out and join the Asheville area Adult ADD Meetup. Our meeting will be held at the Atlanta Bread Company (South) 484 Hendersonville Road Asheville, North Carolina 28803.

Look for us seated in the Southeast corner of the restaurant. Come early and enjoy the food and drink.

During this meeting we will introduce ourselves, share our personal stories about adult ADD and discuss general adult ADD characteristics.

Our primary topic for the night: “ADD and New Year’s Resolutions, plans, goals and desires for the New Year”.

~CoachRudy, Asheville, NC

It’s not often that I write a personal note on this blog but I wanted to extend my wishes to each and everyone for a Happy New Year 2010.

I’m happy to share that I danced in the New Year last night in Lafayette, LA. One of my favorite leisure delights is dancing and my dance of choice is zydeco (Louisiana based style of dance). I’ve been coming here for years, dancing between Christmas and New Years with a large collection of dancers from all part of the country. I hope you did something fun and rewarding last night as well.

Today is January 1st, the first day of 2010. For many today is a day of rest, a holiday from work. For some, January is also a time to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments, pleasant memories, and possibly those challenges of during the year. However,this is also the time of year that many people begin to consider or even verbalize out loud their new resolutions, their wishes and desires for the New Year, 2010.

I will write more about New Years Resolutions and Adults with ADHD in my next blog posting. I’ll also announce an upcoming Teleseminar and an opportunity for ADHD Group Coaching on the same topic. Stay tuned…

Meanwhile, to all my ADD’ers out there. I wish you a very Happy and Successful New Year. Now back to the dancing…

~CoachRudy, Asheville, NC