Berko, sleep (or lack thereof) has a big impact on our ability to pay attention. My wife thinks I have sleep apnea, and she's also told me a time or two that she also suspects me of having ADHD. We have two small children, and between that and the supposed sleep apnea, I do have a lot of trouble concentrating and staying focused.

The absolute best thing you can do is lose weight. Certain vitamins help as well. I take a decent range of vitamins and I notice that I have trouble paying attention when I run out of them.

I would not recommend surgery for either of us. I'll be 32 next month. I know that, children aside, my problems are caused by my diet and lack of exercise. Were I to correct those two, things would change fast. That's the hard part for some reason.

I have to wonder if anyone has been sucessful getting GTD to work for diet and exercise?

I posted on my blog today about a simple little life hack for saving time when going to the gym. Most things I have read say that the earlier you work out, the better. Part of what usually takes me the most time at the gym is changing. I get there, change out of my street clothes, put my hair back (Long hair is such a pain sometimes.), put on my gym clothes and shoes, and go to work out. Now, if I were to go to the gym first thing in the morning, I could get out of bed and dress for the gym immediately instead of putting on my street clothes first. In my estimation, this could shave off around 10 minutes from the time it takes me to go to the gym. If I could figure out the logistics of it, I would like to run to the gym, lift weights and then shower and change, but I can't figure out how to get my bag (school books and laptop) and street clothes there. Can't exactly run with them, but it would be inefficient to run back home to get them. Any suggestions on this would be welcome as well.

I believe my ADD symptoms are more than 50% Sleep Deprivation. The only symptoms I showed before I had children was an ability to completely lose myself in a task, to the detriment of Getting Things Done (tm).

I have 3 factors for Sleep Deprivation - 6 children, overweight to the point of causing me sleep problems, and a bad Computer Habit. In the last 2 years my ADD-like symptoms have increased, and am looking to GTD as a way of mitigating the problems. Obviously, weight loss is critical, not just for the ADD but also to keep me alive. I'm supplementing a weight loss campaign and GTD with GABA, which is marketed as a weight-loss supplement but I am finding that it's affect as a neurotransmitter helps me stay more alert and on focus. If I can get 6+ hours of sleep and take my GABA, I can usually have a productive day.

Not sleep apnea, but related...

I've been struggling for years with ADD but only recently learned what it was and how I am affected by it. I suspect many ADD'ers might be drawn to this forum, since we have so many issues with time mgt, prioritization, and getting organized, etc. As a middle-aged adult, I've learned (the hard way) some tricks for coping and compensating for those competencies I naturally lack. I'm interested in sharing experiences with others here.

First, exercise does indeed help both in terms of keeping the middle-aged paunch at bay, but also by providing structure to the day. And yes, earlier is better. I drag myself to the gym in the pre-dawn hours and hew pretty closely to a 30-min routine on the eliptical trainer. I also practice 20-min of yoga in the evenings after work, when I'm at my stupidest. Sure, there are days when I hate it. But I know I feel better and benefit from the structure.

Those of you that have posted about the need for sleep are spot-on. I fall asleep easily but have trouble staying asleep. Caffeine after 3PM is a culprit, but so is alcohol. My rule of thumb (which I usually violate on the weekend) is no alcohol after 8PM. No doubt about it, sleep is a big help in maintaining focus and limiting distractions.

In spite of the progress I've made in building a little balance in to my life, I still have horrible procrastination/time management problems. On the one hand, when I'm excited about a task, I can lose myself in it. On the other, there are days that I wonder: what am I doing? It all seems so meaningless. Why bother? When I fall in to that, NOTHING seems to get me started, even though I have plenty on my to-do list. And I just can't seem to find and stick with an organizational tool (Palm, pocketMod, GTD, etc.) that works.

I'm sure there are others that have issues like this. What methods do you use? What tricks do you use to focus, get on task, or bludgeon your way through those unpleasant tasks?

geomantic, I know the feeling. I spent a good part of today tweaking my blog template and tweaking an html file for Outlook Today. I did actually get a little bit of work done, but most of my productivity had to do with surfing the web and tweaking. I have an endless amount of patience for those kind of things (unless I make them NA's), but I tend to procrastinate everything else unless it becomes a deadline.

Geomantic8,

If you think you have ADD, you should consider treatment and medication. The fact that you can't stick with these systems is becasue you quite literally can't. It's like asking someone who is nearsighted to read a road sign without glasses. I have been on and off meds for various things in the last few years, but only when the ADD was diagnosed and treated was I able to get back on track.

Get a good diagnosis, because things like mild bi-polar and depression can mimic ADD in some people.

Just so you know, stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall are not the only meds available. You can also use dopamine reuptake inhibitors like Wellbutrin or Straterra.

Most people used to think that ADD went away when you went through puberty, but now we know it does not.

Let me close by recommending Driven to Distraction by Hallowell and Ratey. This book is the best description.explaination for ADD that I have ever read.

I know some people think of ADD as some kind of self-discipline issue. It is not. To use my example above, you wouldn't tell the near-sighted person to just try harder to read the sign.

Best of luck, effective treatment can open a lot of doors that you thought were closed forever.

Thanks...

Ecg

Ecg,

Thanks for the great response. Your comparison to near-sightedness is an excellent analogy. Fortunately, I am at the beginning of the diagnosis/treatment phase and have already taken several steps to get help. I also have the Hallowell & Ratey book and heartily second your recommendation. In fact, your entire post squares with all the good information I've already received and I hope that those readers that recognize themselves in this thread would heed your sound advice.

G

Have any of you that have been diagnosed or are in the process of being diagnosed with ADD been tested and/or diagnosed with sleep apnea? Many reports that I have read indicate that once a person with "ADD" is correctly diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea, they don't need meds anymore. I have been seeing a counselor for some other things and he has suggested medication for my ADD symptoms, but I am not a fan of taking pills unless I know they are absolutely necessary (like my depression meds). Also, any sleep apnea patients out there notice improved focusing ability following diagnosis and treatment? (Duane, if you're reading this, I'm talking to you!)

So what methods have ya'll been trying as far as keeping track of what you need to get done. I'm learning the GTD methods and have the book on order, but for those of you with ADD/symptoms from apnea, what is working for you now. I have a Palm and a Mac and am working with iCal between the two. I also keep a white board at home and send myself emails all the time. Am I on the right track? Do I just need more practice, or are there better methods for keeping oneself moving through the day?

Geomantic, I'm going to give your exercise plan a try...anything to keep my brain on duty is worth a shot :D