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January 2006 - Volume III - Issue I
ADHD - Post-it notes, receipts and other scraps of Paper
Statement: My intent in this newsletter is to express as quickly as possible my own beliefs and opinions on matters. I have no problems with people who disagree with my opinion and have even been swayed to rethink my position from time to time.
We are still taking book orders for my new book "ADHD and The Criminal Justice System" and you can get my author's discount from the AMAZON.COM price...
Patrick Hurley was recently appointed to the Professional Advisory Board of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association. For more information you can go to www.add.org
Patrick also spoke on October 15, 2007 at the National Conference on Correctional Health Care
in Nashville, TN on his book. The Conference is sponsored by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC), which has an impressive membership.
If you need a good planner, you might want to check out the Delta Planner
Read past issues of my newsletters >>>
This months newsletter is meant to be more fun than functional, and hopefully will bring a knowing smile or sense of fellowship with others who deal with ADHD in their daily lives. I wish I had some great answers for how to control all this stuff we deal with, but there are many books out there that do, so I will leave it to the experts.
The other day as I was noticing my collections of post-it notes, papers and other scraps of junk that I accumulate seemingly by accident, I was amazed at the widespread array of items I often find on my table, desk, car, pants pockets and billfold. I decided to write them down to see if these might have appeared among your things recently or in the past. Make sure and read this list carefully and entirely, and make sure you check your billfolds and purses, if you can get through them...
Multiple "things to do" notebooks (most items still left undone), uncompleted warranty cards, rebate forms not sent in, expired store coupons, un cashed checks, pieces of paper with peoples names and phone numbers torn from some old envelope, similar pieces of scrap paper with peoples e-mail addresses scrawled on them, old bills - I mean really old ones like from 2003, full rolodex files with none of the cards filled out, business cards too numerous to mention most of which you have no idea where you got, file folders with categories listed on them but empty- often times several drawers full and sometimes the files have the same categories listed as the other drawer, new boxes of empty file folders we meant to label and get organized with, numerous expando files also mostly empty, plastic tote bins with missing lids and miscellaneous junk thrown in, junk mail dating back months and years in stacks here and there, newspapers in stacks from long ago, more pens and pencils than you could ever use in a lifetime but never able to be located when you really need them, unpacked boxes from two home moves or more ago, unsorted photographs, old candy and gum wrappers, greeting cards for loved ones never sent, lottery tickets from over a year ago many you are not sure were ever checked to see if they won, old, old canceled checks, recipes clipped from the newspaper but never attempted, old keys you have no clue what they were originally from, old shirt buttons, old gas station receipts, ATM receipts from months or years ago, maps or atlases so old some 10 year old Interstate systems are not even on them, old fast food cups or bags with napkins and unopened ketchup packets inside, paint sample cards from three different major paint stores, batteries of all types and sizes you have no idea if they are old and worn out or new and never used. more pennies than you can count, rubber bands of all shapes and sizes, paper clips of all shapes, colors and sizes, theatre or sporting event ticket stubs from movies or games seen over a year ago, video rental receipts, grocery store receipts over 6 months old, unused gift certificates, expired but not destroyed credit cards which expired years ago, used band aides, pocket lint found here and there, computer print outs you have never picked up and read. Membership cards to organizations that no longer exist, plastic grocery bags you are saving for trash or other purposes which you keep adding too but which even if you tried you would never be able to use them all up. old toothbrushes,extra parts and items from ceiling fan and other assembly required items that you save but will never use, empty toothpaste tubes, soda cans and beer cans and bottles along with their tops, warranties and instruction manuals from items or appliances long since thrown away such as a Propeil Pocket Fisherman or bun warmer you got 25 years ago for a wedding present, broken watches and other cheap jewelry, unread old magazines especially containing home projects or recipes that there is no way you can throw out because someday you want to do work on them.
Well, I could go on, and I am sure you could add to the list, feel free to send me some of your more unusual items if you like, I will keep a list and maybe even add a link to my web site with the final list.
Why do we collect this stuff and let it fill up our clothes, cars, garages and homes? I am at a loss to explain it, except, for when it comes to old screws, bolts and nuts I save because I cannot tell you how many times I have thrown those out only to need them the next week, which just reinforces my belief that you should never throw anything away.
Thanks and talk to you next month.
Patrick Hurley
addcorridorcoach@aol.com
If you know on anyone who might like this newsletter, please forward it to them, and tell them to go to my web site at www.addcorridorcoaching.com and sign up.
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