Download Your Life Can Be Better, Using Strategies for Adult ADD/ADHD eBook

I started working on my ADHD 5 years ago and 4 years ago found this book. It's my #1. book for working on the areas I have needed to regarding my ADHD. I have also recommended it to friends with ADD. I really like how the book goes into detail on the ADHD brain and why we do the things we do. Which also helps to understand why certain things we eat effects our ADHD as well as how certain medications help us. Because the author also had ADD, he offers his own inside and experiences which is greatly appreciated. He also shares that when we want to work on our ADD we may want to tackle all of our challenges at once and puts into perspective how thats not realistic and that we need to work on no more than 2 problems at a time. Not only was the book easy to understand and put in use, it was also a great tool in understanding the gifts of ADD and how those can be utilized. 4 years after readying the book at putting strategies to work, I haven't lost my keys, I have excellent time management skills, I'm no longer late to meetings, and I have a clean driving record... no more speeding tickets because I lost track of time. There are many other areas I have improved in as well.
I loaned my first copy to a friend with ADD and he lost it (chuckle) so I ordered a new copy and this time, not loaning it out. My friends can read it at my place or ordered their own copy (smiles).

I'm a woman who likes to take action, not just read books on theory, and this author has helped me take strides to thwart my ADD tendencies.

Puryear is obviously bright (he's an MD); however, he has ADD, like many of us, so he does stupid stuff like drive away from the gas pump with the hose still in his tank. That seems absurd to me. It's funny, but we each have our weaknesses...Lord knows I do. Anyhow, many of us ADD sufferers continue to make the same dumb mistakes over and over and "try really hard" not to make them again, without any improvement. It's so frustrating!

Puryear offers us another option. He encourages his readers stop and think (not that we haven't been doing that, but....). He tells us to ask ourselves ... "What's wrong here, and what is something that can I do to fix it?" That sounds very simplistic, but it works. We shouldn't ask, "Why do I do this wrong?," or "Why can't I just do X, Y, or Z like the organization books suggest?" Instead, we need stop blaming ourselves, accept that it's a problem, and ask, "What can I do consistently that WORKS FOR ME and solves the problem?" For example, I used to have a key hook 10 feet from my back door (where I enter my home), and every day I'd lose my keys because I couldn't make it to the hook consistently. It was a huge problem because I would waste 15 minutes every day looking for my keys and I'd be late (okay, later) because I couldn't locate my keys. I thought I had a solution with the key hook, but I just couldn't make it work for me, no matter how hard I tried. Puryear had almost the same problem. His solution was to put his keys in a specific bowl as soon as he came in the house, every day, every time. (A big part of the book focuses on consistent habits.) My solution was to install a small hook on the molding immediately inside my door (ascetics be damned!) and hang my keys there every day, every time. It was convenient, so it wasn't a chore--the keys were already in my hand anyhow; I just had to make a quarter turn to hang them up. It worked like a charm (now I have several hooks there--one for each driver in the house--and we can always find each other's keys if we need them). When I do, occasionally, forget to hang up my keys, say I've left them in my purse or on the counter, I immediately go get them and hang them on one of the hooks by the door. I think I've only lost my keys twice in the past year, which is astounding!!! By my very conservative calculations, I have saved 100+ hours a year by simply identifying my key problem, implementing an almost effortless solution that worked for me, and being consistent with hanging them by the door (which I rarely am). An added bonus is that they are the last thing that I grab on the way out, so there's less of a chance that I'll lay them down and lose them before I make it out the door.

Now, when I'm banging my head against a wall because I keep making the same stupid mistakes, I've learned to stop and identify both the problem and possible solutions. Not every solution that I come up with is going to work (like many ADDers, I tend to complicate situations unnecessarily), so I might have to make some adjustments, but I am getting much better at fixing things once I've realized they're broken.

I've also started double-checking myself when I do certain things, which is one of his suggestions (e.g., I put my credit card back into my wallet after getting gas, then I immediately reopen my wallet to ensure that it's actually there), and I've found that strategy helps, too. It's almost like a conscious, healthy, mini-version of being OCD. I say "healthy" OCD because I'm not actually compelled to do it. I'm often so distracted that I just assume I've done something (it's too boring to really pay attention...), so I catch myself making mistakes...(e.g., Oops, I didn't put that card away; I put it in my jeans pocket!)

I don't know why some strategies work better than others, but when they do, life is sweet. When I can solve a frustrating problem that's caused by my ADD, I get so giddy I almost can't stand it.

The author gives lots of examples of his ADD issues from his own life and those of others he knows, and he speaks candidly about how his ADD impacts his relationships. He talks about how he's implemented strategies to solve some of his problems and how other friends have solved theirs. He hops around a bit at times, but you shouldn't let that put you off because it's really a great book. We have to cut our ADD brethren some slack after all. :)

If you are the type of person that likes to be provided with a multitude of great ideas on how to organize stuff for ADDers, then I strongly suggest you also read Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD. It's an awesome book for anyone who has ADD and can't figure out efficient ways of organizing and storing their crap. In fact, it's the ONLY book I've ever read that has any useful tips for managing paperwork/an office, something I completely loathe. In short, these are the best two books I've read for ADDers who get jazzed by being able to make a difference in their own lives. You might also want to check out some of the simplicity books on the market because the less stuff we have to deal with, the less stuff we have to deal with.

I am only half-way through the kindle version of Your Life Can Be Better and it has helped me already. I see how I can help my son too using ideas from this book. It's very gratifying to read a book from someone who struggled with ADD but is also successful in getting higher education and making a career even with the struggles. It makes the advice that much more valuable because he's lived it.
I am only a decade younger than he is so many of the things he's mentioned I have tried and it has helped me. The only problem is I don't write it down and I forget that strategy or trick and it takes a long time (years!) before I use it again and it helps me again. This book is great in that it seems to put all the stuff I've learned through the years in writing so I can refer to it and not forget. Also, he has insights and warning flags that I had not yet fully become aware of.
So yes, this has been a valuable book. I think the readers who have struggled and tried to figure it out on their own for awhile and have suffered consequences (dire ones) of ADD will understand and use the information in this book the most. Otherwise, this book is deceptively simple and may seem like it's not saying anything concrete but boy is it!

Also, due to his insights, you can find a way to improve your life without doing exactly as he does. For example, I don't put keys on the table - that would get it lost in my world. I put it on a hook and it changed my life from being stuck in my house not being able to leave because I can't find my keys, to never having that happen again. So I didn't do the exact same thing as he did to fix our similar problem but his insight and advice is still good to those who have similar issues.

I feel the same way about his index card lists. I can't carry so many lists around, I would lose it. I don't have pockets like he does in my everyday outfits either so cards aren't easy to carry around in my world. But I do have index cards on walls of my home to tell me routines to do and I do have lists on my phone. So I still find his advice valuable. Be willing to read his advice and take it to heart and the advice, if followed will change your life for the better.