Every time you say in your day, I'll have to look into it later (meaning you don't think you can allocate the time to invest in your future) you have already failed. If you're overwhelmed by your day then this is FOR you. If you say well I'll have to look into it later, then this is for you. If you say, I can't afford it, I don't have time, I wish I understood then this is for you & you can't afford not to automate. Everytime you say in your day, I'll have to look into it later (meaning you don't think you can allocate the time to invest in your future) you have already failed. You may have heard the saying: "Every minute you spend on your organization adds an hour." While this is true for any business, it is especially important for running a small business. Organizing your small business is essential. It ensures that things can be done quickly, well and cheaply. Whether it’s storing documents, adhering to schedules, or just managing the overall flow of space, some strategies are more effective than others. Here are ten tips to help you overcome some of the organizational obstacles that small business owners often face. Achieving paperlessness saves time, reduces hassle and protects the environment by reducing paper consumption. Loose paper, files, and folders can cause overcrowding of desks and loss of data. Keep your office clean by scanning documents and transferring everything you can to an online storage solution. In addition, files stored in the cloud are more difficult to lose and easier to organize. Do I need to scan a lot? Don't be afraid, there are many services that can help scan a large number of documents, including bustl. Your computer, iPad, or iPhone may also need to be cleaned up. Just because you have everything installed on your computer, it does not mean that your organizational problems have been resolved. Are you browsing dozens of open tabs? Does your desktop screen look like a collage of mysterious symbols? Are your digital spaces filled of endless folders leaving no room for smart data. This is not only inefficient, but also completely unnecessary. Therefore, every few days, check your computer, iPhone and delete any icons, tabs, or windows that you don’t use. Replace them with insightful widgets & actions. Set an auto dump & auto save. Once a month, organize your computer files to see what you no longer need. Or use smart technology to catalogue items (x) days old. Delete them regularly. In the long run, it will reduce the burden on your hard drive and save you a lot of trouble. Clean up your physical environment After you have cleaned up the clutter on your desk and organized your computer, please check your physical environment. Are you overwhelmed by the file box? If so, it may be time to invest in external storage solutions. Remote storage of files and documents can free up your work space, ensure data security and reduce the risk of important documents being damaged or destroyed. Once your workspace has no crates, you can now focus on adding your own personal style. Research shows that adding things like plants and art can increase productivity. When you add calm elements and put everything in the right place, you can create a quiet working environment and reduce the space for lost items. A clean workplace is also essential for making a good impression. Colleagues and potential customers will love a clean environment, which shows that your business is running in an organized way. Early Tax Planning or automation Tax season is like a boomerang; it will come back every time you get rid of it. Most small business owners don't want to spend a lot of time thinking about upcoming taxes, but letting your tax preparation work can avoid exams, fines, or in some extreme cases, shut down. When paying overdue fines is more painful than usual, don't let the IRS find you in a bad month. Instead, plan ahead to reduce the painful process. If you want to do this work yourself, there are many services or apps that can help you pay taxes. Plan your time carefully It is important to plan for major events such as taxes, but it is also important to plan how you spend your time each day. Track the time it takes you or your team to complete certain tasks. Once you have calculated how long different tasks will take, you can set realistic goals for a day, a week, or a month. Time management does not refer to how much extra time you can use to work overtime. It's about how to effectively use the time you have. Schedule a full day’s rest to ensure that you avoid burnout and do your best. Ensure that all team members are on the same page. If you are not working alone, then your small business is a team. As a team, you cannot work without cooperation. Communication between employees is essential to avoid costly mistakes. Using collaboration platforms, such as Google Workspace, the entire staff can be consistent on the same page. This will greatly help ensure that the accident does not affect productivity. Set high standards Unorganized means lack of structure. Establish standard operating procedures for your small business to eliminate guesswork and maintain consistency. However, be careful not to fall into the trap of establishing uncontrolled operations. Instead, when opportunities arise, make sure to improve or optimize these processes on a regular basis. Remember, the goal is not to make rules, Instead, your goal is to increase efficacy to a practicable level. Read emails, reply to emails. One of the biggest enemies of organizations is procrastination. Therefore, get yourself used to doing things right away. Start replying immediately after reading the email. A great rule is if It takes 2-3 minutes to do any task do it right away. If it requires planning & strategy schedule a time to do it later. Email tends to pile up. What will happen to the accumulation? Something is missing. Keeping your inbox tidy will have a knock-on effect and help improve the overall organization. Give up being a part-time accountant. Does your small business have an accountant? This is awesome! This is not for you. Suppose you are one of many small business owners who cannot afford the luxury of handing over your accounting duties. If so, you may spend hours sorting out the bank statement and submitting the invoice. This need not be the case. There are many cloud-based accounting platforms that can do all the busy work for you. You track personal and online transactions, issue invoices, collect payments many of these can be automated. Many of any daily's task can be optimized or automated. Everytime you say in your day, I'll have to look into it later (meaning you don't think you can allocate the time to invest in your future) you have already failed.

Color & Focus - how to set your smart lights to enhance your quality of life. Find shortcuts on our app to automate smart lights. Color & Focus - how to set your smart lights to enhance your quality of life. If I’m you want to focus for a long time, the clear winner is a blue light color. It’s been shown in many studies that blue light color disrupts the circadian rhythm( the body’s internal natural clock), you are going to be more alert and you are not going to feel sleepy. Your brain cells are more sensitive to blue light than other colors and because of that businesses across the world are investing in blue smart lighting to help improve employee efficiency and focus. If you need to do some work that needs your full focus. Red Red light has got a bad reputation, it’s linked to anger, stress, danger, and many alarm buttons have a red flashing light. The funny thing is that the opposite is true about red led lights. Red is a calming and relaxing light color. Studies have found that people who are exposed to red light have reduced disruptions to sleep patterns and mood problems compared to the other colors. Yellow Yellow is a warm color that can help to bring up your mood. It also catches attention, which is why it’s a common taxicab color. If you want to boost creativity and communication you should pick a yellow light. It’s a common choice in offices and other workplaces. Orange You won’t see orange led lights often but, it’s a very welcoming color. It can stimulate appetite in children. It will create a friendly atmosphere where used, the color can also increase oxygen to the brain, and push your mental activity. Green Green led light color is the most visible color to the human eye. It’s linked to healing and soothing, and it’s the most used color in hospitals. It also reduces glare and therefore is used in operating rooms in hospitals. Schools can have a green light color because it can help with learning and concentration. Purple Nightclubs have purple lighting because it generates a feeling of magic and inspiration. It’s also a moody color and it gives out a sense of luxury and wealth. If you feel a little bit wild then take a shot and try purple lights in your home. Find shortcuts on our app to automate smart lights. Smart Automations for small business bustl.io

Soon, you'll be able to add your state ID or driver's license to Apple Wallet, bringing you one step closer to ditching your physical wallet. By Elisabeth Garry Wed, 10/06/2021 With iOS 15, Apple is slowly rolling out plans to let you add your driver's license to your Apple Wallet. Right now, this feature is not available, but soon it will be in Arizona and Georgia, followed by Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah. Let's learn how to add your state ID or driver's license to your Apple Wallet. When Can You Add Driver's License to Apple Wallet Driver's licenses and state IDs for Apple Wallet were first announced at the 2021 WWDC and detailed in an Apple press release. As of this writing, no date has been set for the program's launch, but with eight states already signed onto the project, Apple hopes to offer this feature nationwide in the future. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is onboard to start accepting mobile driver's licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet at participating airports, and Apple says, "Participating states and the TSA will share more information at a later date about when support for mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet will be available in each state, and which TSA airport security checkpoints and select lanes it will be available at first." How to Add Driver's License to Apple Wallet Once this feature is available in your state, you'll be able to add your driver's license or state ID to Apple Wallet the same as you would add a new credit or debit card. To learn about more ways to use your Apple Wallet app, sign up for our Tip of the Day newsletter. Open the Wallet app. Tap the Add icon. You'll be able to select Driver's License or State ID from the list of available cards once the feature is rolled out. Your phone will then walk you through the process of scanning your ID to add it to your Apple Wallet. Image from Apple.com How to Use Driver's License in Apple Wallet To present your driver's license or state ID, you'll open your Apple Wallet as usual. Apple will show you a brief explanation of the information Wallet will share with TSA (or other participating agencies and organizations in the future), and you can confirm that you'd like to present that information by double-clicking the Side button.

Apple introduced Shortcuts for Macs running macOS Monterey at WWDC this year. The new desktop OS is expected to ship in fall. Apple introduced Shortcuts for Macs running macOS Monterey at WWDC 2021. Author: Computer World What’s new in Shortcuts on macOS? | Computerworld 11/18/21, 1:24 PM How can I run a Shortcut on my Mac? Apple has built in Shortcuts across the system. When you use your Mac, you’ll be able to run Shortcuts using the Menu bar icon, Spotlight, from within the Finder, through Siri, and using contextual menus. You can drag regularly used Shortcuts to your Dock to run them from there. In an application of contextual machine learning, your Mac will make what it believes are relevant Shortcuts available in the lower right of the Finder menu when you select a file, document, or image. Finally, if you have a Mac with a TouchBar you’ll see icons for recommended Shortcuts appear there. What kind of things can Shortcuts do? During the WWDC keynote and in various reports since, we’ve learned a few ways in which Shortcuts can be applied: You can create a Shortcut that will share selected files of images to a group thread in Messages. Use Shortcuts to manage work windows — so when you have too many open applications you can ask Siri to sort it out for you. Shortcuts are invaluable for batch editing images. If you use smart lighting you may want to create a lighting setup for video conferencing calls, which can then be invoked with a Shortcut. Create a Shortcut to open two frequently used apps alongside each other in Split Screen. You can even create Shortcuts to share digital business cards. Where can I create Shortcuts on a Mac? The new Shortcuts app on your Mac provides you with a gallery of prebuilt shortcuts and an editor that lets you create your own. Pre-built shortcuts include such tasks as adding batches of reminders or turning text into audio, but you may need more specific automations. The editor lets you create your own, stringing actions together from a menu of options. So, you can receive photos from a gallery you are exploring in Photos and turn them into GIFs or automatically crop and share those images, for What’s new in Shortcuts on macOS? | Computerworld 11/18/21, 1:24 PM example. If you use an M1 Mac, shortcuts created on your iPhone and/or iPad will run on your Mac. RECOMMENDED WHITEPAPERS The SANS Guide to Evaluating Attack Surface Management Enterprise Data-as-a-Service Randori's 2021 Attack Surface Report: the Internet's Most Tempting Targets One more thing, the Shortcuts creation user interface looks much, much easier to navigate on the Mac, boosted by a much smarter Shortcuts editor; it suggests what might be relevant "Next Action Suggestions." Do Shortcuts work across devices? What’s new in Shortcuts on macOS? | Computerworld 11/18/21, 1:24 PM Where it makes sense, Shortcuts will work across your devices. You can create them on your Mac and send them for use on your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. Can I share Shortcuts? There’s lots of people making and sharing Shortcuts already online, and Apple has made it a little easier to do so. When Monterey ships this fall, it will be possible to share your Shortcuts by sharing a link. This will make it easy to share automations created for your enterprise with everyone. You can also share Shortcuts privately, without iCloud. What new actions are available with Shortcuts? Apple has introduced an extensive number of new automation types and actions that will be made available with the new operating systems. These include sound recognition, the capacity to extract text from an image or PDF, run various scripts (including JavaScript, AppleScript and Shell script on Mac), or split PDFs, start screen savers and more. SponsoredPost Sponsored by HPE Cloud Operational Agility with Zero Downtime, Thanks to AIOps What about Automator? What’s new in Shortcuts on macOS? | Computerworld 11/18/21, 1:24 PM I’m a big fan of Automator, but it appears likely Apple intends to deprecate that feature over the years. For now, the Automator app is still available, and it is possible to convert your existing Automator workflows into Siri Shortcuts using a migration tool from Apple. Essentially, the new automations Apple has introduced mean you can automate all kinds of routine tasks on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad and also that all the most popular Automator tasks are now also available in Shortcut What about AppleScript? You can build AppleScripts into shortcuts, allowing you to run some powerful automations. What about developers? Developers can take actions offered within their apps and make them available as Shortcuts. Apple has made extensive information regarding Shortcuts on Mac and improvements to the service across all its platforms available using the Developer app or through its developer website. When will this be available? You’ll be able to use Shortcuts on your Mac when Monterey ships. If you participate in Apple’s Public Beta Software Program, you may be able to trial these features before the final release, once that beta is made available. Developers will already be working with early versions of the OS.

iPhone 13 was a little bit of a disappointment this year, my recommendation is to actually get Apple Watch or an iPad. If you have an iPhone 111, 12 stick with that and get iOS 15 update on the 20th that I will power all you need to have in order to utilize all the things we continue to build.

— Apple is captioning this event "California streaming." Apple Apple's "California streaming" event on Sept. 14 could be a hit along the lines of the California Dreamin' song by the Mamas and the Papas. While we don't yet know what exactly will be coming, we suspect the next iPhone, likely called the iPhone 13, and a new Apple Watch Series 7 will debut. The event, which will be held virtually amid the pandemic, might show a new iPhone design along with improvements to the camera and other specs. Apple hasn't discussed its plans for the devices, aside from a mention of four new iPhones in a Federal Communications Commission filing. The most dramatic change for the new iPhones, aside from better cameras that Apple always tends to offer, is said to be the capability to make calls and send texts in emergencies when there's no cell coverage. Generally, though, they're expected to still rely on 5G wireless technology for day-to-day connectivity. The iPhone 13 comes a year after one of Apple's most successful launches, with the 5G-powered iPhone 12. The device offered the first major revamp of the iPhone's design since 2017, when Apple introduced its $1,000 iPhone X, with its new face-unlocking design and better screen technology. One survey conducted before the iPhone 12 announcement from Decluttr, a device recycler and reseller, found that a "staggering" 53% of respondents planned to buy the new iPhone, touching off what analysts call a "supercycle" of phone upgrades. Apple did notch an increase in iPhone sales in the three months following the release of the iPhone 12. In January, the company said iPhone sales during the holidays jumped 17% from the previous year, helping to lead the company to its highest recorded revenue and profit ever. "It is not far from any of our minds that this result caps off the most challenging year any of us can remember," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a call with investors after posting the company's financial results. "It is an understatement to say that the challenges it posed to Apple as a business paled in comparison to the challenges it posed to Apple as a community of individuals, to employees, to their families, and to the communities we live in and love to call home." "These results show the central role that our products played in helping our users respond to these challenges," Cook added. Though Apple's likely to offer a compelling upgrade to some customers, it's happening at a time of turmoil both within and outside the tech industry. For the past year and a half, the pandemic has forced Apple, Microsoft, Sony and many other tech companies to hold events online. The virus has upended billions of people's lives around the world, forcing entire countries into quarantine in efforts to stop its spread. Those disruptions have also slowed manufacturing and shipping around the world, exacerbating parts shortages that have delayed production of new computers, cars and video game consoles. Apple so far has been able to keep products largely in stock, analysts say, due in part to the company's savvy management of its supply chain. While the iPhone will be a key product we see at Apple's event this year, and likely what most people focus their attention on, the company's expected to have other devices to show off. Those include new Mac computers with upgraded chipsand new iPads. When is the Apple event? Apple's online-only event will be Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. PT, which is 1 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. BST and Sept. 15 at 3 a.m. AEST. (Sorry, Australia.) Where can I watch Apple's livestream? You'll be able to stream Apple's event straight from the Website. Meanwhile, we'll be reporting on the event live here at bustl.io What can we expect, besides the iPhone 13 launch? Apple's digital events are fast paced and slickly produced. And there are at least one or two jokes they throw in to keep you entertained. Maybe they'll even make a Mamas and Papas joke, but don't bet on it.

#Keys, Keys, Keys & more keys… if you thought cool tech couldn’t get any more cool - well how about hotel keys, work keys, building keys, garage keys - friend’s keys, and stated IDs. On Wednesday, Apple announced the feature allowing iPhone owners to store their ID within the Wallet app will first debut in Arizona and Georgia. They will be followed by Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah. What about Louisiana? (Our hearts are with the hurricane survivors & our chief engineer 👨‍💻 as they rebuild) but on a digital ID standard... Louisiana was 1 of the first states to grant digital IDs as legal proof. What they failed to mention is that Louisiana has already established the validity of digital IDs since 2020. They even have an app in the App Store lol... Official Louisiana Digital Driver's License - LA Wallet So what's up ? Will IDs be in Louisiana? What about the rest of us... Well for now, I guess keep an ID in your pocket...

LINK "but it means we are lousy at predicting the future." As business owners, entrepreneurs, delusional experts, we are highly skilled in our trade typically but we can't be good at everything as much as we want to. I found this article to be quite entertaining and interesting. Bustl.io What personal or business deadlines have you set for yourself previously and how long did it actually take? what are some of your current projects and deadlines and what are you doing to cultivate a habit of efficacy? iPhone Answers

How many of you have ever felt like Siri is just a tad too invasive? I know I do sometimes. What if there was an answer to the questions we were afraid to ask her? That's why I'm going to share with you 7 questions that are guaranteed not to offend your personal assistant! (Some answers vary based on iOS. Some have been discontinued & there's new ones as well. Cool thing is... you can get 400 commands right here: How to Siri) Did you know that Siri is your personal assistant? She's been with you since the very beginning and has seen all of your embarrassing moments. In fact, she can answer any question about anything. So in case it's been awhile since you've asked Siri a question, we have compiled this list of 7 questions for her to help get those creative juices flowing again. 1) What are some new swears I can use? 2) Where do I hide my body after murdering someone? 3) How do I make myself cry on command? 4) Which is more dangerous: knives lor guns? 5) What should my funeral look like when I die next year at 95 years old (just kidding)? 6) Should I invest in bitcoins? 7) Can you make a long story short? - what do you want to ask Siri? Setup your custom Siri for business.

A Disjointed workforce August 2, 2021 Bustl The annoyed demand of the work staff vs the high pressure of outcome or mission base solution leadership. There's only 2 truths to the busy life. we must feel productive so if I spent an hour re-organizing my drawer, I'll feel good & show everyone my pretty drawer. We had hungry eyes & bit off way more than we could handle. But now my ego is whispering sweet nothings to my ears so I'll pretend I'm a badass & doing so many things when in fact nothing is moving forward. First, to expect a society to execute an inherent solution to the way we work instantly is fucking ridiculous. It is as ridiculous that we still have fax machine, beepers and plastic bags. The fact, we are human after all & sometimes we're on a roll others well we don't have a clue. But the pressure is on with layered obstacles. Companies have to quickly reformat processes, 1/2 of the time have not been tested or worked through and staff have to train & adapt to their new roles at home & at "hommme" the new office. In our personal life we are surrounded by technology that for the most part work seamlessly... it may feel outrageous that your work emails are chaos. We must also understand that didn't just happen in 1. year. iPhones have been around for 14 years & the buzz words of Automation & integration are still foreign... I feel that is outrageous¡ yeah I said it... ya'll couldn't tell me one effective tool that exist out there - because there is none. INTEGRATION & COLLABORATION ARE DISGUISES FOR EFFICIENCY AS PRODUCTIVITY. PRODUCTIVITY DOES NOT MEAN FAST OR EFFICIENT OR EVEN EFFECTIVE. IT SIMPLY STATE A LARGE QUANTITY WAS ACHIEVED. Which can still be very impressive - but in this new world, we are embarking a new required permanent work synergy that for a long time was believed to harness lower performances. They won't admit it, in the current climate but I guarantee if you'd asked any mid-upper management their thoughts on home base offices - 97.3% would say & believe their workforce performance would suffer. But we don't have enough evidence to truly state that one is better than the other. In the end it is truly left to wits and based on lifestyle & preference & if you just simply like to be around people all day or not. We have to sort-of-dance for now & just do what kind of works until we find our new groove. Let's give our leaders a little grace in the process to implement something globally that has been available to us personally for a decade & we don't even use it. If you work at a corporation maybe ask what feedback can I give in the way I operate my role that can give insight to upper management in their research. If you're self employed maybe ask what is 1. step I've been putting off for no real reason other than stubbornness, ego, or fear to accept that maybe I've been busy to be busy. as I stated earlier... **There's only 2 truths to the busy life. we must feel productive so if I spent an hour re-organizing my drawer, I'll feel good & show everyone my pretty drawer. We had hungry eyes & bit off way more than we could handle. But now my ego is whispering sweet nothings to my ears so I'll pretend I'm a badass & doing so many things when in fact nothing is moving forward. With that being said - 😎 for 5 easy payments you can be task free... jk check out +100 things your iPhone can do I bet you didn't know 1/2 of them. In fact - we know this & so we are doing alternating days live event. Check out the new stories page. We're building a catalog of client stories - their business & their journey.

We are striving to be a wealth of resource for your business. So we are launching app of the week. Although you may know, I'm an addict for staying as native as possible to the iPhone's capabilities. There's definitely a place for 3rd party apps.

Inside the ADHD mind https://www.additudemag.com/dealing-with-adhd-80-coping-strategies/ ADHD minds are creative minds. We see solutions where others see only insurmountable, exhausting problems. This is especially true when those “problems” are idiosyncrasies associated with ADHD. Case in point: An ADDitude reader recently shared with us this everyday life hack: Set your co!eemaker to brew at 7 am — and remove the pot. If you don’t get up, you will have a kitchen counter covered in java. Brilliant! Here, find a wide range of creative tips — straight from the ADDitude community — for handling the challenges that life throws at adults and parents living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD). checkout shortcuts to help stay productive For Adults with ADHD: Best Tips For Disorganization I carry a colorful wallet, so I can find it quickly in my handbag. A few times a year, I get a clutter companion to help me sort clutter into four piles: “keep,” “toss,” “donate,” and “age.” I revisit the “age” items three months later, and make a decision then. I invite people over for dinner or a visit, so I have to clean up to get ready for them. [Get This Free Download: 11 ADHD Coping Mechanisms] I create a document “hot spot” for time-sensitive documents. I place up to five papers there, each representing a di!erent task that needs to be attended to within the next 24 hours. I stay organized by hanging a list of tasks to do on the inside of my front door. I see it several times a day, including every time I leave the apartment. I attach electronic fobs to my keys and other important items. I press a button on the base unit and follow the beeps to my keys. I keep a small plastic baggie in my purse for receipts and another in the glove compartment of my car. [Take This Test: Are Your Clutter and Disorganization Out of Control?] I store items that are used together near each other, so I don’t have to run around to get the things I need to do a job. I keep wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and ribbons in the same closet. I clean up in stages. I’ll dust everything one day, clean the sink and toilet while my daughter is in the bath, and vacuum all the rooms on another day. I turn on music and keep moving while I clean and tidy up from room to room. I write important things down on brightly colored paper. It’s easier to find an orange or green to-do list if, and when, I misplace it. After I clean up my dining room table, I set the table, so that I won’t put stu! on it again. I write myself a note and stick it right in my pocket. When I reach for something in that pocket, I see what I need to do. For Adults with ADHD: Best Tips For Impulsive Moments I say the Serenity Prayer a lot. In situations in which I might be impulsive, I tell myself to “play the tape forward.” It makes a huge di!erence for me. My wife has been good at helping me be aware of my impulses. My biggest strategy is delay. I let a totally urgent impulse (usually a purchase) wait for a few days, up to a few months. If it’s really important, the “need” will still be there. I turn an imaginary key in my pocket to “lock” my mouth when I want to say something impulsively. I start each day with a five-minute mindfulness session, and I set a daily intention, which I focus on throughout the day. For instance: “Today I will notice my emotions and urges before acting on them.” I also set a reminder to do this, to keep me focused on it. To curb impulsive shopping, I ask myself: Do I really need it? Do I absolutely love it? Do I know exactly where it will live at home? If I want to make an impulsive clothes purchase, I have rules: It has to fit me perfectly, look great on me, and I have to have a place in mind to wear it. If I answer no to any of these questions, I don’t buy it. My impulse buys have been greatly reduced by using my smartphone camera! I take a picture of anything that looks awesome that I want. Later on, I look at the picture or show it to my husband, and decide if I still want it. I mentally erase the faces of people that I have an urge to say something personal to. This helps me address the problem, not the person. Google Keep is my favorite “jot down idea” app, because I can set reminders for my habit. When I jot down what I want to say, the impulsive feeling is quelled. I plan ahead. I make sure I know who, what, where, and when before I go to an event or a meeting. One of my favorite relaxation techniques has always been to clean house. It keeps me focused and physically engaged. When I clean something, anything, and make it look like new, I feel not only satisfaction but accomplishment. When I am stressed, I read through e-mails that are unimportant. It distracts me, so I can calm myself down. Meditation. It calms me, and helps me clear my brain of life’s challenges. I feel like I can start fresh. Music and exercise! I was a dancer for 10 years, so turning on music and moving my body settles me very quickly. I also run, do strength training, or get outside, no matter what the weather is like. The smells, sounds, sun on my skin, and the beauty that surrounds me calm me immediately. Listening to audio books satisfies my desire to read, and lets me think about the book, not the rest of the world. The more I look at my phone, the less I can settle my mind. By putting the phone down, I unplug from social media and the Internet, reminding me that it’s only a small part of my life. I garden for two hours a day. I do Zumba. I have to focus so hard on getting the steps right that I can’t think about anything else. My Bible and Christian and classical music calm me. I have memorized many verses that remind me of my worth in God’s eyes. I also refer to verses that remind me that I can do what I need to do. Going for a walk in the woods helps, as does planning some time in the day when I’m allowed to just daydream. For Adults with ADHD: Best Tips For Getting Things Done The Google calendar on my smartphone, with its reminder notifications and e-mails, is a lifesaver for me. Because it is on my phone, I am likely to have it with me at home, at work, or on the run. E-mailing myself is a good way to keep track of work that has been accomplished or is underway. My e- mails remind me of things to do while my mind is focused on something else. Call me old-fashioned, but sticky notes and making lists are key for me to remember what I need to do. As an online college student, I paste my school assignments for the week into an e-mail I send to myself. As I complete assignments, I remove them from this list. It is impossible to lose the list. I have one notebook that I write everything in. My smartphone is my backup brain! Forget paper organizers. I take pictures when I see something that catches my interest that I want to do something about. I don’t have to write down a phone number or other information. Google Calendar helps you organize your schedule by blocking out your time in di!erent colors — very helpful for people with ADHD who need things to stand out. A family calendar keeps everyone’s activities written down in one place. “Mom’s Taxi” is doing much better at dropping o! and picking up the kids because there’s a calendar hanging up in an obvious place. I use a Passion Planner. It’s a regular, pen-and-paper planner, but it has monthly “check up” questions to see how my month was. I can assess how I did with managing my time and get positive quotations to inspire me. I use a pen/paper/calendar approach. Writing things down helps me to remember them, and hanging the calendar in a busy area gets me to notice when things are happening/due. For Parents: Best ADHD Discipline Tips When my son acts up, I take a time-out. I say, “I need time alone” and go to another room for a few minutes. Now he occasionally does this, too. I never let my out-of-control child cause me to respond to him in kind. I talk to him in a calm voice. I sit down with my child and make up reward coupons. The coupons are for whatever he loves to do — stay up late on a weekend night, eat pizza, earn $5. The point is to motivate the child to learn self-control. I help my daughter feel valued, loved, and competent. When I do that, she is more likely to listen to me when I ask her to do something or not do something. I keep my words to a minimum when I discipline my son. Words are like tires. Each time they rotate against the pavement, they lose tread and become less e"cient at starting, stopping, and steering. When I give my son commands, I use the same basic sentence structure for each one. For example, “Justin, you need to turn o! the television” or “Justin, you need to put your shoes in your closet.” He soon realizes that any time he hears his name followed by “you need to,” he must comply. I have a plan in place for when my teen misbehaves. If he skips school, calls me names, or breaks curfew, I know what I will say and how I will act, so I can deal with things calmly and constructively. We do not criticize or punish him for things that are not under his control — such as the biological symptoms of ADHD. An adolescent with ADHD who has an emotional meltdown is not being “bad” — he is being emotional. To avoid getting angry at my son’s misbehavior, I think like a cop. When a policeman pulls you over for speeding, he doesn’t yell at you or tell you how awful you are. He says, “Do you realize how fast you were going? License and registration.” You did the crime, you get the punishment. My son doesn’t intuitively know what’s expected of him and what’s going to happen, so I make a point of telling him ahead of time. I talk softly, so that my son has to quiet down to hear me. His curiosity causes him to listen up. For Parents: Best Tips For Getting Teachers On Your Team Be as nice as possible and volunteer frequently for school activities. The school tends to help the child of the parent who is always helping the school. We work best with teachers when we keep communication lines open. We ask for their suggestions to help us work together e!ectively. We acknowledge that our children’s needs require extra time and e!ort from them, and we make sure to thank them. I e-mail teachers with positive feedback. Homing in on those teachers who accept your child, and encourage him, gets better results than trying to change a teacher who may never understand. Show respect to the teacher, and he will respect the needs of your child. I call teachers by their first names. It breaks down the parent-teacher barrier and encourages open discussion and partnership. I bring a snack to teacher meetings. The teachers appreciate it, and it gets the meeting o! to a good start. I always start the meeting by telling my son, “This is the team that wants to see you do well at school. They want to know what will help you. Can you tell them what you think will help you do your best, and why you think it will help?” The teacher and I share information, which has made us closer. We use a behavior card that goes from home to school, and back, each day. I send the teacher handy tips that I think are helpful from websites that address attention deficit. I sometimes give a quick reminder to a teacher about the basics of an ADHD or Asperger diagnosis. It helps to re-focus her to be more positive in working toward a solution. I calm him down before he starts — whether by playing with putty or a fidget toy. Oral stimulation takes the edge o!, too: blowing bubbles, sucking sour candy or applesauce through a straw, or eating crunchy carrots. After this rest period, he is ready to go. Because our son cannot handle normal household distractions, we take him to our public library every night when he has homework. I play on my computer or read a book while he does his work. He works and I relax. We make homework a chore that he gets paid for. I spend 15 minutes in the room with him, reading a magazine or organizing a drawer, until he gets underway with his homework. My presence settles his mind. Hiring a tutor helped our teen organize and complete his work. He respects her, and his dad and I are no longer the “bad guys” in the homework battle. Have her do it in school. My daughter was too embarrassed to be in a resource class, so she does her homework sitting outside the counselor’s o"ce. Joining a homework club has been a godsend. My son gets help right after school, while his meds are still working. We scheduled an empty period in her school day, when she is most focused, to allow her to do her homework. My son uses the “shifts approach” when studying. “Shifting” is not multitasking, it is having a student work on a subject until his attention starts drifting. When it drifts, he works on another subject. For Parents: Best Tips For Kids Who Can’t Get To Sleep I dim the lights in my twin daughters’ room, rock them in the rocking chair, read them a story, sing to them a bit, and then put on a special CD. They know that, when the CD starts, it is time for sleep. We talk about my son’s day. We put all the good things on an imaginary disk and file it away in his memory bank. I ask him to delete the bad things, and he winds up falling asleep. My daughter, who has ADHD and ODD, takes 5 mg. of melatonin before bed. It calms her down in 45 minutes, and helps her sleep soundly. I have my son take a lukewarm bath or shower before bed, then have him read. The routine is reassuring to him and calms him down. I give him a warm glass of milk and a nice, gentle back massage. We play classical music and a repetitive video, like an animated ball bouncing across a TV or computer screen. I turned my child’s bed away from the doorway, so he isn’t disturbed by light coming through it. And I bought a clock with a face that lights up only when it is pressed. Light is disruptive to a sound sleep. I use a window fan to block out noise from the house and street. Also, I remove scratchy tags from pajamas, and I never combine flannel pajamas with flannel sheets. They stick together, which can prevent a child from settling down. I have my child focus on her breathing while she visualizes an elevator, gently ascending and descending with every inhalation and exhalation. She is in dreamland in five minutes. I lower the lights and have my son pray. I tell him to trust God to quiet his mind. [Get This Free Download: Sleep Solutions for Kids with ADHD] Best Strategies for Living Well with ADHD APPS 4 U: Do More Each Day My daughter uses the app Brili to accomplish routines that used to take more than an hour and required my supervision. With the app, she knocks things out in 40 minutes without supervision. I struggle with finances, and my husband and I fight about them a lot, especially when I make impulse purchases. The app YNAB (#CommissionsEarned) is a godsend. I am always late for something — business meetings, dates, and so on — because I always start out late. Waze is a great tra"c app that gets me to work and other places on time. Out of Milk helps me organize grocery lists. With this app, I scan in and categorize my household inventory, and set up specific lists for each place I will need to shop. We all forget our password from time to time, even if we don’t have ADHD. LastPass is a lifesaver when this happens. I create a master password, and the app gives me access to the 40 passwords I use. APPS 4 U: Calm Down Headspace and Calm provide guided meditation. After a couple of minutes of listening, my brain is much calmer. I use an app called Breathe2Relax. It never fails to slow me down and come back to the present. I use BOLD Tranquility, which is like taking a 15-minute nap. It leaves me refreshed. I also listen to Yoga Nidra when my mind is racing. Its guided meditation scripts are calming. Naturespace delivers 3D nature sounds. The sound is so realistic that I feel like I’m actually at the beach, meadow, wherever. APPS 4 U: Manage Time I love IQTell, which I use on my smartphone, iPad, and laptop. All of my e-mail and tasks are in one place, and as I receive new e-mail, the app allows me to turn it into tasks, projects, contacts, and calendars. Google Keep. It allows me to make a list and to set a reminder based on date and exact time. CalenMob syncs my school assignment calendar, Google Calendar, and Outlook Calendar into one place, so I don’t have to check three calendars. This has cut down on double- and triple-booking myself. The Pocket app saves links to articles I want to read later. I love Cortana. My phone is connected to my car through Bluetooth, so if I’m driving and remember something I need to do, I speak to Cortana to set a reminder. I use the Home Routines app. I check o! my tasks, and the next day, the app resets them for me, based on what I have accomplished the day before. It’s invaluable. The biggest helper I have is an app called ColorNote. I can talk or type a new note at any time and put whatever I want into that note. Otherwise, I can’t remember where I put things I wrote down or what program I put them in. SUPPORT ADDITUDE Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. 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