Paper or Electronic Calendar?  When you're ADD, it's whatever is easiest for you.

One thing I quickly learned when coaching ADD-ADHD Adults is that many don't use a calendar.  When someone hires me to help them gain control of planning, structuring and scheduling, getting them on a calendar system is a priority.

Those of us with ADD know that if we don't like a system, we won't use it. So for each individual it's important to determine what kind of calendar they're most likely to use regularly.  Although many people feel like they “should” go for an electronic calendar, that's not always the most practical or appealing solution.

Week-at-a-Glance Capability

For seeing a view of your week, I'm fond of the old-fashioned “week-at-a-glance” calendars that used to be given to every employee in larger offices.  They were spiral-bound, flat, light-weight, easy to take to meetings, and listed all the work hours by line so you could easily write appointments in their time slot.  Assuming you kept the calendar up to date, you just looked at your week and saw every meeting and appointment.  So it was simple to see how much time you had available to actually do work.

No problem if you forget to “SAVE”

Another advantage of paper calendars is it's really hard to screw up an entry!  With my Blackberry, even though I'm really careful, there are still times I end up entering an appointment in the wrong week.  And last week — to my embarrassment — I missed an appointment with a new client that I KNOW I entered.  But I probably forgot to hit “Save.”  So the entry disappeared as soon as I changed screens.

Even if you're using an electronic calendar or PDA, you can print out the weekly or monthly view to have with you at all times.   Just be sure to sync it regularly, because trying to work from more than one calendar is a recipe for disaster!

Interesting Link: Click here to make your own calendar!