A friend of mine has always had a habit that I am enviable of. Making lists.
He is self employed and keeps written lists as well as keeping track of things on his laptop.

It's ironic of the two of us I am the one that's "book smart". I can recite all types of facts on varied topics. Yet when I am with him I see the diligence he applies to writing things down. He even plans out his days off. And I feel like a moron.

It's weird I watch him writing things down and while I have the intellectual capability to make a list, actually doing so is like trying to decipher Eygptian hieroglypics.

The simplest way I can describe it is something is missing. I can write a list but I have such an incredible aversion toward it. I realize it is a one of the ways ADD manifests itself.

If I were Santa Claus a lot of kids would get screwed on Christmas. I wouldn't make a list and check it twice. I would have no clue who is naughty or who is nice.

Making lists is second nature for me-that is how I survived as an adult with undiagnosed ADD; making lists was also a way of dealing with the anxiety of daily life, but actually delayed my diagnosis.

I know ADDers who, like you, are unable to just pick up the pencil and "just do it."

I love list!!
Some list are to help me remember important things.
Like the shopping list and important events coming up.
And also things that are important to my friends.
So I'll remember to ask things like, Did you have a good vacation?

Other list I write for fun.
Like a reading list and a books to buy list.
The last list I wrote was of all the new TV's shows.
I want to remember to watch for this fall season.

yep, I'm a list person, too! It was also a survival mechanism I learned before being diagnosed. Funny now that I'm on meds I don't write hardly any lists.

I like to make lists, too. I'm just not very good at following them. Or finding them. Or even looking at them. For instance, I almost always have a grocery list, yet I shop at a super-store (grocery/department store) and I am constantly traipsing back and forth from one end to the other because I've missed something on the list.

I guess I could make a really organized list based on a store map and chart my route through the store. But that sounds really anal. And wandering through the store looking at "stuff," as distracting as it is, is also a way for me to "escape" the chaos of home on a regular basis (I'm usually doing my shopping at night, since the store's open 24-7).

One of my biggest problems is keeping all my lists, calendar info, phone numbers, etc., in one place that's accessible from anywhere (home, office, out-and-about). Anyone got any great ideas for that (that don't involve hauling a file cabinet with me)? I can't afford a Palm Pilot or laptop right now -- but are there other ideas?

Lists-r-me. Cannot follow through, though, with stimulant meds.

I make a list, loose the list, forget about the list, spend a lot of time searching for the list, get distracted looking for the list and do something else, make a new list but forget what was on the first one, get distracted again and end up doing maybe one item on the original list. Waste a lot of time in general and generally finish very little.

One book I read suggested for peole with ADD that the list shoud be no more than 5 items and on a BRIGHTLY coloured posted or note book.

Ritalin has helped a lot. I make my list for the next day in the evening and it does seem to be working sometimes. I seem to be able to stick to what I start now and finish it. I am also less likely to get distracted or loose the list.

hey i always have made a list never stuck with it

I'm right there with you on the making list thing. I do however use little post-it notes in prominate places to remember important things out of my routine. Example: a needing to take diapers to daycare in the next day or so, may prompt a little post-it on my car dash that says diapers.

I've resisted getting a palm pilot to this point, but may decide to later. I use my yahoo account to keep calander and addy info for now. It will send me text messages for appointment reminders or email or messenger notices. I can also access from my cell phone if I need to, but I pretty much just keep important info in both places, because it's more convenient.

As long as you have internet access and a cell phone you can do alright with MSN or Yahoo (both are free services..just sign up). I personally loose my calanders and organizers buried beneath something or just forget them.
jan :)

:eyebrow: PS- another teacher that I work with makes her grocery list according to the store map, and has to place the items on the checkout stand in a certain order. It's extremely anal.

I gave up on making lists so I just walk through every aisle of the store so I don't miss anything. It works.

I make lists about everything everyday...I am overambitious though which sets me up for disappointment if I don't watch myself. I like to see the to-do's checked. So the trick for me is to limit the number of entries.
Other lists I keep in a notebook together are on too many subjects to LIST:D...Mike/NY it's possible I have a list with your name on it..I know there are some of these other monkeys on a list somewhere.

~gourmet~

Keep everything on Yahoo Calendar and Yahoo Notes. Print it regularly, but can access/update/print from anywhere there is Internet: office, school, international, etc.

Have been doing it successfully for years-works better for me than PalmPilot.

I'm very bad at some lists, very good at others. I can make lists just fine, but following the steps on a list...not so fine. For instance, the other day, my medicine wore off in class, and I made a list of everything that's wrong with me. However, I also made a list of all the work I have to do tonight earlier today...and I have accomplished negative 3 of those items. That's right, I've actually added items, without accomplishing any of them. Hoorah!

An old boss taught me that making lists are a good thing. I too like them and they work well for me, but I don't have the attention span to stick with them..:(

I love my yahoo Calander tools too. It's great that i can even text message myself if I'm not near my computer.

I make a list on a BRIGHT post-it at work...
I make a list on the Dry Erase board right next to my desk with bright colors...
I make a list of alarms on my cell phone the night before so I don't forget to do the time-cards, take out the trash, remember lunch...etc....works GREAT!!!

I forget stuff all the time though...I can't make a list and bring it home cause i will forget it in my purse...in the car my room and then it's gone forever...

I think the actual action of collecting my thoughts long enough to write a list is the important thing, not the list itself. It is amazing how much of the "list" sticks in my head even if I lose it. It is also a calming mechanism for me. When I feel my world rocketing out of control, making a list helps me get it back in perspective.

Kimalimah I agree it is calming to have those list's.
It takes away some of the worry for me about forgetting something.