Happily, we now know these as symptoms of ADD or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Yet, many people, including some doctors, still see ADD or ADHD as the result of bad parenting due to a lack of discipline in the home. Yet, attention deficit is a definite neurological difference in the human brain. There is no clear-cut way to scientifically test for the variance. However, there is a certain set of behaviors that, when exhibited for a period of six months or longer and are severe enough to disrupt people's lives, seem to point to attention deficit.

Only recently, however, have theses patterns been acknowledged in adults. Recent statistics show that 70% of children with ADD will outgrow it by the time they're teenagers, but it's now recognized that 15 to 20% still exhibit symptoms into their adulthood. ADD, when not treated by medication or counseling, can lead to bigger problems like addiction, depression, career-related issues, and difficulty forming strong inter-personal relationships.

When properly treated, however, adults with ADD or ADHD can live happier lives. That's what we're all about---finding ADD-friendly systems and solutions to make your life a little easier. It's important to plug into things that work for you based on how your brain works when you have attention deficit. But just what is an ADD-friendly system?

Let's say that you're a work-at-home mom. You have a husband's schedule to remember because he works different hours every day. Then, there are the kids with their after-school and summer activities and sports practices. Plus, you're trying to run your own home-based business. How do you keep everything that you need to know straight?

Train yourself to some type of planner.

For instance, if you have Microsoft Outlook, it has a calendar function you can use. Plug in all the times and dates as they arise. You're probably sitting in front of the computer a good portion of every day, so it will be easy for you to do that. Keep it open in your taskbar all day long so that you can refer to it often. Set up reminder sounds to tell you when something has to be done.

If you don't have Outlook, another good program for keeping your appointments straight is Time & Chaos. Or buy a daily planner or a handheld computer or cell phone, where you can write things in wherever you may be. Even a simple calendar on the wall or on your desk, with big squares that you can write into will do the trick.

But if you want something really high-tech and user friendly at the same time, try Mark Joyner's Simpleology at http://simpleology.com. His "Simple Science of Getting What You Want," also known as Simpleology 101 will organize every bit of time in your day and help you to see what you want in your life and to get it. Use it every single day. Simpleology even has a desktop solution that you can download to see your day plainly, every minute you're in front of the computer.

ADD sometimes makes it very hard to stay organized, so you must commit to building a system with one of these options and to follow it religiously. If you start the day organizing, and free your mind from worrying that you won't get something done on time, you'll be more productive.

Using ADD-friendly systems for everything from organization to achieving better interpersonal relationships can free your life. We'll be talking about these issues in the future, so be sure to stay tuned.