24 Seven October 2021

October 2021 Issue
How To Eat A
Waffle While ADHD
Written by Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD ® , CVPO
A
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) is a brain-based condition that affects
all aspects of a person’s life. Often attributed to an understimulated
pre-frontal cortex, the area of the brain that
governs executive function, someone with ADHD may
experience inattention, hyperfocus, and the feeling of
having a brain with a Ferrari motor but bicycle brakes.
These challenges can make even the simplest task feel
like a Herculean obstacle. Let’s use making breakfast as
an example.
Someone with a neurotypical brain will wake up, feel
hungry, and decide to have breakfast. She’ll go into the
kitchen, open the freezer, take out the box of waffles,
close the freezer, pull out two waffles from the box, put
the waffles into the toaster, close the box of waffles, put
it back into the freezer, close the freezer, take a plate out
of the cabinet, take a fork and knife from the drawer, go
to the refrigerator, take out butter and syrup, close the
fridge, put everything on the table, set it, take the toasted
waffles from the toaster, sit down, and eat.
Someone with an ADHD brain will wake up, feel
hungry, and think, “I should make something to eat.”
She’ll go into the bathroom, brush her teeth, and go
downstairs to the kitchen. She’ll see yesterday’s mail on
the counter, smack herself on the forehead, and remember
an unpaid bill.
She’ll go into the room where her laptop should be,
hunt through the piles of papers on the floor, find it, take
it back to the kitchen, and put it on the counter.
She’ll remember she’s hungry and open the freezer,
intending to have waffles.
She’ll see the salmon filet she bought the other day
and think, “Yum. I’ll have salmon for dinner tonight.”
She’ll take the salmon out of the freezer and put it on the
counter, where she sees the laptop and remembers she
needs to pay that bill.
She’ll open the laptop and turn it on. Her stomach will
growl and she’ll turn back to the freezer, noticing she left
the door open. Again.
She’ll pull out the box of waffles, close the door, walk
to the toaster, take out two waffles, put them in the
toaster, and put the box on the counter.
She’ll go back to the laptop, log into the bank website,
see her account is overdrawn, groan, “Not again.” She’ll
search frantically for the log-in information for her
investment account, find it in a digital list she made five
years ago, and schedule a transfer to the bank. It’ll take
three days to clear. Her bank session expires and she’s
logged off the website.
She smells something burning. The waffles!
She goes upstairs, searches for her purse and keys on
the floor next to the bed, finally finds them, comes back
downstairs, goes out the door, remembers to lock it, gets
into her car, planning to get a bagel, finds she’s out of
gas, goes back inside and crawls into bed.
About The Author
GAYLE M. GRUENBERG
Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD ® , CVPO is the chief executive
organizer of Let’s Get Organized, LLC, an organizer coach, and
the creator of the Make Space for Blessings system.
To Learn More Visit:
www.LGOrganized.com