A Splintered Mind

It is Wensday. I will be writing soon. On a book and everything. Maybe even my current book. The question is what delayed me? After all, the week began three days ago. And Wensday's such an awkward day to begin. The week's half gone & it's not even spelled correctly. Friday, my ADDaboy! writing day, is right around the corner. That means I have to park my novel for another spell of blogging. The more I think about it, the more I realize that I am not happy about this. Wait, wasn't there a question? Right. What delayed me? I think I have the answer. This is a TweetStats chart of my Twitter activity  for @SplinteredMind . @DouglasCootey shares similar stats, but is less active. The chart is a great visual record of when I’m awake. In short, I’m working at the wrong times of the day, and I’m taking too long to get fired up and working. As you can see, my sleep schedule is turned around again. By the time I go to write, the girls are home a...

At first I thought the switch from MacBook to iPad couldn't have come at a worse time. Then I realized that as an adult with ADHD there never was a good time for such a switch. It was destined to disrupt my life. Exchanging one workflow for another always has a price in time lost for most people. Fortunately, I'm up to speed now and I expect more helpful apps will arise from the iPad walled garden with a bit of Apple sunshine, some consumer supplied water, and a developer's eager hoe. I can be patient. The real threat to my novels project is not my iPad. The iPad is slick, shiny, nifty, and fun. I rather like it. I love how light it is. I like the interface. I don't regret purchasing it. There are splendiferous apps coming out for it almost daily, and a lot of them are free or only 99¢. In time, my workflow will readjust and I will be on my way writing and writing and writing…assuming I can stop ADDaboy! from taking over my life. I don't like to let my disabil...

The Story So Far: Intrepid writer, Douglas Cootey, was sweet talked into promising his shiny, new MacBook to his high school sophomore. Two years later, his MacBook no longer shiny and his bank account even less so, the hour came to keep his promise. What was he to do? Fortunately, the noble and righteous Apple company bestowed upon its minions a new "magical" device that could do almost everything a laptop could do, do it with multi-touch style, and even cure cancer. Douglas was saved! Then he actually had to use the thing… If you've been following my blog for the past few months, you know I was getting an iPad . I had planned on writing about the experience weekly, but adapting from a MacBook to an iPad has been full of fascinating obstacles which have taken up my time. Adapting my computer life to the iPad while also balancing full-time Dad duties with a blogging gig over at HealthyPlace.com and disabilities has left me with little time for extracurricular writin...

ADDaboy! I spent most of April exploring ADHD issues with finishing projects and why we seem to collect them like free fifty dollar bills. Let me know what you think of the series. Finishing it nearly killed me, but I fortunately gnawed off my foot to keep in focus and finish the project series to the end. Part One: ADHD and the Allure of NEW Part Two: Your Mind Is an ADHD Comet. Take It For a Ride. Part Three: How to Work With Your ADHD On Projects Part Four: Hyper Motivated to Succeed Part Five: ADHD Tricks to Tame Your Pony Part Six: Adult ADHD: How To Pick One Project To Work On Part Seven: Keeping a Watchful Eye on ADHD-fueled Projects

ADDaboy! I've been so preoccupied that I've forgotten to announce what I've been up to over at HealthyPlace.com ADHD - I’m Only Mostly Organized I’m so disorganized. I seem to mess up paperwork on ADDitude Magazine every time. Can you relate with being so disorganized you lose important papers? 3 Ways To Not Be an ADHD Twitter Twit I’m simply going to tell you how to use Twitter without losing your ADHD self in it. One person has told me this advice doesn't help him at all, but if you find Twitter overwhelming at times, I highly recommend implementing some variation of these tips. I rely on them. Motivated to Procrastinate Do you have a difficult time getting things started? Find yourself highly motivated to find something else to do? Are you even aware when you do it? Today we’re going to discuss chronic procrastination—one of the hallmarks of adult ADHD. Putting the Brakes on ADHD-Fueled Road Rage Adults with ADHD often have anger issues, and nothing br...

There is a downside to Spring. It comes upon the wind and makes me regret I was ever born with a nose. There is an upside as well. It comes upon wings and greets my ear with melody. I could focus on the downside. I certainly can't ignore it. My nose and eyes bear the brunt of Spring's renewal today. However, considering that the downside has both my immunity system and my spirits in the dumps, I think I'd rather focus on the upside. As you know by now, I have purchased an iPad and given my very happy eighteen year old my " BlacBook " for college. This has been a sacrifice for me since the iPad—only three weeks old—lacks the applications I need to replace my MacBook fully. I manage by doing part of my writing on the iPad, then running downstairs to the aging Mac Mini to finish marking up and posting the article. The other day I was working on an ADDaboy! article on my iPad. I poked at the screen. Thought a bit. Poked some more. Looked out the back door. P...

Many people in forums across the internet have been complaining about how pricey the ebooks in the iBooks store are. Don't they realize we are seeing the results of the Kindle/Publisher war that Amazon.com lost? Don't they remember? Amazon.com was the bad guy. The agency model now rules. Publishers can now set their own prices. Huzzah! Customers get to pay $12.99 for an electronic file that is only readable in iBooks—a file that can be corrupted during a brownout, or even deleted. Victory! People can't loan the ebook to friends. They can't resell it when they no longer want it. Viva la revolución! I'm not a luddite. I've been enjoying digital music for so long some of my songs are MP2s. When iTunes Store opened, I was a steady customer. The price was just right. I could spend an hour trying to find a "free" version of a song, or a few minutes for a 99¢ one. It wasn't hard to decide how I should spend my time. Likewise, Kindle for the iPhone open...

Looks like our trip to Logan, Utah on Sunday pushed the steering wheel column on our Minivan past the point of the mountain. Severe leaking, no response—it's a metaphor for life. Lately I've been pushing myself to write ADDaboy! for HealthyPlace and have been finding myself wasted just to meet the challenge. I really thought this would be a good stretch for me, and it is, but it wasn't meant to be the only thing I was working on. I''m trying to implement some changes to allow for writing time. I'm trying to finish the two articles on the weekend before they are due so I have an entire week to do nothing but write in my novel. I'm spinning my wheels instead.  I am indeed finishing the articles early, but I spend the first few days of the week unable to do anything beyond Daddy Duty. Today is the first day I'm almost/kinda/sorta able to write and I'm doing it here instead. Did I ever mention I have ADHD? You may have noticed… Ah, there's...

I'm heading through mountain roads outside Logan, Utah after a day spent with family, and I'm feeling pretty good. The girls are listening to Rascal Flatts off an iPod and I've stopped ticking—leaving me free to write and think. I already did my part driving by getting us here in time for my nephew's blessing. It's my wife's turn now to take us leisurely home. The week ahead will pick up pace just as soon as we step through the front door. For now I'm happy to enjoy the scenery despite the overcast, gray sky. Snow covers the mountains in patches, reminding me that Winter has yet to release its grasp on the weather. As I reflect on my past week, I ponder on the hold my old problems have on my life. I wonder what I could have done differently. How could I have better used my time? My sleep schedule has flipped around again and I have been spending more time ticking than typing. Any productive writing time I have is spent on ADDaboy! My novel remains undist...