Check your bills and find money

As a person with ADHD, I don't like paying attention to detail, but I have found that if I don't pay attention to my bills, it can cost me. I have simplified most of my bill paying, thanks to online banking and automatic bill paying. This gets bills paid on time, but I still need to take time, at least once in awhile, to go online and look through the individual bills. I discover extra charges and fees that I would not have noticed. With a few phone calls I can solve the problem and get the money back in my account, and so can you.

I just did some bill paying this morning, and discovered an extra $9.99 charge on my cell phone bill. I looked through the bill, and found it was for a premium text messaging service. I pay a fee for unlimited text messaging, but this was a charge from a private company. I knew that I would not voluntarily add an extra $9.99 to my bill, so I called the cell phone company. They gave me the phone number of the private company - so I had to make another call. I was told I had signed up for a "word of the day" service. I guess I did, but thought it was for free. Instead of reading the agreement, which slipped in the information about the $9.99 fee, I just checked that I had read it. I had started to receive the text messages, but thought it was from someone I was following on Twitter, which is free. The company was very cooperative. I was told that they would cancel the service and issue me a refund. It wasn't brilliant for me to have gotten myself into this, but at least I got out with no charge.

A couple of months ago, I changed banks, which involved changing all of my automatic bill paying information with all of the companies I deal with. Some of these companies still tried to get the payment from the old account, resulting in charges for in extra service charges and late fees. Because I took the time to review the bills, I discovered the fees. A couple of them slipped by for a couple of months, since I don't check them every month. I ended up getting back over $100.00 that I would have missed, since they were not large amounts. For example, one was for $39.00, another was for $25.00, and another was for only $10.00. Sometimes, it's as easy as asking. Even if you are guilty of a late fee once in while, and don't make a habit of it, most companies will give you a one time courtesy of removing the fee.

Every little bit helps, and although not a fortune, I would rather spend the money on things I need than give it to companies who are taking my money because of a mistake. I find it is easier to get into the details of the bills when I set aside time to do it, without interruptions. Once I am in that mode, it gets easier. It's time worth spending.

© 2009 Organized Enough® LLC

Organizing and Productivity Coaching for ADHD Students
http://www.organizedenough.com/

Memorial Day weekend - relax and enjoy - even if you have ADHD

Memorial Day Weekend - relax and enjoy! For some people, that's just a given. If you have ADHD, you may be participating in activities that are fun and relaxing, but your mind is forever active. As a person with ADHD, it has taken me a long time to learn to truly relax when I have the opportunity.

I may be sitting on the beach, and along with the sun, and sounds of the ocean, my brain is processing projects I need to start, uncompleted projects, the house I should have cleaned before I left, and more. I have learned to get beyond that by planning how I spend my time. I now schedule time during the week to work on housework, work on my business, and time for guilt-free rest/play time. If you know that there will be a time next week when you will be working on the things that start going through your head when you are trying to relax, then you can let go of them, and enjoy. Rest time is planned rest time, and can truly be peaceful and rejuvenating. Imagine that!

Enjoy the weekend, and take the time to remember all those who have given so much for our country.

Get should's off your shoulders

Should's weigh us down and drain our energy. I should work on that project. I should call that friend. I should lose weight. I should exercise. I have discovered that when I say "should" what it really means is that I am only thinking about it, and don't intend to do it - at least not right now. Nontheless, these thoughts keep circulating in my head, and take up time and space in my life. Now, instead of "shoulding" on myself I decide, and you can too.

• Decide if you can do it today. If so, then schedule it, and take care of it today.
• Decide if it can or even would be better accomplished on another day. If it can, then put it on your calendar, and forget about it until then.
• Decide if you want to do it at all. Maybe it is a friend who you no longer have anything in common with. Maybe it's a creative project you started, like scrapbooking, or building something, and you lost interest, or your life just doesn't allow time for it now. Let it go.
• Decide if what you think you should be doing are "should's" that other people have placed on you. You should volunteer for a committee, or bake something, or organize trip, and so much more. You don't have to please everyone, and you can say "No." If you feel like you have to say more, just say "No, I can't." Let it go.

I have found that when I change "shoulds" to decisions, I have lifted a heavy weight off of my shoulders. I have more energy, and a clearer focus for the things I decide to do.

© 2009 Organized Enough® LLC

Organizing and Productivity Coaching for ADHD Students
http://www.organizedenough.com/

Hand Washing - Are you doing it correctly?

New cases of swine flu are still being reported every day. Fortunately, most people who have suffered with it have recovered. We are told not to panic, but to do what we can to prevent it. One of the most important things you can do, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Mayo Clinic, is to wash your hands frequently. Washing them frequently won't do the job, unless you take the time to do it correctly. Everyone is in a hurry, some more than others, and I have been paying attention to how people wash their hands. Some just rinse, and don't use soap; other use soap, for about two seconds, and call it done. Here's a refresher on the correct way to wash your hands to help you stay well. This is from information I gathered from the web, as well as what I learned when I worked at a hospital.

• Wet your hands first under running water - warm water is best
  
• Then apply soap - liquid or bar soap are both fine - and lather
  
• Rub your hands together - not just your palms. Wash the back of your hands; under your fingernails; between your fingers - you can do this by folding your hands and rubbing your fingers together
• It is important that you do it long enough. The Mayo clinic recommends at least 15 to 20 seconds. I have heard that you should wash your hands for at least as long as it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song
• Rinse your hands with warm water
• Dry them with a clean regular towel or paper towel
• When you turn off the faucet, you should turn it off with the towel

If soap and water is not available, it's o.k. to use the alcohol based hand sanitizers. For more on the hand sanitizers and hand washing you can visit the Mayo Clinic site http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407
The main thing is to take the time to do it right. The time you take washing your hands and doing it correctly, is worth more than the time it would take you to be sick.

Copyright 2009 Organized Enough LLC
Organizing and Productivity Coaching for ADHD Students http://www.organizedenough.com