The Watch That Saves My Life Every Day

I love, love, LOVE this watch!! I recommend it to any and all of my clients who have issues with time management, ADD or being easily distracted.

I do believe it has saved my house from burning down countless times, as well as helps me parent my easily distracted kid.

The reason this watch is so different from any other watch is the "Countdown Timer" feature. (A feature that is, alas, not on the men's version of this watch!)

The countdown timer works simply: just press the upper right button once and it will set an alarm to go off in one minute. Press it twice and it will go off in three minutes. Press it thrice (LOVE saying thrice!), and it will go off in 5 minutes. You can press it up to seven times in a row to get an alarm up to 30 minutes in the future. (You can also set one alarm each day for a certain time: say you need to take a pill at noon each day.)

This little feature saves me from burning down the house when I leave the stove to go get the mail. I set my watch for one or three minutes, and if I get distracted by a neighbor, weeds or simply a squirrel (SQUIRREL!!) it starts beeping on cue and I remember to go back inside. I don't even have to look at the watch–I simply press the button and count how many times I press it.

It helps me parent because when I am being implored to let someone stay at the park "Just a few more minutes!" I can set my watch to 3 or 5 minutes and when it goes off, well, that's it. Can't argue with a watch like you can with your mom! (Well, OK you can argue, but it's a wee bit easier to say, OK, time's up!"

I know it's not the most stylish of watches. It harkens to 1978 very loudly. (Which was when, by the way, I bought a different digital watch with a seconds timer so I could time the prints and film I was developing in the darkroom. Oh, yeah, that dates me....)

The silver is a bit dressier and is the one I graduated to after I first bought the black plastic one. The gold one just looks a little too brassy for me, but it might work for someone. I wear mine every day and the finish does not seem to tarnish or wear off. They are also "Water Resistant."

All can be found cheaply online at Amazon (around $15) and I've seen them every so often at K-Mart or CVS for up to $25.00. Even the top price is well worth it in my estimation.

Casio Women's LA11WB-1 Daily Alarm Digital Watch

I receive no compensation from Casio or any other entity for my recommendation for this watch, nor do I sell this watch. Occasionally I give this watch to a client!

AlphaSmart Neo

Recently, a client of mine proudly showed off a new device she had purchased that is helping her with her writing tasks. It's called the AlphaSmart Neo keyboard. It's basically a portable digital typewriter. When you are ready to download your text into a word processing program, you just plug it into your computer where you can do your formal editing and formatting. Or you can print directly from the Neo to your printer.

Apparently it is quite popular in the schools for teaching kids keyboarding and writing, and has a "cult" following among journalists and NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) novelists. (The AlphaSmart makers have donated loaner Neos to NaNoWriMo organization.)

At first thought, one would think, "Well, why not just buy a laptop?"

Well, on second thought, there a number of reasons why this little device is so much better than a laptop...

1. It's a whole lot cheaper than a laptop. Around or under $200. Way less on e-bay. Drop it and break it and you are not out next month's rent or mortgage payment. (And many users remark at how durable it is.)

2. It's distraction-free. I think this is one of its biggest plusses. No internet connection. No other programs. No checking e-mail. No games. If you have writing to do, that's all you can do. Many of my clients have ADHD and anything can distract them from a task at hand. If you've taken your little AlphaSmart Neo onto the back deck to get the next chapter of your book written, chances are good you'll do that. (Unless there happen to be a lot of pretty butterflies flitting around!)

3. It will last for 700 hours on 3 AA batteries! Whoo-doggies that's exciting to me! I'm lucky to get 4 hours on my brand-new rechargeable laptop battery before having to plug in again. I can't go cross-country on one charge. But with a little Neo in your bag, no excuses for not writing the whole way OVER to the other coast AND back! (Even if you're on a car-trip!)

4. Gets your thoughts down easily and quickly without having to retype in your handwritten notes. Plug in, hit a key and your text is in the mothership.

5. It's quite light at just two pounds. Even a Macbook Air is three pounds. So think two cans of beans. Or peas. Or pineapple slices--whatever your favorite canned food is!

One word of warning, though. AlphaSmart also sells the "Dana" model which has Palm OS app capability and internet. As one blog commenter said "any on-ramp to the web is a gateway to sloth."

The AD/HD Breakfast Plan: Feeding the Brain

This post has been a Tip Sheet in my brain for a long time now.

While I am not a nutritionist, I certainly have done my reading and study about AD/HD and diet. And I think most doctors who are up on this will back me up. I'm open to your opinions and suggestions.

After suggesting to a client that getting protein with breakfast is really important for the AD/HD brain (and for that matter, all brains), and helping with focus, she commented "But I don't really know what other protein other than egg I could eat?"

The tips I'm about to give are geared toward people who don't have much time or have a hard time organizing their time, and therefore, often skip breakfast altogether or usually eat whatever sugary carbohydratey (is that really a word? I think not) item they can lay their hands on.

Since I'm a vegan, my first tips will all be vegan in nature. This is what I know best because I live it and try it out all the time. I will offer some non-vegan (I know I will rot in vegan hell for this) suggestions at the end. Keep in mind that not all veg'n (I"ll use veg'n to mean both vegetarian and vegan) items, like veg'n sausage are equivalent to the meat version since the meat version will have other health consequences like cholesterol and more fat.

OK, here are some protein sources. I'll give some ideas on how to use them after the list. Don't forget to think outside the "BOX" of American-type breakfast items. There's no law that says you can't eat a peanut butter sandwich at 6 am.

And don't forget to drink lots of water! The brain needs to be kept moist. A dry brain is not a happy brain. And a dry AD/HD brain is just trouble waiting to happen!

The Vegan List

• Tofu (You knew that was coming, right?) See my recipe on my Vegan blog for tofu omelettes--not exactly a quick meal, but scrambling it would be easier.
• Tempeh (I linked it so you could figure out what it was)
• Nuts or nut butter (Please don't eat anything you are allergic to!)

• walnuts
• peanuts
• cashews
• almonds

• Sausage alternative (My fav is Turtle Island's Tofurky Beer Brats)
• Hot Dog alternative (My fav's are Light Life's Smart Dogs or Tofu Pups which are gluten-free)
• Oatmeal
• High protein cereals
• Soy milk
• Soy/rice/coconut yogurt
  Yes, there is a really wonderful new coconut-based yogurt by Turtle Mountain on the market called So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt). A little higher in fat than soy and actually low in protein, but boy is it tasty--if you like coconut, that is. I'm trying to reduce my overall soy intake.
• Energy Bar
• Protein Shake/Smoothie (powdered or home-made)
• Frozen waffle
• Cheese alternative (Follow Your Heart Cheese, Daiya Cheese)
• Cream Cheese alternative (Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese and Follow Your Heart Cream Cheese)
• Beans

The Non-Vegan List

• Meat
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Sausage
• Red meat
• Etc.
• Eggs (scrambled, fried or hard-boiled)
• Milk
• Cheese
• Yogurt

So here are some ideas on how to put these items together:

Breakfast Burrito-Throw some beans, scrambled tofu (or egg) and some taco sauce and you have a meal to run out the door with. If you can't sit and eat like a human, that is. Thought: make a big batch of scrambled tofu (tofu, onion, herbs, curry or turmeric) mix with a can of flavored beans and/or some taco sauce and freeze small bags of it. Get this out and microwave inside a tortilla, (or spread on toast). Or just buy healthy frozen ones and keep them in the fridge.

Smoothie: Any combination you like of milk or milk alternative, fresh or frozen fruits, nuts or nut butter, yogurt or protein powder. A little vanilla maybe, a little agave nectar and whir that all up in a blender. Leave the raw egg to Rocky, though, OK?

The mega bowl of cereal: Involves no cooking whatsoever. Buy some nice healthy tasty cereal (low or no sugar of course), throw in a couple tablespoons of nuts, cut up a piece of fruit add your milk or milk alternative or yogurt/alternative and you have quite a hearty meal. I know–I do it every morning. My favorite right now is Kashi's Autumn Wheats with some almond milk or 1/2 container plain or vanilla coconut yogurt mixed with a little water, 2 tablespoons walnuts and whatever fruit is ripe in my yard or I have gotten from the store. This month it's peaches and blackberries.

Peanut butter on toast: a classic. If you are too rushed, just grab a spoonful of peanut butter. For fruit add some sliced bananas.

Waffle treats: Frozen waffles are not half bad! Try a topping to bump up the protein: cream cheese, peanut butter or some fruit or yogurt.

Outside the "breakfast box" ideas: a hot dog, whole wheat pasta with a little olive oil/butter/butter alternative and cheese/alternative. It's so easy to cook up a whole bag or box of pasta and then keep in the fridge all week to heat up for quick snacks. If you can't do wheat, then Trader Joe's carries a nice brown rice pasta that's pretty good. Whole grain pastas will have some protein in them.

OK, enough for now....

If you'd like a tip sheet of this information (which will probably be in a more legible format) just e-mail me and ask for it. margaret@organizeinharmony.com

Liability notice: Readers should see their doctors before making any major dietary changes in their lives. I am not a nutritionist.

All posts on this blog are Copyright of Margaret Pearson Pinkham and Organize in Harmony. Text may be used without permission only with attribution to Margaret Pearson Pinkham and Organize in Harmony and for informational purposes only, not monetary gain. Of course I'd like to know how and when you are using my work. If there is going to be monetary gain, I'd like to be in on it. I believe in Karma. If you misuse my stuff, it will come back to haunt you.

Chronic Disorganization, ADD and Hoarding, Oh My!

October was the month of conferences and I'm glad we'll be heading into the quiet weeks of just major family holidays!

It was actually the end of September when I attended the NSGCD (National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization) Annual Conference in Mt. Laurel, NJ. We had two main wonderful speakers whose expertise was in ADD and people who hoard. Both areas are such huge issues right now in the field and it was great to hear the most up-to-date information. Among the attendees, we realized that collaborative therapy (client, therapist and organizer) is the way to go with our clients in great need. We'll be bringing this message to the world of therapists and coaches in the next few years! On a personal (and professional) note, I sat for my Level III peer review and received my official CPO-CD (Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization) title and lapel pin. Sixteen months of study and mentoring have come to a close! And yet the work continues....

Conference #2 was the ADDA Regional Conference in San Francisco. (Attention Deficit Disorder Association) Again, more wonderful information about adult ADD.

Conference #3 just wrapped up this last weekend in San Ramon. The NAPO-SFBA (National Association of Professional Organizers-San Francisco Bay Area) held their regional conference. I co-presented a session with colleague Kim Anker-Paddon (soon to be of the LA area) on ADD with a twist. We called it "Nature and Nurture: It all A.D.D.s up!" Kim spoke on the "traditional" organizer ways to help our clients with ADD (or AD/HD--same thing) and I spoke about some new ideas I am using about how nature and other natural methods can help people focus. (Some great studies have been done by Stephen Kaplan and Andrea Faber Taylor and Frandces Kuo.) I'll write more about these ideas and studies soon.

I actually passed on another great conference in SF--the Mental Health Association's Hoarding and Cluttering Conference. There just wasn't enough time for me to attend this one, but Kim did and she said it was wonderful. I attended last year and heard Randy Frost speak. He is one of the authors of the new book "Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring and Hoarding." Also a must-read for anyone who has this issue or has a loved one with hoarding problems. The problem is more widespread than anyone can imagine--and such a heartache for all involved. Marin County is starting a task force on the situation.

Well, there is certainly enough fodder in my last month of conferences to blog daily for quite awhile. Please tune in soon for more detailed information about all the topics mentioned today.

Have a Happy (and safe) Halloween!
Margaret,

And only the blind shall see....

Good Sunday morning to all! Today is bright and sunny in my neck of the woods, and I managed to get a bit of gardening done before the sun hit me and got a little too warm.

I tried a listening exercise yesterday that I used to do on my nature walks in Yosemite. If you are a clutterer or just have too much stuff in your house, you may want to try this to gain a new perspective.

I sat quietly at a public park and closed my eyes, listening carefully for sounds around me. I had a paper and pen, and I drew a "sound map" of every little thing I heard. The only human sounds I heard were cars and a few people talking. Other things were dogs barking, an airplane overhead, many birds chirping or singing all over the place, the wind in the trees and I felt the wind on my face.

When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see a number of things I hadn't heard. There was a guy riding his bike by the park, a man walking his dog, and another man sitting quietly on a bench.

I realized that this exercise of listening had also enhanced my ability to see. I was suddenly more aware, and even more curious to see what was around me. So many things had become "invisible" to me and it took me closing my eyes, to enable me to see them once again.

Have piles of "stuff" in your house or office become invisible? They haven't disappeared, they are still there--your eyes just don't see them anymore.

Maybe this means we need to take a moment and close our eyes in our homes. Listen for sounds, then open our eyes anew to what surrounds us.

Do we truly want those piles? Wouldn't we rather they disappear (by us de-cluttering) than have them become invisible?

Margaret
Organize in Harmony