It's time for another guest blog post from Mind Coach NOLA at NOLA Family Mag! This one is titled "Cheetah." Why, you ask? You'll have to read it to find out! 

Continuing on this week's theme of time and procrastination, the article "Are You Time Blind? 12 Ways To Use Every Hour Effectively," at ADDitude Magazine, is probably the best and simplest explanation on time blindness with easy techniques to try out. Rather than trying them all at one, enlist the help of a coach to help figure out what strategies will work best for you, so that you can stick with them and create life long habits.

How bad is your procrastination problem? Is it just a random occurrence with certain tasks you dislike, or is it a chronic condition? Take this test, "How Seriously Do You Procrastinate," to find out.

Here are some handy tips for parents and teachers on helping kids set realistic goals, and how to encourage and praise effort and progress, with the end goal of ultimately achievement. My favorite is: Set a family goal that everyone can contribute to. 

Perhaps you are new to the tribe of ADHD. Perhaps you have been reading and researching for years online. How much do you actually know? How much is true? Take this short quiz from a trusted resource to find out. The answers provide brief and direct explanations that you can use in conversations with friends, family, teachers, co-workers and anyone else you might know. Help me educate the world on ADHD.

Don't forget! On Tuesday, May 15th at 6:30 - 8 pm, and Thursday, May 17th at 8:30 - 10 am, join Mind Coach NOLA and Lolo's Youth Yoga Studio (6107 Magazine St.) for an interactive and intimate workshop, "Mindful Parenting For Modern Times."

I find Dr. Amen’s work fascinating. I find it incredible that we know so little about the brain in comparison to the rest of human anatomy, and yet it is our most vital organ. Luckily there is more and more brain research every day as the field grows in leaps in bounds…

This Saturday, May 5th, before you head to Jazz Fest, come join us at 9:00 am for an informal meet-up hosted by the NOLA chapter of CHADD.

Feeling stuck? Too stressed and distracted with your own life to teach your kids how to live healthy, engaged lives in this always-on world? Tired of threatening to take away electronics?

Following on Wednesday's post on setting priorities, here's a great article at ADDitude Magazine, "Get Your Priorities Straight," yet another fabulous resource for those diagnosed with ADHD/ADD or those working on their executive function skills. Get in touch with Mind Coach NOLA if you want to work together with a certified ADHD coach to figure out just what those priorities of yours are!

I could never survive without my priorities lists. They keep me on track and help me avoid wasting time on other activities. So how do you make this list in the first place?

OMG! Exams are almost here! It’s the final sprint to the finish. Just a few more tests, projects, and papers: the last chances to bring up that GPA. And then, before you know it, it’s exam week! 

Here's a great article by Jami Ingledue at the Huffington Post: "10 Things Parents of "Normal" Kids Should Know."  Maybe you’re reading this because your kid has ADHD. Or maybe you were once a kid with ADHD. Parenting can be oh so hard at times. You are not alone, my friend. 

Not everyone who struggles with executive function skills has ADHD. And not everyone who has ADHD chooses to take medication. My personal experience is that the right medications can work wonders, but should only change you as much as eyeglasses.

Understanding the roots of negative behavior, and the neurological changes that cause it, are crucial to putting together a collaborative plan to address said behavior.

As you all know, the mind has the power to make you or break you. Having the skills to quiet the internal criticism, the doubts and the self flagellation is crucial to success.

ADDitude Magazine has offered up a cute little solution to "To-Do List Shame," with an article on creating a “Ta-Da” list. For just a little while, forget your to-do list—you know, the one that just keeps getting longer and longer, the one that makes you feel bad. Instead, jot down a ta-da list.

Here’s another article for those of you that like brain research like I do: "Effects of gratitude meditation on neural network functional connectivity and brain-heart coupling." Practicing gratitude meditation on a regular basis makes you feel better.

Mindfulness for empowerment? Yes! Take 5 minutes now or 5 later, but try this today. In the excitement of work, family and life, I have to consciously make time for self-care. There are times when I find it difficult to believe that I deserve to be so happy and am not as open as I should be to receive love. This is human, yet something I can work on.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about mindfulness and how we should all be practicing it. I found the article "What Does Mindfulness Mediation to For Your Brain?" at the Scientific American that explains the biology behind it in an easy way.