The Means Whereby
Now I'm going to get obscure... this is a "stay with me here" moment if there ever was one. Ever hear of the Alexander Technique? According to Wikipedia, "the Alexander technique is an alternative medicine and educational discipline focusing on bodily coordination, including psychological principles of awareness. It is applied for purposes of recovering freedom of movement, in the mastery of performing arts, and for general self-improvement affecting poise, impulse control and attention."
Blah, blah, blah.... I know. I can hardly read it myself. But it's so cool!
When I read the book called "Body Learning," about the Alexander technique, I was amazed at the way that the principles in the book echoed what I had learned about living with AD/HD. Keep in mind, the book is not about AD/HD, however I am taking some points from the book and applying them to AD/HD.
The most important points I got are summed up in two terms: means-whereby and endgaining.
Far too often, AD/HD people find themselves endgaining - they find themselves using unhealthy coping "skills" in order to get the job done. They get it done, but oh, they pay for it. This way of getting it done is quicker, perhaps, but often results in problems because of the way it is done.
On the other hand, focusing on the means-whereby, we are more concerned with the way we do an activity than we are about the result. This cuts down on inefficiencies and makes things easier to do.
Focusing on the means-whereby is what I like to do. It's how I get most of the big things done. And it's how AD/HD individuals should be coached.
AD/HD people find themselves looking for help because they have goals, but they need support to reach them. That's why coaching works so well. And the best coaches focus on the means-whereby. They don't forget about the goal, but they know that the big goal shouldn't be the main focus.
The client needs smaller, actionable goals. They also need to analyze their daily life and their environment to look for ways to maximize their effectiveness. That is putting the means-whereby into practice.