Ep 159 | Black Girl, Lost…Keys! Thriving with ADHD with René Brooks

René Brooks joins us to discuss organizing her home while managing a late in life diagnosis of ADHD. René is living and thriving with the diagnosis and empowering others to do the same. She has taken a late in life diagnosis and used it to uplift others. René is the founder of Black Girl, Lost Keys, a blog that empowers black women with ADHD, helping them to live well with the disorder. We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast. Book a custom Virtual Tidying Experience with For the Love of Tidy (https://fortheloveoftidy.com/konmari-tidying-lesson/tidy-a-z-what-to-expect-from-a-konmari-virtual-tidy/) Join The Spark Joy Club today! (https://www.patreon.com/sparkjoy) In this episode, you’ll enjoy: - Learn what ADHD is and the symptoms related to this category of challenges. Here is a well-known symptom checklist for ADHD self testing: Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (https://add.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/adhd-questionnaire-ASRS111.pdf) Remember only an MD or a qualified health professional can give you an "official" diagnosis. René shares her own experiences in getting diagnosed and treated. We learn more about the special challenges facing women of color in address this disease. Hear René solutions for managing the day, your work and your life with techniques for overcoming barriers. Listen to our conversation with Craig Selinger in Ep 105 | Hope for Kids and Adults with ADHD (https://www.sparkjoypodcast.com/ep-105-hope-for-kids-and-adults-with-adhd-craig-selinger-of-themba-tutors) René shares her tips for paper and content management. René’s favorite organizing tip: With the holidays coming up, make a plan to keep gifts in the car until you are ready to wrap them! This way, they won’t get lost or forgotten in a closet. Out of site is out of mind, which can be a trap for someone with ADHD. What's sparking the most joy for René: René loves her active, engaged Twitter community. You should definitely check it out! Follow René on her website at blackgirllostkeys.com (https://blackgirllostkeys.com) On twitter @blkgirllostkeys (https://twitter.com/blkgirllostkeys?s=20) And FaceBook @BlackGirlLostKeys (https://www.facebook.com/blackgirllostkeys/) René recommends her book, Clean Up the Trash (https://www.blackgirllosttees.com/product-page/clean-up-the-trash-bundle), as very relevant to our listeners! Gems: "When you are having difficulty organizing your thoughts and your things, you find that increasingly run you out of time to do anything. In fact, starting to get organized and then stoping part way through is very common!" "When you look over your life, you begin to see the patterns of ADHD didn't just happen overnight. There are many pieces to the pie, but black women with ADHD are very isolated because they don't have a place that they fit in." "If I don't have a time set for myself to look at email, it's not going to happen." "You have to be willing to look at the goal of completing something and not worry too much about the method you used to accomplish it. The things that work change over time." The Spark Joy Anniversary Give-A-Way contest prizes! Win one of three bundles consisting of Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, signed by Marie Kondo, a fifty dollar gift certificate to the KonMari Shop (https://shop.konmari.com) to select your own Joy Sparking gift, and a two-hour Virtual Tidying Session from .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}