| I was working with a client who had recently been | | | | and out of the house in the morning you don't have to |
| diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | | | | worry about what to do 1st, 2nd and 3rd or whether |
| (ADHD or ADD). She went on to say that she was | | | | or not you will make it to work on time. Once you |
| happy she had ADHD because now she had a built in | | | | have schedules and routines you don't have to hunt all |
| excuse to be disorganized. Certainly people with | | | | over the house for your bills and when you finally track |
| ADHD have trouble being organized but is it an | | | | them all down pay them -- late. |
| excuse? | | | | So how do I get organized? |
| I have ADHD, do I have to be disorganized too? | | | | - Realize that you are NOT perfect. You don't have to |
| Just because you have ADHD doesn't mean you | | | | have a perfect system and there are no set rules to |
| have to be disorganized. In fact there are many people | | | | follow. The system you create only needs to make |
| with ADHD who are incredibly well organized. Being | | | | sense to you. |
| organized has helped them thrive. However, if you | | | | - Be yourself. Don't try to fit someone else's mold. |
| have ADHD it is often more difficult for you to get | | | | Instead, create systems and routines that reflect your |
| organized and stay that way. | | | | personality and make them fun. Remember that one |
| What does being organized mean? | | | | great thing about ADHD is the ability to be creative |
| Being organized is not about putting things away and | | | | and brainstorm. Come up with the wackiest way to |
| everything being neat and ready for company. It is | | | | organize your environment. That will probably the way |
| about how you function in your environment. It means | | | | it will work best for you. |
| that you control your environment, your things and your | | | | - Learn to say "NO". Before deciding to take on a new |
| time, instead of your environment controlling you. | | | | responsibility make sure you have the time and ability |
| Organization is how you manage your things, your | | | | to add it to your current schedule. If you don't have the |
| time, and your tasks. | | | | time decide which activity from your current schedule |
| What about ADHD contributes to disorganization? | | | | you will stop. |
| ADHD involves your brain's frontal lobe which acts as | | | | - Use broad categories for filing and organizing. |
| the "executive functioning" area of your brain. This is | | | | Depending on how you think you can file all banking |
| the part of your brain that allows you to make | | | | things together and all credit cards together. They don't |
| decisions, set rules, prioritize, assign responsibilities, help | | | | need individual files unless that would help you. |
| you focus and remember. | | | | - Label everything. Remember people with ADHD tend |
| So What? | | | | not to remember "unimportant" details like which |
| Getting organized involves several steps that are | | | | drawer they put their bank statements in or which |
| often done in a specific order. | | | | refrigerator drawer holds the fruit or which list is for |
| | | | phone calls. Labeling helps you to find things and put |
| 1. Decision Making -- Decide what you need and what | | | | them away. |
| you don't need. | | | | - Create Mini-Tasks. Break up all tasks into mini-tasks |
| 2. Setting Rules -- Categorize what you have left. | | | | that take 10 - 15 minutes each. Smaller tasks are |
| 3. Assigning Responsibilities -- Assign a place to keep | | | | easier to do and to schedule. |
| these things and put them away | | | | - Manage organization energy bursts. Work for 5, 10 or |
| 4. Focusing and Remembering -- Keep everything | | | | 20 minutes and then, even if you aren't done, stop. If |
| organized on an on-going basis. | | | | you have a list of mini-tasks set up you should have a |
| To follow these steps to get organized and then to | | | | list of things you can accomplish fairly quickly. |
| stay "organized" once you must have systems in | | | | - If it works stick with it. When you are faced with |
| place and keep on track while you are performing | | | | organizing something new, look at the systems you |
| tasks which are less than stimulating. When you look | | | | have that work and try to figure out why it works. |
| at it this way it is no wonder that people with ADHD | | | | Build onto these systems or create new ones that are |
| have trouble being organized. | | | | similar. |
| People with ADHD have trouble focusing on routine | | | | - Use memory tricks. Don't just try to remember things, |
| tasks...is there anything more routine (and boring) than | | | | use multiple senses. Say it aloud to yourself, tell |
| opening mail, paying bills and filing? How about doing | | | | someone, sing it, write it down and keep the note |
| laundry and putting away clothes? | | | | somewhere that you will really see. If it is a routine or |
| People with ADHD have trouble filtering out | | | | habit you are trying to create make a rhyme out of |
| distractions. Going through old clothes in your closet is | | | | the sequence of things you want to accomplish, |
| just not that exciting. How can you stay focused on | | | | create a sign and post the new habit where you will |
| the one thing that you are trying to get done when you | | | | be doing it. |
| hear "You've got mail!" or the phone rings? Not only do | | | | - Ask for help. Often having someone to keep you |
| you lose your place on the stack of papers you were | | | | company is enough to get many people moving and |
| working on but you get pulled completely off task. It | | | | stay on task. Maybe you can volunteer to keep a |
| might be hours, days or even weeks until you get back | | | | friend company if they keep you company? |
| to that pile. | | | | - Get your kids help. Tell your kids what you are going |
| If it is so hard to be organized why should I bother? | | | | to do. They love catching parents "misbehaving." Most |
| One of the ironies of ADHD life is that the more | | | | people will do anything to avoid being caught by their |
| organized you are and the more routines you have in | | | | children. |
| your schedule and life, the easier it will be for you to | | | | - Be Flexible. Remember life happens. Sometimes |
| function. What organization does is allow you to NOT | | | | despite your best planning things don't always work |
| have to focus on this minutia. Once organizing | | | | out the way you want them to. There are many ways |
| becomes routine you don't have to think about where | | | | to be organized - you just need to find the way that |
| something goes or where to find something that you | | | | works for you. |
| put away. Once you have a schedule for getting up | | | | |