Create Checklists And Routines
Knowing what to do and when to do it is something we all question and sometimes struggle with, but for an ADHD child or teen, keeping everything straight can be daunting. Many times, things are forgotten, often overlooked and arent realized until later. Its hard to stay focused when there are so many distractions. Thats why a structured, predictable and organized environment is best your child knows what to expect and this creates a sense of security. This is true whether your child has ADHD or not.
Writing instructions down for your child or teen or simply using a checklist with detailed steps help to avoid emotional triggers for both parent and child. Its far easier to remember items and follow directions when they are in writing. Please keep in mind however, that lists that are short and age-appropriate are more manageable and will help keep them on track. Its usually rewarding to actually mark a completed task off their checklist as DONE.
More importantly, if you dont already have one, try creating a day-to-day routine and schedule for your child to learn and follow. STICK TO IT! Make a plan for the time they wake up, eat and leave for school. Set a homework time and a bedtime. Allot for playtime or free time because an ADHD child needs to expend that energy! Be consistent with expectations, rules and consequences and use positive reinforcement when your child completes a task and adheres to the schedule.
Tune Out Distractions At Work
Distractions at work can be a big challenge for adults with ADHD. Try these strategies:
- Route your calls to voicemail, then check it only at set times during the day.
- Ask for a quiet cubicle or office at work, so you arenât distracted by others.
- Use a “white noise” machine or listen to earphones to drown out other sounds at work.
- Stick to doing just one task at a time.
Parenting An Adhd Teen
Heres a critical point: you dont do tasks for them you work with them to develop practical techniques to accomplish tasks for themselves. They do the homework, complete the math worksheets, write the term papers, and finish the end-of-semester projects. What you learn especially if you and your teen have been living with ADHD for several years is that oftentimes, its not the actual work that trips these teens up: its the remembering to do the work. And when they do remember to do the work, they need to remember to turn the work into their teachers.
To do that, they need your help.
You know theyre not lazy, careless, or indifferent to the importance of school. You know getting angry and punishing them does not help them remember what happened to that in-class history assignment they got a zero on.
What did happen to that assignment?
Thats where they need you. They need help implementing systems that prevent them from leaving that history assignment folded up in the back of the history book. One thing that can happen with ADHD kids is that they leave free money on the table. Academically speaking, that means assignments that should be a slam-dunk A like an open-book, in-class quiz can end up as an unfortunate F because your teen simply forgot to turn it in.
And why did they forget?
Because they have an atypical executive function network in the brain.
Thats where you come in.
Youre that executive function.
Okay enough preamble.
On to our list.
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How To Get Organized Rule : Think Big
There is no such thing, in my mind, as a bad organizing project, but there are better projects to do right now.
Generally, the best types of organization projects for anxious times are ones that require larger gross-motor skills. Projects like cleaning the garage, organizing the storage room, or cleaning out your closet will give you a physical sense of well-being, as well as a final organizing result that you can see and appreciate. Large gross-motor activities, like physically moving a bunch of stuff, reduces the amount of adrenaline and cortisol in your body, giving you both a physical and mental organizing boost that will, in turn, elevate your mood.
Smaller tasks like organizing individual papers, photos, or your craft room are typical places to start because they seem less daunting. But because these projects require much more detailed, fine-motor organizing skills, and dont offer that physical release of accomplishment that you get when organizing a larger space, I recommend going after the bigger projects instead.
Solving The Kitchen Counter Top Clutter Problem
Check your countertops and identify the biggest clutter culprits. For me, Coffee accessories were one of the biggest counter top clutter problems in my kitchen. They were supposed to be stored in a cabinet, but once we pulled them out to make coffee, they rarely made their way back in the cabinet.
To solve this problem, I created a coffee basket that sits beside the coffee pot. It holds everything we need and use to make coffee. Now, instead of just leaving everything out on the counter, its just as easy to put it back in the basket.
I had the same problem with spices. I have a basket in my pantry that holds all my spices but once I pull them out to cook, they rarely ended up back where they belonged. So I took the spices I use the most and put them in a small basket beside my oven. A Viola! Problem solved.
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Finally Everything You Need To Know To Get Organizedguaranteed
Good News!
Are you ready to finally get organized? Rid your life of embarrassing clutter, leave for work without that stressful last minute search for your keys? Get rid of those ugly piles of paper without hiring an expensive professional organizer?
Would you like to be able to calmly welcome drop-in visitors to your home and turn your home into a restful refuge for you and your family?
Than this might be the most important letter youll ever read.
My name is Dana Rayburn. For more than 20 years Ive made it my business to help people get organized first as a Professional Organizer and more recently as a Professional Coach for adults with Attention Deficit Disorder . Im not a professional ad writer. But what I have to share with you is so revolutionary and so exciting I just had to sit down and tell you about it. So, please bear with me a little.
Let me start by telling you Im what I call a reformed messy. I was born disorganized and I lived in chaos for the first 28 years of my life. Lets just say, through a lot of experimentation and hard work I created a foolproof system to organize my home and me in only a few minutes a day. These are the exact same methods I now teach my clients so the become organized, too.
Im also a highly sought after adult ADHD coach who helps some of the most disorganized people youll meet bring order to their lives.
Needless to say, thats where my big problem lies
Can You Imagine My Frustration?
Other Tools For Productivity And Organization
Apps can be helpful, especially when used in combination with other organization strategies. Edlestein notes that many of the tools that come standard on most modern smartphones, such as alarms or reminders, can be immensely helpful for staying organized with ADHD. He even recommends that his patients use a separate device for productivity tools than leisure/social use. No matter the method that youre trying, its important to keep it simple and be consistent with new organizational tools.
If the method is simple enough to remain consistent with, keeps you accountable for your tasks with alarms and reminders, and allows you to break down tasks in small rewarding increments, you will be well on your way to improving your life and function as a person with ADHD, says Dr. Parikh.
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Tips For Managing Adult Adhd
If you have ADHD, everything from paying the bills on time to keeping up with work, family, and social demands can seem overwhelming. But its possible to cope with ADHD symptoms, get focused, and turn chaos into calm. By taking advantage of self-help techniques, you can become more productive, organized, and in control of your lifeand improve your sense of self-worth.
The Major Flaw Of Most Organizing Books
The fact is most organizing books have a major flaw. Sure they contain some decent information. But, heres the problem. 99% of books about organizing are people who have no idea how challenging it is to make sense of the chaos and clutter. People without a clue how discouraging it is to not know where to start.
Well, I promise you this. My Organized For Life! program is different. Its jam packed with proven techniques to guide you step-by-step on your organizing journey. Techniques Ive used over the years to get disorganized people like my clients and me organized so we stay that way.
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Symptoms Of Adhd In Adults
The defining feature of ADHD is a persistent pattern or inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interfere with functioning for a period of at least six months. For adults, ADHD symptoms can include: Failure to pay close attention to details Difficulty remembering information Difficulty following directions Difficulty concentrating or remaining on task Struggling to organize tasks Difficulty completing work on time Chronic lateness and forgetfulness Social intrusiveness frequent interruptions or making important decisions without consulting others Hyper-focus: Intense focus on things of interest or tasks that are rewarding/stimulating Reckless behavior Poor planning Easily stressed out Explosive temper Difficulty sitting still Excessive talking Becoming bored easily
Start With This Simple Tip
ROW a few minutes every day.
ROW stands for Routine Organizing Work. So, when you ROW, you spend 15 minutes each and every day completing your routine organizing tasks.
I can hear you laughing now.
If you have ADHD, you know how hard it is to do something consistently. Believe me, I understand how challenging it is.
Ive made getting organizing with ADHD easy with this simple tip, but trust me, it is vital. Otherwise, you are left with the choice of continuing to live at the disorganized, impulsive whim of your ADHD.
And we all decided that in 2021 and beyond, we are NOT living like we did in 2020, right?
So ready to start ROWing? Lets get started.
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Adhd And Clutter: Two Basic Principles Of Organization
When you begin to declutter and take control of your own space, everything can blur together into one gigantic overwhelming pile of mess. Before diving into the five tips for getting organized, there are two general principles to guide you:
Solving The Clothes Problem
For discarded clothes that arent yet ready to be washed
Use over the door clothing hooks for clothing you plan to wear again before you wash. I place these in the areas Im most likely to change clothes. That makes it almost as easy to keep the clothes off the floor as it is to just leave them there. This has helped calm the ADHD clutter.
I particularly like these:
For dirty clothes piling up on the floor and furniture
Keeping a laundry basket in the areas you are most likely to change clothes helps keep them off the floor. I keep a basket in my room, bathroom and laundry room. Those are the areas Im most likely to need them.
I keep a few specifically for clean clothes before I fold them to prevent them from finding a home on the floor or with dirty clothes. That winds up being more than a few laundry baskets but clear floors, chairs, beds, etc
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Announcing The Last Organizing System Youll Ever Need
Who Said Staying Organized Has To Be Hard?
Ive put together a proven program for you to get organized in as little as 15 minutes a day. And the most remarkable part of the whole system is that using my program you will not only get organized but you will find it easy to stay organized, too.
I know it all sounds too good to be true but keep reading and Ill prove it to you
Take Before Photos Of Your Mess
Individuals with ADHD have a hard time seeing how much progress they have made and estimating how long tasks will take. Even if youre embarrassed, take the photos! You dont have to show them to anyone. Once you begin to make progress, youll be glad to have a visual reminder of how far youve come.
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Tips For Managing Stress And Boosting Mood
Due to the impulsivity and disorganization that often accompany ADHD, you may struggle with erratic sleep, an unhealthy diet, or the effects of too little exerciseall issues that can lead to extra stress, bad moods, and feeling out of control. The best way to stop this cycle is to take charge of your lifestyle habits and create healthy new routines.
Eating well, getting plenty of sleep, and exercising regularly can help you stay calm, minimize mood swings, and fight any symptoms of anxiety and depression. Healthier habits can also reduce ADHD symptoms like inattention, hyperactivity, and distractibility, while regular routines can help your life feel more manageable.
Set Up A Simple Money Management And Bill Paying System
Establish an easy, organized system that helps you save documents, receipts, and stay on top of bills. For an adult with ADHD, the opportunity to manage banking on the computer can be the gift that keeps on giving. Organizing money online means less paperwork, no messy handwriting, and no misplaced slips.
Switch to online banking. Signing up for online banking can turn the hit-or-miss process of balancing your budget into a thing of the past. Your online account will list all deposits and payments, tracking your balance automatically, to the penny, every day. You can also set up automatic payments for your regular monthly bills and log on as needed to pay irregular and occasional ones. The best part: no misplaced envelopes or late fees.
Set up bill pay reminders. If you prefer not to set up automatic payments, you can still make the process of bill paying easier with electronic reminders. You may be able to set up text or email reminders through online banking or you can schedule them in your calendar app.
Take advantage of technology. Free services can help you keep track of your finances and accounts. They typically take some time to set up, but once youve linked your accounts they automatically update. Such tools can make your financial life easier.
Put a stop to impulse shopping
Impulsivity from ADHD and shopping can be a very dangerous combination. It can put you in debt and make you feel guilty and ashamed. You can prevent impulsive buys with a few strategic tactics.
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Develop Structure And Neat Habitsand Keep Them Up
To organize a room, home, or office, start by categorizing your objects, deciding which are necessary and which can be stored or discarded. To organize yourself, get in the habit of taking notes and writing lists. Maintain your newly organized structure with regular, daily routines.
Create space. Ask yourself what you need on a daily basis, and find storage bins or closets for things you dont. Designate specific areas for things like keys, bills, and other items that can be easily misplaced. Throw away things you dont need.
Use a calendar app or day planner. Effective use of a day planner or a calendar on your smartphone or computer can help you remember appointments and deadlines. With electronic calendars, you can also set up automatic reminders so scheduled events dont slip your mind.
Use lists. Make use of lists and notes to keep track of regularly scheduled tasks, projects, deadlines, and appointments. If you decide to use a daily planner, keep all lists and notes inside it. You also have many options for use on your smartphone or computer. Search for to do apps or task managers.
Deal with it now. You can avoid forgetfulness, clutter, and procrastination by filing papers, cleaning up messes, or returning phone calls immediately, not sometime in the future. If a task can be done in two minutes or less, do it on the spot, rather than putting it off for later.
Two Hooks Four Baskets
As soon as I walk through the door and before I so much as breathe a sigh of relief for having made it to the relative safety of my abode, I hang my keys on the hook beside the front door. Conveniently placed next to the line of post-it notes, the keys will remain on their hook until its time once more, to run hither and yon.
Nothing, but nothing, comes before that action. It took quite some time to make that a habit, but Im very glad I did. Gone are the terrible, horrible, no good, and very sad mornings of frantically looking everywhere for missing keys.
The second hook further down on the wall is for my sons backpack and clarinet and whatever else hes dragged home. As long as the item in question is not alive, on the hook it shall go, until its time for homework. But as soon as homework is done, it returns to the hook.
Next come the baskets. Still inside the foyer, I have four small baskets on a table. The first is for incoming mail, the second is for outgoing mail, the third and fourth are for my purse, and his wallet.
The idea is that as soon as we come through the door everything of importance that might get misplaced is now where we know we can find it, every time.
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