Organizing Your ADHD Life - Amazon S3 · Organizing Your ADHD Life Linda Anderson,MA, MCC, SCAC...

Organizing Your ADHD Life

Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, SCAC

©2013 Virtual AD/HD Conference® 1


Virtual AD/HD Conference - October, 2013

Linda Anderson, MA, MCC, Getting ClearBusiness and Personal Coach

Specializing in Coaching ADHD Adults

[email protected]

www.gettingclear.com and healthybody-healthybrain.com

1

Before we start,

pick one thing…

2

A brain on fast forward

ADHDWhat makes it so hard?

3

� Attention – too much, too little

� Poor filters✔ Short term memory challenges✔ Inability to prioritize

� Attracted to sparkly

� Self-doubt and anxiety

AD/HD is RealProblems with Executive Functioning

4

A Formula for Change

Awareness + Behavior =

Desired Change

5


Desired Change

6

• Changed perception

• Realization

• Different view

• Ah-ha moment!

• Tools/Strategies/Info

My big “ah-ha’s”




Could we agree on this?

7

We live in a cluttered culture.

1. Life TruthThe Kwakiutls

8

Change your thinking.

Your beliefs are all made up anyway!

2. Life Truth

9

Adjust your goals.

Break one big goal into smaller goals.

3. Life Truth

10

15° vs. 180°

Trust in the power of small change (vs.

big change).

4. Life Truth

11

When you hit a brick wall… find a window.

Create a window.

√ Change your view

√ Get help

5. Life Truth

12

Create a rewarding picture.




6. Life Truth

When you say no, what is left matters more.

• Delegating is a way of saying “no”

• It’s a muscle that you can grow.

• Take back that “yes”

• Practice saying “no” in front of

the mirror.

13

7. Life Truth

In organizing or de-cluttering one room or just

one drawer, you are taking care of yourself.

14

F. Limbos

This makes all

the other rules

work.

What do you…

15

…want more of in your life?

…want less of in your life?

…choose to change?

(Choice is a powerful thing.

Pick one thing)

What comes next?

• Containers and Containing

- Paper

- Kitchens

• Strategies for Maintaining

• Information/Prioritizing/Planning

16

17

Hmmmm….

containers?

Why

containers?

Containers

• have boundaries

• keep things outside from getting in

• keep things inside from getting out

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What Is It About Containers?

• save us time

• decrease stress

• give us more focus

• aesthetic or helpful

• because of the above, they feel rewarding

19

Containers (are homes for stuff) that

Useful Containers

20

Home

Most practical

Wow, the possibilities!

A Great Container

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When it’s the right container, you can feel it.

Sometimes, You Need

a Better Container for Your Stuff

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When it is not right, you an also feel it.

Finding Better Containers

( or Homes) for Stuff

23

�

Sometimes, you live in a tent, before you live in a

trailer, before you live in the house of your dreams

Progress not perfection.

Paper Often Needs

Home Improvement

24




Home Improvement Tools

For Paper and Other Things

25

A Brother labeller or

a black laundry marker pen

Handling Paper Can Be Challenging

26

So, you’re not great at paper…

You might be good at some kinds

of organizing.

Get help with the tough stuff.

Organizing Big ContainersLarge Spaces

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• Make it an occasion *– put it on the calendar

• Pick a theme – the hardware store *

• Don’t binge – set a reasonable time

• Get help – organizer, body double, friend, Craigslist

* Kolberg & Nadeau, ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize

Before Organizing ANYTHINGRemember the Kwakiutls!

Where do you start?

Get a really big trash can, shredder,

a place to donate clearly in mind.

28Oh…and recycling bin!

The KitchenA Complex Container

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√ an information center √ food prep area

√ eating space √ social space √ transition space

Too many

things and

activities

in this

contained

space!

Organizing A KitchenA Challenging Job

30

• Can any activities take place elsewhere? Ex. Lauren’s husband’s stuff

• Create a command center

• Co-opt the dining room

• Get another pair of eyes and hands!

• A good calendar may be important




The Calendar

31Not This So Much This

Kitchen Command Center

32

Kitchen Command Center Ideas

33

This could be TOO organized, but maybe not.


34

Helpful wall corners


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Kitchen Organizing

Be Creative

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Space for individual family members





Great Ideas

37

Search Google images for:

“kitchen command center”

http://images.google.com/

Strategies That Help You

Get Big Jobs Done

38

• Dan’s approach to organizing the bedroom

first all the ties, then belts, then shirts, etc.

• The Mount Vernon Method –

start in one corner and go to the right

• The Sheet

Maintaining and Organizing

Strategies

39

Bites, Gobblers and Munchers * • bites – single steps [(kitchen sink, phone call]

Ex. Annie’s “brain dead” tasks

• gobblers – a few hours

• munchers – multistep [kitchen, office, bedroom]

Put gobblers and munchers in your calendar.

* Kolberg and Nadeau, ADD Friendly Way to Organize

Strategies For Maintaining

40

1. Routine stuff: 15 minutes per day

2. Create a five zone house

Zone 1 – entrance, ft. porch, DR

Zone 2 – kitchen

Zone 3 – bathroom, extra BR, Children’s bath,

children’s BR’s, office, library

Zone 4 – master BR, master bath, closet

Zone 5 – LR, family, den

3. Take one zone per week (in one month).

Spend your15 minutes per day in that zone.

www.flylady.net/ and “Get Organized for Life,” D. Rayburn


41

Zone 1…

Zone 2…

Zone 3…

Zone 4…

Zone 5…

42


Information (It flows In and Out)




- Mail

- Bills

- Email

- Calendar

43


Information

The goal is–how not to

store it all for perpetuity.

The Mail and The Bills

44

Incoming Mail√ Sort the mail – who is best at this in the house?

√ Get rid of junk mail and the private stuff

√ Bills to one spot

Incoming/Outgoing Mail and Bills

45

Do your bills need a better home?

Bill Payment and Containment

46

Getting bills paid and out the door…

• Online banking

• Stamps, envelopes, pen, scissors –

all in one place (contain the things)

• Let the paper go! Shred. Keep only if for taxes.

• Receipts for purchases – put in one spot, then throw

Paper Maintenance

47

5 easy pieces (or 5 minutes)

Information Everywhere and

No Time to Think

48

(I used to say, “Paper, paper everywhere and no

place to sit.)

* *




Email – Eek!Create Smaller Contained Moments

49

How much time are you taking out of

your work and life to read email? *

Consider picking set times to review email

(Containing)

*Awareness + Behavior = Desired Change

Email Tips

Great Resources!

50

On the internet:

• 11 steps to clean up your inbox – boston.com

• 13 Tips On Organizing Your Inbox – Huffington Post

• Look on YouTube! – how to organize email

Prioritizing and Planning

51

Is it possible?

But experiment. Play a little.

Planning

52

The Good Old Tablet

Consider some other ideas re: containing

Planning and PrioritizingDe-clutter Your Brain

53

To Do

1.

2.

3.

A Dump List is Not a “To Do” List

Cross off the stuff you are really

not going to do in this lifetime.

Take time in the

morning.

Prioritizing and Planning

54

54

Record. Don’t

remember!

Dry

Erase

Cambridge

Limited

Planner

Pad




Google CalendarA Very Helpful Planning Tool

55One of my best-est tools!

Calendar as Coach

56

• Use your Google calendar like a coach

• Use color!

• Put reminders (pay bills)

• Put phone numbers in

• Integrate calendar with cell

How can you improve on your calendar?

Another Very Helpful

Planning Tool and Container

57

The Mind Map-where left brain

and right brain meet

Resource: Tony Buzan – The Mindmap Book

57

It adds play to planning

Planning

58

Mind Mapping on Mindjet

58

Mindmapping Resources

59

Find directions on how to mindmap on

You Tube!

Lifehacker.com recommends:

iMindMap FreeMind (free)

Mindjet Mindmeister

Xmind (free)

59

Some More Great Containers

60

• Mint.com - for managing money

• Evernote – (review on YouTube) note taking,

planning

• 2do, todoist – task lists

• 30/30 – for keeping breaks on track

• Paperless and Workflowy for planning

60

Very Useful Software and APPS




Focusing

61

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• Choose 1 to 3 things for the day

• 5 minutes or 15 for planning

• Put it in the calendar

• Use timers - time is liquid, it will get away

from you

Time Timer

So, what about you?

The Ultimate Container

62

62

• Play and create while organizing.

• Connect with others–get help.

• Imagine your desired outcome

Organizing Resources

63

63

• ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life–Kolberg & Nadeau

• Four Weeks to an Organized Life–Freed & Shapiro

• Organized For Life! – Dana Rayburn

Books

Ask for Help

64

• Body double

• Non-judgmental friend

• Craigslist

Organizing Resources

65

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• National Association of Professional Organizers www.napo.net [Search for ADHD-organizers]

• Institute for Challenging Disorganization

www.challengingdisorganization.org

Organizers

Some Personal Wisdom

A story

66

The Closet




What’s in the box front of your closet?

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√ Beliefs?

√ Negative self-talk?

√ Perfectionist thinking?

√ Can’t imagine finding help?

Start imagining.

68


Desired Change

I found a great container!

69

69

(It’s a

bamboo

cutlery

caddy!)

70

Odin (Odie) found a great container, too!

71

Linda S. Anderson, M.A., MCC, Getting ClearPersonal and Business Coach

Specializing in Coaching ADHD Adults

T. 215-230-7315 [email protected]

www.gettingclear.com and www.healthybody-healthybrain.com

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