Reddit reviews ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life
We found 5 Reddit comments about ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life Strategies that Work from an Acclaimed Professional Organizer and a Renowned ADD Clinician
It may be possible that you have ADHD/ASD comorbidities. Have you spoken to a psychiatrist about being evaluated for ADHD and managing it?
I just picked up a book, ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life, which is designed to circumvent the problems those of us with ADD have with most organization books/seninars/etc.
I highly recommend this book for helping you build organization strategies that work for you. It’s coauthored by a professional organizer and ADD specialist, so the strategies are a much better fit than the typical “use a planner and color-code stuff” neurotypical advice.
Re: relationships... it’s hard. Likely, you will both need to learn some new stuff to get both of your needs met. Here’s a video aimed at loved ones of ADHDers that might be a helpful starting point.
Welcome to our sub! Just so you know, AD(H)D can absolutely be a factor in causing hoarding behaviors. Research shows that hoarders tend to have higher rates of ADHD (inattentive type).
I suggest that you take a look at these resources:
Also, ADDitude Magazine has some helpful articles geared towards folks with AD(H)D:
And see also:
ADHD Podcast: ADHD Support Talk Radio - Clutter, Hoarding and Adult ADD / ADHD
/r/ADHD is a support sub for people living with A(D)HD and may be able to offer advice on decluttering.
Some folks with A(D)HD have found that using phone apps to tidy and stay organized helps, so you might try these:
As a general rule, you want to START SMALL. You didn't get into this mess overnight, and you won't get out of it overnight. Rome wasn't built in a day. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Etc., etc.--my point is, it's admirable if you want to sail in and tackle it all at once, but that's a very, very tough thing to do, and not a recommended strategy.
Big successes are built on top of little ones, so focus on the things you can do in under a few minutes. You'll notice that most of the tools listed above have you doing 10, 15, or 20 minute tasks. That's because bite-sized tasks are what help you feel a sense of accomplishment, which in turns helps you stay motivated.
Personally, I'm a fan of the 40 Bags in 40 Days De-Cluttering Challenge. 40 Bags in 40 Days is a forty-day period where you declutter one area a day. It's an easy goal that's also easy to remember. The official challenge runs annually and coincides with the 40 days of Lent, but some people find it useful to schedule the challenges for themselves during other times of the year. See this post to learn more.
*applauding with a big smile and wiping away a tear*
Well done.
As others say, don't feel driven off re: medication. You might not need it, or want it, but if you do - I think it's a disservice to yourself to not pursue it. If you don't, fair play and big thumbs up, but I know in my situation it'd have been a poor move on my part. Be encouraged, in any event. :)
Also, for a practical book that may be of interest, I've found this to be really decent: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ADD-Friendly-Ways-Organize-Your-Life/dp/1138190748/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VVSYCVVERHK8WQZ45ZMY
Best of luck!
6 weeks isn't a lot of time in terms of completely revamping your habits. I'm not saying that to be discouraging, just new habits take time, and I think for us they take even longer. I don't know if you're receiving professional therapy/medication in conjunction with this leave or seeking it, but for many people it makes a world of difference.
As far as self care, I'd say you need to give your self permission to do nothing beyond already required responsibilities, which sound like a lot! For me, sometimes I Just need mindless time watching netflix or playing xbox or reading to unwind after reaching that breaking point which it sounds like you are at. Whatever you do normally to reset, do that.
Overall I would say, pick the biggest issue you are struggling with right now and work on that. This book has a lot of great suggestions, and maps stuff out by problem areas.
For example, I've been struggling with anxiety, frustration, trouble sleeping so I have been meditating for 5 min every night before bed using the Headspace app. It's made a surprising amount of difference in conjunction with the other treatments I am receiving. But pick something that is your biggest struggle that fixing will have the most significant impact on your life.
I have no idea if that's actually helpful but hopefully it helps a little!