ADHD and Organization: Build Your EF Skills this ADHD Awareness Month
By Grace Friedman, ADHD Coach
Happy October, everyone! October marks the start of ADHD Awareness Month! There are over six million people nationwide with ADHD—which is a huge ADHD community! The Hallowell Todaro ADHD Center is committed to highlighting the strengths and superpowers of those with ADHD and supporting those with ADHD in working through various challenges common within our community.
Now, let’s talk about organization!
For many people with ADHD, organization is a familiar topic and often a common challenge. People with ADHD, like myself, are prone to being disorganized and have multiple mental “tabs” open all at once. Organization is all about saving time and being in control of the many important activities, tasks, and items in your life. Let’s be honest, being organized can feel like a drag and require a lot more energy than we think. Sure, getting organized is a pain, but it’s better than the stress of being disorganized!
Which is easier: to remember twenty different items you need to take care of or to remember just one rule? The rule is to write it down. Have you ever heard the phrase: “Out of sight out of mind”? Visual aids such as calendars, to-do lists, and phone reminders can help you manage time and keep yourself on track. Getting a planner, whiteboard, sticky notes - or even my favorite, a big monthly calendar for your home- is a good system to keep you on track.
People with ADHD can spend a significant amount of time thinking about and executing a task from start to finish, more so than someone without ADHD. Staying organized is not just about writing tasks down, organization also can contribute to time management.
For people with ADHD who are in school and extracurricular activities, use planners to write down homework assignments, due dates, items you need for certain projects, or steps required to complete a specific task. Planners are also a great place to write down the time and location of sports or dance practice, the time and location of the carpool, and plans you have with your friends over the weekend. Writing down your responsibilities can reduce the stress of figuring out when to get everything done and increase your confidence around knocking items off your list. The more you get done, the more time you have for fun!
For people with ADHD who have jobs, use planners to write down your tasks, project deadlines, and meetings. It is also crucial to write down when you’re having a break, getting lunch, or when to get some fresh air. It can seem overwhelming at times to merely think about all the tasks you have to get done and when to take a break amid all your work. Writing all this down can help mitigate the stress of having to cognitively juggle all your to-do’s.
It is also important to consider how organizing the space in which you work reduces distractions and increases your ability to focus on the task in front of you. People with ADHD can become easily distracted when items are out of place or when fun items or activities like screens, music, food, and pets are easily accessible during the times you are trying to stay focused. Everything takes longer when you’re distracted!
Here are some suggestions to practice organizing your tasks and work environment:
Take Action
Spend a couple of minutes every day throwing out junk you don’t need. You can do this when you empty your lunch box or your backpack at the end of the evening.
Keep your organization system simple. File your work by subject or put all the homework you’ll be completing in one folder and all the completed homework in another.
Organize your backpack or your work bag in the evenings when you have time, rather than in the morning when you are in a frantic rush and more likely to just jam items in without a set system.
Struggle with organization, time management and effectively juggling all of life’s responsibilities? Check out our ADHD coaching and executive function skill-building workshops.
Continue your learning!
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